Another attempt made for Maroons

The following was reported in the Pottsville Republican and Herald today:

Working to help the Pottsville Maroons regain their 1925 championship, Lasting Legacy of Pottsville is planning to send copies of author David Fleming’s book about the team to NFL owners.

Fleming said Friday he recommended the names of 21 of the 32 NFL owners who should received this “first round” of packages, which will include a letter signed by Gov. Ed Rendell.

“It’s ultimately our hope that out of this group, a handful will start spreading the word to the rest of the league,” Fleming said.

The mailing will be among the many efforts of the next round to rally support around the Maroons’ cause from Wednesday through Dec. 10, when Fleming, author of “Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship,” will be returning to the area.

With the release of “Breaker Boys,” published by ESPN Books on Oct. 9, Fleming has reinvigorated many Maroons fans and their desire to see Schuylkill County’s pro-football legacy vindicated. Gathering signatures with an online petition since Oct. 16, Fleming is planning to take them directly to the NFL owners Feb. 3 at Super Bowl XLII at Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. As of 11:30 p.m. Friday, the petition had 9,691 signatures.

The City of Pottsville previously attempted to reclaim the 1925 championship was in 2003.

“We sent materials to all 32 team owners. We sent a copy of the bicentennial book, ‘Personalities of the Past.’ We sent each a special shirt with their name on it,” Ian Lipton, a member of Lasting Legacy, said Friday.

But, on Oct. 30, 2003, the NFL owners voted 30-2 not to reconsider the case.

Before sending packages out again, Lipton said Lasting Legacy turned to Fleming for advice.

When deciding which NFL owners Lasting Legacy should send packages to this time, Fleming, a senior writer at ESPN Magazine, said, “I think originally we were talking about 10 or a dozen and as I started to go through the list, I realized almost twice as many, just from the ones I interacted with, would be open to hearing the story.”

“Because of his experience with the NFL, he felt these were the 21 teams that were most likely to either be neutral or have positive leanings for this consideration. He could be wrong about some of them, but we have to start somewhere,” Lipton said.

The teams include the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers, who have vocally supported the cause, Lipton said.

Rendell was out of his office Friday and could not be reached for comment.

“The cause of the Maroons has long been dear to the governor. He believes strongly that they were dealt with unfairly and has advocated for the league to do the right thing and bestow the championship won on the field on the team,” said the governor’s press secretary, Chuck Ardo.

The other 19 to receive packages by Dec. 11, according to Lipton, are: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins.

“We’ve put together what I would say is a clearly-defined package to educate 21 owners out of the 32 teams we think would be supportive in reconsideration of a vote,” Lipton said.

The package will include:

• A letter signed by Rendell and Pottsville Mayor John D.W. Reiley;

• A copy of a six-page article about the Pottsville Maroons written by Fleming in 2003, “Lost In Time,” published in ESPN Magazine;

• A copy of “Breaker Boys’ signed by Fleming;

• A DVD copy of a ESPN video history of the Maroons.

“Hopefully, we’ll have everything ready to go Monday the 10th,” said Arlene Sibbett, Reiley’s secretary.

Fleming said with the holidays coming up, it’s a good time for the package to reach many NFL owners.

“The timing is perfect,” Fleming said. “I can picture them. A lot of the owners take their job as the guardian of the game very seriously and I can see them really getting into the story.”

In October, Fleming visited the area to promote his book and participated in several book signings.

Between Dec. 5 and 10, Fleming will return to participate in a number of book signings in the city and the region. He’s also planning a trip to Harrisburg on Dec. 10, to join state Rep. Tim Seip, D-125, and state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, to present a resolution to the state House of Representatives requesting that NFL owners return the title to the team.