The history of high school sports in Dayton evolved from intramural football games dating back to Central High School. The school was known for its annual Thanksgiving Football Classic played between the Central students called the Reds vs Blues. During that period football games were played under rugby rules as football rules for scholastic sports had not been developed yet. In 1895 the Dayton Evening Herald reported an 8-6 Steele victory over Xenia in the first mention of the Steele team playing another high school team. By 1899 the Steele Lions played a six-game schedule and won five, tying Cincinnati Walnut Hills in one of two games with that school. In that same year, there was a 10-0 road win over Delaware High School, which had claimed the Southern Ohio Championship the year before.

Central High School, built in 1857, was located at the corner of Fourth and Wilkinson Streets. The building was a beautiful three level brick building and was the first school in Dayton to serve students in grades 9-12., before Steele High School was constructed in 1892-93. At the time, intramural sports were the only form of athletic activities provided for students. Central closed in 1893 right before the opening of the brand new Robert E. Steele High School located on the corner of Main and Monument Streets in downtown Dayton. When the high school students moved into the new Steele building in 1893, football was more of a student-run than administration-run operation and continued so for several years.

Orville Wright, who along with his brother Wilbur invented the first successful airplane, is in the center of the back row. Orville did not finish high school. Paul Laurence Dunbar, one the the first nationally-known African-American writers, is located at the top left of picture. Although, Dunbar was the only African-American in his class, he was president of the literary society, editor of the school newspaper and a member of the debating club, according to the Ohio History Connection.