By Kevin Bennett, Newark, Ohio,
Advocate, Sept. 18, 2020
With
the eagerly awaited advent of another football season, it is worthwhile to note
that what has become today’s National Football League (NFL) was “born” in Ohio
100 years ago this fall.
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On
Oct. 3, 1920 a crowd of around 5,000 witnessed two professional teams compete
in Dayton, Ohio, in what has been designated as the first game of the NFL.
One
of the players competing that day was Granville resident and Denison University
alumnus Wilkie Osgood Moody.
The son of missionaries
Long
overshadowed by the accomplishments of his wife, noted journalist and author,
Minnie Hite Moody, Wilkie Moody led an extraordinary life.
Born
in 1897 to missionary parents at Irabo, Belgian Congo, he and his parents
barely survived the attack of a cannibal tribe when he was but 6 months old.
Obviously
concerned with the safety of their child and resolutely focused on their
mission work, Moody’s parents consigned him to the care of grandparents in
Canada. Over the remainder of his childhood, Moody and his sister Grace were
largely raised by relatives and family friends, sometimes apart.
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On
the average, the Moody children saw their parents every five years. His
parent’s single- minded dedication to missionary work spanned over 50 years and
earned them personal recognition by King Leopold of Belgium. His mother,
Elizabeth Wilkie Moody, died and was buried at her mission in the Congo in
1938.
Wilkie
was afforded excellent educational opportunities, attending the Grand Island
(Neb) Academy and the Colby (NH) Academy. He attended Linfield College in
McMinnville, Oregon before transferring to Denison University for his sophomore
year in 1915.
It
appears that he had never played organized football until encouraged by
legendary Denison coach Walter Livingston to try out for the team for the 1916
season.
At
5-foot-seven, 185 pounds, Moody was hardly an imposing physical presence, yet
his agility and toughness earned him a starter’s role as both a guard on the
offensive line and a defensive back.
Football standout at Denison University
Wilkie
Moody’s gridiron accomplishments helped the 1916 Denison squad to a standout
season in which they were Ohio Conference champions.
During
this period Denison football competed at a higher level and routinely played
against such giants as Ohio State, Miami and Cincinnati to name a few. As such,
there was considerable fan interest in the local area and it was rare game in
which Deeds Field was not packed with spectators.
Among
the admiring fans in the stands that year was Miss Minnie Hite of Granville,
who lived with her grandmother and mother at nearby Tannery Hill.
Although she was several years younger than Moody, they began seeing each other
socially after the season.
Soldier in World War I
Unfortunately,
the events of nations often times interfere with personal lives and the looming
involvement of the United States in World War I did so with Wilkie Moody and
Minnie Hite. In early 1917 he enlisted in the Ohio National Guard as a Private,
quickly rising to the rank of Sergeant in several months.
His
military duties being full time, he was absent for considerable periods for
training and was forced to suspend his attendance at Denison. In July 1918 he
was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Army While feverishly working to
prepare his unit for war, Moody found time to have recently graduated Granville
High School student Miss Minnie Hite travel by train to Fort Jackson, South
Carolina.
In
early September 1918 they were wed at the Post Chapel. After the briefest of
honeymoons, the new Mrs. Moody returned to her family home in Granville while
Lt. Moody resumed his military duties.
He
remained on active duty until discharged in late July 1919. Wilkie Moody
returned to his home in Granville and re-enrolled at Denison in early 1920 to
complete his degree requirements.
Signs with pro football
His
resumption of studies at Denison did not include a return to the football team.
With the birth of his first child in December 1919, Moody was faced with the
financial responsibilities of supporting his family. Instead of college ball,
he decided to use his gridiron talents in the newly emerging professional
arena. He signed a contract with the nearby Columbus Panhandles.
This
team was one of the charter members of the American Professional Football
Association, consisting of teams in 14 different cities.
This
league which was initially headed by the legendary Jim Thorpe and was the
forerunner of the NFL, changing the league name in 1922. As noted, the first
game of the league was played on Oct. 3, 1920 with the Columbus team playing
the host Dayton Triangles and losing a 14-0 decision. The site is now marked by
an Ohio Historical marker denoting it as the first football contest in the NFL.
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Wilkie
Moody started the game, playing both offense and defense. Primarily a lineman
on offense, he also played wingback, carrying the ball twice, netting 7 yards.
Moody
played the entire 1920 season with the Columbus Panhandles although they did
not enjoy the level of success he experienced at Denison, finishing 13 out of
the 14 teams in the league.
Recruited
primarily from local men employed at the shops and rail yards of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, the team found it hard to compete against those teams
recruiting and signing top college players. Unlike the lucrative pro contracts
of today, Moody played under an incentive contract: $100 for each win, $75 for
each tie, and $50 for each loss. Equipment rental fees were deducted from each
paycheck.
Graduating
from Denison in 1921 with a degree in physical education, Wilkie Moody signed
with the Dayton Triangles for the 1921 season. At Dayton, he joined another
noted Denison alumni, George Roudebush, who played an instrumental role in
introducing the forward pass into the college game.
After
a one year hiatus from the professional game, Moody re-signed with the Columbus
team (now the Tigers) for the 1924 and 1925 seasons. Now 28, Moody quit the NFL
for good after the 1925 season and took a position as the football coach and
instructor at Warren High School in Ohio.
The
next year he coached at Clarion State College in Pennsylvania. Following his
stint there, he took his family to Atlanta, Georgia where he served until the
1960’s as an instructor, coach and athletic director in the city high schools.
It
was also there that his wife Minnie’s career as a journalist and author
flourished.
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Later Years
After
his retirement, the “Coach” and Minnie returned to live at the family home at
Tannery Hill, adjacent to the Granville Golf Course.
An
avid golfer, he was content to let Minnie absorb public attention as a noted
columnist with the Newark Advocate while he enjoyed retirement. Wilkie O. Moody
passed on Feb. 22, 1976 and is buried along with Minnie in the peaceful and
rolling Welsh Hills cemetery outside Granville.
Self-effacing,
he appears to have made little mention of his professional football career or
his involvement in the historic first NFL game. This hopefully will shed a long
overdue spotlight on the life of this remarkable educator, coach, soldier and
athlete.
Kevin
Bennett is a noted local historian and Granville Township Trustee.
