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56-543: Aside from Fiscus, the Greensburg Athletic Association included several of the era's top players, such as: Charlie Atherton , George Barclay , Ross Fiscus , Jack Gass , Arthur McFarland , Charles Rinehart , Isaac Seneca and Adam Martin Wyant . Several of these players revolutionized the game during their playing careers. Charlie Atherton is credited with inventing the place kick , and George Barclay invented

112-484: A touchdown accounted for four points and the “ goal after ” for two. Greensburg finished a highly successful season with a record of 6-1-1 and led to an increased interest in football throughout Western Pennsylvania. Fans now turned out in large numbers for games, and even accompanied the team by train to road games. And while Fiscus was the only paid player on the 1894 team, several other pros joined him in 1895. Greensburg's 1895 season opened and closed with games against

168-477: A "punt-out", where the attacking team would kick the ball from the point where it was touched down to a teammate. If the teammate could fair catch the ball, he could follow with a try for goal from the spot of the catch, or resume play as normal (in an attempt to touch down the ball in a spot more advantageous for kicking). The governing rule at the time read: "A match shall be decided by a majority of touchdowns. A goal shall be equal to four touchdowns; but in case of

224-472: A $ 400 forfeit and withdrew from the Thanksgiving Day game at Greensburg to play against Duquesne instead. However that game also had to be cancelled because of extreme weather conditions. Greensburg's final season record was 3–7. Although there were probably others, several members of the 1895 squad who were known to have been paid to play football were Fiscus, guard-quarterback Adam Wyant of Bucknell and

280-479: A 12–6 loss in the ninth game to Latrobe. However, the outcome of that game was reversed by a 6–0 score in a season-ending rematch at Latrobe. Greensburg, along with Washington and Jefferson College , had the best football records in Pennsylvania for the 1897 season. Barclay, however, was the only Greensburg player among the eleven named by The Pittsburg Times to their “All-Western Pennsylvania” team. The start of

336-422: A 9-1-1 record. However, the score and the outcome of Greensburg's final game against Latrobe is disputed by historians. While Greensburg and Latrobe records both indicate a 4-0 Greensburg win, one Pittsburgh newspaper reported the game ended in 4-0 Latrobe victory. For 1896, Alfred Sigman of Lafayette College became the team's fullback and coach, and two more Fiscus brothers, Ross and Newill , were added to

392-559: A Pittsburgh-area team financed heavily by the Carnegie Steel Company . Newspapers in Greensburg called it “the greatest contest ever witnessed on the Greensburg gridiron”. The game also featured a match-up between two of the era's star players: Homestead's Art Poe and Greensburg's Isaac Seneca. Greensburg newspaper accounts of the day state that Seneca outplayed Poe. However, the Greensburg club did sustain several key injuries during

448-739: A collection of Czech and Slovak folk songs he had captured that were sung by soldiers during their time in Siberia. It was a time of political turmoil and he witnessed the Nazis rise to power first hand. He documented each event in highly descriptive letters to his sister, Harriet, who he called Hattie. He died on December 17, 1935, at the age of 60 of tuberculosis. He was buried at Vienna Central Cemetery , in Austria on December 21, 1935. Pennsylvania State University library holds an oral history interview with his sister Helen Atherton Govier from January 25, 1974. He

504-400: A conversion is not attempted if the touchdown ended the game and the conversion cannot affect the outcome. The officials' hand signal for a touchdown is both arms extended vertically above the head, with palms facing inward—the same signal used for a field goal or conversion. Unlike a try scored in rugby , and contrary to the event's name, the ball does not need to touch the ground when

560-584: A game against the Jeannette Athletic Club , ended at halftime due to disagreement between the two teams. The disagreement regarded the tough play of Greensburg's Lawson Fiscus, who was accused of kicking or stepping on the face of one of the Jeannette players, during the game. A rematch between Greensburg and Altoona was held on Thanksgiving Day . This time though, Greensburg defeated Altoona, 6–4 in front of about 2,500 fans. During this era, please note that

