Sports in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to eight teams from the five major American professional sports leagues.

Football is the most popular sport in Pennsylvania, especially in the Lehigh Valley, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Central Pennsylvania, and Western Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania in particular was home to some of the earliest moments in football history, and the earliest professional clubs played in the Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit. Pudge Heffelfinger was the first known professional football player, while John Brallier was the first openly professional player. The Allegheny Athletic Association fielded the first entirely openly professional team in 1896.[1] In 1902, three Pennsylvania teams founded the National Football League (which has no ties to today's NFL), the first attempt at a national professional football league. Jim Thorpe, a multi-sport athlete who played in the NFL and won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania is named after him.

Today, football is popular on all levels, from high school, college, and professionally. The high school games get regular attention in the local newspapers and games regularly draw over 10,000 fans. Pennsylvania produces several college and professional players every year, and Western Pennsylvania is noted for being the home of numerous quarterbacks, including Dan Marino, Joe Montana, and Johnny Unitas.

Professionally, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL are also hugely popular. Both franchises entered the NFL in 1933, and the two franchises briefly merged during World War II. Both teams have fan bases across the entire state, and in the case of the Steelers, are one of the most popular sports teams in the United States, if not the world. (This is likely due to that team's dominance in the NFL during the 1970s.) While the Eagles are not quite as popular as the Steelers outside Pennsylvania, they still maintain a passionate fan base in the Philadelphia area and across the United States as they are one of the more popular teams in the NFL. Often one of the most rowdy in the NFL, the Eagles fanbase is known for their passion and dedication. In fact, the Eagles' old home field, Veterans Stadium, was the first sports stadium in the United States to have a jail cell as a result of the rowdiness of the fans, but was removed only a couple years later after incidents settled down. Both fanbases though are considered to be among the best traveled fanbases in the NFL. During games in which the teams are on the road, Steelers fans and Eagles fans alike migrate to the opposing team's stadium and always have a strong presence, and in some cases, their numbers have made opposing teams feel as if they are not in their home stadium—a testament to the die-hard fanbases of professional football in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has also been home to two defunct NFL franchises, both of which played in the 1920s. The Pottsville Maroons played in Pottsville, Pennsylvania; the franchise is notable for its part in the 1925 NFL Championship controversy. Frankford (a neighborhood in Philadelphia) also briefly had its own team in the 1920s, known as the Frankford Yellow Jackets. The team won the 1926 NFL Championship, but disbanded during the Great Depression. A third NFL franchise, the Dallas Texans, was briefly headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania during the 1952 season. Pennsylvania also had teams in four national leagues that competed with the NFL: the 1920s AFL, the 1930s AFL, the World Football League, and the USFL.

Philadelphia was also home to an Arena Football League team, the Philadelphia Soul who played in the league from 2004 to 2019. Pittsburgh was also the home to one of the founding Arena Football League franchises, the Pittsburgh Gladiators. After four seasons in Pittsburgh, the team moved to Tampa, Florida, in 1991 and became the Tampa Bay Storm. Pittsburgh got another AFL team in 2011, the Pittsburgh Power, which folded in 2014. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers played in the AFL's minor league af2 until that league disbanded in 2009.

In addition to NFL and arena football teams, Pennsylvania is also home to minor professional teams from numerous other leagues. Men's teams include the Chambersburg Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Colts. There are also several women's football teams, including the Keystone Assault, Pittsburgh Passion, and Philadelphia Firebirds.

Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Baseball is one of the more popular sports in Pennsylvania. The state has both major league and minor league baseball teams. The two major league baseball teams in Pennsylvania are the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies and the Pirates are two of the eight National League franchises that originated in the nineteenth century. As such, the Phillies and the Pirates have had a rivalry for over one hundred years. The rivalry was particularly strong during the 1970s and 1980s, when the two teams frequently competed to win the National League East. The rivalry has cooled off since the Pirates moved to the NL Central in 1994, but the two teams continue to play each other every year. Although the Pirates have won more World Series (five in total), the Phillies won the World Series more recently (in 2008). Both teams have had stretches of success and futility. Pennsylvania is the only state with two teams that are in the same league (National League) but in separate divisions (Pittsburgh in the NL Central and Philadelphia in the NL East).

