Grant Dibert

Grant Dibert was an early professional football player with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club and the Allegheny Athletic Association.[1] As a fullback,[2] his primary team was the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, whom he played for, from the team's founding in 1891 until 1893.[3] Prior to his professional career, Dibert played college football at Swarthmore College.[4]

Grant Dibert
Position:Fullback
Career information
College:Swarthmore College
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • First professional player under contract

However, Dibert first played outside of college with the Allegheny Athletic Association in 1890, because the Pittsburgh Athletic Club did not field a football team until 1891. In early October 1890, Dibert and two other Pittsburgh Athletic Club members played for the "All-Pittsburgh's", an informal collection of local players, in a pick-up game against Allegheny Athletic Association.[5] The following season, he played for both Pittsburgh Athletic Club and Allegheny Athletic Association. In a game between the Athletic Association and the Cleveland Athletic Club, Dibert's punting skills were credited with keeping Cleveland deep within their own territory and added an important field goal in 6–6 tie between the clubs.[6]

Dibert made his historical mark on professional football, off the field. In 1893, he became the first football player to sign and be kept under to the first known professional football contract with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. The contract covered all of the Pittsburgh Athletic Club games for the 1893 season, and paid Dibert $50 per game.[7] While the signature on that piece of paper is barely recognizable, most sports historians believe that the player who signed the contract was probably Dibert.[8] Still remaining on the paper are the remnants of two letters from the signature, a high loop that could be the top of a "b" and, after a short space, the crossed top of a "t". A copy of the contract is on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio.[9]

Dibert opened the 1893 season in the Pittsburgh backfield, but lost his position after the fourth game of the season. Although he was mentioned later in the season as an available sub, he did not play for the team again. It is unknown if Dibert was paid for only the games he played in or if he was given money, just to prevent him from playing for Allegheny.[10]

Notes
"I hereby agree to participate in all regularly scheduled football games of the Pittsburg [commonly spelled without the "h" at the time] Athletic Club for the full season of 1893. As an active player I agree to accept a salary of $50 per contest and also acknowledge that I will play for no other club during PAC games."

— Grant Dibert's 1893 contract with Pittsburgh Athletic Club, the first known professional football contract [11][12]

  1. Five Hundred Reasons pg. 1
  2. Five Hundred Reasons pg. 5
  3. Weekly Wage pg. 1
  4. Peterson pg. 31
  5. Three A's pg. 1
  6. Up the P.A.C. pg. 2–3
  7. Peterson pg. 31
  8. Hall of Fame
  9. Weekly Wage pg. 1
  10. Weekly Wage pg. 1
  11. Peterson pg. 31
  12. Weekly Wage pg. 1

References
  • PFRA Research. "Five Hundred Reasons" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-29.
  • PFRA Research. "Three A's for Football" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-29.
  • PFRA Research. "Up the P.A.C." (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-26.
  • "General History - Chronology (1869 to 1939)". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  • Peterson, Robert W. (1997). Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-511913-4.
  • PFRA Research. "A Weekly Wage" (PDF). Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association: 1–4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-26.
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