1920 APFA Season — Final Standings
Final standings for the league's inaugural season, played as the American Professional Football Association (APFA, renamed the NFL in 1922) with no official standings maintained at the time — no on-field championship mechanism existed. At an April 1921 league meeting the owners retroactively voted to award the title to the undefeated Akron Pros (8-0-3) over Decatur (10-1-2) and Buffalo (9-1-1), both of whom had more total wins but at least one loss; both losing claimants formally objected at the time. Jim Thorpe, already a star player for the Canton Bulldogs, served as the league's first president, chosen mainly for his name recognition.
Final Standings
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | APAkron Pros | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1.000 | - |
| — | DSDecatur Staleys | 10 | 1 | 2 | .909 | - |
| — | BAABuffalo All-Americans | 9 | 1 | 1 | .900 | - |
| — | CCChicago Cardinals | 6 | 2 | 2 | .750 | 2 |
| — | RIIRock Island Independents | 6 | 2 | 2 | .750 | 2 |
| — | DTDayton Triangles | 5 | 2 | 2 | .714 | 2.5 |
| — | RJRochester Jeffersons | 6 | 3 | 2 | .667 | 2.5 |
| — | CBCanton Bulldogs | 7 | 4 | 2 | .636 | 2.5 |
| — | DHDetroit Heralds | 2 | 3 | 3 | .400 | 4.5 |
| — | CTCleveland Tigers | 2 | 4 | 2 | .333 | 5 |
| — | CTChicago Tigers | 2 | 5 | 1 | .286 | 5.5 |
| — | HPHammond Pros | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 5.5 |
| — | CPColumbus Panhandles | 2 | 6 | 2 | .250 | 6 |
| — | MFMuncie Flyers | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 4.5 |
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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