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were also the home of numerous defunct and relocated major league franchises, including the American League's Philadelphia Athletics, which moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1950s. The franchise now plays in Oakland, California, as the Oakland Athletics. Pittsburgh briefly hosted a second major league team in the 20th century: the Pittsburgh Rebels played in the Federal League during the fledgling league's two seasons of existence. Altoona also had a short-lived team in the 19th century Union Association. Prior to the integration of Major League Baseball that occurred after World War II, both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh had negro league baseball teams.

Pennsylvania is the original home of Little League Baseball. In 1939, Carl Stotz founded Little League Baseball in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Little League World Series is held every year in South Williamsport.

Unlike the other major professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association only has one team in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia 76ers, which relocated from Syracuse, New York, in 1963, have won three NBA championships and, as of 2018, the franchise has won the fifth most championship games in NBA history (tied with the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat). Philadelphia also hosted another NBA team from 1946 to 1962, the Philadelphia Warriors, but the franchise moved to San Francisco and later became what is now known as the Golden State Warriors.

Pittsburgh briefly had a team in the Basketball Association of America known as the Pittsburgh Ironmen, and an American Basketball Association franchise called the Pittsburgh Condors, but no NBA franchise has ever called Pittsburgh home.

In addition to the 76ers, Pennsylvania also has a few other professional basketball teams. The Erie BayHawks are an NBA G League team affiliated with the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. This team will play in Erie until moving to its intended permanent home of Birmingham, Alabama, in 2022. The Steel City Yellow Jackets play in the ABA. The Harrisburg Horizon are a member of the Eastern Basketball Alliance, while the Harrisburg Lady Horizon are a member of the Women's Eastern Basketball Alliance.

Pennsylvania has never had a team in the Women's National Basketball Association, the top women's basketball league in the United States.

The Philadelphia area has produced NBA players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and Paul Arizin, while Pete Maravich was from Aliquippa.

Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, home to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League from 1936 to 2002

Due in large part to Pennsylvania's cold winter climate and the state's geographic location in the Northeast, hockey is fairly popular throughout Pennsylvania. In all, seven professional hockey teams call Pennsylvania home, including two NHL teams.

Perhaps the strongest current in-state professional sports rivalry is between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, both of which play in the Metropolitan Division of the NHL. With the exception of a seven-year period in the 1970s, the two teams have been divisional rivals since they joined the NHL in the 1967 expansion. The rivalry is generally considered to be one of the fiercest in the NHL.[3][4] The two franchises have been among the most successful teams since they joined the league, as the Flyers have the most Stanley Cup Finals appearances among the non-Original Six teams, while the Penguins are tied for the third most Stanley Cup wins among non-Original Six teams.

The Hershey Bears are renowned for being the oldest existing AHL franchise, and the oldest existing hockey franchise outside of the NHL's Original Six. Pennsylvania is notable for being one of the few states with a team in the Canadian Hockey League, and the state was also home to the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, one of the first professional hockey leagues. In addition to the two current NHL teams that joined the league in the 1960s, Pennsylvania also had an NHL franchise in the 1920s: a hockey team named the Pirates played in the NHL for five seasons before moving to Philadelphia and becoming the Philadelphia Quakers. The franchise disbanded after its only season in Philadelphia. Philadelphia also briefly had a WHA franchise.

A number of notable current and former professional hockey players are Pennsylvania natives: Mike Richter, one of the most successful American-born goaltenders in NHL history; Pete Babando; Bob Beers; Jay Caufield; Ryan Malone; Gerry O'Flaherty; George Parros; Jesse Spring; and R.J. Umberger. Legendary amateur hockey player Hobey Baker, namesake of U.S. college hockey's Hobey Baker Memorial Award, was also born in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has three active professional outdoor soccer teams. Since 2010, Chester, Pennsylvania has been home to the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer, the top league in the US Soccer Pyramid. Additionally, Pennsylvania has two teams in the second-tier USL Championship (previously the United Soccer League), Philadelphia Union II and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Both are the official reserve sides for MLS teams, respectively the Union and Columbus Crew SC. The state had a third team in the USL Championship, the Harrisburg-based Penn FC, but that team suspended professional operations for the 2019 season and ultimately folded. Pennsylvania also has several indoor soccer and amateur teams, including the Harrisburgh Heat of the Major Arena Soccer League, Reading United A.C. and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds U23 of USL League Two (formerly the Premier Development League), and numerous teams in the National Premier Soccer League. Pennsylvania also women's teams, including the Lancaster Inferno of the Women's Premier Soccer League. As of 2020, Pennsylvania does not have a team in the top-level women's league, the National Women's Soccer League.

