American football team in Rock Island, Illinois
The
Rock Island Independents
were a professional
American football
team, based in
Rock Island, Illinois
, from 1907 to 1926. The Independents were a founding
National Football League
franchise. They hosted what has been retrospectively designated the first National Football League game on September 26, 1920 at
Douglas Park
. The Independents were founded in 1907 by Demetrius Clements as an independent football club. Hence, the team was named the "Independents."
In 1926, the Independents left the NFL to become a charter member of the first
American Football League
, the only NFL team to do so. The Independents then folded along with the entire league in 1927.
[1]
[3]
Pro Football Hall of Fame
alumni
Jimmy Conzelman
(1920?1921),
Joe Guyon
(1924),
Ed Healey
(1920?1922),
Duke Slater
(1922-1926), and
Jim Thorpe
(1924?1925) played for the Independents.
History
[
edit
]
Early history
[
edit
]
One of the first professional football teams, the Independents were founded in 1907 by Demetrius Clements as an independent football club. The independent team had no athletic club affiliation, no social club ties and no corporate company backing or sponsorship. As a result, the team was named the "Independents."
The Independents played in
Douglas Park
(1907?1925) and
Browning Field
(1926). After its founding, the 1910 team went undefeated and were not scored on in five games. Many of the players from the 1910 team reunited in 1912 and, under Coach John Roche, the Independents won eight games without giving up a score.
Walter Flanigan
was the owner of the Independents 1915 to 1923. Dale Johnson then owned the team from 1924 until it folded, along with the rest of the
American Football League
in 1926.
[4]
Walter Flanigan had joined the Independents as a backup
end
in 1912. For the following two seasons, he served as the team's assistant manager, under then-manager Jack Roche.
[5]
In 1915, Flanigan became the owner of the team and later promoted the Independents by scheduling two home games in 1917 against the
Minneapolis Marines
. This contest helped the Independents gain legitimacy. Rock Island lost to the Marines by a score of 7?3 in front of over 6,400 fans at Douglas Park in the first game on November 4. The two teams played again on November 18 and Rock Island lost again, 33?7, in the second game in front of 4,500 fans.
[6]
[7]
However,
World War I
and the
military draft
put a temporary halt to Flanigan's plans of expanding the team into new markets.
[8]
The Rock Island Independents in 1919, "Champions of the USA"
In 1919, Flanigan hired
Rube Ursella
of the Minneapolis Marines to serve as a
player-coach
. Ursella brought several other Minneapolis players with him. These new players would help improve play and help secure the team an invitation to join the NFL. The Independents lost only to the
Hammond Pros
, led by
George Halas
in 1919. Flanigan then challenged the
Canton Bulldogs
to a "championship" game, offering a $5,000 guarantee if they would come to Rock Island for the game.
But Canton, which had already won the "
Ohio League
" championship by defeating the
Massillon Tigers
, turned down the offer. It is likely that Canton's player/coach
Jim Thorpe
and owner
Ralph Hay
felt that Flanigan could not deliver on his $5,000 guarantee. However, the Independents still had defeated the
Columbus Panhandles
49?0 and the Indians 17?0 that season. In 1919, the season prior to the establishment of the
National Football League
, they claimed to be "Champions of the USA". The invitation to Canton led to the Independents being invited to the September 17, 1920 historic meeting on the formation of the National Football League.
[8]
The National Football League was formed over the course of two meetings in 1920. On August 20, 1920 an initial meeting was held by representatives of the
Akron Pros
,
Canton Bulldogs
,
Cleveland Tigers
, and
Dayton Triangles
. The meeting was held at the Jordan and
Hupmobile
auto showroom in
Canton, Ohio
and resulted in the formation of the American Professional Football Conference (APFC).
[9]
A second and considerably larger meeting was held on September 17, 1920. The meeting was again at Canton owner
Ralph Hay
's
Hupmobile
dealership in Canton and Independents owner
Walter Flanigan
was present to represent the Independents. Representatives of eleven teams were present at the second meeting: the four teams from the first meeting, plus the
Decatur Staleys
,
Chicago Cardinals
,
Massillon Tigers
,
Hammond Pros
,
Muncie Flyers
, Rock Island Independents and
Rochester Jeffersons
. The minutes of this meeting are in
Pro Football Hall of Fame
archives.
The league was renamed to the American Professional Football Association (APFA), and the number of teams was expanded, with league play to begin in 1920.
