| Founded | 1919 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1930 |
| Based in | Ironton, Ohio, United States |
| League | Independent |
| Team history | Ironton Tanks (1919–1930) |
| Team colors | Scarlet Red, Gold, White |
| Nickname(s) | Big Red The Big Red Machine |
| Head coaches | Earle Louis "Greasy" Neale (1930) |
| Home field(s) | Beechwood Stadium (1919–1926) Tank Stadium (1926–1930) |
The Ironton Tanks were a semi-professional football team organized in 1919 in Ironton, Ohio.
Their historical marker gives the story of the Tanks origin: "Semi-professional football began in Ironton in 1893 with a team known as the Irontonians. The Ironton Tanks, founded in 1919, was a combination of two Ironton cross-town rival football clubs known as the Irish Town Rags and the Lombards."[1] Their name reflected both the town's deep roots in the iron industry and the desire of returning soldiers from World War I to run over their opponents.[2]
- ^ "Ohio Historical Society".
- ^ Becker, Carl M. The "Famous" Ironton Tanks The Coffin Corner Volume XIX Professional Football Researchers Association