Pottsville Maroons 1925 Championship t-shirt

The Pottsville Maroons dominated the NFL in the 1925 season, and heading into their final game of the season, they needed only to beat the Chicago Cardinals to take home the title. They did so in impressive fashion, knocking off the Cards 21-7. It seemed assured that they would be named NFL champions. 

But they played an exhibition game a week later against Notre Dame at Shibe Park, and it was a decision that still resonates in the record books. The Maroons were suspended for impeding on the Frankford Yellow Jackets territory (Philadelphia) and the title was handed to the Cardinals, the team they had crushed weeks earlier. 

The Maroons players and management was furious that the title that should have been theirs was given away, and protests continued for decades. In 1963, the NFL reopened the case, but the owners voted 12-2 to deny the Maroons their title. Incredibly, the Maroons boosters pressed on, and in 2002, the topic came up again. The owners voted 30-2 to not hear the case, with the only dissenters being the Steelers and the Eagles.

Here at Shibe Sports, we recognize the Maroons as the rightful champions of the 1925 title, and nobody is going to tell us any different.

The maroon shirt is 100% cotton by Anvil (XL is GIlden). 

Available online only. Please allow 7-10 days for delivery. Overnight shipping not available. 

Part of the Shibe Originals collection – designs by Philly artists and exclusively available at Shibe Vintage Sports.