Page "Forward pass" Paragraph 44

The first forward pass in a professional football game may have been thrown in an Ohio League game played on October 25, 1906.

The Ohio League, which traced its history to the 1890s, was the predecessor of today's NFL.

According to Robert W. Peterson in his book Pigskin The Early Years of Pro Football, the " passer was George W. ( Peggy ) Parratt, probably the best quarterback of the era ", who played for the Massillon, Ohio Tigers, one of pro football's first franchises.

Citing the Professional Football Researchers Association as his source, Peterson writes that " Parratt completed a short pass to end Dan Riley ( real name, Dan Policowski )" in a game played at Massillon against a team from West Virginia.

Since the Tigers " ran up a 61 to 0 score on the hapless Mountain Staters, the pass played no important part in the result.