Bob Shiring facts for kids

Charles Robert Shiring (1870 – July 23, 1957) was a famous professional football player. He came from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bob Shiring started his career in the late 1890s. He played for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club.

In 1901, he joined the Homestead Library & Athletic Club. The next year, he played for the Pittsburgh Stars. This team was part of the very first National Football League (NFL). His team won the league championship that year. Many people thought Shiring was the best center in his area. He might have been the best in the whole country!

Shiring is most famous for playing with the Massillon Tigers. He played for them from 1903 to 1907. Later, from 1907 to 1909, he was a player-coach for the Pittsburgh Lyceum. This team was Pittsburgh's last professional football champion until the 1970s.

Playing Football

In 1901, Bob Shiring joined the Homestead Library & Athletic Club. He filled in for an injured player. Once he started playing, he became a key part of the team.

The next season, in 1902, he played for the Pittsburgh Stars. He even played alongside Christy Mathewson. Mathewson was a famous baseball player for the New York Baseball Giants.

In 1903, Shiring moved to Ohio. He continued his football career with the Massillon Tigers. This team was part of the Ohio League. He played for the Tigers until 1907. He was the team captain for three of his four seasons there. A picture of Shiring as the Massillon captain is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This famous museum is in Canton, Ohio.

People in Massillon wanted Shiring to move to their town. But he decided to go back to Pennsylvania in 1907. That year, he became a player-coach for the Pittsburgh Lyceum football team.

Shiring was known for not wearing shoulder pads. When asked why, he said they "hinder me getting through the line." He only wore shin guards for protection.

A Story of Fair Play

In 1906, Bob Shiring was part of an important event. It involved a possible betting scandal between the Massillon Tigers and the Canton Bulldogs. This was the first time professional gamblers tried to fix a professional sports game.

A newspaper in Massillon reported that someone tried to bribe some Tigers players. The report said that Blondy Wallace, the Bulldogs' coach, and Walter East, a Tigers player, were involved. They supposedly tried to fix a two-game championship series.

However, the Tigers won the second game and became champions. E. J. Stewart, the Tigers' coach, said that an attempt was made to bribe some players. He said this happened before the first game.

According to Stewart, Tiny Maxwell and Bob Shiring of the Massillon team were asked to lose the first game on purpose. But Maxwell and Shiring did the right thing. They told their team manager about the offer. Because they reported it, the scandal was stopped before it could truly begin. This event showed Shiring's honesty and commitment to fair play.

Life Off the Field

Bob Shiring left school when he was 13 years old. He started working with his brothers. They worked at the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. This job made his family move from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania to Wilmerding.

In 1898, he built his family's house. Years later, in the 1960s, the house was moved across the street. This was done to make space for a new expressway. The house is still there today.

Shiring worked for 50 years as an official in Wilmerding. He was like a magistrate for the town. He was also elected as the town's tax collector in 1903. He also started his own business. He worked in insurance and real estate.

Bob Shiring had nine children. He stayed close to his home in Wilmerding his whole life. He passed away in a Pittsburgh hospital on July 23, 1957.