The Brunswick Cup: Lost And Found

The Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup, a sterling silver trophy, was first presented to the Akron Pros, the winners of the inaugural NFL championship in 1920. The trophy was donated by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, Tire Division. However, its whereabouts have been unknown since it was handed to the Akron Pros, with meeting minutes beyond 1920 never mentioning the cup again. The cup remains one of the NFL's biggest mysteries.

The Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup was a silver trophy

The cup was to be awarded to the team "awarded championship by the Association". This set a precedent for the 1920 season, where the league's managers would vote on the winning team, rather than it being the team that finished at the top of the standings. The minutes of the meeting also included a clause that stated that ""any team winning the cup three times should be adjudged the owner [of the trophy]".

The Akron Pros were the first team to be awarded the cup on April 30, 1921, after an 8-0-3 record. The trophy was presented to the team owners, Art Ranney and Frank Nied, by former Penn State star Timmy Bryant. However, disputes arose from the Buffalo All-Americans and the Decatur Staleys (renamed the Chicago Bears), who had tied with the Pros that year. There were also allegations that Ranney, who presided over the meeting, had a conflict of interest in awarding the championship to his own team.

Despite the disputes, the Pros were awarded the trophy in 1920. However, the league lost track of the event and, for a long time, published that the 1920 championship was undecided. The whereabouts of the cup after this point remains a mystery. The minutes of subsequent APFA and NFL meetings never mention the cup again. The only known visual depiction of the trophy is a picture that appeared in two newspapers from that era.

It was donated by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, Tire Division

The Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup was a silver trophy donated by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, Tire Division. According to the September 17, 1920, founding meeting minutes of the NFL-APFA, the trophy was a "silver loving cup", gifted to the Association by a "Mr. Marshall". The trophy was to be presented to the team "awarded [the] championship by the Association".

The wording of the minutes established the precedent for the 1920 season of awarding the title by a vote of the league's managers, rather than based on the team's standing. The minutes also stated that "any team winning the cup three times should be adjudged the owner [of the trophy]".

The Akron Pros were awarded the 1920 APFA Championship on April 30, 1921, after an 8–0–3 record. The trophy was awarded to the team owners, Art Ranney and Frank Nied, by former Penn State star Timmy Bryant. However, disputes arose from the Buffalo All-Americans and the Decatur Staleys (renamed the Chicago Bears in 1922), who had tied with the Pros but not beaten them that year. There were also allegations that Ranney, who presided over the meeting, had a conflict of interest in awarding the championship to his own team.

Despite the Pros being given the trophy in 1920, the league lost track of the event and, for a long time, published that the 1920 championship was undecided. The whereabouts of the cup after it was awarded to the Akron Pros remain a mystery. The minutes of APFA and NFL meetings never mention the cup again. The only known visual depiction of the trophy is a picture that appeared in two newspapers from the era.

The Cup was awarded to the Akron Pros in 1920

The Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup was a silver trophy donated to the American Professional Football Association (APFA) by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, Tire Division. The trophy was to be awarded to the team "awarded championship by the Association". The 1920 APFA Championship was awarded to the Akron Pros on April 30, 1921, during an association meeting at the Portage Hotel. The Akron Pros had an 8–0–3 record for the season, the only undefeated record in the Association. The trophy was awarded to the team owners, Art Ranney and Frank Nied, by former Penn State star Timmy Bryant.

However, this decision was disputed by the Buffalo All-Americans and the Decatur Staleys (renamed the Chicago Bears in 1922). Both teams had been tied with the Pros that year and alleged that Ranney, who was presiding over the meeting, had a conflict of interest in awarding the championship to his own team. Despite the Pros being awarded the trophy, the league lost track of the event and for a long time published that the 1920 championship was undecided. It was not until the 1970s that the NFL rediscovered its early vote and declared the Akron Pros the rightful champions.

The whereabouts of the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup remains a mystery. The minutes of APFA and NFL meetings never mention it again after the initial award. The only known visual depiction of the trophy is a picture that appeared in two newspapers from the era. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, does not have any photos of the cup. The cup may have been passed down to family members of Ranney or Nied, stored away in an attic, closet or basement, or even thrown away.

In 1934, 13 years after the original award, a replacement trophy was commissioned, and the league's championship team from that season onwards received the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy. The original Ed Thorp trophy was eventually found in the possession of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, but the Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup remains lost to history.

The Cup was never mentioned in any meeting minutes beyond 1920

The Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup was a sterling silver trophy, donated by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, Tire Division, to the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1920. The trophy was to be awarded to the team "awarded championship by the Association". The 1920 APFA Championship was awarded to the Akron Pros, who had an 8–0–3 record. However, disputes arose from the Buffalo All-Americans and the Decatur Staleys, who had tied with the Pros that year.

The Cup was presented to the Akron Pros owners, Art Ranney and Frank Nied, and this is where the mystery begins. The Cup was never mentioned in any meeting minutes beyond 1920, and its whereabouts remain unknown. The Buffalo All-Americans and the Decatur Staley's, who disputed the 1921 title, did not inquire about the trophy's whereabouts the following year. It was not until the 1970s that the NFL rediscovered its early vote, awarding the 1920 championship to the Akron Pros.

The Cup was described as a "silver loving cup" in the meeting minutes, and the only known visual depiction of the trophy is a picture that appeared in two newspapers from that era. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, does not have any photos of the Cup. It is speculated that the Cup could be in a someone's attic, closet, basement, or even buried in a yard. Unfortunately, the chances of finding the Cup are slim, according to Joe Horrigan, the former longtime executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

With the Cup's whereabouts a mystery, a replacement trophy, the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, was commissioned in 1934. This trophy was also passed along from champion to champion each season, with the winning team's name inscribed on it. The league has since moved on to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, produced annually since 1970.

The Cup is considered the holy grail of American sports memorabilia

The Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup is considered the holy grail of American sports memorabilia. The sterling silver trophy was the first championship award of the National Football League (NFL), then known as the American Professional Football Association (APFA). It was donated by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, Tire Division, to be awarded to the team "awarded [the] championship by the Association". The trophy was to be given to the team with the best record at the end of the 1920 season. However, the league decided to award it based on a vote of the league's managers instead.

The Akron Pros were voted champions and the Cup was presented to team owners Art Ranney and Frank Nied at a meeting in April 1921. However, the Buffalo All-Americans and the Decatur Staleys (renamed the Chicago Bears in 1922) disputed the title, arguing that they had tied the Pros and that Ranney, who presided over the meeting, had a conflict of interest. The league initially recorded the 1920 championship as undecided, but in the 1970s, the NFL rediscovered its early vote and declared the Pros the champions.

The Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup has been missing since it was awarded to the Akron Pros in 1920. The minutes of APFA and NFL meetings never mention it again, and no one knows what happened to it after Ranney and Nied took possession. The only known visual depiction of the trophy is a picture that appeared in two newspapers from the era.

The Cup's disappearance remains one of the biggest mysteries in the NFL's history. Its whereabouts have sparked much speculation, from being handed down to family members to being thrown away long ago. The fact that it was never found, despite extensive searches, adds to its allure and makes it even more coveted by sports enthusiasts and collectors. The Cup's historical significance, combined with its elusive nature, cements its status as the holy grail of American sports memorabilia.

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