Arthur Irwin - Innovations

Innovations

While playing with Providence in 1883, Irwin broke the third and fourth fingers of his left hand. Not wanting to miss any games, he obtained an oversized buckskin driving glove, padded it and sewed the third and fourth fingers together to allow space for bandages. He used the glove even after his fingers healed. John Montgomery Ward of New York soon took the field with a similar glove. By the following season, almost every professional player was using the "Irwin glove." Prior to 1884, use of gloves was limited to first basemen and catchers. In 1882, Irwin committed a league-high 78 errors in 84 games. He committed 66 errors in 98 games the following year. Over his next two seasons with the glove, Irwin committed 98 errors in 163 games.

Irwin was president of the American League of Professional Football (ALPF) for its lone season in 1894. The organization represented the first American professional soccer league and it utilized professional baseball players. A stated goal of the ALPF was to allow major league players to stay in shape during the baseball offseason. Irwin was also involved in an attempt to popularize roller polo.

Irwin developed and patented a football scoreboard, which was in use in the Ivy League by the 1890s. By 1915, Irwin's scoreboards were featured at each end of the field for the Army-Navy game at the Polo Grounds.

Arthur opened a motorbike racing track in Atlantic City, New Jersey in July 1902. In 1900, he had negotiated with baseball officials about bringing the national pastime to Atlantic City.