Germany Schulz - Professional Football in The Tri-State League

Professional Football in The Tri-State League

In 1909 and 1910, Schulz played briefly in the infant Tri-State professional football league operating in Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania. He played for the Dayton Oakwoods team. His first game with the Oakwoods was on Thanksgiving 1909. In that game, the Oakwoods defeated the Pittsburgh Lyceum, which had gone undefeated for three seasons and was considered the top professional team of its era.

At the time of the 1910 United States Census, Schulz was listed as residing with his parents in Fort Wayne, and his occupation was listed as being an engineer with an electric works.

The Oakwoods made Schulz an offer to return in 1910 as the team's captain, but contemporaneous press accounts indicate he was weighing the remuneration to be paid by the Oakwoods against his steady job at the Fort Wayne Electric works. Though some accounts indicate that he ultimately accepted the Oakwoods' offer, official records of play have not been located to determine whether Schulz actually played for the Oakwoods in 1910. In December 1910, Schulz did play on an all-star team against the All-Harvard club in a game in Memphis, Tennessee, for the benefit of the United Charities association.