1. Professional Football in Hammond. In 1916, prominent citizens in Hammond, Indiana decided to support a professional football team. They chose the Clabbys. The Clabbys had been organized by Pop Clabby, a Hammond saloon owner whose son, Jimmy, won the World's Welterweight Boxing Championship in 1910. Previously, the team had excelled among the many athletic associations, such as the Hammond Colonials, the East Chicago Gophers, and the Gary Techs, that played semi-professional football in the Calumet region. City leaders hoped a professional team would establish Hammond's reputation as a modern, progressive football town. During the 1916 season, the team won nine of thirteen games.
2. Poor Attendance. As a professional team, the Clabbys adopted an "open style of play" that employed the forward pass. Unfortunately, home games attracted small crowds. Fans complained that the team played their best games on the road, while facing inferior opponents in Hammond. Low gate receipts did not allow the Clabbys to schedule home games against strong squads such as the Fort Wayne Friars, the Detroit Heralds, or the Evanston North Ends. These teams required guarantees of $450 to $700 in order to meet expenses for travel and salaries. Hammond could not become a major independent unless its home games attracted 2,000 to 2,500 fans, paying admissions of fifty cents.
3. A Professional League for Indiana. To improve the quality of local football, the Clabbys acquired better players for the 1917 season, including collegiate star Paddy Driscoll of Northwestern. They also joined a league of Indiana teams. The new league consisted of teams from Hammond, Wabash, and Indianapolis. It did not include the Fort Wayne Friars, the most highly regarded professional squad in Indiana. The Friars did not require help in attracting superior competition. However, the formation of a league allowed lesser teams, such as the Clabbys, to play stronger schedules.
4. The Rise and Demise of the Clabbys. After losing their first game to Detroit, a non-conference opponent, the team rebounded and became champions of professional football in Indiana in 1917. The highlight of the season was a twenty-five to nothing victory over Fort Wayne. Despite success, the Clabbys folded due to low attendance. World War I also brought a halt to professional football as many players volunteered or were drafted for service. A few, such as Paddy Driscoll, moved on to become star athletes for other teams. After 1920, professional teams prospered in larger cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh that drew wide, metropolitan support. Hammond relied upon high school teams to generate fan support for quality local football.
