Neil
F.
Deighan

NEIL F. DEIGHAN was born July 7, 1892 in Florence NJ. His family moved to Camden when he was a youngster. A fine athlete, he was a star catcher in the semi-pro baseball leagues that flourished in the Camden area, and also was a well-known basketball player.  

Neil Deighan entered the world of professional basketball in 1914, playing for the Billy Morgenweck-coached Camden Alphas of the 1914-1915 Eastern Basketball League. He left Camden to serve in the United States Army, and saw duty as an instructor in Aerial Balloon reconnaissance. His younger brother, John T. Deighan, also served in the Army, but passed away while visiting home during the Spanish Influenza epidemic of October 1918. 

After returning home from military service, Neil Deighan returned to sports, and played professional basketball for the Camden Crusaders of the Eastern Basket Ball League, owned by Camden veterinarian Dr. Charles B. Helm and former Camden County Sheriff W. Penn Corson. Other team members included Neil Deighan's brother Rich Deighan, Eddie Ferat, Sam Lennox, Jimmy "Soup" Campbell, Roy Steele, and Joe Hyde. The Crusaders were the 1919-1920 Eastern Basketball League champions. He also played professional baseball with the Louisville Colonels of the American Association. 

At the time of the January 1920 census, Neil Deighan was then living at 839 Elm Street in North Camden, at the home of his step-father, William Park. Besides playing pro basketball, he was also working at one of Camden's shipyards. Neil Deighan married his wife Clara shortly after the census was taken. He went into the restaurant and tavern business during the 1920s. His first bar was at 560 Carman Street, which he went into with his brother. This bar was later owned by basketball teammate Roy Steele. Neil Deighan was briefly involved with the bar at 28 Haddon Avenue in the late 1920s.

Neil Deighan also remained active in professional sports, remaining continuously active as professional basketball player until the end of the 1923 season, mostly with the Camden franchise of the Eastern League. He also appeared in four games during the 1926-1927 season with the Philadelphia Warriors of the American Basketball League. Besides his time with the Louisville Colonels, he played baseball in the low minors when Camden had a team, and as a player-manager for Madisonville in the Kitty League. He was still receiving offers to play and manage as late as 1928.

By the time of the April 1930 census Neil Deighan had gone into the restaurant business and had already done quite well. The Deighan family, which included sons Neil Jr., Hank, and Richard, lived at 101 Narberth Avenue in Collingswood NJ. Around this time he had operated a bar known as the Old Mill in Pennsauken NJ. He later moved this operation to another building, the new location known as the Red Hill Inn, at 9712 Westfield Avenue in Pennsauken, not far from where the Pennsauken Mart stands.  

In 1934 Neil Deighan was a founder and was elected President of the New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association, a trade group of bar, liquor store, and other merchants in the liquor business. He was re-elected at least two more times.   

Neil Deighan gained great fame in his day from the restaurant that bore his name. Neil Deighan's, located at the Airport Circle in Pennsauken NJ, was virtually a household name in its day. The restaurant, which has been known for many years as The Pub, is still open in 2004. 

In an interview given to Camden Courier-Post columnist Kevin Riordan, Bob Schaeffer of Haddonfield said,  "We used to think we were hot stuff if our parents took us to Neil Deighan's for Sunday afternoon dinner. They had a Sunday afternoon stage show. It was like vaudeville."

Besides the Airport Circle operation, and the Old Mill Inn in Pennsauken, Neil Deighan operated several other establishments in Camden. The Old Mill Inn made front page news in January of 1940 when its safe was blown open by robbers using nitroglycerine.

In the late 1940s Neil Deighan Sr. had Deighan's Luncheonette at 805-809 Federal Street, Deighan's Five O'Clock Club at 811 Federal Street, Deighan's Den at 811 Market street, and Deighan's Sport Center. Deighan's Sport Center was a block wide, with addresses at 804-812 Market Street and 805-813 Federal Street. 