616-538: A heighten security plan for the return game in Latrobe. On October 31, the Greensburg team, still injury-plagued, suffered a fourth consecutive loss, 24–0, to Duquesne Country and Athletic Club at Exposition Park. Greensburg's final win came on November 5 with a 22–0 over Altoona. However, the team was defeated again by Homestead five days later, 22–0 over Altoona. The final professional football game for Greensburg took place on November 17, in Latrobe. Latrobe would go on to win

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672-420: A penalty for a "palpably unfair act", such as a player coming off the bench during a play and tackling the runner, who would otherwise have scored. A touchdown is worth six points. The scoring team is also awarded the opportunity for an extra point or a two-point conversion . Afterwards, the team that scored the touchdown kicks off to the opposing team, if there is any time left in the half. In most codes,

728-456: A player legally carries any part of the ball over or across the opponent's goal line scores a touchdown, as is any play in which a player legally gains possession of the ball while it is on or across his opponent's goal line and both the player and ball are legally in-bounds - beyond this, the manner in which he gained possession is inconsequential. In the NFL , a touchdown may be awarded by the referee as

784-443: A team scores a touchdown by advancing the football into the opponent's end zone . More specifically, a touchdown is when a player is in possession of the ball, any part of the ball is in the end zone they are attacking, and the player is not down . Because of the speed at which football happens, it is often hard for an official to make the correct call based on their vantage point alone. Most professional football leagues, such as

840-594: A tie a goal kicked from a touchdown shall take precedence over four touchdowns." The ability to score a touchdown on the point-after attempt (two-point conversion) was added to NCAA football in 1958 and also used in the American Football League during its ten-year run from 1960 to 1969. It was subsequently adopted by high school football in 1969, the CFL in 1975 and the NFL in 1994. The short-lived World Football League ,

896-414: A touchdown, one team must take the football into the opposing team's end zone . In all gridiron codes, the touchdown is scored the instant the ball touches or "breaks" the plane of the front of the goal line (that is, if any part of the ball is in the space on, above, or across the goal line) while in the possession of a player whose team is trying to score in that end zone. This particular requirement of

952-509: Is a direct descendant of James Atherton , one of the First Settlers of New England; who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in the 1630s. Touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD ) is a scoring play in gridiron football . Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running , passing , returning a kickoff or punt , or recovering a turnover ,

1008-553: The Carlisle Indian School , was also signed to the team. Also that year, Latrobe's team was reorganized by the team's long-time manager, Dave Berry. Soon a three-game series had been arranged between Latrobe and Greensburg which provided for a home-and-home series, with a third game at the site which drew the largest crowd. Greensburg began the season 2-1-1, before losing 6–5 to the Homestead Library & Athletic Club ,

1064-542: The Kiskiminetas Springs School , 34–4. A group of college students, which of whom returned home to Greensburg for Thanksgiving vacation, played for the team for a game against an unknown Pittsburgh club to close out the season. However, the team, filled with supplement players, lost to the Pittsburgh club by a narrow margin. During the 1891 season , the club suffered from at least two known losses against two of

1120-547: The Latrobe Athletic Association , from nearby Latrobe , which served as Greensburg's chief rival. The Latrobe team had an impressive squad led by John Brallier who became the first football player to admit to being a paid professional. Greensburg won the opening game 25–0 over Latrobe, and the second game 42–2 over Western University of Pennsylvania, to start the season 2–0. Soon afterward, Fiscus and two former Penn State University players, Charlie Atherton (who

1176-630: The National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL), as well as some college leagues, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), allow certain types of plays to be reviewed. Among these plays are touchdowns, as well as all other scoring plays, dangerous or unsportsmanlike conduct by players or staff, out-of-bounds calls, the place on the field where the official spots

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1232-455: The University of Chicago , and fullback Charles Atherton and halfback Fred Robison, both of Penn State. Wyant was cited by his coach at Chicago, Amos Alonzo Stagg , as “one of the best men that ever donned the canvas jacket” (then part of the uniform). Wyant also served at one time as principal of the Greensburg schools and became a U.S. Congressman from the Greensburg area. He would go on to be

1288-402: The 1876 Rugby season, a touchdown required touching the ball to the ground past the goal line, and counted for 1 ⁄ 4 of a kicked goal (except in the case of a tie) and allowed the offense the chance to kick for goal by placekick or dropkick from a spot along a line perpendicular to the goal line and passing through the point where the ball was touched down, or through a process known as

