Maroons Story Finally Captured For All To See

By: Bob Lipsky

    The story of the Pottsville maroons will live forever
on film.
     The Maroons, National Football League and world
champions in 1925 until a controversial decision stripped
them of the title, are held dear by many Schuylkill
Countians.
     Among the most ardent are members of the Pottsville
Maroons Memorial Committee, many of whom encouraged
NFL Films to visit the city.
     That wish came true Wednesday when two white NFL
Films vans rolled into Pottsville and to Pine View Acres,
where producer/director Ray Didinger and his crew inter-
viewed 8-10 of the people who saw the Maroons and know
their story.
     "It was wonderful, real professional the way they set
up," said Nick Barbetta, Schuylkill Haven, who chairs the
memorial committee.  "I'm glad that they came up to finally
have someone take a little time to do this.  It seemed like
everybody else was forgetting about us."
     In a nutshell, the Maroons were declared NFL Cham-
pions Dec. 6, 1925, when they beat the Chicago Cardinals
21-7.  The next week, they downed the "Four Horsemen
and Seven Mules" of Notre Dame, 9-7, at Shibe Park in
Philadelphia to claim the world championship.
     The Frankford Yellowjackets, the local Philadelphia
team, objected to the Maroons coming into their "territory."
The NFL agreed and took the title away from the Maroons.
     To make it official, the league made the Chicago Card-
inals play two more games (against allegedly inferior
competition; the teams are reported to hvae used high
school boys).  So when the Cardinals won those two
games, they had a higher winning percentage than the
Maroons, which gave Chicago the title.
     "I hope it gets out so people realize what a catastrophe
happened 75 years ago," Barbetta said.
     Added long-time broadcaster and Pottsville educator
Walter Jones: "It's fantastic about the renewed interest.
When we're gone, a lot of the stuff will be gone."
     Pottsville's Joe Hauptly, at age 97, one of the few
remaining players from the Maroons championship team,
said he was happy about NFL Films' interest in the team
and its story.
     Didinger said the Maroons feature will be be broadcast
on "NFL Films Presents," a half-hour show that is aired
on ESPN and ESPN 2 during football season.  The weekly
magaazine show usually has four segments, running from
2-8 minutes apiece.
     With the complexity of the issue, Didinger anticipated
the Maroons story would probably run 7-8 minutes.
     "It will show where pro football came from to what it
is today.  It's rooted in towns just like this," Didinger said.
"It will educate younger fans taht pro football is not just
exclusive to big cities."
     In addition to the interviews, the NFL Films crew went
to Centre Street in Pottsville to shoot the city today and the
historical marker that honors the Maroons.
     They visited the site of the field, which today is the
King's Village shopping center along the Pottsville-
Minersville Highway.
    

    And they got a look at the
Gladiator Award, a 65-pound
statue of a helmeted player
awarded to Pottsville for its
contribution to the NFL in its
formative years.  Past winners
include Bart Starr and Johny
Unitas; Pottsville is believed
to be the only city to receive
the honor.
     Local Maroons enthusiasts
also gave NFL Films access to
dozens of pieces of memorabilia
- from photos and clippings to
a square-toed kicking shoe and
jersey that resembled a sweater
more than the modern version.
     "The 75th anniversary of
the championship made the
timing perfect to do this,"
Didinger said.

Pottsville Republican- May 11, 2000