Besides his restaurant business, Neil Deighan was involved in local politics. Neil F. Deighan passed away in May of 1967. 

A Recollection of the Life and Times of Neil Deighan
Written and Printed with the Permission of his daughter-in-law Florence Mitchell and the Deighan Family

Neil had come to Camden from Florence, NJ with his family when he was ten years old. It is recalled by family members that Neil was a member of the US Army in WWI and was an instructor in Aerial Balloon Reconnaissance.  It was further recalled that soldiers went up in tethered balloons to obtain information about enemy movement. It is not believed that "Pop" Deighan ever was sent overseas. Evidence of this branch of military service is housed in the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Neil and his brother Rich became well known in the Camden, NJ area as fantastic basketball and baseball players. Neil became "rookie of the year" during his first season in the old Eastern League and an outstanding star of the championship teams of 1914-15 and 1919-20.  During the years from 1917 to 1919 he served with honor in the armed forces. He played basketball against such stars as Charley O'Donnell, Billy Kummer, Nat Holman, Johnny Beckman, Jackie Adams and Bill Herron, Among the stars with whom he played were Roy Steele, Jimmy "Soup" Campbell, Eddie Dolin, Dave Kerr, Sam Lennox and Joe Hyde. He also distinguished himself on the baseball field for the old Camden AC and Fairview Club.  In addition, he was considered one of the classiest catchers on the semi-pro circuit and played professional baseball with Louisville in the American Association. 

Long active in civic affairs he was a member of the Moose, the Elks and American Legion.  He was organizer and first president of the New Jersey License Beverage Association.  Neil and his brother's first tavern was at 560 Carman Street, Camden. Several of his former basketball teammates also became involved in taverns throughout Camden, notably Joe Hyde, Sam Lennox, Jimmy "Soup" Campbell, and Roy Steele. Later records show he had a tavern at 28 Haddon Avenue, in 1928 he had a tavern known as Deighan and Campbell's; and in later years he and his brother opened the Five O'Clock Club at 804-812 Market Street, which was renamed Deighan's Den. This property was razed in 1975.  Family members recall that at some point his tavern was known as Neil's Grill.  The name of that tavern was in the cement sidewalk outside the tavern.  He also at one point in time owned and operated a tavern known as The Old Mill, at the bottom of a hill in Pennsauken, he then moved the business to the top of the hill and named it the Red Hill.  From there he built "Neil Deighan's" at the old Airport Circle in Pennsauken. 

Neil was honored by the N.J. Sports Alliance sometime in 1961.  He was named "Mr. Sportsman 1961". Frank Lario, Camden attorney was toastmaster.  A delegation from the National Football League, Philadelphia Eagles including Chuck Bednarik, Pete Retzlaff, Bill Bains, Jerry Huth, Bob Pelligrini and Bobby Walston, former world welterweight and middleweight champion Mickey Walker, former welterweight champion Pete Latzo, former boxer Lew Tendler, AAU bantam weight champion Joe "Chubby" Stafford (who owned  Chubby's on Collings Road) and Joe Sweeney, president of the Veteran Boxers Association were in attendance.  Also Anthony F. Marino "Mr. Sportsman of 1960", Charles A. Bodine, president of the Camden County Beverage Association, Frankie Conway, former bantamweight boxer and Willie Mosconi, famed pocket billiard player.  

Camden Crusaders
1919-1920 Eastern Basketball League Champs

Front row, left to right:  Jimmy “Soup” Campbell and Joe Hyde.
Second row, left to right: Dr. Charles B. Helm, Neil Deighan, Roy Steele,
Eddie Dolin, Dave Kerr and Sheriff W. Penn Corson.
Back row, left to right: Bill Mitchell, trainer; Sam Lennox,
Manager Bill Kennedy, Richie Deighan and Timekeeper Jim Kane.

