Harry March
| Date of birth | December 11, 1875 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | New Franklin, Ohio, United States |
| Date of death | June 10, 1940 (aged 64) |
| Place of death | Canton, Ohio, United States |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | President/Secretary/Physician/Coach |
| College | Mount Union, George Washington |
| High school | Canton McKinley High School |
| Career history | |
| As administrator | |
| 1925–1928 | New York Giants (Secretary) |
| 1928–1933 | New York Giants (President) |
| 1936 | American Football League (President) |
| As coach | |
| 1904 | Canton McKinley High School |
| As player | |
| 1893 | Mount Union Purple Raiders |
| As team physician | |
| 1906 | Canton Bulldogs |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 U.S. Army
|
| Years of service | 1917-1919 |
| Rank |
 Second lieutenant
|
| Unit | Medical Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Harry Addison March (died June 10, 1940) was an early football historian and promoter, as well as a medical doctor. He also helped organize the National Football League and well as the second American Football League. March is also credited with convincing Tim Mara to purchase an NFL franchise for New York City, which is still in existence today as the New York Giants. He finally wrote one of the first books on the history of the professional game: Pro Football: Its Ups and Downs in 1934. Dr. March is known as the "Father of Professional Football."
March was born in New Franklin, Ohio on December 11, 1875 and grew up in Canton. His father, Henry Clay March, was an officer in the U.S. Army and a close friend to future President William McKinley. Harry played college football at Mount Union College in 1893 and later became a reporter for the Canton Repository. When McKinley campaigned for the Presidency in 1896, March joined him as a reporter and followed his campaign. The job led Harry to Washington, D.C., where he landed a job earning $7-a-week as an assistant to drama critic Channing Pollock. When McKinley advised him that newspaper reporters were "lounge lizards", he studied medicine at George Washington University Medical School and went back to Canton to start a practice.
While in Canton, March played in or watched hundreds of football games featuring the best professionals of the day such as Christy Mathewson, Fielding Yost, Walter Okeson, Knute Rockne and Pudge Heffelfinger. These experiences would inspire and help him to write Pro Football:It's Ups and Downs in 1934.
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