The Rock Island Independents were a professional

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

team, based in

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock a ...

, from 1907 to 1926. The Independents were a founding

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

franchise. They hosted what has been retrospectively designated the first National Football League game on September 26, 1920, at

Douglas Park Douglas Park was a football stadium in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, the home ground of Hamilton Academical from 1888 to 1994. The stadium holds the record for Hamilton Academical's largest ever attendance, 28,690 people against Hearts in 193 ...

. 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 American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

, the only NFL team to do so. The Independents then folded along with the entire league in 1927.

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

alumni

Jimmy Conzelman James Gleason Dunn Conzelman (March 6, 1898 – July 31, 1970) was an American professional American football, football player and coach, baseball executive, and advertising executive. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 a ...

(1920–1921),

Joe Guyon Joseph Napoleon "Big Chief" Guyon (Anishinaabe: ''O-Gee-Chidah'', translated as "Big Brave"; November 26, 1892 – November 27, 1971) was an American Indian from the Ojibwa tribe (Chippewa) who was an American football and baseball player and c ...

(1924),

Ed Healey Edward Francis Healey Jr. (December 28, 1894 – December 9, 1978) was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best linemen in the league's early days, Healey was inducted into the P ...

(1920–1922),

Duke Slater Frederick Wayman "Duke" Slater (December 9, 1898 – August 14, 1966) was an American professional football player and judge. He was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Centen ...

(1922–1926), and

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

(1924–1925) played for the Independents.

History

Early history

One of the first professional football teams, the Independents were founded in

, 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

(1907–1925) and

Browning Field Browning Park is a park in Moline, Illinois, United States, located at 16th Street and 23rd Avenue. Browning Field has been the home of high school and professional athletic events since 1910. It has hosted athletes such as Babe Ruth and Red Gra ...

(1926). The 1910 team went undefeated and were not scored on in five games. A year of hiatus seems to have followed. The team reorganized in 1912, seeking to compete with the neighboring community of Moline on the gridiron. Many of the players from the 1910 team reunited in that year and, under Coach John Roche, the team won eight games without giving up a score.

Walter Flanigan Walter Harrison Flanigan (May 7, 1890 – June 18, 1962) was an American football player and owner of the Rock Island Independents. He was also one of the co-founders of the National Football League (NFL). Player turned owner Flanigan joined the ...

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

in 1926. Walter Flanigan had joined the Independents as a backup

end End, END, Ending, or ENDS may refer to: End Mathematics *End (category theory) * End (topology) * End (graph theory) * End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) * End (endomorphism) Sports and games *End (gridiron football) *End, a division ...

in 1912. For the following two seasons, he served as the team's assistant manager, under then-manager Jack Roche. 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 The Minneapolis Marines were an early professional American football, football team that existed from 1905 until 1928. The team did not play in 1918 or 1925 to 1926 and was later resurrected from 1929 to 1930 under the Minneapolis Red Jackets nam ...

. 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. However,

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the

military draft Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

put a temporary halt to Flanigan's plans of expanding the team into new markets. RockIslandIndependentsTeamPhoto1919

In 1919, Flanigan hired Rube Ursella of the Minneapolis Marines to serve as a

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

. 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 The Hammond Pros were an American football team from Hammond, Indiana that played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team. History The Pros were established by local businessman Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young. ...

, led by

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (February 2, 1895 – October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear", was an American professional football end, coach, and executive. He was the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), ...

in 1919. Flanigan then challenged the

Canton Bulldogs The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football Lea ...

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 The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct p ...

" championship by defeating the

Massillon Tigers The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the " Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championshi ...

, turned down the offer. It is likely that Canton's player/coach

and owner

Ralph Hay Ralph Edward Hay (January 12, 1891July 29, 1944) was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 through the 1922 season. However, he is mostly recognized for organizing the first meeting of teams that would later form the American Professional ...

felt that Flanigan could not deliver on his $5,000 guarantee. However, the Independents still had defeated the

Columbus Panhandles The Columbus Panhandles were a professional American football team based in Columbus, Ohio. The club was founded in 1901 by workers at the Panhandle shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were a part of the Ohio League from 1904 before foldi ...

49–0 and the Indians 17–0 that season. In 1919, the season prior to the establishment of the

, 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.

National Football League

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 The Akron Pros were a professional American football, football team that played in Akron, Ohio, Akron, Ohio from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-professional, semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, but later became Akron Pros ...

, Cleveland Tigers, and

Dayton Triangles The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association (now the National Football League (NFL)) in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Trian ...

. The meeting was held at the Jordan and

Hupmobile Hupmobile was a line of automobiles built from 1909 through 1939 by the Hupp Motor Car Company of Detroit. The prototype was developed in 1908. History Founding In 1909, Bobby Hupp co-founded Hupp Motor Car Company, with Charles Hastin ...

auto showroom in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

and resulted in the formation of the American Professional Football Conference (APFC). A second and considerably larger meeting was held on September 17, 1920. The meeting was again at Canton owner

dealership in Canton and Independents owner

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 The Chicago Bears American football franchise is a charter member of the National Football League (NFL), and has played in all of the league's 100 seasons. The team has captured nine NFL championships – eight NFL championships and one Super ...

