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Founders of Philadelphia Sports
Philadelphia helped shape the foundation of modern American sports. From the earliest professional teams to innovations in league organization, player protections, scheduling, and sports business, Philadelphia's pioneers helped transform sports from games into institutions that became part of American life.
Their influence reached far beyond the playing field. Philadelphia helped establish sports as mass entertainment, a thriving industry, a source of civic identity, and a powerful force for justice and belonging.
Philadelphia didn't just make sports history.
It helped change how America experiences sports.
Current Exhibit
Introducing the Founders of Philadelphia Sports
Behind the teams, championships, and unforgettable moments are the individuals who helped build the sports we know today.
It is in this spirit that we proudly present the Founders of Philadelphia Sports, a series of mosaic panels created by artist Jonathan Mandell, MFA.
The collection honors the pioneers who helped establish and transform professional sports in Philadelphia. From team owners and league organizers to athletes and advocates who broke barriers, these individuals changed not only how sports were played, but how they were organized, experienced, and celebrated.
Each mosaic pairs a founder's portrait with an image that reflects a defining moment or story from their life, bringing their contributions and personal histories into focus.
Mandell's works are created using ceramic tile, hand-blown glass pieces, and semi-precious stones and minerals. Carefully designed grout lines create the illusion of depth, volume, and motion, while stone-finished edges give each wall-mounted panel the appearance of a lasting historical tablet.
Together, these works celebrate the vision, perseverance, and innovation of the individuals who helped shape Philadelphia's extraordinary sports legacy.
Founders of Philadelphia Sports
(De Benneville Bell, 1895–1959)
University of Pennsylvania quarterback, Temple University assistant coach, co-founder and co-owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, National Football League Commissioner, and member of the charter class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bert Bell promoted league parity through a draft system, grew football’s commercial viability and popularity through innovative media policies and featured scheduling matchups. As NFL commissioner, Bell oversaw the league’s re-integration, recognized the NFL Players’ Association, developed the first pension plan for league players, and instituted strong anti-gambling policies as part of the NFL’s conduct codes.
Bert Bell
(Edward Bolden, 1881–1950)
Pioneering sports entrepreneur and promoter who built the Hilldale Club into Negro League World Series champions and founded the Philadelphia Stars, Ed Bolden was instrumental in organizing structured league play for Negro League teams. Bolden established the Eastern Colored League and, after leaving professional baseball, returned to found the Philadelphia Stars, grow the new franchise into an important local institution, and claim the Negro League Championship. Bolden’s support of baseball integration helped establish precedents for Major League Baseball teams to recognize Negro League contracts.
Ed Bolden
(Isadore Gottlieb, 1898–1979)
“The Mogul” who organized, played for, and coached the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association basketball team, Eddie Gottlieb became owner, general manager, and coach of the Philadelphia Warriors. Gottlieb established the Basketball Association of America and guided the Warriors to a BAA Championship then worked to merge with the National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association. Gottlieb chaired the NBA rules committee and created league schedules for years. Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Gottleib created the NBA’s “territorial draft” rule, which led to the signing of Wilt Chamberlain to play for the Warriors.
Eddie Gottlieb
(née Moffitt, 1943– )
Co-founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, the Women’s Sports Foundation, and World Team Tennis where she was a player-coach of the mixed-gender Philadelphia Freedoms, Billie Jean King has been a barrier breaker and advocate for gender equality and equitable compensation for women athletes. King won 39 Grand Slam titles as a player, elevated women’s tennis to global prominence, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. King won the famous “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, a watershed cultural moment, and was the inspiration for Elton John’s international platinum hit song “Philadelphia Freedom.”
Billie Jean King
(Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy, 1862–1956)
Professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner, Connie Mack led the Philadelphia Athletics for its first 50 seasons of play and managed and won the most games in the history of Major League Baseball. Mack built baseball’s first dynasty and then a second, becoming the only manager to win consecutive World Series crowns twice and compiling a total of five 100-win seasons and five World Series wins. Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the "Grand Old Man of Baseball" pioneered player scouting, player development, and managerial tactics that revolutionized the role of the manager.
Connie Mack
(née Brooks, 1897–1981)
A Philadelphia-born, barrier-breaking sports executive who co-owned the Newark Eagles, Effa Manley managed team business affairs and promotion, culminating in a Negro League World Series championship. Manley became the first (and, as of 2026, only) woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Manley championed civil-rights causes and pushed for respect for Negro League baseball. Following the integration of Major League Baseball, Manley fought for and won compensation for Negro League team owners and recognition of Negro League contracts by Major League Baseball.
