Pitcairn Quakers
| Founded | 1904 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1920 |
| Based in | Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, United States |
| League | Independent |
| Team history | Pitcairn Quakers (1904-1920) |
| Team colors | Red, Yellow (Probable) |
| Head coaches | Terry DeLozier (1904-1914) Ed Johnston (1914-1917) George Vedernack (1919-1920) |
| General managers | Terry DeLozier (1904-1914) King Crowl (1914-1920) |
| Home field(s) | Broadway Stadium |
The Pitcairn Quakers were a professional American football team from Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, United States. The team played as an independent from 1904 until 1920 and featured the best players in the community as well as some famous college-level players. A few of the players were college All-Americans. At one time, the team was loaded with Native Americans from nearby Carlisle Indian School. The team played many of the Midwestern teams that would later become future members of the National Football League.
The Quakers were established in 1904 out of a local need for sports entertainment. The team was founded by Clyde Collins, his cousin John Johnstonbaugh and former Pitt quarterback Terry DeLozier, who became the team's first coach. Ed Johnston became the team's coach in 1914 and brought with him many ex-college players. Later George Vedernack, a friend of Jim Thorpe, became the team's coach. The team usually played on consecutive days, usually Saturdays and Sundays. They would at times play up to five games in a span of only nine days.
After Glenn "Pop" Warner took over as the head football coach at Pitt, he decided to try out his experimental plays for the Panthers on the Quakers. If those plays were workable, Warner would then use them against his college opponents. As a result, the forward pass and the criss-cross formation were used by the Quakers in 1914 and later by Pitt in the early 1920s. The forward pass once resulted in a 140-0 Quakers victory over a team from nearby South Fork. During that game, the Quakers completed 14 consecutive passes.
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