Who Were The Elyria Athletics?

The Elyria Athletics were an American football team based in Elyria, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League until 1919, and then became an independent team. The team won the 1912 Ohio League championship, with an upset win over Peggy Parratt's Akron Indians.

Elyria A.C. was a dominate team, especially in the early 1910s. The team outscored opponents 180-8 in 1910 for a 5-0 record. The followed that up with a 4-1 record outscoring opponents 65-9. Then in 1912 the club outscored opponents 269-22 for an 8-0 record winning the Ohio League Championship. In 1913, it was a different story with the team going 2-1 but being outscored 29-34. The team then followed up 1913 with back to back 3-5 seasons. The team did not resurface until 1919 playing one game, a 14-13 victory for the Elyria Athletics. In their final season the team went 1-4-1 and were outscored 26-64.

However, the team declined to join the American Professional Football Association, later known as the National Football League, in 1920. Still the Athletics did continue to play APFA teams, including a Thanksgiving game against the Columbus Panhandles. The team folded after the 1920 season.