Click on Image to Enlarge

Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger * November 21, 1917

Jimmy "Soup" Campbell - Roy Steele - Neil Deighan  - Jimmy Brown

Jimmy "Soup" Campbell
Neil Deighan
Roy Steele,
Eddie Dolin
Dave Kerr
Richie Deighan

Neil Deighan - Jimmy "Soup" Campbell

...continued...

Neil Deighan - Rich Deighan - Jimmy "Soup" Campbell - Dave Kerr
Bob Griebe - George Boone - Eddie Brando - Oscar Grimstead

Immaculate Conception Takes Over Camden Elks Franchise in South Jersey Cage League

NEW ENTRANT TO RETAIN SIX OF ELKS PLAYERS
Lennox, Cunneff, Hyde, Deighan. Boone, and Burns to Play With ‘Irish’
MILLERS NOSE OUT ELKS

By TOM RYAN 

When Millville handed the Camden Elks there second straight reverse in the second-half race of the South Jersey Basketball League by beating them 30-26 at the Convention Hall Annex last night it saw the finish of the Elks a s a member of that circuit. The Elks sustained their first defeat at Bridgeton last Tuesday night when the “Moose” turned in a 26-23 victory.

“Immaculate Conception has taken over the Camden Elks franchise and will finish out the second half schedule under the name of Immaculate Conception.”

That’s the bombshell Jim Mulligan, manager of the “fightin’ Irish”, dropped in local basketball circles when he made the above announcement today.”

I talked the matter over with Larry Callahan, who has been handling the Elks, after Camden hand dropped their second league game to Millville last night at the Convention Hall and Callahan agreed to surrender the franchise to Immaculate Conception”, continued “Big Jim”.

To Retain Six Local Players

The players signed by the Elks are our property now, but I’ll be forced to cut some of them loose in order to retain some of the Immaculate players whom I think are plenty good enough for the as South Jersey League. I’m going to keep Hughey Lennox, Joe Hyde, Harry Cunneff, Joe Burns, George Boone and Neil Deighan, all local players who go with the franchise, but will have to drop the other Camden players. Bart Sheehan, Bernie Maguire and Roger Brown are the Immaculate Conception players who will be retained in order to round out the South Jersey League roster.

“1 would have liked to have retained Joe Scrone, but he informed me last night that he had been offered a job with Salem, and when he told the financial inducements they had offered him, I told him to go ahead and sign with them, for I could not pay him that much money. I consider Scrone one of the best men in the league, but rather than have him with us and be dissatisfied, I thought it best to let him sign where he pleased.”

“Dolin and Richelderfer would hardly fit in with my plans, so they also are free to join any other club in the league”.

“In taking over the Elks franchise, we must relinquish our Camden County League franchise, as we will be not be able to compete in both leagues. We also ask permission of the League to change our home-playing night to Monday instead of Wednesday, which has always been Camden’s night to play their home games, as we can only obtain the Catholic High School gym on Monday nights.

Must Assume Elks Standing

“We will start under a big handicap as we will have to assume the Elks league standing of two losses and no wins, but I feel certain we can make a respectable showing during the remainder of the season”’ concluded Mulligan.

The transfer of the Elks franchise had been hinted at more than once during the past two weeks, due to lack of patronage at the home games. Callahan, one of the best sportsmen in the city, is “stuck” for several hundred dollars. He lost plenty last year, but decided he would make another attempt to make the club a success but to no avail.

However, it is thought that the en­trance of Immaculate Conception will solve the difficulty here, as the “Irish”’ have one of the largest followings of any club in South Jersey.

Better marksmanship from the 15-foot mark during the last few minutes of play enabled the Millers to turn back Camden last night.

After taking the lead five minutes from scratch the Elks appeared cer­tain winners until a rush of goals drew the visiting Eagles dangerously close to the locals. Then the sudden collapse of Larry Callahan’s aggregation paved the way for John ‘Pete” Miller and his mates to amble home on top. The game failed to arouse any frenzy in the scant gallery but anyone who watched it closely could not fail to see the bruising combat that was waged inside the four wired walls of the civic cage. The players plugged hard from start to finish and it was only the freak turn of events in the closing minutes that really decided the issue.