[9]
The newly formed league elected
Jim Thorpe
as its first President and consisted of 14 teams. The
Buffalo All-Americans
,
Chicago Tigers
,
Columbus Panhandles
, and
Detroit Heralds
joined the league during the year. The
Massillon Tigers
from
Massillon, Ohio
was also at the September 17 meeting, but did not field a team in 1920. After the formation of the league, Flanigan was named to the committee that created the league's constitution. Today, only two of these franchises, the Decatur Staleys (now the
Chicago Bears
) and the Chicago Cardinals (now the
Arizona Cardinals
), remain as NFL franchises.
[13]
Douglas Park
in 1920
On
September 26, 1920
, the Independents hosted the
first official
game featuring a team from the APFA.
[14]
Thus, the Independents'
Douglas Park
became the site of the first ever
National Football League
contest. Just nine days after the league had formed, on September 26, 1920, the Independents defeated the St. Paul Ideals 48?0 in the first contest involving a member team of the APFA.
A week later, on October 3, 1920, the Independents defeated the
Muncie Flyers
45?0 at Douglas Park in the first full week of APFA league play.
[15]
[16]
3,100 fans were in attendance as Arnie Wyman, former
Minnesota
great, made his debut for the Islanders, scoring three touchdowns. This might have been the first NFL game ever played between two NFL teams, however, NFL historical records don't indicate the kickoff time for this game or the other APFA game played that day between the
Dayton Triangles
and the
Columbus Panhandles
in
Dayton, Ohio
.
[17]
The Independents posted 4?2?1 records in the league's first year. They had the same record the next two seasons, with five of their six losses in three years coming to
George Halas
and the
Decatur Staleys/Chicago Staleys/Chicago Bears
.
[18]
On June 24, 1922, the APFA changed its name to the
National Football League
(NFL).
[19]
[20]
On October 16, 1921, the Independents battled back from a 7?0 deficit against the
Chicago Cardinals
to lead 14?7 in the second quarter. The comeback was sparked by two
touchdowns
, scored by player-coach
Frank Coughlin
. Flanigan then ordered the team's
tackle
,
Ed Healey
relieve Coughlin. Once Coughlin was safely on his way toward the sideline, Healey delivered a message to
Jimmy Conzelman
from Flanigan, it read:
"Coughlin was fired! The new coach was Conzelman!"
This act marked the first and only time an owner hired a new coach in the middle of a game. In 1922, Flanigan sold the contract of
Ed Healey
, to Halas and the Chicago Bears for $100.
[21]
However, Healey soon became a star for the Bears and would later be inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 1964. In
1923
, Flanigan left the Independents to concentrate on his real estate and insurance businesses.
[8]
In 1923, Flanigan sold the Independents to
Dale Johnson
, a local businessman. Johnson hired
Vince McCarthy
, the Independents' back-up
quarterback
as the new
general manager
. With
Rock Island High School
alumni and Olympian
Sol Butler
joining the squad, Rock Island went 2?3?3 in 1923, and rebounded to post winning seasons in
1924
and
1925
.
Jim Thorpe
, considered "the World's Greatest Athlete", joined the Independents in 1924 and the team went 5?2?2 in league play.
[8]
After the
1925 season
, Thorpe formed a team composed primarily of his teammates from the Rock Island Independents, that would play several games throughout
Florida
. In a 1926
New Year's Day
football exhibition, Thorpe's "
Tampa Cardinals
" played against the Chicago Bears led by
Red Grange
. The game itself was billed as a clash of old vs. new, with Grange, the rising star, taking on Thorpe, the aging legend. During the game Grange rushed for a 70-yard touchdown as the Bears notched a 17?3 victory at
Plant Field
in
Tampa, Florida
.
[22]
[23]
The Independents' overall NFL record was 26?14?9, with five winning seasons in six years. After finishing fourth in 1920, their best overall finish in the National Football League standings was fifth, which they accomplished three times: in
1921
and
1922
under
Jimmy Conzelman
, and in
1924
under
Johnny Armstrong
.
[8]
In 1926, football star
Red Grange
and his agent,
C. C. Pyle
, formed the
American Football League
(AFL) after Pyle was denied ownership of an NFL franchise in
New York City
. In what proved to be a fatal move, after the 1925 season Johnson moved the team to the American Football League. Johnson felt that the American Football League, which featured
Red Grange
, would out-perform the NFL. The Independents then signed
Elmer Layden
, one of the
Four Horsemen
of
Notre Dame
for 1926. Founding American Football League teams for 1926 were the
Boston Bulldogs
,
Brooklyn Horsemen
,
Chicago Bulls
,
Cleveland Panthers
,
Los Angeles Wildcats
,
Newark Bears
,
New York Yankees
,
Philadelphia Quakers
and the Rock Island Independents. Rock Island left the NFL to join the new league. The Independents also moved from
Douglas Park
in Rock Island to
Browning Field
in neighboring
Moline, Illinois
for the 1926 season. The Independents were the only NFL team to make the jump to the rival league.
