Carr, Joseph F.

Group portrait of the Columbus Panhandles Football Team, identified from left to right as: John Nesser, Frank Nesser, Reagan Burton, Andy Kertzinger, Chief Henry, Ed Hughes, Joe Carr (founder and manager), Harry Greenwood, Phil Nesser, Fred Nesser, Baker, and Carlise. The Panhandles were one of the first professional football teams to join the American Professional Football Association, renamed the National Football League, when it formed in 1920. They operated as a professional football franchise from 1920-1922, then again from 1923-1926.Note: Complete name identification and date provided by Chris Willis, former OHS employee now with NFL Films.

Joseph F. Carr was born on October 22, 1880 (some sources claim that his birthday was on October 23, 1879), in Columbus, Ohio. As a young man, Carr, a newspaper reporter, became fascinated with football. In 1904, he formed the Columbus Panhandles. Initially, the Panhandles represented Columbus against other non-professional football teams. Prior to 1920, the Panhandles only had seven winning seasons.

In 1920, Carr helped establish the American Professional Football Association. This organization became the National Football League (NFL) in 1922. Among its original fourteen teams was the Columbus Panhandles, which would eventually become known as the Columbus Tigers. During 1920, the team [[Category:{$topic}]]