Tonawanda Kardex and corporate sponsorships

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Tonawanda Kardex and corporate sponsorships
Started by Mark L. Ford, Jan 10 2014 11:27 AM

16 replies to this topic

#1 Mark L. Ford
Administrators
Posted 10 January 2014 - 11:27 AM
We got a question from a magazine reporter about the 1921 Tonawanda Kardex NFL team, which finished with a record of 0-1-0, and about other examples of company-sponsored NFL teams. She was aware of the Staley Starch Company and the Acme Packing Company, and raises a good question about what other early NFL teams were formed by a manufacturer.

The other question, a more recent one, about what the first stadium was to auction its naming rights to a corporation. I'm "reliant" on our PFRA experts to "all tell" what you know about this...

#2 BD Sullivan
Forum Visitors
Posted 10 January 2014 - 12:49 PM
In September 1970, the Schaefer Brewing Co. signed a $1.4 million contract with the Patriots for both radio advertising and naming rights to their new stadium that broke ground that month and opened the following August.

Two years later (1973), Rich Stadium (sponsor Rich Products Corp.) replaced War Memorial Stadium.

#3 Mark L. Ford
Administrators
Posted 10 January 2014 - 01:05 PM
That's interesting. I had always assumed that those were named in honor of someone, like Shea Stadium.

#4 Ken Crippen
Administrator
Posted 10 January 2014 - 04:42 PM
Mark L. Ford, on 10 Jan 2014 - 11:27 AM, said:
We got a question from a magazine reporter about the 1921 Tonawanda Kardex NFL team, which finished with a record of 0-1-0, and about other examples of company-sponsored NFL teams. She was aware of the Staley Starch Company and the Acme Packing Company, and raises a good question about what other early NFL teams were formed by a manufacturer.

The other question, a more recent one, about what the first stadium was to auction its naming rights to a corporation. I'm "reliant" on our PFRA experts to "all tell" what you know about this...

There were the Pierce-Arrows in Buffalo in 1918. That may not have been a full corporate team, but just sponsored by a local dealership.

Bausch & Lomb sponsored a team in the Rochester area as early as 1918.

These are not NFL teams, but just corporate teams.

#5 Tod Maher
PFRA Member
Posted 11 January 2014 - 02:58 PM
Ken Crippen, on 10 Jan 2014 - 4:42 PM, said:
There were the Pierce-Arrows in Buffalo in 1918. That may not have been a full corporate team, but just sponsored by a local dealership.
Bausch & Lomb sponsored a team in the Rochester area as early as 1918.
These are not NFL teams, but just corporate teams.

There were probably hundreds of local pro/semi-pro teams pre-1950 sponsored by local businesses.

I don't think the Packers were still sponsored the Acme Packing Company when they joined the APFA/NFL in 1921.

#6 rhickok1109
PFRA Member
Posted 12 January 2014 - 11:23 AM
Tod Maher, on 11 Jan 2014 - 2:58 PM, said:
There were probably hundreds of local pro/semi-pro teams pre-1950 sponsored by local businesses.
I don't think the Packers were still sponsored the Acme Packing Company when they joined the APFA/NFL in 1921.

Actually, the owner of the Green Bay franchise in 1921 was Emmitt Clair, the brother of John Clair, who owned the Acme Packing Company. John Clair saw it as a chance to advertise his company all over the country. In effect, the company was more than a sponsor, it actually owned the franchise that season.

#7 Jeffrey Miller
PFRA Member
Posted 12 January 2014 - 11:50 AM
I memory serves, wasn't the Duluth team originally funded by a hardware concern?

#8 rhickok1109
PFRA Member
Posted 12 January 2014 - 01:08 PM
Jeffrey Miller, on 12 Jan 2014 - 11:50 AM, said:
I memory serves, wasn't the Duluth team originally funded by a hardware concern?

Yes, the Kelley-Duluth Hardware store. They were known as the Duluth Kelleys before Ole Haugsrud bought the team in 1926. The sponsorship ended and the team became known as "Ernie Nevers' Eskimos."

#9 Tod Maher
PFRA Member
Posted 12 January 2014 - 06:04 PM
rhickok1109, on 12 Jan 2014 - 11:23 AM, said:
Actually, the owner of the Green Bay franchise in 1921 was Emmitt Clair, the brother of John Clair, who owned the Acme Packing Company. John Clair saw it as a chance to advertise his company all over the country. In effect, the company was more than a sponsor, it actually owned the franchise that season.

Ok. That's sounds right - but here is an oddity - I've read that Lambeau was an employee of the Indian Packing Company not the Acme Packing Company. But then there's the picture of the Packers where some of the players are wearing uniforms that say "Acme Packers" on the front and the rest have no writing on the front of their uniforms. So, were the Packers really sponsored by more than one packing company???

