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Article: Legacy of quarterbacks such as Montana is link to glory days of Pennsylvania towns.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- July 25, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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PITTSBURGH_The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, is 99 miles away, but the road to Canton begins right here in Iron City.
Pro football's roots can be found buried in the river banks of Western Pennsylvania. It was here in 1892 that the Allegheny Athletic Association paid William "Pudge" Heffelfinger $500, making him the first professional football player.
Twenty-seven years before the NFL's forefathers gathered in a Hupmobile showroom in Canton to lay the groundwork for what would eventually become the National Football League, the Pittsburgh Athletic Club signed a player to the first known pro contract. Twenty-four years before Curly Lambeau ...