Clark O.N.T.
| Full name | Clark ONT F.B.C. | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1883 | |
| Dissolved | ? | |
| Coach-Captain | Harry Holden | |
| League | AFA | |
|
| ||
Clark Our New Thread, mostly known as Clark O.N.T. was a U.S. soccer team sponsored by the Clark Thread Company. The team competed in the annual American Cup, winning the first three championships. Beside Fall River Rovers, they are considered the most successful clubs in the late 1880s in American soccer.[1]
History
[edit]Name
[edit]Established November 15, 1883[2] at a meeting of 150 employees, the first president and vice-president elected were Campbell Clark and William Clark Jr. respectively. The Clark Thread Company originally named its soccer team "Clark Our New Thread" (Clark O.N.T.) as part of a marketing campaign introducing a new product.[3]
As the product became established, the company renamed its athletic team to the simpler Clark A.A.[4] While the Clark Thread Company factory was originally located in Newark, on the west bank of the Passaic River, the team played at Clark Field located on the east side of the river, an area known as East Newark.
Competition
[edit]
The team began play in February 1884 and later won the first American Cup which kicked off in late October of that year. After winning the first cup, Clark O.N.T. went on a 11-game tour of Canada, winning 9 games, losing 1 game, and drawing one game. It went on to win the next two American Cup championships,[5] giving it the right to call itself the first U.S. soccer dynasty. Their second title followed a successful baseball campaign in which they won the Essex League championship. The cricket season was much less successful however, finishing with a record of 2 wins and 9 losses with 2 draws.
National team
[edit]Besides its league and cup records, Clark O.N.T. had a part in the first two, now unofficial, U.S. international games. The American Football Association sponsored two games with the Canada national team in 1885 and 1886.[6] On November 28, 1885, Clark contributed both its field and five of its players to the game, won by Canada. The referee was also provided by O.N.T.[7]
Year-by-year
[edit]| Year | League | Reg. Season | American Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | ? | ? | Champion[8] |
| 1886 | ? | ? | Champion[9] |
| 1887 | ? | ? | Champion[10] |
| 1888 | ? | ? | Second round[11] |
| 1889 | ? | ? | Semifinal[12] |
| 1890 | ? | ? | First round[13] |
| 1891 | ? | ? | First round[14] |
| 1892 | ? | ? | Second Round[15] |
Honors
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Clark O.N.T. were a soccer dynasty in the late 1880s". Soccer Walks NYC. September 11, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ McCabe, Tom (May 27, 2015). "Loose threads". Society for American Soccer History. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Wangerin, David (2008). Soccer in a football world : the story of America's forgotten game. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. p. 27. ISBN 9781592138852.
- ^ Murray, C.K. (1910). "History and Progress of the AFA". Spalding's Athletic Library; Official Soccer Football Guide 1910. New York: American sports publishing company. p. 27. ISBN 9781478105978.
- ^ Murray 1910, p. 29.
- ^ Wangerin 2008, p. 83.
- ^ October 29, 1885 New York Times
- ^ "Sports And Pastimes" (PDF). Newark Evening News. April 27, 1885. p.1 col.5. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Football Games". New York Times. April 4, 1886. p.4 col.2. Retrieved July 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Won The Football Cup". The New York Times. April 10, 1887. p.9 col.2. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Won By The Almas" (PDF). Newark Evening News. February 23, 1888. p.3 col.1. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "O.N.T.'s Fail To Score". Fall River Globe. March 4, 1889. p.4 col.4-5. Retrieved July 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Foot Ball at Ridgewood Park". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 13, 1889. p.18 col.4. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Football in Kearny". Newark Sunday Call. XIX (960): 6. October 17, 1890. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Foot Ball On The Snow". (January 11, 1892). Evening News, p.2 col.4