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Remarkable Ohio - Site of First Game in the NFL
 
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On October 3rd, 1920, Dayton, Ohio hosted the first game in the history of the National Football League on this field within Triangle Park. 4,000 people paid $1.75 for admission to watch the hometown Dayton Triangles defeat the Columbus Panhandles 14-0.

The league's first touchdown was scored by Triangle's running back Lou Partlow on a 7-yard rush in the third quarter. Frank Bacon added a second touchdown on a punt return, while George "Hobby" Kinderdine kicked both extra points in the game.

The Dayton Triangles - and the park they called home - got their names from an industrial triangle of factories in downtown Dayton, whose founders, Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering, sponsored the football team.

Dayton finished the 1920 season with 5 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties. This proved to be the Triangle's best record of the ensuing decade, before the team was sold and relocated to Brooklyn in 1930.

In 2012, one of the Triangle's old locker rooms was restored and transported to Carillon Historical Park, as the first installment of the Dayton Sports History Center.

Today, Triangle Park serves as the city's reminder of its forgotten football franchise. The public park in north Dayton is now used for recreation, sporting events, and community gatherings.
July 19, 2016