Coach Roy Steele again started Neil Deighan at center with Hughey Lennox up in front alongside of Joe Scone. Captain Joe Hyde and Harry Cunneff did guard duty.

Hyde retired with only four minutes to go after banging the baskets for four field shots and a foul in addition to handing a pair of passes to mates.

Galley, Young, Miller Shine

Walter Galley, who is now a member of the Collingswood club in the Camden County circuit, made his de­but at center for the Eagles and proved a powerful factor in the triumph. His string of eight straight fouls stands as one of the best exhibitions seen in local cage games here this season. 

It was the steadying influenced of Miller and the plugging of Billy “Dutch” Young that swept the Millville club to victory in the dying minutes of action.

Hughey Lennox tied up the score at 4-4 shortly after the first tossup and a trio of fouls by Harry Cunneff put the locals out in front. A rally in which Hyde figured prominently checked a Millville spurt and gave Camden an 18-12 lead at the end of the initial session.

Camden Attack Collapses

The “Millers” flashed another uprising early in the final inning, but the better passing of the Elks kept them well ahead of their foes. The score was 24-18 when Millville uncorked another spurt that ended when Miller put his club ahead with a field goal from a point under his own basket. Hyde again stepped out, and tied the score at 25-25. The next two minutes were spent in passing, but Camden could not break through for any more field goals. Galley’s sixth straight foul gave the invaders the lead, and when Young trailed him to the line he sealed up the combat.

The odd part of the whole game is that Camden scored seven field goals to three Millville in the first half. In the last period Hyde scored the other two floor goals for the Elks four minutes after the half began.

A whirlwind battle seems assured Ocean City fans when the Bridgton outfit journeys to the resort. Trenton’s Bengals will clash with Hammonton in another game.

NEIL DEIGHAN 

Local basketball and baseball star, who has received an offer from the Hagerstown club of the Blue Ridge League, to act in the capacity of player-manager. Deighan, who is a member of the Immaculate Conception club, of the South Jersey Basketball league, is seriously considering the offer and may clinch the job within a day or two. He has had previous experience in that line, having managed the Madisonville club, of the Kitty League, several years ago

Neil Deighan - Freddy Heimach - Joe Hyde - Lou Schaub - Joe Sheehan - Abe Corotis
Immaculate Conception

Trenton Times * February 12, 1928

George Boone
Neil Deighan
Bart Sheehan
Harry Cunneff
Bernie Maguire
Joe Burns
H. Lennox

Camden Courier-Post * April 2, 1928

Camden Courier-Post * December 1, 1930

Camden Courier-Post * June 22, 1933

Trenton, June 22 (Thursday)­ Sunday sale after 1 p. m. and bars are permitted by a supplement to the temporary state beer law adopted by the Assembly early today. The Sunday sales are dependent on resolutions by the local governing bodies. The temporary law is extended from July 1 to September 1. 

The Senate was considering the measure in the hope that adjournment of the Legislature until Fall would be possible early today.

No effort was made to pass a permanent measure, sponsored by Senate President Emerson L. Richards, chairman of the beer control commission. The Assembly vote on the bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Thomas M. Muir, of Union, was 31 to 18 with most of the 
Democrats opposing it because it did not permit local referenda.

Finally Get Passage 

Passage came on reconsideration, after an attempt earlier in the session failed. During the first debate on the bill, Assemblyman Herbert J. Pascoe, of Union, had it amended to provide for Sunday sale on resolution of the local governing bodies. 

Minority Leader John J. Rafferty, of Middlesex, led the opposition to this proposal, demanding a referendum clause. Then Assemblyman F. Stanley Bleakly, of Camden, a member of the beer commission, sought to amend it to continue its provisions to December 31.

Fight Sunday Sale. 