Pennsylvania has a long history with soccer. The first professional American soccer league, the American League of Professional Football, included a team named the "Philadelphia Phillies" (all of the teams were affiliated with National League baseball teams). The original Bethlehem Steel won championships in the National Association Football League and the American Soccer League. Despite disbanding in the 1930s, the club still shares the record (with Maccabi Los Angeles) for most U.S. Open Cup wins, with five. The North American Soccer League, which was perhaps the most prominent American soccer league until the formation of Major League Soccer, had two teams in Pennsylvania: the Philadelphia Atoms and the Philadelphia Fury.

Pennsylvania-based clubs have captured the U.S. Open Cup a total of 14 times, the third-most among states, and Pennsylvania teams have won the National Amateur Cup several times. Pennsylvania has also been home to numerous soccer players, including Walter Bahr, the captain of the U.S. national team at the 1950 FIFA World Cup.

There are fourteen NCAA Division I schools spread across Pennsylvania. In addition to the Division I schools listed below, there are also several other college athletic programs in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is home to several prominent collegiate rivalries. The Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry began in the 19th century, and was once considered one of the most important rivalries north of the Mason–Dixon line.[7] Although the two schools have not played as frequently since Penn State and Pittsburgh joined football conferences in the 1990s, the rivalry between the two schools continues to divide the state. The Philadelphia Big 5 play a basketball round robin every year to determine the top basketball school in the Philadelphia area. Pittsburgh is also home to a heated basketball rivalry, as Duquesne and Pittsburgh play each other every year in the City Game. The Lehigh Valley is home to a heated college football rivalry so deeply ingrained into both schools' traditions that the annual game is simply known as "The Rivalry."

Since the NCAA Tournament began in 1939, Pennsylvania has produced four Division I basketball champions: La Salle won the championship in 1954, while Villanova won the championship in 1985, 2016, and 2018. In football, four different Pennsylvania schools claim Division I FBS championships. Pittsburgh claims nine national titles, Penn claims seven titles, Penn State claims two titles, and Lafayette claims one title. Since the division's formation in 1978, Villanova's 2009 championship is the lone FCS championship won by a Pennsylvania school. Lehigh also has one appearance in the championship game.

Championships won by Pennsylvania teams in NCAA Division I FBS football,[8] NCAA Division I Men's Basketball,[9] and the five major leagues (MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA, MLS):

Lacrosse in Pennsylvania has a long history. Lehigh, Swarthmore, and Penn were early members of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, and lacrosse is now played at many Pennsylvania colleges. Pennsylvania has had professional lacrosse teams such as the Philadelphia Wings and the Pittsburgh Bulls, and the Wings have now returned to action, beginning in 2018.

• Giddeon Massie of Quakertown member, 2004 Bicycling team
• John Woodruff of Connellsville Gold Medal, 1936, in 800-meters event
• Catherine "Kit" Klein of Harrisburg Gold and Bronze, 1932 Olympics, 1936 Olympics, speed skater, World Record – 1000 meters (1935), World Record – 3000 meters (1936), 1936 World Champion.
• Roger Kingdom of Monroeville, Gold medal in both 1984 and 1988 Olympics, 110m hurdles
• Kurt Angle 1996 freestyle wrestling gold medalist.
• Kim Gallagher, American track & field Olympian in the 800 meters in 1984 and 1988. She also holds National High School Records and PIAA State Records and was a Penn Relays champion.
• Lauryn Williams 2004, silver medal winner, women's 100m track, native of Rochester, Pennsylvania.
• Marty Nothstein of Trexlertown Gold Medal, 2000, Cycling
• Angie Loy of Elliottsburg Eighth Place, 2008, Field Hockey
• Michael Shine of Youngsville, Pennsylvania won the silver medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Pennsylvania hosts the Pro Cycling Tour "Triple Crown of Cycling" bicycle races each June, with the Tom Bamford Lancaster Classic, the Reading Classic, and the Philadelphia International Championship. The PCT is sanctioned by USA Cycling, the national governing body for cycling in the United States. Pennsylvania also hosts the Univest Grand Prix professional bicycle race each year in September, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the worldwide governing body for cycling. The road race starts and finishes in Souderton, while the criterium is located in Doylestown. The Lehigh Valley Velodrome annually hosts a USA Cycling Elite Nationals qualifying event.

