Dayton Triangles

Most locals don't seem to know this, but what would become the NFL got its start in Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton Triangles played their home games at Triangle Park in Dayton with the first game recognized as taking place on October 3, 1920 pitting the Triangles against the Columbus Panhandles in which the home team won 14-0.

The sponsors for the team were Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering, prominent local businessmen. The unusual name is said to have come from the three factories that they owned. The name of the park, on property donated by Deeds and Kettering, may have been named for the factories as well or for the triangular shape of the area. 

The game was different at that time. The Triangles and Panhandles played in front of a crowd of around 4,000 fans with $1.75 admission. Player salaries were about $50 per game. It was also much simpler, play formations were more limited and protective equipment was crude. It was the time of leather helmets and no mouth guards. Players often played more than one position as well as both offense and defense.

The Triangles were a part of the organization that would become the modern NFL, the American Professional Football Association, which had been formed that August. The Triangles were one of four with the other three Ohio teams the Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs and the Cleveland Indians. The managers of these four teams met in a car dealership in Canton to form the four-team organization, which would grow rapidly and change its name to the National Football League in 1922. 

In 2005, the Ohio Historical Society unveiled a bronze marker at Triangle Park signifying the first game in 1920. However, there is no other interpretation at the park though it is still used as a public park. It is located at Ridge avenue and DeWeese Parkway, very close to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Sources:

http://daytontriangles.com/whereitstarted.htm

http://daytontriangles.com/markeropen.html