Pittsburgh Athletic Club ( football ) The Pittsburgh Athletic Club football team was established in 1891 . It was based in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . In 1892 the intense competition between two Pittsburgh - area clubs , the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club , led to William ( Pudge ) Heffelfinger becoming the first known professional football player . Heffelfinger was paid $ 500 by Allegheny to play in a game against Pittsburgh on November 12 , 1892 . As a result , Heffelfinger became the first person to be paid to play football . Allegheny would go on to win the game , 4 - 0 , when Heffelfinger picked up a Pittsburgh fumble and ran it 35 yards for a touchdown . In 1893 , Pittsburgh again made history when it signed one of its players , probably halfback Grant Dibert , to the first known pro football contract , which covered all of the team ' s games for the year . . History . Origins . In 1891 the Pittsburgh Athletic Club , then called the East End Gymnasium Club , decided to field a football team . Their rivial , the Allegheny Athletic Association , started up a football team in 1890 that brought a lot of publicity to their club . In most sports , Allegheny provided little competition for the older East End Gymnasium Club . However in 1890 , Allegheny found that it could compete in football . The team soon gave the Allegheny Athletic Association a strong following , since East End did not field a team . The Association ' s focus on football increased the prestige of the club , which led to an increase in their membership . Soon Allegheny ' s membership expanded to more than 330 persons and now equalled East End ' s . During the late 1800s , if an athletic club exhibited signs of fame and glory , increased revenues to the club soon followed . Therefore publicity , and football victories , were important to the clubs and new members were attracted to clubs with stature . The quest for club prestige led to the recruiting of football players , at first with indirect financial inducements . The East Ends formed their team around the clubs physical director , William Kirschner , an offensive lineman . During Kirschner ' s stint with the football team , it was noted in the Pittsburgh newspapers that Kirschner ' s salary nearly doubled during football season , while his classes he taught at the club were cut in half . The papers at times hinted to Kirschner ' s suspiciously professional status , although no one accused him outright . 1891 . The East Enders ' completed their first season with 7 - 0 record . Harry Fry , who held memberships at both Allegheny and the East End , chose to play for the East Enders , and his performance in the season opener earned the respect of the local press . After their undefeated season , each member of the East End team was presented with a gold watch in the shape of a miniature football which also served as a trophy . However when play began the East End and Allegheny did not play each other . Efforts were made by local media to schedule a game between the two clubs . However O . D . Thompson , Allegheny ' s manager , carefully avoided a game . He feared a one - sided loss to Pittsburgh because his team lacked the time needed to practice together that the East End team already had . However a game would occur in 1892 . Issues with professionalism . The first game between Allegheny and the now renamed Pittsburgh Athletic Club was played on Columbus Day 1892 in East Liberty . The game resulted in a 6 - 6 tie . There were accusations of dirty play and professionalism , that added fuel to an already bitter rivalry . Pittsburgh accused Allegheny of purposely trying to injure Kirschner , who had been forced out of the game with an ankle injury . Meanwhile Allegheny countered that Kirschner was a professional and should not have been playing anyway . Allegheny even announced it was willing to bet anyone that Pittsburgh had used a pro , other than Kirschner . In fact the team ' s captain Charley Aull , found Pittsburgh a new center prior to the team ' s game against Allegheny , when he supposedly ran into an old friend on the street known only as " Stayer " . A few weeks after the game , it was discovered that " Stayer " was actually was A . C . Read , the captain of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team . While no one could prove that Read actually had been paid , and Pittsburgh had not tried to present him as a member , his presence escalated the situation . Now neither club would hesitate to take the final step to professionalism . A rematch was scheduled for that November at Recreation Park which is not far from where Heinz Field stands today . The spot is marked by a historic marker . In preparation , both clubs went into a full scale behind - the - scenes talks with the top players of the era to strengthen their teams . Cash offers and other inducements were made to players from New York City to Chicago . First professional player . The first known professional player was William " Pudge " Heffelfinger , an All - American offensive guard from Yale . Heffelfinger was paid $ 500 ( US dollars ) to play for Allegheny against Pittsburgh on November 12 , 1892 . Heffelfinger , who was working as a railroad clerk in Chicago , and playing for Chicago Athletic Association Football team between arguments with its management , had earlier turned down an offer to play for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club for $ 250 . This set off quite a controversy as Pittsburgh protested the presence of Heffelfinger and other Chicago players . Allegheny retaliated with the fact that Pittsburgh had imported players as well . Allegheny won the game 4 - 0 , in front of 3 , 000 spectators , when Heffelfinger picked up a fumble , that he forced himself , and ran it in for a touchdown . It later turned out that Heffelfinger received $ 500 plus $ 25 in expenses for the game . Two of his Chicago teammates received “ liberal ” expense money . Thus , William ( Pudge ) Heffelfinger now is acknowledged as the first professional football player anywhere . First pro football contract . In 1893 , the Allegheny and Pittsburgh split two games , with the Pittsburgh winning 6 - 0 at Exposition Park and the Alleghenys winning , 8 - 4 , at in East Liberty . The year was far more significant for several other reasons , however . On October 4 , Pittsburgh , represented by George Barbour , signed a player to a formal pro football contract which stated that the player must participate in all Pittsburgh games and will not play for anyone else during those games . In return the player was paid $ 50 per game by the Pittsburgh club . While contract has been torn at the signature line , it is believed that the first contracted player was Grant Dibert who played halfback and was a member of the Pittsburgh A . C . since 1890 . 1894 - 1898 . Pittsburgh continued to play until 1901 . However the club lost its major rival , Allegheny , in 1896 when the Amateur Athletic Union suspended the Allegheny team for its flagrant violations of amateur rules . After successful seasons in 1896 and 1897 , the pro football turmoil had upset Allegehny club so greatly that the sport was dropped . By this time the new Duquesne Country & Athletic Club became the dominating force in Pittsburgh - area football . However the Pittsburgh A . C . also lost ground to the Latrobe Athletic Association , located in neighboring Westmoreland County . In 1898 Pittsburgh put together a roster of local stars to play against Duquesne . However the Pittsburgh A . C . lost the game 34 - 0 . Pittsburgh finally decided the cost of paying football players only to watch them lose to Duquesne was a poor investment for the club ' s treasury . They quietly disappeared from the Pittsburgh football scene .