Floyd Landis, of Farmersville was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title due to prohibited doping.

NASCAR racing at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond

Motorsports are popular in Pennsylvania. The Mario Andretti dynasty of race drivers hails from Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Pocono Raceway in Long Pond is home to two NASCAR race weekends a year, the Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 in early June and the Pennsylvania 400 in late July or early August, and an IndyCar race weekend, the ABC Supply 500 in August. Pennsylvania has also seen success in the sport of drag racing in the form of five time NHRA Top Fuel champion Joe Amato

Pennsylvania has a long history of horse racing, as the sport was one of the few that was not banned in 17th century Pennsylvania. William Penn, the founder of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, reportedly raced his horses down the streets of Philadelphia.[11] Stephen Foster wrote the song "Camptown Races" about horse racing in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia-area businessman Samuel D. Riddle owned prominent horses Man o' War and War Admiral.

Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Parx Racing in Bensalem, and Presque Isle Downs near Erie offer thoroughbred racing. The Meadows in Pittsburgh, Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, and Harrah's Philadelphia in Chester offer harness racing in Pennsylvania.

Smarty Jones, the 2004 Kentucky Derby winner, was owned by Roy Chapman and wife Patricia. Smarty Jones was bred at Chapman's Someday Farm (Patricia explains the name: "Some day we were going to do this and some day we were going to do that. And my husband said, 'I think we ought to call it Someday Farm,' so we did.") near Philadelphia, and had Philadelphia Park (now Parx Racing) as his home course.[12]

Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, came from Mr. and Mrs. Roy Jackson's Lael Stables in West Grove. After suffering injuries in the Preakness Stakes on May 20, 2006, Barbaro was treated for laminitis. He developed further complications, and he was euthanized on January 29, 2007.

PGA tournaments in Pennsylvania include the 84 Lumber Classic, played at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, and the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, played at Glenmaura National Golf Club in Scranton. There is also the PGT (Pittsburgh Golfers Tour) which is people from all over the east coast joining a club where the owner schedules tournaments all over the state.

Arnold Palmer, winner of seven major golf championships and 62 PGA Tour events, was from Latrobe. Jim Furyk, winner of the 2003 U.S. Open and 2010 Tour Championship, grew up near Lancaster.

Joe Sweeney holds the national Pennsylvania championship for table tennis. After each victory, he celebrates by staring directly into the eyes of his opponent and let's out a classic "surfer dude laugh."

The Delaware Valley was a center of cricket in the United States, with players such as Bart King competing for early 20th century teams such as the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

Pennsylvania has been home to many accomplished boxers, including Tommy Loughran, Joe Frazier, and Bernard Hopkins.

Pennsylvania has also been home to prominent tennis players, such as Donald Johnson and Bill Tilden. The U.S. Pro Indoor was held from 1969 to 1998, and the Advanta Championships of Philadelphia from 1971 to 2005. The Philadelphia Freedoms play in World TeamTennis. Another team, the Pittsburgh Triangles, played in the league in the 1970s.

Pennsylvania has a strong track and field tradition. Events include the Penn Relays and the Pittsburgh Great Race.

Famous swimmers from Pennsylvania include Johnny Weissmuller and Brendan Hansen.

The Professional Inline Hockey Association was founded in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Typhoon and Harrisburg Lunatics both play in the league. The American Inline Hockey League was founded in Bensalem after the league split off from the Professional Inline Hockey Association. The Delco Demons and the Pittsburgh Bandits play in the AIHL.

The Bucks County Sharks, the Philadelphia Fight and the Pittsburgh Sledgehammers are members of the USA Rugby League, the top rugby league competition in the United States.

The Pennsylvania Rebellion plays in the National Pro Fastpitch league, the only professional women's softball league in the United States.

Allentown is home to The Holy Name Cadets of Drum Corps International.

The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds and the Philadelphia Phoenix compete in the American Ultimate Disc League.

• Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
• Sports in South Central Pennsylvania
• Sports in Philadelphia
• Sports in Pittsburgh
• List of professional sports teams in Pennsylvania