Leo Lyons, the Rochester Jeffersons and the Birth of the NFL

Leo Lyons was an essential member of the group romanticized as the founding fathers of the National Football League. As the owner of the Rochester Jeffersons, one of the most successful semi-pro teams in the country, he attended the league’s organizational meeting in Canton, Ohio, along with George Halas, Jim Thorpe, Carl Storck, Ralph Hay and a handful of other visionaries. This book tells the story of Lyons’ participation in many of the league’s important historical moments as well as the many concepts he brought to the game. A pioneer in the integration of football. Lyons hired Henry McDonald, the fourth known black professional player, in 1912. Lyons’ innovative “Jeffs” logo introduced in 1915 was the first used by a professional football team. He conceptualized football trading cards as a way of promoting professional football a year later. He even collaborated with representatives from the Wilson Sporting Goods Company to transform the ball from its melon shape into the one fans recognize today.
This meticulously researched biography presents Lyons’ struggles to keep his team afloat in the turbulent early days of the NFL, along with his encounters with such legendary figures as Walter Camp, Jim Thorpe, Curly Lambeau, George Halas, Joe Carr, Red Grange, Art Rooney, Pete Rozelle and many more. His involvement with underground figures as he sought to sign the famous Grange for his Rochester Jeffersons is presented in fine detail in this first biography of the NFL founding father.

Award-winning author, Jeffrey J. Miller, lives in Springville, New York, the hometown of Pop Warner.
John D. Steffenhagen is the great-grandson of NFL cofounder Leo Lyons. He lives in Rochester, New York.

Jeffrey J. Miller and John D. Steffenhagen
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 50 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9221-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5603-8
Imprint: McFarland