Effa Louise Manley
(Edward Malcolm Snider, 1933–2016)
Combining team ownership with arena operation, Ed Snider was a groundbreaking executive who pioneered the establishment of empires combining sports teams and the entertainment venues that host them. Snider built Philadelphia’s Spectrum arena and was the driving force behind the establishment of the Philadelphia Flyers expansion franchise, which he developed into Stanley Cup champions. Snider founded and chaired the company that grew into the sports/entertainment colossus, Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Xfinity Mobile Arena and formerly owned the Philadelphia 76ers. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Mr Snider established the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation to grow the game among city youth and provide mentorship and educational opportunities.
Ed Snider
More Significant Founders of Philadelphia Sports
(née Steppacher, 1909–2006)
Rowing was almost exclusively a male sport before Ernestine Bayer along with other secretaries and clerks founded the Philadelphia Girls’ Rowing Club in 1938 — the oldest competitive all-female rowing club in America, housed in one of the oldest buildings on historic Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River. Known as the "Mother of Women's Rowing” for her role opening up the sport to countless women and girls, Bayer was the first woman inducted into the National Rowing Foundation’s Hall of Fame.
Ernestine Bayer
(1859-1942)
An English immigrant and sporting-goods-store owner, as well as an accomplished cricketer and racquet-sports player, Clement Beecroft was the first president of the Pennsylvania Association Football Union, Philadelphia’s first organized soccer league. Later, he helped found the American Association of Professional Football and the team he managed played the first professional league soccer game in the U.S. in Philadelphia in 1894. Beecroft’s efforts to establish governing rules and schedules legitimized and popularized the game and established Philadelphia as a key center for American soccer development.
Clement Beecroft
(1933–2016)
As a fighter known for his impregnable defense and then as a trainer known as the “Professor” for mastering and teaching the “Philly Shell” style of boxing, George Benton’s impact extended far beyond local gyms. Benton developed many world champions, top contenders, and generations of rising stars who used his defensive posture and philosophy to achieve success in the ring. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Benton elevated careers and the sport itself.
George Benton
(Alfred James Reach, 1840–1928)
An early star for the Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia believed to be baseball’s very first professional player, Al Reach built one of the nation’s most prominent sporting goods manufacturing companies and helped found the Philadelphia Phillies. The A.J. Reach & Co. was granted a patent for its cork-centered baseball, which became the standard for baseballs in the sport and the Philadelphia-based company also published the annual “Reach Guide,” one of the most important sources of information about the sport in the early 20th century.
Al Reach
(Lewis Rodman Wanamaker, 1863–1928)
Heir to the Wanamaker department store legacy, Rodman Wanamaker was a patron of athletics and prominent sponsor of the growth and development of aviation. Wanamaker fostered elite competition in two prominent sports. He helped form a golfers’ organization that became the Professional Golfers' Association of America and supplied the PGA Championship trophy that bears his name. Wanamaker also initiated the Milrose Games annual indoor track & field meet and the indoor mile race for elite runners is christened as the Wanamaker Mile recognizing his support of the sport.
Rodman Wanamaker
Every sports fan carries a collection of memories. The unforgettable victories, the heartbreaking losses, the legendary athletes, and the moments that brought us together. It's the feeling we get from those memories that brings us back to our own personal Philly Field of Dreams.
Philadelphia's Museum of Sports is being created to celebrate those memories and the people, teams, and moments that made them possible.
Through rare memorabilia, immersive exhibits, interactive experiences, and educational programs, we aim to inspire, educate, and unite fans of all ages while preserving the rich legacy and enduring spirit of sports in the world's greatest sports city — and beyond.
Philadelphia’s Museum of Sports plans to open its exhibits in the Lit Brothers building to tell stories about how Philadelphia turned sports into something that matters — emotionally, culturally, and nationally.
The Museum of Sports is working to create a destination where generations of fans can discover the stories, people, and moments that shaped sports in Philadelphia and across America.
Through exhibits like the Founders of Philadelphia Sports, we hope to preserve these remarkable legacies, connect communities, and inspire future generations to pursue their dreams on and off the field.
Philadelphia shaped the soul of American sports, and still does. Now, together, we have an opportunity to celebrate that history and carry it forward.
Be part of the team that brings Philadelphia's Museum of Sports to life.
