The
1920 APFA season was the inaugural season of the
American Professional Football Association--renamed the National Football League in 1922. The league was formed on August 20, 1920 by independent professional
American football teams from Ohio, all of whom had previously played in the
Ohio League or
New York Pro Football League (NYPFL). At the meeting, they first called their new league the American Professional Football Conference. A second organizational meeting was held in Canton on September 17, adding more teams to the league. At the meeting, the name of the league became the American Professional Football Association. Four other teams also joined the Association during the year. Meanwhile,
Jim Thorpe of the
Canton Bulldogs was named the APFA's first president but continued to play for the team.