The Providence Steam Roller

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This is the story of the Providence Steam Roller, an early and defunct National Football League franchise in the Renaissance City that brought major league sports to Rhode Island for the first time. The team thrilled thousands of fans at a bicycle arena known as the Cycledrome. For one glorious season it sat atop the pro football world, and a few short years later ceased to exist.

This book brings the Providence Steam Roller back to life in the first thorough examination of one of the most unique franchises in NFL history. The team toiled in the NFL from 1925 to 1931 and spent nine years prior to joining the NFL playing as an independent professional football team. The Steam Roller achieved many firsts in NFL history: it was the first NFL team in New England, hosted the first night game in NFL history, and is the last defunct team to win an NFL championship. Its place in the early evolution of professional football is significant. Many who wore the black and orange uniform played professional football not for the money but for the love of the game and to represent the city of Providence.