1344-462: The 1890 season, through 1893, were not particularly successful. The drawbacks included a lack of local opponents, rivalries which did not develop until later as well as a lack of local experienced players. It is not even known if the club recorded a win prior to 1894. The Greensburg Athletic Association kicked off its inaugural season in 1890. Their first game resulted in 6–6 tie against Indiana Normal ( IUP ), while losing their first-ever home game to

1400-535: The 1898 season saw optimism in Greensburg with the return of ex-coach Charlie Atherton. However, some of the players from the 1897 season had bigger offers to play elsewhere and left the team. Replacing these players proved hard since the amount of money, to lure new talent to Greensburg, was hard to come by in a small city. However, as early as 1898, the team featured Christy Mathewson , a future baseball hall of famer and former fullback from Bucknell University , in their line-up. Greensburg's first game that season

1456-399: The 1899 season began, most of the top Greensburg players of the year before were playing for either Greensburg's rivals in Pittsburgh or for other teams as far away as Newark, New Jersey . As result of not having a Greensburg or Latrobe team in 1899, the football clubs from Pittsburgh completed their schedules by playing teams mainly from eastern Pennsylvania. In 1900, plans were complete for

1512-487: The Pittsburgh Athletic Club for the first time, posting a 14–0 win at home. All three of the game's touchdowns were scored by Lawson Fiscus. On October 31, Greensburg defeated Latrobe, 10–4. In the stands there was considerable betting over whether Latrobe would score or not. Late in game Latrobe's Doggie Trenchard scored a touchdown, led to a Latrobe newspaper stating that “Greensburg got the game and Latrobe got

1568-434: The Pittsburgh Athletic Club, 28–0. In 1893, Greensburg placed a higher emphasis on its football program. The results of three of the four games from that season remain unknown. The team's fourth game, against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, resulted in 10–0 loss. In 1894 Greensburg hired its first professional player, Lawson Fiscus , for $ 20 a game plus expenses. While Fiscus did play for Greensburg as an amateur in 1893, he

1624-468: The Pittsburgh Athletic Club. However, the team later turned things around to finish the season strong. In the final game of the season, Greensburg beat rival Latrobe 6–0 at Latrobe. According to the Greensburg Daily Tribune , the end of the game was marred by stoning and spitting on Greensburg players and fans, “boorish conduct by ruffians,” resulting in one player being injured when he was hit on

1680-506: The ball after a play, and turnovers. Coaches can also challenge calls, provided they are made during a play eligible to be reviewed; the only exception is during periods of the game where coaches' challenges are restricted, such as the last two minutes of each half. The NFL and CFL review all scoring plays and turnovers regardless of whether the call was questionable, and therefore do not allow coaches to challenge those plays, either. The NCAA allows Division I FBS teams to review plays throughout

1736-413: The ball and having one or both feet depending on the rules of the league or another part of the body, excluding the hands, touch the ground). The slightest part of the ball touching or being directly over the goal line is sufficient for a touchdown to score. However, only the ball counts, not a player's helmet, foot, or any other part of the body. Touching one of the pylons at either end of the goal line with

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1792-403: The ball constitutes "breaking the plane" as well. Touchdowns are usually scored by the offense by running or passing the ball. The former is called a rushing touchdown , and in the latter, the quarterback throws a touchdown pass or passing touchdown to the receiver, who either catches the ball in the field of play and advances it into the end zone, or catches it while already being within

1848-419: The boundaries of the end zone; the result is a touchdown reception or touchdown catch . However, the defense can also score a touchdown if they have recovered a fumble or made an interception and return it to the opposing end zone. Special teams can score a touchdown on a kickoff or punt return , or on a return after a missed or blocked field goal attempt or blocked punt . In short, any play in which

1904-476: The cash.” However Greensburg's hopes of winning a state championship were dashed when the club was finally defeated by the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club in Pittsburgh, 18–4, on November 14. The game was followed by a scoreless tie with Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Greensburg did recover from their road trip to post a 10–0 win over Latrobe on Thanksgiving Day to end the season 6-1-1. The 1897 season marked

