| Founded | 1890 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1898 |
| Based in | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| League | Western Pennsylvania Circuit |
| Team history | Pittsburgh Athletic Club (1892–1898) East End Gymnastic Club (1890–1891) |
| Team colors | Red (crimson) and white |
| General managers | John Baxter Barbour, Jr. |
| Owner(s) | Pittsburgh Athletic Club |
| Undefeated seasons | 1 (1891) |
| Home field(s) | P.A.C. Park[a] |
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club[b] football team, established in 1890, was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1892 the intense competition between two Pittsburgh-area clubs, the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, led to William (Pudge) Heffelfinger becoming the first known professional football player. Heffelfinger was paid $500 by Allegheny to play in a game against Pittsburgh on November 12, 1892. As a result, Heffelfinger became the first person to be paid to play football. Allegheny would go on to win the game, 4–0, when Heffelfinger picked up a Pittsburgh fumble and ran it 35 yards for a touchdown.[2] In 1893, Pittsburgh again made history when it signed one of its players, probably halfback Grant Dibert, to the first known pro football contract, which covered all of the team's games for the year.[2]
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- ^ "East End Gymnastic Club Change of Name", Court of Common Pleas No. 2 of Allegheny County, ordered October 1, 1892 and recorded December 28, 1892, on file with the Pennsylvania Department of State, entity #6160361.
- ^ a b "NFL History by Decade". NFL.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-02. Retrieved 2008-12-08.