Arch Ward Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Arch Ward (1897-1955), sports editor of the "Chicago Tribune", was also an important sports innovator. In 1923, Ward organized the first Golden Gloves tournament for young amateur boxers. Ten years later, he originated the idea of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, the first of which was held in Chicago in 1933 during the Chicago World's Fair. The "Chicago Tribune" was in charge of distributing and counting the ballots. Ward's next big contributions were to football. In 1934, he organized the College All-Star Game, in which a team of graduating seniors played the defending National Football League champions for charity. The series continued, playing in Chicago's Soldier Field, until the NFL's total dominance of the event brought it to an end in 1976. Ward wasn't finished with football. He was a principal organizer of the All-American Football League, which challenged the NFL in 1946 and triggered a salary war. The AAFL folded three years later, but three of its franchises, the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Colts, survived as teams in the NFL.