In 1923, Deutsch bought the defunct Cleveland Tigers franchise after it was vacated by
Jimmy O'Donnell, and renamed the team the Cleveland Indians. During the
1923 season, the Indians finished in fifth place in the 20-team NFL. Prior to purchasing the Indians, Deutsch was involved in both minor league
baseball and
boxing in Cleveland. During that season though, the NFL champion Canton Bulldogs lost money, and Deutsch purchased the team for $1,500 from a group of Canton businessmen. He took the team's best players out of Canton and renamed the team the Cleveland Bulldogs, leaving the Canton franchise inactive. The Cleveland Bulldogs won the
1924 NFL championship, and Deutsch sold the inactive franchise back to Canton for $3,000. With key players returning to Canton in time for the
1925 season. The Cleveland Bulldogs though finished the 1925 season in 12th place in the NFL. After a hiatus in 1926, Deutsch revived the Cleveland Bulldogs. Although the team finished fourth in 1927, it was unsuccessful financially, and Deutsch sold the franchise to
Elliot Fisher owner of the
Detroit Wolverines. The 1928 Wolverines roster included 12 former Bulldogs, 8 of whom became
New York Giants when Fisher sold the Wolverines to
Tim Mara in 1929. ==References==