Lawson Fiscus
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| Position: | Guard, Halfback |
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| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | 1866 |
| Place of birth: | Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Date of death: | 1949 |
| Career information | |
| College: | Princeton |
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Ira Lawson Fiscus (1866-1949) was one of the first professional football players. He attended Princeton University, where his outstanding play at offensive guard earned him the title Samson of Princeton, before going on to play professionally with the Allegheny Athletic Association in 1891 and the Greensburg Athletic Association in 1893. His brothers Ross and Newell also played for Pittsburgh-area athletic clubs and were highly regarded as players.
Lawson was the son of a farmer and he grew up in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. He was just one of sixteen children. All of his brothers were athletic and largely built, however Lawson was considered the toughest of family.
Lawson may have played some informal football at Indiana Normal School (now Indiana University of Pennsylvania) in the late 1880s. By 1891, he and Ross played well enough to receive "liberal expense money" to go to Pittsburgh and play for the Allegheny Athletic Association. In 1892, Lawson was recruited to play football at Princeton University. At the time, college football was considered more prestigious than professional football. While at Princeton, Fiscus played guard and excelled at the position. However he dropped out of school and returned home after the 1892 season.
In 1893, Lawson played for both the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Greensburg Athletic Association. Both clubs were thirty miles apart. While Allegheny used Fiscus on the offensive line, Greensburg placed him at halfback. Lawson became a teacher in South Fork in 1894. However, Greensburg secretly offered him $20 a game to play with their Athletic Association. Fiscus quickly took job, making Greensburg the third football team in three years to hire professionals. Greensburg then enjoyed their best season to date. Their only loss to a club from Altoona was avenged with a 6-4 victory at home on Thanksgiving Day. Other wins came over the Kiski Kiskiminetas, Indiana Normal, West Virginia University, the Carnegies of Braddock, Holy Ghost College (now Duquesne University), and the Jeannette Athletic Club.
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