1960-465: The first U.S. Congressman to have played professional football. Atherton, who had a street and campus building named after him, later became president of Penn State University. Charlie Atherton Charles Morgan Herbert Atherton (November 19, 1874 – December 17, 1935) was an American Major League Baseball third baseman . Nicknamed "Prexy", he batted and threw right-handed, was 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) tall and weighed 160 pounds. He

2016-547: The first-ever football helmet . Meanwhile, Isaac Seneca became the first Native-American to earn All-American honors and Adam Martin Wyant was the first professional football player to become a United States Congressman . The team's home games were played at Athletic Park (which was later renamed Offutt Field ). The field is still in use as football field by Greensburg Salem High School and, up until 1993, Greensburg Central Catholic High School . The first four years of Greensburg Athletic Association football that began with

2072-430: The game and did their best to discourage their players from taking part. After an apparent decline in financial resources and interest, professional football in Greensburg and Latrobe underwent a one-year hiatus in 1899. Some efforts were made to reorganize a team around a core of local members of the 1898 squad, which would have to be shored up by obtaining some Latrobe players. However this effort never materialized. When

2128-403: The game, 11–0, and the claim of “Westmoreland County championship”. By this time, the team was experiencing major financial problems. To make matters even worse, the club's scheduled next-to-last game was cancelled due to inclement weather. However, the worst occurred when Latrobe, who always drew large crowds when they played Greensburg, withdrew from a scheduled Thanksgiving Day game. Latrobe paid

2184-471: The game. By this time Greensburg was unable to regain its footing. A loss at home, this time to Latrobe, was sustained a week later on October 27. This marked Greensburg's third straight loss. During the game a fight between Seneca and the Latrobe quarterback, named Kennedy, led to a riot between the opposing fans and players. This riot prompted the Westmoreland County Sheriff's Office to devise

2240-471: The head by a rock. At the end of the season, against their club's wishes, Greensburg's Charles Rinehart and George Barclay played in the first pro football all-star game for the 1898 Western Pennsylvania All-Star football team , against the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club, on December 3, 1898. The all-star team was put together by Latrobe manager, Dave Berry and resulted in 16-0 Duquesne win. For reasons that are still unclear, Greensburg leaders opposed

2296-910: The musical director of the Jan Hus Presbyterian Church in New York City . Atherton learned the Czech language and became a student of Czech and Slovak Folk Songs. He travelled to Vladivostok in 1919 to encourage the evacuation of the Czech Legion , who were stranded in Siberia in the aftermath of the First World War . Upon his return he published a book titled “Favorite songs of the Czech Slovak Army in Russia”. His elder brother, Frank Peabody Atherton

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2352-430: The pinnacle of the professional football era in Greensburg. That year's squad had 27 players, which included a number of new ones. Among those players was George Barclay , of Millville , who played a halfback at Bucknell University and Lafayette University . Barclay brought several of Lafayette top players with him to Greensburg to enhance the team. Greensburg went on to post a 10–1 record. The team's only defeat came at

2408-445: The player and the ball are inside the end zone. The term touchdown is a holdover from gridiron's early days when the ball was required to be touched to the ground as in rugby, as rugby and gridiron were still extremely similar sports at this point. This rule was changed to the modern-day iteration in 1889. When the first uniform rules for American football were enacted by the newly formed Intercollegiate Football Association following

2464-430: The regular season and postseason, while Division I FCS teams can only use it during the playoffs, Division II teams only during the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship game , and Division III teams only during the semifinals and championship game . In American football and Canadian football , a touchdown is worth six points and is followed by an extra point or two-point conversion attempt. To score

2520-404: The return of professional football to Greensburg. Under the direction of industrialist Morris L. Painter, Greensburg once again fielded a team. Many of the players were from eastern and midwestern colleges and universities. The top sought player for the 1900 season, Ralph Hutchinson of Princeton , signed with Greensburg as a player-coach . Meanwhile, Isaac Seneca , a former All-American from

