Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

In doing some research in 1920s football, I came across an article
in the Chicago Tribune about the Dec 9, 1923 game between the Cardinals
and Milwaukee. In the article it states that "A. McMahon" of the Cardinals
opened the scoring with a field goal and later drop kicked an extra point
and punted. He's listed as the team's quarterback. Also in the box score
is a "C. McMahon" at left halfback for Chicago.

Yet in the PFRA linescores the field goal and extra point are credited
to A. Horween. Pro-football-reference.com lists an Arnie Horween and
brother Ralph Horween as members of that season's Cardinals with no
mention of McMahon.
Roger Treat's Encyclopedia, 12th edition also only has the name Horween.
Total Football II for Arnie Horween lists him with AKA Arnold Horowitz
but Ralph Horween as AKA McMahon.

Question - Is there one source that is the most reliable when it comes to
early players using pseudonyms?

John Grasso wrote:In doing some research in 1920s football, I came across an article
in the Chicago Tribune about the Dec 9, 1923 game between the Cardinals
and Milwaukee. In the article it states that "A. McMahon" of the Cardinals
opened the scoring with a field goal and later drop kicked an extra point
and punted. He's listed as the team's quarterback. Also in the box score
is a "C. McMahon" at left halfback for Chicago.

Yet in the PFRA linescores the field goal and extra point are credited
to A. Horween. Pro-football-reference.com lists an Arnie Horween and
brother Ralph Horween as members of that season's Cardinals with no
mention of McMahon.
Roger Treat's Encyclopedia, 12th edition also only has the name Horween.
Total Football II for Arnie Horween lists him with AKA Arnold Horowitz
but Ralph Horween as AKA McMahon.

Question - Is there one source that is the most reliable when it comes to
early players using pseudonyms?

Treat's tenth edition (1972) lists Arnold Horween as QB and coach, Ralph Horween as a B on the roster for the '23 Cardinals. Also a Byron McMahon, G, on the '23 Cardinal roster. In a different section of the book, in the alltime list of players, both Horweens are listed though in that listing Arnold is designated as a back ('21 - '24, Ralph also as a Back, '21 - '23; both have Harvard listed for their school). McMahon is listed as a guard from Cornell, with one season in the league, the '23 season with the Cardinals.

Treat's first edition (1952) has no rosters, but does have the alltime player list. No McMahon is listed for the league at all. Both Horweens listed as backs, same years as the tenth edition, thought for Arnold there is a "Player-Coach" entry listed for '23 - '24.

Just to complicate things, Tod Maher's ProFootballArchives site mentions that the Horween brothers were born Horowitz, but played as McMahon.

http://www.profootballarchives.com/horw00200.html

http://www.profootballarchives.com/horw00400.html

So to answer my question, it appears that Tod's site is the most definitive.
Thanks.

Tod Maher's ProFootballArchives site has always been the most accurate.
The reason: When he is advised of an error, he verifies it and makes the change immediately.

The Horween brothers played under the name McMahon so that thei mother would not find out that her Ivy League educated sons had sunk to the level of pro football player in their hometown of Chicago. Arnold returned to Harvard to coach the Crimson to a 20-17-3 record from 1926-30 and then bounced back to Chicago to join the family leather business. Arnold ran Horween Leather from 1949-84 and died in 1985. Horween Leather supplied the leather for Nfl footballs from the 1940s into this century. They may still do so, i'm not sure.

Johnny Maxymuk ... you are da MAN!!!