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

Muncie Flyers The Muncie Flyers, known as the Congerville Flyers for most of their existence, were a professional American football team from Muncie, Indiana, that played from 1905 to 1926. The Flyers were an independent squad for most of their existence, b ...

, Rock Island Independents and

Rochester Jeffersons The Rochester Jeffersons were an American football team based in Rochester, New York from 1898 to 1925. The team was a founding member of the National Football League (NFL), in which they played from 1920 to 1925. History Formed as an amateur ...

. The minutes of this meeting are in

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. The newly formed league elected

as its first President and consisted of 14 teams. The

Buffalo All-Americans Buffalo, New York had a turbulent, early-era National Football League team that operated under multiple names and several different owners between the 1910s and 1920s. The early NFL-era franchise was variously called the Buffalo All-Stars fr ...

Chicago Tigers The Chicago Tigers of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) played their first and only season in 1920, the first year of the league (1920), and have the distinction of being the first NFL team to fold. They had a record of 2 ...

, and

Detroit Heralds Detroit had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason ...

joined the league during the year. The

from

Massillon, Ohio Massillon is a city in western Stark County, Ohio, United States, along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Massillon is a principal city of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area, whic ...

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 The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

) and the Chicago Cardinals (now the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

), remain as NFL franchises. On September 26, 1920, the Independents hosted the first official game featuring a team from the APFA. Thus, the Independents'

became the site of the first ever

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

45–0 at Douglas Park in the first full week of APFA league play. 3,100 fans were in attendance as Arnie Wyman, former

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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

and the

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

. 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

and the Decatur Staleys/Chicago Staleys/Chicago Bears. On June 24, 1922, the APFA changed its name to the

(NFL). On October 16, 1921, the Independents battled back from a 7–0 deficit against the

to lead 14–7 in the second quarter. The comeback was sparked by two

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s, scored by player-coach Frank Coughlin. Flanigan then ordered the team's tackle,

relieve Coughlin. Once Coughlin was safely on his way toward the sideline, Healey delivered a message to

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

, to Halas and the Chicago Bears for $100. However, Healey soon became a star for the Bears and would later be inducted into the

in 1964. In

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

, Flanigan left the Independents to concentrate on his real estate and insurance businesses. In 1923, Flanigan sold the Independents to

Dale Johnson Dale Johnson (August 15, 1902 – April 24, 1963) was a local businessman in Rock Island, Illinois, who is best known for his role in the ownership of the Rock Island Independents of the National Football League (NFL) from 1923 until 1925. He to ...

, a local businessman. Johnson hired

Vince McCarthy Vincent John McCarthy (November 3, 1899 – November 1968) was an American football player who played for three years with the Rock Island Independents of the National Football League (NFL) and the first American Football League. Once he becam ...

, the Independents' back-up

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

as the new

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

. With

Rock Island High School Rock Island High School, also known as "Rocky", is a public four-year high school located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. Rocky is within the Rock Island–Milan School District 41, and the school colors are crimson and gold. Administr ...

alumni and Olympian Sol Butler joining the squad, Rock Island went 2–3–3 in 1923, and rebounded to post winning seasons in

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

and

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

, considered "the World's Greatest Athlete", joined the Independents in 1924 and the team went 5–2–2 in league play. 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 Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. In a 1926

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

football exhibition, Thorpe's "

Tampa Cardinals The Tampa Cardinals were a barnstorming football team, that played pick-up games, led by future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jim Thorpe in 1926. During the time, the team was also billed as the St. Petersburg Cardinals and as Lena Vistas. The tea ...

" played against the Chicago Bears led by

Red Grange Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American professional American football, football Halfback (American football), halfback who played for the Chicag ...

. 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 Plant Field was the first major athletic multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida. It was built in 1899 by Henry B. Plant on the grounds of his Tampa Bay Hotel to host various events and activities for guests, and it consisted of a large field ri ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. 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 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

and

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

under

, and in

under

Johnny Armstrong John Allen Armstrong Jr. (August 10, 1897 – April 30, 1960) was an American football player and coach. Armstrong was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. From 1918 to 1922, he attended the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa, where he was a four-sp ...

American Football League

In 1926, football star

and his agent, C. C. Pyle, formed the

(AFL) after Pyle was denied ownership of an NFL franchise in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. 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

, would out-perform the NFL. The Independents then signed

Elmer Layden Elmer Francis Layden (May 4, 1903 – June 30, 1973) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, Notre Dame Fi ...

, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame for 1926. Founding American Football League teams for 1926 were the Boston Bulldogs,

Brooklyn Horsemen The Brooklyn Lions were a National Football League team that played in the 1926 Brooklyn Lions season, 1926 NFL season. The team was formed as the league's counter-move to the American Football League (1926), first American Football League, which ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

Cleveland Panthers The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team. They were an independent team founded in 1919 from the remains of the Youngstown Patricians. The Panthers played, with various degrees of success, continuously from 1919 and even ...