"We would have bad a permanent bill if there had not been so many deals in the Senate," he declared. His proposed amendment was voted down. Rafferty moved to strike out the Sunday and bar clauses. His motion lost. The measure was put to a vote and mustered only 26 of the necessary 31 votes in favor, and 24 against.

Pascoe then demanded that telegrams be sent to absentee assemblymen to obtain the necessary number of votes. No action was taken on this proposal. 

''We can pass a beer bill if the majority will eliminate the bars and Sunday sales," Rafferty declared. 

Majority Leader Joseph Altman, of Atlantic, criticized the minority and "a few disgruntled members of the beer commission who have caused the Legislature to say that beer is to run rampant in New Jersey." The Assembly then sidetracked the beer problem to continue its other work. 

Joining in the protests against Richard's proposed permanent bill yesterday, was the New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association, composed of more than 15,000 dispensers of 
beer and wine. 

Telegrams sent to every state senator by the legislative committee headed by Neil Deighan, of Camden, read: 

"On behalf of all licensed beverage dispensers, we urgently request that you oppose the proposed permanent alcoholic beverage act as detrimental to the interests of our community and of those engaged in beverage retailing.

"If the bill is to receive consideration, a public hearing should be held before submitting it to a vote of the Legislature." 

Camden Courier-Post * May 10, 1934

The New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association, in a one-day special convention, passed resolutions flatly opposing inauguration of state-operated liquor stores in New Jersey and asking the Legislature to grant State A. B. C. Commissioner D. Frederick Burnett wider powers to enforce the Fair Trade Act it was announced last night by Neil F. Deighan, president of the association.

Deighan reported the Camden and Jersey City delegations offered the only open opposition to the resolution against the state stores. They argued, Deighan said, that the association may be forced later to advocate state stores to break up price cutting by package stores.

The additional powers asked for Burnett are designed to break up price cutting, Deighan pointed out. He said the resolution asks setting of mandatory penalties, to be enforced by Burnett, of 30 days suspension for the first offense and license revocation for the second offense against the fair trade act.

Deighan said he supported the anti-state stores resolution, both personally and as president.

The association, which met Monday in 'Trenton, also passed a resolution urging that breweries be placed under the same Federal permit system as that which now prohibits ownership of liquor selling establishments by distillers.

Another resolution continued a committee, authorized to select private brands of whisky to bear the association's emblem and to be sold only by association members.

The association also passed a resolution disavowing criticism of Burnett as expressed in quotations from Roy Dunn, counsel for the Original Tavern Owners' Association of Newark, in the Newark News of January 28, went on record as being "not in agreement" with the criticism, and commended Burnett's administration. Deighan said the resolution pointed out also that "the association represented by Mr. Dunn is not affiliated with the New Jersey Licensed Beverage Association."

A resolution urging the display of "Buy American Whisky" signs in taverns was passed also.

Deighan was given a vote of confidence by the delegates when questions involving administration policies was brought up, John Pennington, head of the Camden Unit, reported.

Camden delegates to the convention were Pennington, Roy Steele, Alfred Munyon, Bruno Bronislaus, Celia Ellis and Tony Paretto.

Harry Roye - Loyal D. Odhner
Charles B. Crabiel
James W. Burnison
Thomas N. McCarter
Mrs. Rocco Palese
John F. Gilliams
Oliver C. Boileau
Arthur Colsey
Charles Errickson
Rev. James S. Pemberton
Dan McConnell
Leon H. Rose
Laura Moore
Russell E. Nickerson
Elber Reim
Elmer C. Pratt
Mrs. Miriam Lee Early Lippincott
Samuel Brest
Neil F. Deighan
William Atkinson
Roy Lanning
Albert M. Bean
Dr. Leon N. Neulen
George W. Guyer

Camden Courier-Post - February 19, 1938

Labor Temple - John F. Daly - Neil Deighan - John O'Neal - Charles Hollopeter
James W. Bamford - A.K. Plone - Charles Pierson - Broadway - Royden Street