Leo Lyons ( American football ) Leo V . Lyons ( March 11 , 1892 – May 18 , 1976 ) was a co - founder of the National Football League . He was a player , manager , coach and owner of the Rochester Jeffersons from 1908 to 1925 . Early career . Lyons started out as a 16 year old player , in 1908 , for the Rochester Jeffersons semi - pro football team . By 1910 , he was manager as well as a player of the team , who guided the Jeffersons to the Rochester city championship . As a manager , Leo recruited one of pro football ' s first African - American players , Henry McDonald . Manager and owner . Years later , Leo became owner of the team . By the time the Jeffersons were an NFL team , Leo served the team as a manager , owner , photographer , doctor , counselor , financier , field worker , game booker , agent , and scout . He also was the manager of a basketball team , comprising his football players , to keep the team in shape . Lyons developed big ambitions for the team . He took the Jeffersons to Canton , Ohio , early in the 1917 season to play the Canton Bulldogs , led by Jim Thorpe . Canton won the game easily , 41 - 0 . However this led Lyons to study and adopt the Bulldogs way of recruiting and playing . In 1919 , he brought in some outside players and the Jeffersons won the city semi - pro championship with ease . Forming the NFL . On September 17 , 1920 , Lyons represented Rochester at a meeting of the nation ' s leading pro football team managers held in Canton , for the purpose of creating the American Professional Football Association ( later known as the National Football League in 1922 ) . The Jeffersons were charter members of the organization and played in the league from 1920 - 25 . Forfeit controversy . On December 5 , 1921 , a game was scheduled between the Jeffersons and the Washington Senators . Lyons refused to play the game . It has been said by some that Lyons forfeited the game because of snowy conditions . However according to Lyons , the Senators had a poor fan turnout due to a snowstorm and said they would only pay the Jefferson team roughly $ 200 . That amount would not allow for the team to be paid to play the game , or travel expenses for the trip back to Rochester . The game had an NFL guarantee that the Jeffersons must be paid $ 800 for the game regardless of anything . Lyons refused to play the game because of Washington not paying the $ 800 that was in the game contract . Later , NFL commissioner Joseph Carr ruled in favor of Lyons and the Jeffs . The Elias Sports Bureau has not recognized this game as a forfeit and official NFL standings also say it was not a forfeit . Demise of the Jeffs . Rochester played , and lost , only one league game during the 1920 season . However in order for Lyons to have a competitive team that would draw crowds , he needed to spend money , but he couldn ' t spend the money until the crowds started coming . In six seasons , the Jeffersons won just two games against NFL opponents . Lyons finally folded the team after the 1925 season . Honors . Aside from being a co - founder of the NFL , Lyons served as an Honorary Historian of the NFL , and was a huge contributor in opening the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Relatives now live throughout America specifically in the Chatham , New Jersey area , Florida , and New York .