Wikipedia

Paul Parduhn

C.J. (Paul) Parduhn (1892-1946) was a wealthy owner of several car dealerships[1] and President of City Fuel & Supply Co.[2] In 1917, he formed a semi-pro team called the Hammond Bobcats.[3] This team of all-stars earned the name the "$20,000 Beauties."[4] with players like QB Milt Ghee, Doc Hauser, Frank Blocker, Paddy Driscoll, Hugh Blaylock, Guil 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.

Parduhn's team was also known as the Hammond All-Stars and in 1919, Parduhn was arrested for passing off bogus checks to his players.[5] Still, his Bobcats were one of the nation's best teams in 1919 with top talent like Charley Brickley[6] leading the way. His partner in this team was Dr. Alva Andrew Young[7] whom he would give control over to after Halas left the team to found the Dacatur Staleys[8] 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,[9] becoming founding members of the American Professional Football Association[10] in 1920 (better known to us today as the National Football League).[11]

Parduhn married Artella Price on May 26, 1919[12] who preceded him in death on March 1, 1934.

References

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  1. ^ Skertic, Alison (25 April 1999). "Pro football got early start in Hammond". nwi.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Hammond Paul Parduhn in OIL trouble story Nov. 27, 1918 part 1". The Times. 27 November 1918. p. 1. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. ^ Cook, William A. (29 July 2011). Jim Thorpe: A Biography. McFarland Publishing. ISBN 9780786485772. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  4. ^ Carroll, Jeff. "What's up, Doc?". Nwitimes.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  5. ^ Pathy, Sam (19 July 2016). Wrigley Field Year By Year. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781613218853. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  6. ^ Klosiinkski, Emil (April 2006). Pro Football in the Days of Rockne. Panoply Publications. ISBN 9781886571143. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  7. ^ Carroll, Bob. "DOC YOUNG AND THE HAMMOND PROS" (PDF). www.profootballresearchers.org. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. ^ "History of the Decatur Staleys / Chicago Bears". staleymuseum.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Hammond Pros". sportsecyclopedia.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  10. ^ "American Professional Football Association". ohiohistorycentral.org. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  11. ^ "National Football League". NFL.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Artella Price Marries Paul Parduhn". The Times. 26 May 1919. p. 6. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
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