Alphabet Soup


Jan 6, 2023 10:05:07 GMT -6 0 Replies
Dan Daly's book, The National Forgotten League, is loaded with fun and informative facts, notes, and stories. This little nugget about the 1929 Orange Tornadoes caught my attention. The Tornadoes were a professional football team that competed in various leagues at various levels from 1887-1941 and 1958-70. From 1929-30 the Tornadoes were an NFL team. Their time in the league was only a blink, a very unique blink. No matter the sport, we are accustomed to seeing numbers somewhere on a player’s uniform. From the time that someone first decided to put personal identifiers on an athletic uniform that identifier has been a number. For some reason, the Tornadoes went a different route in 1929.

Here's their lineup for the first of two games against the Frankford Yellow Jackets:

A-Phil Scott, E, No College
B-Felix McCormick, B, Bucknell
C-Heinie Benkert, B, Rutgers
D-Leon Johnson, E, Colombia
E-George Pease, QB, Columbia
F-Ernie Cuneo, G, Penn State/Columbia
G-Frank Kirkleski, B, Lafayette
H-Ted Mitchell, C, Bucknell
J-Ernie Hambacker, B, Bucknell
L-Ralph Barkman, B, Schuylkill
M-Bob Beattie, T, Princeton
M-Steve Hamas, FB, Penn State
N-Paul Longua, E, Villanova
O-Jack McArthur, G, St. Mary's (California)
P-Bill Feaster, T, Fordham
Q-Bill Clarkin, T, No College
R-Andy Salata, G, Pittsburgh
S-Carl Waite, B, Rutgers/Georgetown
T-Jack Depler, C/T/Coach, Illinois
X-Johnny Tomaini, E, Georgetown

Letters! The 1929 Orange Tornadoes used letters to identify the members of their football team. Teams were often trying gimmicks in the early days of professional football to try and catch the attention of the public. This was their attempt to be a little different. The Tornadeoes’ two-year time with the Bears, Cardinals, Packers, and Giants will be best remembered by their unique use of the alphabet.

The two M's are a curiosity. Daly thought that it could just be a typo.

There's no "I" in team. Or apparently a “K.”

The Tornadoes’ brief time in the NFL does have a “distant” connection to the Minnesota Vikings. In 1929, Duluth Eskimos owner Ole Haugsrud sold his NFL franchise rights to Piggy Simandl, a wholesale meat salesman and sports promoter from Orange, NJ. Simandl named his NFL team the Orange Tornadoes. Due to an agreement made with the NFL through the sale of the Eskimos, Haugsrud would have “first dibs” on any future NFL team in the state of Minnesota. He was a part of the Vikings’ original ownership group in 1961.

If you haven't read Dan Daly's book, I highly recommend doing so.

Alphabet Soup

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Purple Pain: I'll have the Pick 6 thread up tonight for Wild Card Weekend! Jan 10, 2024 12:08:58 GMT -6
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salamander: Not feeling good unless we can find a QB. Haven't had a great one in a looooooong time. Feb 22, 2024 13:43:06 GMT -6
Reignman: March 11th, 2024 will live in history as Kirk Cousins Independence Day *cheerleader* Mar 11, 2024 16:34:20 GMT -6
salbrecht: Why can Pittsburg sign Russel Wilson fo 1.2 million and we get Sam Darnold for 10 million?? Mar 13, 2024 18:31:25 GMT -6
Reignman: when you put it like that, it's a real head scratcher, but this franchise is all about their precious culture, so I imagine they passed on a guy like Russ over something silly like that ... Darnold will have a big smile when he's throwing all the INT's Mar 14, 2024 17:44:47 GMT -6
shandman: If I am NE, I seriously consider getting Justin Fields and roll with Fields/Brisset this year.

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Mar 15, 2024 19:29:01 GMT -6
glenwo2: Saying that Darnold will have a big smile when he's throwing all the INT's is quite the Take, Reignman. Mar 16, 2024 20:17:05 GMT -6
Nemesis: Good grief....first I hear....and then I hear...I think I better go back to being gone. *woot* ??? Mar 22, 2024 15:24:17 GMT -6
Norseman: You were gone? Mar 22, 2024 22:30:40 GMT -6
Nemesis: I'm a long gone daddy www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtpe6_2nCts Mar 23, 2024 9:39:00 GMT -6
glenwo2: Norseman is Nemesis' Daddy! You heard it here first, folks. Mar 25, 2024 12:26:17 GMT -6
glenwo2: I'm kidding of course, Nemesis. :) Mar 25, 2024 12:27:05 GMT -6
Norseman: How do you know that it isn't true? Mar 25, 2024 14:28:23 GMT -6
glenwo2: Because Nemesis is the Mod and I'm just a punk rookie acting like a goofball. Mar 25, 2024 16:57:35 GMT -6
Nemesis: Plus glenwo2 is probably my dad, he just likes messing with me from the beyond. Mar 26, 2024 17:13:40 GMT -6
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