Latrobe Athletic Association The Latrobe Athletic Association was a professional football team located in Latrobe , Pennsylvania , from 1895 until 1909 . The team is most famous for being the first team made up of professional players to play a full season of football . Also the team ' s quarterback , John Brallier , became the first football player to openly turn pro , accepting $ 10 and expenses to play for Latrobe against the Jeannette Athletic Club . History . Origins . In 1895 the local Latrobe YMCA decided to organize a local football team and play a formal schedule . With the decision , Russell Aukerman , an instructor at the YMCA and a former Gettysburg College halfback , was named as a player - coach . Meanwhile , David Berry , an editor - publisher of the local newspaper , was chosen as the team ' s manager . Harry Ryan was elected captain . The team began daily practice in early August . Since many of the players held jobs unrelated to football , those men working different mill shifts were accommodated with evening drills when they could not attend regular sessions in the afternoon . Their practices were held on a street - lighted vacant Pennsylvania Railroad lot at the corner of Depot and Alexandria Streets . First openly professional football player . Just before the start of the season , Latrobe quarterback Eddie Blair found himself in a scheduling conflict . Blair , who also played baseball in nearby Greensburg , discovered that the team ' s first football game against Jeannette conflicted with a prior baseball commitment . Manager Berry , who was now seeking a replacement for Blair , had heard of a Indiana Normal quarterback named John Brallier . He contacted the youth at his home in Indiana , Pennsylvania , and offered him expenses to play for Latrobe . However Brallier was not particularly anxious to play , anticipating his entrance into Washington & Jefferson College in a few weeks . Finally , Berry offered $ 10 a game plus expenses , while promising several other games . This offer made Brallier the first openly paid football player . The quarterback arrived in Latrobe the night before the game and practiced with the team under a street light . The 1895 season . The first game of the season was played on September 3 , 1895 a Tuesday afternoon . Before the game , a parade formed on the paved street , the newly finished Ligonier Street between Main and Depot Streets . The parade was led by Billy Showalter ’ s Cornet Band , while the Latrobe and Jeannette teams followed in full uniforms . The Latrobe team colors of Orange and Maroon were displayed in store windows , hotels , and on street corner poles . Stores closed , and steel mines and coal and coke works declared a half - holiday for the occasion . The game began at 4 : 00 pm with Latrobe coming out the victor over the [ Jeannette Athletic Association . Auckerman scored two touchdown s , while Brallier kicked two field goals for a final score of 12 – 0 . After the game , Brallier played with the Latrobe squad against a squad from Altoona , Pennsylvania , before traveling to Washington & Jefferson for college . While at Washington and Jefferson , Braillier became the college ' s varsity quarterback . Meanwhile the 1895 Latrobe YMCA team ended up playing 11 games , for a record of 7 – 4 with two losses to the Greensburg Athletic Association , with single losses to Altoona and West Virginia University . 1896 . The Latrobers took to the field again in 1896 . Many of the players were those who had performed for the YMCA the year before . Brallier accepted an offer to return to the team and served as quarterback and coach . The team started off with wins against the Pittsburgh Imperials , the renamed Jeannette Indians , Altoona , and Western University of Pennsylvania ( University of Pittsburgh ) before finally losing to the rival Greensburg Athletic Association . The team later split a series against West Virginia University and won against Braillier ' s former Normal Indiana team , before once again losing to Greensburg for a 7 – 3 record . First All - Pro team . The Latrobe team went all - professional in 1897 , by signing a number of college players from the east coast , and as far west as Iowa , to the team . Walter Okeson , an All - American end from Lehigh University who later headed the Eastern Intercollegiate Football Officials and the NCAA Collegiate Rules Committee , was signed as coach . Also joining the team was George Shelafo of the Carlisle Indian School , located in Carlisle , Pennsylvania . Shelafo had just about completed arrangements to play for the University of Chicago before he was lured to Latrobe by David Berry . After the team ' s game against Western University of Pennsylvania , Doggie Trenchard and Eddie Blair , the team ' s original quarterback joined the team . The Latrobe squad began the season 7 – 0 – 1 with wins over Jeannette , Pittsburgh Emeralds , Pittsburgh College , Pitt , and a tough team from Youngstown , Ohio . The team remained undefeated before facing the Duquesne Athletic Club for a 12 – 6 loss at Exhibition Park . However the team did rebound to defeat the Pittsburgh Athletic Club , and Youngstown . The championship of western Pennsylvania was expected to be a battle between Duquesne AC and Pittsburgh AC . But both Greensburg and Youngstown defeated Duquesne . This led to talk of a championship game between Greensburg and Latrobe . However with the season still incomplete , a regular season game between the two clubs took place in Greensburg on November 20 , 1897 . The game was a hard fought 12 – 6 victory for Latrobe in what locals called “ one of the greatest games ever played in western Pennsylvania . ” However after a 18 – 0 defeat of West Virginia , Latrobe lost the final game of the season to Greensburg . Disputes over officials , players , and the game arrangements preceded the 6 – 0 loss to Greensburg , which ended the season on a sour and argumentative note for Latrobe partisans . However some solace was salvaged when a Pittsburgh expert picked an all - western Pennsylvania team from among amateur , pro , and college teams , and three of the 11 players were from Latrobe end Walter Okeson , offensive tackle Harry Ryan , and fullback Ed Abbaticchio . Down years . The Latrobe squad remained a strong competitor for next several season . However the team hardly challenged for the western Pennsylvania championship . In 1898 the team started off to a 7 – 0 record , before losing three games to Pittsburgh AC , Duquesne AC and Greensburg to finish 7 – 3 . The very next season marked the first undefeated season for the team , despite only playing four games . The 1898 , 1899 and 1900 seasons showcased is considered to be the Latrobe ' s most colorful player , Charles L . Barney . Barney would entertain fans and fellow players by lifting and holding a piano while a man played it . The 1901 Latrobe season was another low - profile year , the team playing only three games . But the stage was set for a later resurgence with development of some squad members . The team lost , 12 – 0 , to a squad from Derry and won two games over teams picked up from men working at Latrobe Steel . Rebuilding . Brallier rejoined the Latrobe football team as player - coach for 1902 . The team played only four games that fall . Scoreless ties with Indiana Normal and the Wilkinsburg Sterling Athletic Club were followed by a 22 – 2 triumph over the Indiana First Regiment team , in which brother faced brother , John ’ s brother playing right tackle for the Indianans . In the season finale , Latrobe bested the Steel Works aggregation , 17 – 0 . Most of coach Brallier ’ s players were between the ages of 17 – 18 years . However the players expressed a desire to learn , and drilled for long hours in fundamentals . Coach Brallier correctly , as it turned out , anticipated what was reflected in street conversation , “ wait until next year . ” Undefeated seasons . 1903 . For 1903 , a YMCA was organized under Latrobe Steel leadership , and its members included the boys of the 1902 team . A football organization was formed with Brallier . A fence was built around the Latrobe Steel athletic grounds with money subscribed by merchants , and new uniforms were ordered . Further experience was added when several former players of the ‘ 90s rejoined the team . In local quarters , Latrobe was acclaimed western Pennsylvania champion after the undefeated season . Franklin was generally considered the U . S . pro champion that year , and had refused to play Latrobe . Ironically for a team that made history by fielding an all - professional line - up for a complete season , the 1903 Latrobers were all amateurs . Brallier wrote in retrospect in 1934 that the 1903 Latrobe backfield “ was the best I had ever played with and the best I have ever seen . ” However , despite their winning season , the Latrobers were losing money . Crowds for the games were small , and that led to a drop in revenue . 1904 . The 1904 Latrobers got off to an early start with a June 4 team organization , at which Brallier was elected coach and manager , and Harry Ryan captain . With momentum from the successful 1903 season , a number of new players were added . Among new rules was the field goal reduction from five points to four . 1904 marked a repeat Latrobe squad ' s undefeated season . The Latrobe team reported using just nine footballs during the 1904 campaign , helping to keep costs down . After all debts and expenses were paid , the 16 players divided about $ 500 in profits . A big post - season event was a chicken and waffle benefit supper at Mozart Hall , at which over 5 , 000 waffles “ rolled in pools of chicken gravy ” were consumed . The Hotel Mahaney held a banquet for the team . 