Hay's office was too small, the meeting was held in his automobile showroom. Some of the owners sat on car running boards due to a lack of seats. The resulting organization operated for two years as the American Professional Football Association before its name was changed to the National Football League in 1922. The ten original franchises were from four states. The Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, and Dayton Triangles from Ohio; the Hammond Pros and Muncie Flyers from Indiana; the Rochester Jeffersons from New York; and the Rock Island Independents, Decatur Staleys, and Racine Cardinals from Illinois. Four other franchises the Buffalo All-Americans, Chicago Tigers, Columbus Panhandles, and Detroit Heralds would join the league later that year. Hay was asked to become the league's president, however he suggested that Jim Thorpe take the position on the belief that his fame would enhance the league. Bulldogs in the NFL Hay built a strong team in Canton during the early 1920s, signing three future Hall of Famers in tackle Wilbur Henry, tackle Roy "Link" Lyman, and end Guy Chamberlin. When Chamberlin took over as coach in 1922 from Cap Edwards, the Bulldogs went undefeated and won the NFL championship. However, Hay continued to lose money with the Bulldogs. Before the 1923 season, he sold the team to a group of local businessmen. The Bulldogs went on to win the 1923 NFL Championship and became the first NFL team to win back-to-back league titles. Legacy On April 27, 1961, Canton was selected by the NFL as the site for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The efforts of Hay and the Bulldogs were offered as proof for the shrine to be located in Canton. While Hay has not yet been enshrined in the Hall, the city of Canton put up a plaque on the Bow Federal building in downtown Canton, the site where Ralph's automobile showroom once stood. The plaque recognizes Ralph Hay and Jim Thorpe, and the historic meeting on September 17, 1920 that saw the birth of the NFL. In 1972, the Pro Football Hall of Fame created the Ralph Hay Pioneer Award which honors those who have made innovative contributions throughout pro football. In 1988, the Professional Football Researchers Association established the Ralph Hay Award which is awarded for "lifetime achievement in pro football research and historiography." In 2020, Hay was named a finalist for that year's class