History
The Providence Steam Roller was organized as a semi-pro team in 1916. After World War I, the team began hiring players from throughout New England and the northeast and became fully professional.
By 1924, the Steam Roller was known as one of the best independent teams in the country. They were undefeated against regional competition, winning the New England championship with a 9-0 victory over the Waterbury Blues, 9-0. Providence also won 3 of 6 games against NFL teams, with one tie, that season.
The following year, the Steam Roller entered the NFL. They also moved their home games to the Cyclodome, a new bicycle racing stadium built by Pete Laudati, one of the team's owners. Because of the track's configuration, one end zone was only five yards deep and fans seated along the sidelines were breathing down the necks of players seated on their team benches.
Providence managed a 6-5-1 in its inaugural NFL season. The high point was a 9-6 win over the Chicago Bears at Fenway Park in Boston. In 1926, they started pretty well, but injuries built up over the season and the Steam Roller couldn't score a point in the last five games, losing four and managing only a scoreless tie against the Duluth Eskimos.
The team made a big move in 1927, bringing in Jimmy Conzelman as player-coach, along with George "Wildcat" Wilson, who had been the other All-American halfback, with Red Grange, in 1925. Providence improved to an 8-5-1 record that season and the Steam Roller rolled all the way to the NFL championship with an 8-1-2 mark in 1928.
However, Providence dropped back to the middle of the pack for the next three seaons. With attendance declining because of mediocre records and the onset of the Great Depression, the team dropped out of the NFL after the 1931 season.