Los Angeles Wildcats Los Angeles Wildcats is a name shared by several American football teams from Los Angeles: * Los Angeles Wildcats (AFL), a team that played in the American Football League of 1926 * Los Angeles Wildcats (Minor League AFL), a team that played in the ...

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, Philadelphia Quakers and the Rock Island Independents. Rock Island left the NFL to join the new league. The Independents also moved from

in Rock Island to

in neighboring

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the List of municipalities in Illinois, ninth-most populous in Illinois outside ...

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

, the Independents played their first three games at Browning Field and then played the rest of their 1926 games as a

traveling team In professional team sports, a traveling team (also called a road team) is a member of a professional league that never competes in a home arena or stadium. This differs from a barnstorming team as a barnstorming team competes in exhibition games ...

. 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.

Stadium

From their inception until their last season, the Independents played at

in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1907 to 1925. In 1926, in what became their final year of existence, the Independents moved to

in neighboring

. Both locations are still in use today. 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 The Rock Island Islanders was the primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Rock Island, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities, between 1892 and 1937. Rock Island teams played as members of the Illinois–Iowa League (1892), Western Asso ...

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 Rocktown 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. 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 The Moline Plowboys was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Moline, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities. Moline teams played as members the 1892 Illinois-Iowa League, 1894 Western Association, the Mississippi Valley League (19 ...

. Today, Browning Field is home to

Moline High School Moline High School is a public four-year high school located in Moline, Illinois, a city in Rock Island County, in the Midwest area of the United States. The school is the only public high school in the city of Moline, and is part of Moline-C ...

sports teams and the adjacent

Wharton Field House Wharton Field House is a historic arena located at 1800 20th Avenue in Moline, Illinois. It opened in 1928 and was home to the NBA's Tri-Cities Blackhawks, today's Atlanta Hawks, from 1946 to 1951. It has hosted professional teams, high school ...

is the former home of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Tri-Cities Blackhawks Tri-Cities most often refers to: *Tri-Cities, Tennessee, United States *Tri-Cities, Washington, United States Tri-City, Tricity or Tri-Cities may also refer to: Populated places Americas Canada * Tri-Cities (British Columbia), consisting of C ...

, today's

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

Notable players

Season-by-season results

A second, unrelated, "Rock Island Independents" played at the

Northwest Football League The Northwest Football League (NWFL) was a professional American football minor league that played from 1935 to 1938, in the northern part of Midwestern United States. The league had some relationships with the National Football League (NFL), and ...

in 1936.

Notable games

Independent

* November 19, 1916. Defeated Moline Indians 21–3.

. 3,000 in attendance * November 4, 1917. Lost to

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

* September 26, 1920. Defeated St. Paul Ideals 48–0. Douglas Park. 800. First NFL Game. * October 3, 1920. Defeated

45–0. Douglas Park. 3,100. * October 17, 1920. Lost to

7–0. Douglas Park. 7,000. * November 7, 1920 Tied Decatur Staleys 0–0. Douglas Park. 4,991. * October 2, 1921. Tied

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

0–0. Douglas Park. 3,304. * October 16, 1921. Defeated

14–7.

Normal Park Normal Park is a former football and baseball field in Chicago, Illinois, during approximately 1914 through 1951. It was most notably the home field of the Chicago Cardinals before they moved to Comiskey Park. The field was on a block bounded b ...

Chicago. 4,000. * October 23, 1921. Defeated

14–0. Tiger Stadium. 3000. * October 30, 1921. Defeated

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

13–3.

Hagemeister Park Hagemeister Park was a park in Green Bay, Wisconsin that was the home of the Green Bay Packers from their founding in 1919 and their first two seasons playing in the National Football League, 1921 and 1922. History Use and facilities Owned by ...

Green Bay. 6,000. * November 13, 1921. Lost to

Chicago Staleys The Chicago Bears American football franchise is a charter member of the National Football League (NFL), and has played in all of the league's 100 seasons. The team has captured nine NFL championships – eight NFL championships and one Super B ...

0–3. (

Cubs Park Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicag ...

). 2,500.

NFL

* October 1, 1922. Defeated Green Bay Packers. 19–14. Douglas Park. 3,500. * October 8, 1922. Lost to

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 Comiskey Park was a ballpark in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-south side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Built by Wh ...

. 3,000.

AFL

* November 2, 1926. Lost to

35–0.

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

. 35,000. * November 21, 1926. Lost to

3–0.

. 1,800.

External links

* * *
Rock Island Independents Historical Site

References

{{AFL I Defunct NFL teams American Football League (1926) teams 1907 establishments in Illinois 1926 disestablishments in Illinois Rock Island, Illinois Moline, Illinois Rock Island County, Illinois Sports clubs and teams in the Quad Cities