Pottsville Maroons 1925 World Champions Exhibit to Open Thursday, Honoring Team That Had NFL Title Stolen

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The 1925 Pottsville Maroons, a team that won the National Football League title on the field and lost it over a territorial dispute, will be remembered Thursday in their home city.

The Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and the Pottsville Business Association will open “The Pottsville Maroons: 1925 World Champions Exhibit” at the Schuylkill County Historical Society on Thursday, May 15, at 4 p.m. The Historical Society is at 305 N. Centre St. in Pottsville.

The Maroons went 10-2 in 1925, beating teams including the Buffalo Bisons, the Cleveland Bulldogs, the Canton Bulldogs, the Providence Steam Rollers (great name) and the more familiar Green Bay Packers.

The Maroons’ home field was Minersville Park, just outside of Pottsville. They had players from West Point and Lafayette College, including Charlie Berry from Phillipsburg, who played at Lafayette College. Berry played in the NFL and Major League Baseball.

Once the Pottsville squad beat the Chicago Cardinals, they were on top of the American football world. Then, they played a team of “Notre Dame All Stars” for an expected big payout in Philadelphia, crossing into a rival’s territory.

NFL Commissioner Joseph Carr suspended the team, costing them the NFL title. That went to the Cardinals instead, but perhaps a curse went with it. The now-Arizona Cardinals are the oldest franchise without a Super Bowl victory.

Still, the Maroons beat the All Stars 9-7, which was a big deal for the fledgling NFL on that day in Philadelphia 100 years ago.

The story is told in “Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship” by David Fleming. “Breaker Boys” refers to coal workers, usually boys or old men, who sorted junk out of coal.

I have relatives in the Coal Regions, so I heard all about the Maroons when I was a kid. Sometimes I wear a Maroons t-shirt, it’s a conversation starter.

The Maroons left Pottsville for Boston after the 1928 season, and then the team folded.

Here’s the statement about the exhibit:

POTTSVILLE, PA – The Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and the Pottsville Business Association invite members of the media and community to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the unveiling of “The Pottsville Maroons: 1925 World Champions Exhibit” at the Schuylkill County Historical Society on Thursday, May 15 at 4:00 p.m. This event will commemorate the legendary Pottsville Maroons football team and the new exhibit honoring their 1925 championship season. Light refreshments will be provided, attendees will enjoy 10% off Maroons merchandise in the gift shop, and a lucky guest will win a basket of themed items. The event is open to the public.