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Original Document
The Century and Park Avenue Wheelmen engage in s spirited game of football, Philadelphia, PA, 1892.

CYCLERS AS KICKERS
Great Football Game Between Century and Park Avenue
SLUGGING AND DIRTY PLAYING
No-one Killed, but Several Wounded. Good Blood Spilled and Bad Blood Made – Bicycle Spokes.

For a full hour yesterday the football teams of the Century and Park Avenue Wheelmen punched, kicked, bit, gouged and did everything else connected with the game of football except score. The struggle took place on the Philadelphia ball grounds and was one of the toughest contests ever witnessed there. The Park Avenue team outweighed the Century, and yet did not seem to possess as much muscular strength as their opponents, and while the Park avenue men were playing the first game in which they ever lined up they seemed to play better together at critical points of the game than the wearers of the cardinal and orange. The game was advertised to start at 3 o'clock, but the three or four hundred spectators were kept waiting nearly an hour before time was called.

A particular feature of the contest was that while it was a most vicious one, in which slugging predominated, each side denies having done any punching. Another peculiarity was that while the referee and umpire acted impartially throughout the game each side claimed that the former cheated for the other side and that the latter was no good to either side.

In the first half the ball was hardly in play before the Century men had gotten it into Park Avenue's territory. In one of the first struggles Highley, P. A. W.'s right half, was stunned. His comrades claimed Century's quarter-back, Allen, fell on him with both knees, driving them clear through Highley's body, but there were no holes in the latter to prove this assertion, and Allen claimed that he was 100 yards away sitting quietly on the grass when the accident occurred. Park avenue fought gamely, but little by little Century forced the ball toward the goal, and had it not been for the crooked work of the referee they claim they would have made a touchdown. The Park Avenue men claim the referee favored the other side at this point and that the ball was really theirs. Back the ball went into the field, where the Park Avenue men, taking renewed courage made a hard fight and got the ball a little beyond the centre of the field.

During this struggle the game was enlivened by the knocking out one after another of the three Calvers, who seemed to have the lives of cats, and after having the life half knocked out of them came up smiling to continue the struggle. Right end Oakford, had a dose of hard luck, a kick or punch on the back of the neck sending him to the bench, and Megins took his place. The first half closed with the ball in the possession of the Century men. A good long run by Century's full back, Wood, in this half was a feature of the play.

In the second half the playing, if anything, was harder, and Park Avenue made a gallant struggle. Both sides played a centre rushing game – running around the ends being neglected. After being in play about five minutes Captain Griffiths [sic] got the ball and made a grand dash for the line. After a run of 50 yards he was sent to the earth and in the pile on of the two teams one or two of the Calvers were smashed up pretty badly and Mattheys, Century's left tackle, was also knocked out. The dashing of a bucket of water over the men brought them out all right, and when play was resumed Park Avenue formed a turtle-back and forced the Century men back some 25 yards. Captain Ludlam got the ball, and, rushing around the end, was making a bee line for Century's goal when he was sent onto his nose.

In the struggle for the ball Century's quarter-back Allen was knocked senseless with a kick in the jaw. The struggle was resumed and continued till Kendrick, P. A. W.'s centre, was thrown in the mud, and after he had pulled out from under the struggling mass it took several minutes to et the mud and dirt out of his mouth, nose and eyes in order that he might breathe and see. Tucker, century's right half, got the ball in the next rush and made a good run before he was spilled. When the men crushed together Century's left half-back was knocked senseless and had to be taken from the field, Substitute Drasher taking his place. The half ended with the ball in the grasp of a Century man.

Near the end of the first half, when Oakford was disabled, Park Avenue wanted to substitute Osgood, Cornell's half-back, who was elected a member of the club last week, but President Bunnell would not consent, as considerable money was staked on the game, having been bet with the understanding that the teams should be as originally placed.

For Century, Griffiths [sic], Wood, Steinmetz, Allen, Tucker and Bilyeu did good work, while for Park Avenue Ludman [sic], the Calver brothers, Kendrick and Highley did the best playing. The line-up was:
Park Avenue.    Positions.              Century.
Bolton               Left end                 Steinmetz
Thomas            Left tackle              Matheys
Calver               Left guard              Keith
Kendrick           Centre                    Bilyeu
W. Calver         Right guard            Bright
Conway            Right tackle           Griffith
Oakford            Right end               Sadler
Brooks              Quarter-back         A. Allen
C. Calver          Left half-back         Hahn
Highley             Right half-back      Tucker
Ludlam             Full-back                Wood

Substitutes – Meggins for Oakford, Drasher for Hahn. Referee – J. H. Dewey. Umpire – E. H. Ziegler


Credit: The Philadelphia Record, November 20, 1892.
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