Charley Aull
Charles Elmer Aull (September 5, 1869 – June 28, 1958) was an early professional football player. He played professionally for the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. He also played college football from 1889 until 1891 for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He was born in Pittsburgh in 1869.[1] He died in Ohio in 1958.[2]
 Aull pictured c. 1891 at Penn State | |
| Born: | September 5, 1869 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Died: | June 28, 1958 (aged 88) Butler County, Ohio |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Guard, Quarterback |
| College | Penn State |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1893, 1895 | Pittsburgh Athletic Club |
| As player | |
| 1892–1895 | Pittsburgh Athletic Club |
Professional career
Aull served as the team's captain for the 1892 season. His brother Burt also played on the team. Charley was also accused of bringing in a ringer for the club against its rival the Allegheny Athletic Association That year Aull stated that he met an old friend named "Stayer," on the street prior to the team's October 21 game against Allegheny. Since Pittsburgh was in need of replacement at center, "Stayer" agreed to replace the injured regular player. A week after the game, it was disclosed that "Stayer" actually was A.C. Read, the captain of the Penn State football team. Although no one could prove that Read actually had been paid, and Aull had not tried to present him as a Pittsburgh A.C. member, Allegheny hired under the table Pudge Heffelfinger, a college star formerly from Yale, for $500, to play for the club in a November 21 rematch. This game made Heffelfinger the first professional football player. During the rematch, Aull reportedly received an injury when he was crushed beneath a pile of several Allegheny players. As a result, Charley's back was so wrenched he had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. His brother Burt, was also injured during the game, after receiving a fierce blow to the head which forced him to retire from football.
In 1893, Charley was renamed the team's captain. On October 7, 1893, he was reportedly injured in a 10-0 Pittsburgh A.C. win over Western University (today the University of Pittsburgh). He was out of the Pittsburgh line-up for two weeks with a swollen lip.
In 1895, Aull served as Pittsburgh's quarterback.
College football
Prior to his professional career, Aull played at the college level for Penn State from 1889 to 1891. On November 11, 1889, Penn State suffered their worst loss in football history falling to Lehigh University 106-0. The players arrived back at campus and asked about the game. Aull stated that "We couldn't get at the son-of-a-bitch with the ball."
On October 28, 1900 Aull was the referee for a game between the professional Duquesne Country and Athletic Club and the amateur Penn State football team. Duquesne won the game, held in Pittsburgh, by a score of 29-0.
References
- Aull, W.F. (1920). Aull and Martin Genealogy. Ware. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
- "Charles Elmer Aull (1869 - 1958) - Find A Grave Memorial". findagrave.com. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
- PFRA Research. "Five Hundred Reasons" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-29.
- Riffenburgh, Beau & Bob Carroll (1989). "The Birth of Pro Football" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association. 11 (Annual): 1–30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-27.
- "Duquesne A.C. 29, State 0" (PDF). New York Times (October 28). 1900.
- Peterson, Robert W. (1997). Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-511913-4.
- Denlinger, Ken (1994). For the Glory: College Football Dreams and Realities Inside Paterno's Program. H.B Finn and Company. ISBN 0-312-13496-7.
- PFRA Research. "A Weekly Wage" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-26.