The foundation of Adana Demirspor was first laid down in 1938 by Eşref Demirağ, Vasfı Ramzan, Hasan Silah, Hikmet Tezel, Feridun Kuzeybay, Seha Keyder, Emin Ersan, Esat Gürkan, and Kenan Gülgün from TCDD. The club was formally founded on 28 December 1940 with the help of over five hundred employees of TCDD. Adana Demirspor competed in the Adana Football League along with the Cilician clubs; Mersin İdman Yurdu, Tarsus İdman Yurdu, Torosspor, Seyhanspor, and Milli Mensucat. Demirspor won the league a record 15 times between 1942 and 1959. They also won the Turkish Amateur Championship in 1954 against Hacettepe. The match finished 1–0, with Selami Tekkazancı scoring the only goal.