The AFL did not pay as much as the NFL did a year prior and Independents players left the team for bigger salaries with other NFL teams. As a result, the Independents ended their season with a 2?6?1 record. Coached by
Johnny Armstrong
, the Independents played their first three games at Browning Field and then played the rest of their 1926 games as a
traveling team
. The AFL folded after the season and the Independents were rejected in their attempt to rejoin the NFL. They played as a semi-pro team in 1927, and then went out of business.
[8]
Stadium
[
edit
]
From their inception until their last season, the Independents played at
Douglas Park
in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1907?1925. In 1926, in what became their final year of existence, the Independents moved to
Browning Field
in neighboring
Moline, Illinois
. Both locations are still in use today.
[24]
Douglas Park is located at the corner of 18th Avenue and 9th Street in Rock Island, Illinois. Douglas Park was also the home of the minor league baseball
Rock Island Islanders
during the Independents era. Today, the site has baseball field and a playground. The Quad City 76ers Semi Pro Baseball Club has called Douglas Park home since 1986. Rock Island Post 200 also plays some home games at Douglas Park. Douglas Park also hosts annual "rivalry" games. The Rockton Showdown features the baseball teams from Alleman and Rock Island High Schools. The Battle for the Douglas Cup features Rock Island and Moline High Schools. And ,the Veterans Cup Classic features the American Legion teams from Rock Island and Moline. Douglas Park hosts an annual tribute football game to the Independents, played in retro uniforms and using early football rules.
[24]
[25]
[26]
Browning Field, the Independents' home in 1926, is located at 16th Street and 23rd Avenue in Moline, Illinois. The Independents shared the stadium with the minor league baseball
Moline Plowboys
. Today, Browning Field is home to
Moline High School
sports teams and the adjacent
Wharton Field House
is the former home of the
National Basketball Association
's
Tri-Cities Blackhawks
, today's
Atlanta Hawks
.
[27]
[28]
Notable players
[
edit
]
Season-by-season results
[
edit
]
A second, unrelated, "Rock Island Independents" played at the
Northwest Football League
in 1936.
Notable games
[
edit
]
Independent
[
edit
]
- November 19,
1916
. Defeated Moline Indians 21?3.
Douglas Park
. 3,000 in attendance
- November 4,
1917
. Lost to
Minneapolis Marines
7?3. Douglas Park 6,400.
- November 18, 1917. Lost to Minneapolis Marines 33?7. Douglas Park. 4,500.
- October 12,
1919
. Lost to
Hammond All-Stars
12?7. Douglas Park. 7,000.
- November 19, 1919. Defeated Moline Fans Association 57?0. Douglas Park. 2,000.
AFPA
[
edit
]
- September 26, 1920. Defeated St. Paul Ideals 48?0. Douglas Park. 800. First NFL Game.
- October 3, 1920. Defeated
Muncie Flyers
45?0. Douglas Park. 3,100.
- October 17, 1920. Lost to
Decatur Staleys
7?0. Douglas Park. 7,000.
- November 7, 1920 Tied Decatur Staleys 0?0. Douglas Park. 4,991.
- October 2,
1921
. Tied
Detroit Tigers
0?0. Douglas Park. 3,304.
- October 16, 1921. Defeated
Chicago Cardinals
14?7.
Normal Park
Chicago. 4,000.
- October 23, 1921. Defeated
Detroit Tigers
14?0.
Tiger Stadium
. 3000.
- October 30, 1921. Defeated
Green Bay Packers
13?3.
Hagemeister Park
Green Bay. 6,000.
- November 13, 1921. Lost to
Chicago Staleys
0?3. (
Cubs Park
). 2,500.
- October 1,
1922
. Defeated Green Bay Packers. 19?14. Douglas Park. 3,500.
- October 8, 1922. Lost to
Chicago Bears
6?10. Douglas Park. 4,749.
- November 19, 1922 Lost to Chicago Bears 3?0. Cubs Park (Wrigley Field) 5,600.
- September 30,
1923
. Defeated Chicago Bears 3?0. Douglas Park. 3,500.
- November 18, 1923. Lost to Chicago Bears 7?3. Cubs Park (Wrigley Field) 6,500.
- December 9, 1923. Lost to Chicago Bears 29?7. Cubs Park (Wrigley Field) 6,000.
