Pennsylvania State Senator David G. Argall (R-29) has issued a formal request to the National Football League to award the 1925 NFL Championship to the Pottsville Maroons — a professional football team whose title was stripped nearly a century ago.
In a letter sent this week, Senator Argall expressed his strong support for the Maroons’ rightful claim to the 1925 title, noting that the team “won more games than any NFL team that year” and was denied the championship due to an off-the-field infraction unrelated to their performance.
“The title, which was denied due to an infraction that had nothing to do with the professional games played that season, was unfairly taken from these outstanding athletes,” Argall wrote.
He also drew comparisons to other corrections in sports history, including the posthumous restoration of Olympic gold medals to Jim Thorpe — a legendary athlete for whom a Pennsylvania town is named — and the reinstatement of Pete Rose’s eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame. “Over time, many other injustices in professional sports have been corrected,” the letter states.
Argall noted the ongoing work of the Schuylkill County Historical Society, which has conducted extensive research to ensure the facts surrounding the Maroons' 1925 season are fully understood. “I am happy to support them in these important efforts,” he added.
The Pottsville Maroons were a powerhouse professional football team that joined the NFL in 1925. That same year, they stormed through the league with a dominant record and a landmark victory over the Chicago Cardinals, a win that should have secured the NFL Championship.
However, the Maroons were later suspended by the NFL for playing an exhibition game in Philadelphia against a team of former Notre Dame players — a move that allegedly violated the league’s territorial rights agreement with the Frankford Yellow Jackets. Despite the controversy surrounding the decision, the NFL awarded the title to the Chicago Cardinals — a team the Maroons had already defeated on the field.
Many historians and fans have long regarded the league’s decision as unjust, arguing that it unfairly punished a team that had clearly proven itself on the field. The call for the NFL to overturn the ruling and recognize the Maroons as the rightful champions has continued for generations.
