Oil City Athletic Club facts for kids

The Oil City Athletic Club was a professional football team. It was located in Oil City, Pennsylvania. The team played from 1893 until 1903.

They had a big rivalry with the Franklin Athletic Club. Both teams wanted the best players. The Oil City team eventually stopped playing in 1903. This happened because of intense competition with Franklin to sign top players.

The 1902 Player Battle

Both Franklin and Oil City spent a lot of money on their football teams. In 1902, the teams were set to play their third game. Oil City did something surprising. They signed many star players just for that one game!

They got players from the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. They also signed players from the Philadelphia All-Stars. Some players came from a team in Steubenville, Ohio. Others were from Grove City College.

Many people in Oil City and Franklin loved to bet on these games. Because Oil City signed so many star players, Franklin fans lost their bets. Even with all those stars, Franklin only lost 10-0. This showed they were a strong team.

The 1903 Pre-Season Drama

Franklin's manager, Bill Prince, wanted to avoid losing players again. He worked hard before the 1903 season. Prince tried to sign every star player in Pennsylvania for Franklin.

After Franklin's loss in 1902, Prince went to a big game. It was the first National Football League championship. The Pittsburgh Stars played the Philadelphia Athletics. Right after the game, Prince signed many important players. He wanted them to play for Franklin.

When Oil City saw what Prince had done, they had a problem. They couldn't find enough good players for their team. So, Oil City decided to cancel their 1903 season. This is called "forfeiting" a season.

All the money that people had planned to bet on the 1903 games was held in a special bank account. This is called an escrow account. Later, all that money was given back to the people who had planned to bet.