2576-450: The team. Greensburg began their season 5–0, which included wins over the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and Latrobe. The team was acclaimed by Pittsburgh papers at mid-season as being the best in Pennsylvania. During a game against a squad from Beaver Falls , Greensburg's Tom Donohoe ran 44 yards with an intercepted pass . [Note: Pass was probably a lateral , since the forward pass was not legal until 1906]. On October 17, Greensburg defeated

2632-453: The touchdown differs from other sports in which points are scored by moving a ball or equivalent object into a goal where the whole of the relevant object must cross the whole of the goal line for a score to be awarded. The play is dead and the touchdown scored the moment the ball touches plane in possession of a player, or the moment the ball comes into possession of an offensive player in the end zone (having established possession by controlling

2688-608: The two top football athletic clubs in Pittsburgh: the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and the Allegheny Athletic Association . Meanwhile, the result of an earlier game against Indiana Normal remains unknown. Meanwhile, the surviving records of the club's 1892 campaign show only two games being played, resulting in two losses against Western University of Pennsylvania (today the University of Pittsburgh ), 6–2, and

2744-678: Was Penn State's first sports star as a member of the school's baseball and football teams. He is also credited with inventing the place kick . He was an early professional football player and coach for the Greensburg Athletic Association . He also played professional football in 1896 for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club . He made his Major League debut on May 30, 1899 at the age of 24. He hit .248 in 242 at bats in 1899, which would end up being his only Major League season. He also hit 5 doubles , 6 triples and had 23 RBI . Defensively, Atherton committed 26 errors , which

2800-536: Was a Spanish–American War veteran and composer. Atherton continued to live in New York City during the 1920s undertaking a role as a social worker for Czechs and Bohemians through his church. He continued to travel back and forth the Atlantic, between New York and Bremen , between 1928 on SS America and 1934 on SS Europa . He was very familiar with Central Europe and his books were published in Czech and included

2856-574: Was actively recruited by several other teams as professionalism in football began to take hold. Fiscus played informal football at Indiana Normal, even before it even fielded a school team. He has also played at halfback for the Allegheny Athletic Association as well as for Princeton University . During the 1894 season , Greensburg jumped out to a 5–0 record, before losing 10–0 against the Altoona Athletic Club . A week later,

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2912-454: Was against, their rivals, Latrobe. The game was played on a field, so muddy that the game had to be delayed at one point so that mud could be removed from the eyes, nose, mouth and ears of Latrobe's Ed Abbaticchio , who was buried in the mud on one of his carries. Latrobe went on to win the game 6-0 (4-0 by other accounts). The 1898 season would go on to be marred with another loss to Latrobe, and ties against Duquesne Country and Athletic Club and

2968-442: Was also the team's coach) and Fred Robison , turned down an offer promising each of them $ 125 a month to play for the upstart Duquesne Country and Athletic Club , located in Pittsburgh. They were induced to stay with Greensburg when "interested parties" in that city raised some extra money to guarantee to the players. After a 6–0 start the team tied the Pittsburgh Athletic Club 0–0 at Exposition Park . The following week, Greensburg

3024-555: Was an accomplished musician and writer, as well as an athlete. He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey , the son of George W. Atherton and Frances “Fannie” Wright Darusmont Washburn, of Plympton, Massachusetts. His father, a Civil War veteran, at the time was a professor of political science at Rutgers University . In 1882, at the age of 9 he moved to Philadelphia when his father took over as president of Pennsylvania State University . Atherton loved baseball as well as football. He

3080-523: Was defeated by the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club in Pittsburgh, 14–0, in what was seen as a controversial game. A local resident with ties to Duquesne was substituted for the scheduled official. This resulted in what the Greensburg Daily Tribune called bad officiating and “thievery”. A touchdown was said to have been scored by Duquesne after time was called, along with rough play. However Greensburg soon recovered and finished their season with

3136-733: Was fourth worst on the now defunct Washington Senators team of the National League . He played his final game on August 22, 1899. He traveled to a Russia as part of the YMCA. He was based in Petrograd , hosted by the Czech Legion , who were aligned to the Russian Imperial Army . He witnessed the Russian Revolution , World War I . He had become acquainted with Vincent Pisek of Malesov , an American Czech pastor who invited him to become

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