#10 Tod Maher
PFRA Member
Posted 12 January 2014 - 06:20 PM
Tod Maher, on 12 Jan 2014 - 6:04 PM, said:
Ok. That's sounds right - but here is an oddity - I've read that Lambeau was an employee of the Indian Packing Company not the Acme Packing Company. But then there's the picture of the Packers where some of the players are wearing uniforms that say "Acme Packers" on the front and the rest have no writing on the front of their uniforms. So, were the Packers really sponsored by more than one packing company???

I've some further digging around on this. Lambeau was a foreman [according to his 1918 World War I registration card and the 1920 census) for the Indian Packing Company (a meat packing company which was located in the Green Bay suburb of Preble). The Indian Packing Company was then bought by the Acme Packing Company in 1921. So the original sponsor/owners of the Packers (1919 and 1920) was the Indian Packing Company. So it's obvious that Lambeau had to talk the Acme owners into taking over sponsorship of the team in 1921.
It would be interesting to know if they bought out the Indian Packing before or after Lambeau was awarded a franchise in APFA.

#11 rhickok1109
PFRA Member
Posted 12 January 2014 - 09:29 PM
Tod Maher, on 12 Jan 2014 - 6:20 PM, said:
I've some further digging around on this. Lambeau was a foreman [according to his 1918 World War I registration card and the 1920 census) for the Indian Packing Company (a meat packing company which was located in the Green Bay suburb of Preble). The Indian Packing Company was then bought by the Acme Packing Company in 1921. So the original sponsor/owners of the Packers (1919 and 1920) was the Indian Packing Company. So it's obvious that Lambeau had to talk the Acme owners into taking over sponsorship of the team in 1921.
It would be interesting to know if they bought out the Indian Packing before or after Lambeau was awarded a franchise in APFA.

The Acme Packing Company bought the Indian Packing Company between the 1919 and 1920 seasons. Lambeau remained an employee of the Acme company, which picked up sponsorship of the team in 1920. Lambeau then talked the Acme owner, John Clair into getting a franchise in the APFA, so John sent his brother, Emmitt Clair, to the league meeting at Chicago's LaSalle Hotel in August of 1921 to apply for the franchise. Emmitt paid the franchise fee with a check from the Acme Packing Company but, because of the way the APFA operated in those days, the franchise was issued in his name.

Complications arose after the 1921 season. First, Green Bay was expelled from the league for using college players and, second, Emmitt Clair had had an argument with his brother, had quit his job with Acme, and had moved to Chicago. There was speculation that he would somehow renew the franchise and start a team in some other city.

However, Emmitt gave the franchise back at the January league meeting in Canton. Lambeau was also at that meeting to apply for a new franchise for Green Bay. He didn't get it then, but it was finally awarded to him at the June meeting in Cleveland.

#12 Bryan
Forum Visitors
Posted 13 January 2014 - 08:05 AM
Do the Oorang Indians qualify as a corporate sponsorship?

#13 rhickok1109
PFRA Member
Posted 13 January 2014 - 09:48 AM
Bryan, on 13 Jan 2014 - 08:05 AM, said:
Do the Oorang Indians qualify as a corporate sponsorship?
It seems to me they should.

#14 Tod Maher
PFRA Member
Posted 13 January 2014 - 03:43 PM
rhickok1109, on 12 Jan 2014 - 9:29 PM, said:
The Acme Packing Company bought the Indian Packing Company between the 1919 and 1920 seasons. Lambeau remained an employee of the Acme company, which picked up sponsorship of the team in 1920. Lambeau then talked the Acme owner, John Clair into getting a franchise in the APFA, so John sent his brother, Emmitt Clair, to the league meeting at Chicago's LaSalle Hotel in August of 1921 to apply for the franchise. Emmitt paid the franchise fee with a check from the Acme Packing Company but, because of the way the APFA operated in those days, the franchise was issued in his name.

Complications arose after the 1921 season. First, Green Bay was expelled from the league for using college players and, second, Emmitt Clair had had an argument with his brother, had quit his job with Acme, and had moved to Chicago. There was speculation that he would somehow renew the franchise and start a team in some other city.

However, Emmitt gave the franchise back at the January league meeting in Canton. Lambeau was also at that meeting to apply for a new franchise for Green Bay. He didn't get it then, but it was finally awarded to him at the June meeting in Cleveland.
Thank you for the excellent info!

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#15 Mark L. Ford
Administrators
Posted 03 February 2014 - 07:36 PM
Here's the epilogue, printed in issue #11 of Pacific Standard magazine-- http://www.psmag.com...a-kardex-73499/

#16 Moran
PFRA Member
Posted 03 February 2014 - 07:55 PM
I have a 1927 program where Jim Thorpe is playing for the Portsmouth Shoe Steel team -

#17 Mark L. Ford
Administrators
Posted 03 February 2014 - 08:57 PM
One of my favorite team names from that era was the Akron Awnings. Go Awnings, shade those Shoe Steels.