George trafton biography

In the first year of the National Football League, then known as the American Professional Football Association, George Trafton set a standard for performance in a rivalry series that has yet to be matched 99 years later.

The Decatur Staleys and Rock Island Independents clashed in two of the roughest games of 1920. In the first one, Trafton sent four Independents off the field with injuries as the Quad Cities crowd booed. The worst fate befell halfback Fred Chicken, who broke his leg when Trafton tackled him into a fence post near the field.

Three weeks later, the teams met again in Rock Island. Gamblers — who had started to turn their attention toward pro football after the Black Sox scandal of the previous year made baseball a risky play for a short time — had lost money on the previous meeting and were looking to bounce back.

Bears owner, coach and right end George Halas sequestered his team across the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa, hoping to keep his players from unsavory interests. They soon learned, however, that the smart money was on a parlay involving the Indepe

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