During the late 19th and early 20th century, Evansville, Indiana became on of the nation’s premier cities. In the late 1800s, it experienced industrial growth and was growing faster than Midwest cities such as St. Louis and Cincinnati. Even during World War II, Evansville had earned the nickname, “The City that Helped Win the War.” Since then, Evansville has lost its “top-tier boom,” but it is still one of the best cities within the Midwest. However, most people forget the short-lived Evansville Crimson Giants.
The state of Indiana has one NFL team located in Indianapolis, but besides this, Indiana has been trying to get another professional sports team in the state. Recently, news has broke out about the Chicago Bears making the potential move to Indiana, and this would be huge news for the state. However, there used to be an NFL team located in Southern Indiana that played at one of the most historic fields in all of sports.
The Evansville Crimson Giants were a short-lived NFL team. But what forced the move out of Evansville?
Let’s dive into the story of Indiana’s forgotten NFL team: The Evansville Crimson Giants.
*Research about the team is coming from “The Early Sturggled of Professional Football: Evansville, Indiana, 1920-1922” by Marc S. Maltby.
The Ex-Collegians and the Birth of the Giants
At the time, Evansville was new to the sport of football. Evansville’s first semi-professional football team was named the “Ex-Collegians,” who would begin playing in 1920. In Southern Indiana, there were other semi-professional teams, such as the Jasper Independents. They would also travel to other states, such as Kentucky.
The Ex-Collegians were by no means a powerhouse, but they played well during their first season in 1920. However, businessmen who failed in their takeover attempt of the Ex-Collegians decided they were going to form their own team. They created a new corporation, which was titled “American Football Association”. They would form a new professional team known as the “Evansville Crimson Giants”. They promoted their new team by dubbing their team as “real football”.
Players who stayed with the Ex-Collegians at first refused to join this new organization. Quarterback and Team Captain Menzies Lindsey stated the team was hoping to continue playing independently. However, what happened next would spell the end of the Ex-Collegians, and the Evansville Crimson Giants would take over as the main professional football team in Evansville.
The Battle for Bosse Field
The Ex-Collegians played at the infamous Bosse Field, located in the heart of Evansville. This field is a historic field for many different reasons. It is one of the oldest baseball fields in the United States, movies like “A League of Their Own” were filmed there, and they hosted different football teams within the early 20th century. At the time, this was the only stadium and field big enough to play a football game on.
The Evansville Crimson Giants would secure exclusive use of Bosse Field. Once this happened, the Ex-Collegians decided to merge with the Evansville Crimson Giants, knowing that there was no hope of succeeding alongside them.
The Evansville Crimson Giants were Evansville’s lone professional football team. However, their stability as an organization would be short-lived, spelling the end of professional football in Evansville, Indiana.
The 1922 Collapse and the Death of the Franchise
Most of the players on the Evansville Crimson Giants had collegiate experience and were expected to be solid; however, it was hard for them to gain traction with the fans. With powerhouse professional teams in Ohio gaining a lot of local traction, Evansville felt the consequences. Attendance was poor compared to other pro teams, meaning 1,200 to 1,500 people in attendance was a large crowd at Bosse Field.
This would mean financial difficulties for the team. Tickets were just $1, and with such low ticket prices, the team was not making a profit. However, this was a normal occurrence for professional football at the time. Many teams were formed and discontinued during the early stages of what would become the National Football League.
After their first season, many players would leave for other local clubs that were more stable. They would also lose exclusive rights to play at Bosse Field, and they would be without a home stadium.
They struggled in their second season without a home field, and they were forced to cancel the rest of their home games for the 1922 season. Following the season, ownership decided to make no effort to re-organizing the club, meaning the end of the only NFL team Evansville, Indiana has ever had.
The beginning of the NFL was a struggle for most organizations. If you were not in a big city, your team was more than likely going to fail. With the football being a fresh, new sport to the area, it was unsuccessful in Evansville. However, the Evansville Crimson Giants will always be remembered as the first and only NFL team in Evansville, Indiana.
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