LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mary Pat Sexton is the granddaughter of someone few in our city can claim.

Austin Higgins was a player, captain, and coach on Louisville’s first and only NFL team from 1921 to 1924.

"The team was the Louisville Breckenridge," Sexton said. "They were known as the Brecks. A lot of them went to Male High School, and Male was located on Breckinridge Street."

Photos show large crowds of men and boys standing along the sidelines. Each game drew more than 1,000 fans, some perched atop a wall overlooking the field at 7th and Kentucky.

Credit: UofL's Archives and Special Collections and Mary Pat Sexton

The American Professional Football Association was created in 1920. In 1922, it changed its name to the National Football League.

Suddenly, the Brecks were charter members of

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