The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2023

Joe Carr

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2023
Sport(s): Football President
Joe Carr is responsible for much of the structure that exists in the National Football League, and he did it simply by learning and executing what worked in Major League Baseball.

A newspaper man from Columbus, Carr, revived the Columbus Panhandles Football Team in 1907. The Panhandles would be a charter member of the NFL, and Carr, due to his vision, became the league's first President, a position he held until his death in 1939. Carr brought structure to the NFL, organizing how college players could migrate to the NFL, and his no-nonsense approach might have been a hardline one, but without it, the existence of the league could have been in doubt.

We are proud to nominate Joe Carr for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.