Bengals, NFL honor origins in Dayton; Green injured
DAYTON — What’s regarded as the NFL’S first game didn’t involve Lions, Bengals or Bears. Instead, the Triangles and Panhandles went at it on an October afternoon in a triangleshaped park at the confluence of two rivers.
“They had a way with nicknames back then,” Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown said.
The NFL returned to the scene of it first game Saturday — well, as close as it could get — as part of its centennial celebration. The Cincinnati Bengals made the hour-long drive north and held their first training camp practice at Welcome Stadium, located 3 miles from Triangle Park. An estimated 7,500 fans saw a scaled-back workout that lasted a little more than an hour.
“To come to Dayton and see fans in their Bengals gear, it’s definitely heart-warming,” defensive end Carlos Dunlap said.
The practice ended ominously for the Bengals, who are trying to escape last place in the AFC North. Receiver A.J. Green hurt his left foot or ankle while trying to make a catch and was carted off the field. Coach Zac Taylor had no word on the severity of the injury, and Green was sent for an exam.
Cincinnati will hold the rest of its camp at Paul Brown Stadium.
The NFL traces its origins to the American Professional Football Association, which was formed at a meeting in Canton, Ohio in 1920. Jim Thorpe was president of the league, which encompassed Ohio, Indiana, New York and Illinois. The first game between two league teams was played at Triangle Park on Oct. 3, 1920, with the Dayton Triangles beating the Columbus Panhandles 14-0 behind Lou Partlow’s two touchdown runs. The Dayton Daily News described Partlow as the “demon plunger” who got in shape by running through woods along the Great Miami River and ramming his shoulder into trees.
After more changes to bring consistency to the game, the league changed its name to the National Football League on June 24, 1922, with 18 teams, including Dayton and Columbus.
As it opens its 100th season, the NFL wanted “to do something really special in Dayton,” said Matt Shapiro, a league vice president. In addition to the Bengals making the trek north, the league sponsored a youth football camp at another Dayton park on Saturday where an artificial field will be donated by the NFL Foundation.
“The Bengals were close to Dayton, had practiced there before, so we wanted to bring it to life in some form,” Shapiro said.
The Bengals readily agreed. “They gave us a chance to put some emphasis on the fact the NFL actually began in Dayton,” Brown said. “We think this is something people should know. It’s a great tradition. We want in some way to just acknowledge that, to signal this is where it all started.”