Historic Brighton Winter 2026 Event
“Leo Lyons and the Rochester Jeffersons Football Team”
Sunday, February 22, 2026
- Brighton Memorial Library
- 2300 Elmwood Avenue
- 2 p.m. – Free Admission
- Co-sponsored by Historic Brighton & the Brighton Memorial Library
Join us as author John Steffenhagen presents stories and artifacts of the legendary Leo Lyons and the birth of the National Football League. Lyons was the manager and owner of the semi-pro Rochester Jeffersons. He became one of the founders of the National Football League, and the “Jeffs” were one of eleven original teams of the NFL. At the beginning of the 20th century they played at Sheehan’s Field, where the Brighton Commons building now stands in our Twelve Corners.
John Steffenhagen is the great-grandson of Leo Lyons. He is the co-author – with Jeffrey J. Miller – of a recent book, “Leo Lyons, the Rochester Jeffersons and the Birth of the NFL”. Jeffrey J. Miller is the award-winning author of several books focusing on the history of professional football, including “RELICS: The History of the Buffalo Bills in Objects & Memorabilia.”
