Paul Parduhn
C.J. (Paul) Parduhn (b 1892, d 1946-parents Albert & Wilhelmina Parduhn) [1]was a wealthy owner of several car dealerships[2] and President of City Fuel & Supply Co.[3]. In 1917, he formed a semi-pro team called the Hammond Bobcats[4]. This team of all-stars earned the name the "$20,000 Beauties."[5] with players like QB Milt Ghee, Doc Hauser, Frank Blocker, Paddy Dricscoll, Hugh Blaylock, Gil Falcon and future Hall of Famer George Halas. Known for his willingness to spend money, most of the top pro football talent of his time played for Parduhn at one time or another.
Parduhns team was also known as the Hammond All-Stars and in 1919, Parduhn was arrested for passing off bogus checks to his players.[6]. Still, his Bobcats were one of the nations best teams in 1919 with top talent like Charley Brickley[7] leading the way. His partner in this team was Dr. Alva Andrew Young[8] whome he would give control over to after George Halas left the team to found the Dacatur Staleys[9] and basically took the entire Bobcats team with him. The team would be reformed using another name the team was known by, the Hammond Pros,[10] becoming founding members of the American Professional Football Association[11] in 1920 (better known to us today as the National Football League).[12]
Paul Parduhn married Artella Price on May 26th, 1919[13] who preceeded him in death on March 1, 1934. Although he died relatively young, Parduhn is remembered fondly by many in the Midwest as the "Father of Midwestern Football" and some even say he laid the foundations for the NFL itself.
Photo of Paul Parduhn as a younger man[14]
- ^ "Paul J Parduhn". Findagrave.com.
- ^ Skertic, Alison. "Pro football got early start in Hammond". nwi.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Hammond Paul Parduhn in OIL trouble story Nov. 27, 1918 part 1". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Cook, William A. "Jim Thorpe: A Biography". Google Books. McFarland Publishing. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Carroll, Jeff. "What's up, Doc?". nwi.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Pathy, Sam. "Wrigley Field Year By Year". Google Books. Simon and Schuster. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Klosiinkski, Emil. "Pro Football in the Days of Rockne". Google Books. Panoply Publications. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Carroll, Bob. "DOC YOUNG AND THE HAMMOND PROS" (PDF). http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/17-01-596.pdf. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "History of the Decatur Staleys / Chicago Bears". staleymuseum.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Hammond Pros". http://sportsecyclopedia.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ "American Professional Football Association". ohiohistorycentral.org. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ NFL.com https://www.nfl.com/. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Artella Price Marries Paul Parduhn". Newspapers.com. The Times. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Random geneology stuff..." imtbtrails.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.