- September 28,
1924
. Tied Chicago Bears 0?0. Douglas Park. 4,500.
- November 2, 1934. Tied Chicago Bears 3?3. Cubs Park (Wrigley Field) 6,000.
- December 14, 1924. Defeated Chicago Bears 7?6. Cubs Park (Wrigley Field) 7,000.
- September 29,
1925
. Tied Chicago Bears 0?0. Douglas Park. 2,000.
- October 4, 1925. Defeated Green Bay Packers 3?0. Douglas Park. 3,000.
- October 18, 1925. Lost to Green Bay Packers 0?20.
City Stadium
. 7,000.
- November 1, 1925. Lost to Chicago Bears 6?0. Cubs Park (Wrigley Field) 8,000.
- November 26, 1925. Defeated
Detroit Panthers
6?3.
Tiger Stadium
.
- November 29, 1925. Lost to Chicago Cardinals 0?7.
Comiskey Park
. 3,000.
External links
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"NFL founded in Canton - Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site"
.
www.profootballhof.com
.
- ^
"Football Firsts - Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site"
.
www.profootballhof.com
.
- ^
Peterson, Robert W. (1997).
Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football
.
Oxford University Press
.
ISBN
0-19-511913-4
.
- ^
"Walter Flanigan"
. Rock Island Independents.com
. Retrieved
March 29,
2012
.
- ^
"1917 Minneapolis Marines - The Pro Football Archives"
.
profootballarchives.com
.
- ^
"1917 Rock Island Independents - The Pro Football Archives"
.
profootballarchives.com
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Braunwart, Bob; Carroll, Bob (1983).
"The Rock Island Independents"
(PDF)
.
Coffin Corner
.
5
(3).
Pro Football Researchers Association
: 1?7
. Retrieved
February 8,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"Happy Birthday NFL?"
(PDF)
.
The Coffin Corner
.
2
(8).
Professional Football Researchers Association
. 1980. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on February 6, 2009
. Retrieved
February 7,
2013
.
- ^
"Walter Flanigan"
. Archived from
the original
on March 4, 2016
. Retrieved
February 28,
2016
.
- ^
"Football History - Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site"
.
www.profootballhof.com
.
- ^
"1920 APFA Standings & Team Stats"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
.
- ^
"Rock Island Independents 1920 Game Log"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
.
- ^
"Archived copy"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 11, 2012
. Retrieved
June 9,
2011
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
- ^
"Rock Island Independents"
. Illinois Ancestors
. Retrieved
March 30,
2012
.
- ^
"Sept. 17, 1920 ? The Founding of the NFL"
.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
. Retrieved
July 9,
2012
.
- ^
"1922 American Professional Football Association changes name to National Football League"
.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
. Retrieved
June 29,
2017
.
- ^
"First sale of 'Pro' grid man made to Bears"
.
Burlington Gazette
. November 28, 1922. p. 11
. Retrieved
August 20,
2023
.
- ^
"GRANGE'S LONG RUN BREAKS FLORIDA TIE; Dashes 70 Yards to Score on Tampa Cardinals -- Bears Win by 17 to 3. STERNAMAN ALSO TALLIES Second Touchdown Follows Star's Sprint in Last Period -- Quarter Makes 11 Points"
.
The New York Times
. January 2, 1926.
- ^
Jam, Professor.
"History of Professional Football and Stadium Sports in Tampa, Florida"
.
BuccaneersFan.com Fanatical Fan site
.
- ^
a
b
"Douglas Park"
.
Rock Island, IL
.
- ^
"mcubed.net : NCAAF Football : Series records : Illinois vs. Iowa"
.
www.mcubed.net
.
- ^
SCHORPP, DOUG.
"EXCHANGE: Rock Island game recalls early days of NFL"
.
chicagotribune.com
.
- ^
Green, Doug (October 4, 2012).
"Moline's Browning Field turns 100"
.
The Quad-City Times
.
- ^
"Wharton Field House Home ? Wharton Field House / Browning Field ? Moline-Coal Valley School District No. 40"
.
www.molineschools.org
.
- ^
"1926 Rock Island Independents - The Pro Football Archives"
.
profootballarchives.com
.
- ^
"The Pro Football Archives - Pro Football Statistics and History"
.
profootballarchives.com
.
Rock Island Independents
|
---|
|
Franchise
| |
---|
Stadiums
| |
---|
Owners
| |
---|
Head coaches
| |
---|
Lore
| |
---|
Seasons
| |
---|
|
---|
†=
Never played in the league
|
|
---|
Charter
teams
| |
---|
1920s
| |
---|
1930s?50s
| |
---|