Four thousand people paid $1.75 for admission, according to a 2005 Dayton Daily News story. Each player was paid $50.
Three factories founded by Dayton industrialists Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering sponsored the team first.
A story in the morning newspaper at the time touted the gridiron skills of the hometown team before the game: “Everyone knows that the passing game is one of the strong points of the Triangle team.
But “the Triangles do not need to rely on the passing game alone,” the story went on, “for they have backs who can circle ends and they have Louie Partlow, the demon plunger, who can puncture most any line with his terrific smashes.”
Lou Partlow, the Triangles running back, scored the first touchdown in that game and was known for his unusual and intense conditioning methods.
To stay fit, he ran through the woods bordering the Great Miami River leaping over roots and occasionally ramming his shoulder into a tree, a primitive and immovable form of blocking sled.
His timber training earned him the nickname “the West Carrollton battering ram,” according to the 2005 story.
The spectators at Triangle Park, “the biggest crowd that ever witnessed the opening of the professional grid season in this city,” glimpsed a shutout by the home team that fall day. The Dayton Triangles won 14-0.
The Oct. 4, 1920 edition of the Dayton Daily News summed up the players contributions on the field.
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
“The old favorites were on the job every minute. The spectacular work of Bacon, the usual ground gaining of Partlow, the squirming of Norb Sacksteder, the generalship of Mahrt, the speed and tackling of Fenner, Thiele and Reese, the defense of Kinderdine and the sturdy holding of the various athletes who were in at guard and tackle made the opening play of the season something nifty for the fans to watch.
“But it was more than a victory which tickled the folks, Sunday. The all-around work of the Triangles was excellent.”