1905 . With three years having passed without a defeat , and the team scored on only once , enthusiasm continued high for 1905 . One player , Paul Blair , was killed by a train shortly after the 1904 season , but several new college players were obtained . Jobs were secured to bring some to town and keep others . Scheduling was difficult , many teams either refusing to play Latrobe or asking overly high financial guarantees . This year , however , Latrobe played the Canton Bulldogs from Canton , Ohio . The Bulldogs were a pro team of wide repute which later became a founding member of the National Football League . Canton was a particularly strong team that scored over 100 points in many of its games . A game was arranged November 18 , 1905 at Latrobe between the two clubs . Despite injuries to several of the Latrobe players , the team went on to defeat the Bulldogs 6 – 0 . On December 2 , 1905 , the Latrobe Bulletin devoted a full page to the three - year Latrobe record of 26 games , all won , and 794 points scored against just five for the opposition . The Pittsburgh Chronicle - Telegraph published two teams of all - stars , and among the 22 western Pennsylvania teams cited were five Latrobe players , tackles Hayes and Van Doren , guards Harry Ryan and Gibson , and quarterback Brallier . At the end of the year , a Football Association was being planned to include Latrobe , Steelton , Franklin , and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania , and the Akron Indians , the Canton Bulldogs , the Massillon Tigers , and Shelby Blues in Ohio . The plan was for the teams to settle championships within each state , with the two winners to meet Thanksgiving Day . Salary limits were established , other details were worked out , but the project never materialized . Decline . 1905 marked the end of a second high plateau in Latrobe professional football history , the 1903 – 05 and the 1895 – 98 periods . Many players through the just passed decade were attracted to Latrobe for football , and retained in the community , with industrial , mining , and mercantile positions . The success of the three years through 1905 brought inquiries from prominent players all over the nation who wanted to come to Latrobe in 1906 . However , an effort to obtain funds with which to pay players apparently failed when 25 shares at $ 100 were not subscribed . On November 29 , 1906 , the Latrobers were defeated for the first time in four years to Canton 16 – 0 . On top of that , Latrobe had been guaranteed $ 1 , 500 for the game , $ 1 , 200 of which was to used to pay the players , and $ 300 for expenses . But the Canton manager was unable to pay , the result of some internal organization problems of the Canton management . The problems had soured Canton ' s 1 , 200 fans who turned out for the game , further complicating things . Canton players were not paid as a result , in addition . To help pay for the Latrobe team ' s expenses a community subscription paper was passed in Latrobe , which raised part of the $ 300 expense debt , and the balance of the money was borrowed by the YMCA so that it could be paid . However the events of 1906 , and another of 1907 , doomed professional football in Latrobe . By October , 1907 , sentiment had grown for keeping the football team local and not hiring players from out of town . However , despite the changing atmosphere , the 1907 team was moderately successful with five victories , two losses , and two ties . Ryan was retired ; Brallier was semi - retired and served as coach ; McDyer played his last year , and Leo Gibson was elected captain . In a bizarre story , what was labeled as the California ( Pennsylvania ) YMCA team came to Latrobe for the next game , and was ejected from its rooms at the Parker House for " chasing and frightening a chambermaid , " jumping on beds and breaking two of them , and for language " far from what might be asked for from YMCA boys . " Latrobe won the game , 38 – 0 , before a small crowd . However , it was later discovered that there wasn ' t a YMCA in California . The decrease in community interest and the change to local amateur status in 1907 coincided with John Brallier ' s last year as a player , although he continued to help coach local town teams . Some of the players continued with the 1908 and 1909 squads , captained by Peck Lawson , but the out of town players and the old rivalries had generally disappeared . An era had passed . Legacy . Several of the prominent members of the original Latrobe professional football teams , including Brallier , Ryan , Abbaticchio , Flickinger , Saxman , McDyer , and Peck Lawson , were around Latrobe for many years . Abbaticchio played major league baseball for a decade , Brallier practiced dentistry , and the others were generally employed in local industry . Dr . Brallier served the community in several ways , perhaps the most significant being his 20 - year tenure as a school director , from which he retired at the end of 1931 . In 1979 , John Brallier was voted one of the " Best Pros Not in the Hall of Fame " by the Pro Football Researchers Association . After World War II , the success of baseball ' s Hall of Fame spawned plans for a similar football hall . At that time , Latrobe was recognized by the National Football league as the birthplace of pro football , and Dr . Brallier was given lifetime passes for NFL games , but the Hall of Fame went to Canton . Homage was paid to Latrobe ' s status when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers played an exhibition game , August 29 , 1952 , at Latrobe . The early pro player survivors were honored . Today Latrobe is home to the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp , located at Saint Vincent ' s College .