Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Page 11 of the Rockford Republic newspaper of October 26th 1920 includes the Decatur Staleys roster for the upcoming game with the Rockford Associated Athletic Club on October 31st.

The roster includes the Staleys jersey numbers:-

1 - Lanum
2 - Sternaman
3 - Koehler
4 - Pearce
5 - Dressen
7 - Halas
10 - Ingwersen
11 - Feichtinger
12 - Jones
13 - Trafton
14 - MacWherter
15 - Conzelman
17 - Petty
18 - Shank
19 - Shoemake
20 - Mintun
21 - Blacklock
22 - Adkins
23 - Chamberlin

Whilst this was a non-APFA game, 16 of the 19 jersey numbers match those from the Staleys first game (also non-APFA) with Moline on October 3rd, so there is some consistency.

There were previously no known 1920 jersey numbers for Chamberlin, Conzelman & Shoemake. Now there are!

Only two remain unknown from the 1920 team - Emmett Keefe who played one game as a backup G on November 28th and Paddy Driscoll who joined the team for the finale against Akron.

Most of these are in my book Uniform Numbers of the NFL. I had Chamberlin and Cozelman, but not Shoemaker or Keefe. I have Driscoll wearing 20. I also have a typo on Minton wearing 20 in 1921-22 rather than 1920-21. Keefe I only have playing for the Chicago Tigers. I stand corrected on that. Thanks.

The Bears media guide does list numbers for Chamberlin & Conzelman, but there are a lot of errors and omissions on that list, especially in the 1920s, e.g. Dutch Sternaman is listed as #3 from 1920-30, although he didn't even play from 1928-30. He was #3 in 1920, but #2 from 1921-27. I like evidence!

Not helped by the Staleys/Bears only wearing numbers on their back and a lack of in game photos, the lack of other source information (mainly programs) is the biggest problem.

The Bears list Chamberlin as #13 & #23 during his 1920-21 time with the Staleys, although George Trafton wore #13 in that same period. The only game that Trafton missed was the 1921 finale, due to injury, so probably the only time Chamberlin could have worn #13 with the Staleys. More likely #13 is an error though. He wore it later with Canton and others, but not necessarily with the Staleys. He wore #2 with the Staleys in 1921 and that is not listed.

Conzelman is listed as #1 & #15 in 1920. Jake Lanum was #1, so unless there was a later switch (Lanum wore #9 in 1921-24) then I'm not sure where #1 comes from.

I doubt that we'll ever know what Driscoll wore in 1920 with the Staleys. He's listed as wearing #1 & #20 by the Bears, although he was only signed up to play the day/night before the game with Akron, so almost certainly won't be listed in the program for that game, if you can find one. He wore #26 at the start of 1926 with the Bears, before switching to #2, which he had through 1926-29. No known record of him wearing #1 with the Bears, although he did with the Cardinals.

Shoemake (#19) was an unknown.