Ohio League

The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1903 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were based in Ohio, and is the direct predecessor to the National Football League of today.

A proposal to add teams from outside Ohio, such as the Latrobe Athletic Association, to form a formal league known as the "Football Association" fell through prior to the 1904 season.

Though a champion was declared by the group throughout its existence, a formal league was not founded until 1920, when several Ohio League teams added clubs from other states to form the American Professional Football Association. In 1922 the APFA became the National Football League.

Other teams

 * Akron Pros
 * Cincinnati Celts
 * Cleveland Panthers (debuted 1919, mainly played non-Ohio teams)
 * Cleveland Tigers
 * Coleman Athletic Club
 * Columbus Panhandles
 * Franklin Athletic Club of Cleveland
 * Ironton Tanks (consolidation of Irish Town Rags and the Lombards)
 * Shelby Tigers (merged with Shelby Blues in 1911)
 * Toledo Maroons
 * Youngstown Patricians
 * Zanesville Mark Greys
 * The Detroit Heralds, though based in Michigan, played many of its games against Ohio teams.