Ironton Tanks

Ironton Tanks
Founded1919; 105 years ago (1919)
Folded1930; 94 years ago (1930)
Based inIronton, Ohio, United States
LeagueIndependent
Team historyIronton Tanks (1919–1930)
Team colorsScarlet Red, Gold, White      
Nickname(s)Big Red
The Big Red Machine
Head coachesEarle Louis "Greasy" Neale (1930)
Home field(s)Beechwood Stadium (1919–1926)
Tank Stadium (1926–1930)

The Ironton Tanks were a semi-professional football team organized in 1919 in Ironton, Ohio.

Their historical marker gives the story of the Tanks origin: "Semi-professional football began in Ironton in 1893 with a team known as the Irontonians. The Ironton Tanks, founded in 1919, was a combination of two Ironton cross-town rival football clubs known as the Irish Town Rags and the Lombards."[1] Their name reflected both the town's deep roots in the iron industry and the desire of returning soldiers from World War I to run over their opponents.[2]

  1. ^ "Ohio Historical Society".
  2. ^ Becker, Carl M. The "Famous" Ironton Tanks The Coffin Corner Volume XIX Professional Football Researchers Association