Rock Island Independents
Encyclopedia
The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football
team based in Rock Island, Illinois
. One of the first professional football teams, they were founded in 1907 as an independent club. They later played in what is now the National Football League
from 1920 to 1925. They joined the first American Football League
in 1926, but folded in 1927. They played in Douglas Park
and Browning Field
. Walter Flanigan
owned the team from 1915 to 1923; Dale Johnson took over and owned the team until 1926, when the team eventually folded.
Their best 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
.
, they won eight games without giving up a score.
Flanigan then brought in players from outside the Rock Island area to build on the team. In 1919, he hired Rube Ursella
of the Marines to serve as a player-coach
. Rube brought several other Minneapolis players with him. These new players would later help get 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 their arch-rivals, the Massillon Tigers
, turned down the offer. It's likely that Canton's Jim Thorpe
and Ralph Hay
learned that Rock Island's game against the Akron Indians had drawn only 1,700 spectators and felt that Flanigan could not deliver on his $5,000 guarantee, that was money that came primariliy from the gate. However the Independents still had defeated the Columbus Panhandles 49-0 and the Indians 17-0 that season. In 1919, prior to the establishment of the National Football League, they claimed to be "Champions of the USA".
dealership which established the league. Flanigan made his team a card-carrying charter member of the league and he was named to a committee charged with framing the league's constitution. On September 26, 1920, the first game featuring a team from the APFA was played at Douglas Park. The Independents were victorious as they defeated the St. Paul Ideals 48-0.
Vince McCarthy
acting as manager. Rock Island went 2-3-3 that season, however they did 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. After the 1925 season they toured nationally to promote pro football, often under the name "Tampa Cardinals
".
, formed the first American Football League
after a dispute over granting Pyle ownship of an NFL franchise in New York City
. Thinking that having a league centered around Grange would led to higher profits, McCarthy pulled Rock Island out of the NFL and joined the new league. The Independents were the only NFL team to make the jump to the rival league. However the new league did not pay as much as the NFL did a year prior. Several players left the Independents for bigger salaries with other teams. As a result the Independents ended their season with a 2-6-1 record. The AFL folded and the Independents did not rejoin the NFL. They played as a minor, semi-pro team in 1927, then went out of business.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
. One of the first professional football teams, they were founded in 1907 as an independent club. They later played in what is now the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
from 1920 to 1925. They joined the first American Football League
American Football League (1926)
The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
in 1926, but folded in 1927. They played in Douglas Park
Douglas Park (Rock Island)
Douglas Park was a minor league baseball stadium for the Rock Island Islanders from 1907 until 1937. The team played in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League , Mississippi Valley League and Western League...
and Browning Field
Browning Field
Browning Park is a park in Moline, Illinois, USA that has been the home of high school and professional athletic events since 1910. The land is deeded to the city of Moline for use as a "playground and athletic park"...
. Walter Flanigan
Walter Flanigan
Walter H. Flanigan was a professional football player, and later the owner, for the Rock Island Independents. He was also one of the co-founders of the National Football League.-Player turned owner:...
owned the team from 1915 to 1923; Dale Johnson took over and owned the team until 1926, when the team eventually folded.
Their best finish in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
standings was fifth, which they accomplished three times: in 1921
1921 NFL season
The 1921 APFA season was the 2nd regular season of the National Football League, which was then called the American Professional Football Association....
and 1922
1922 NFL season
The 1922 NFL season was the 3rd regular season of what was now called National Football League . The NFL fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such as the Milwaukee Badgers, the Oorang Indians, the Racine Legion, and the Toledo Maroons...
under Jimmy Conzelman, and in 1924
1924 NFL season
The 1924 NFL season was the 5th regular season of the National Football League. The league had 18 teams play during the season, including the new clubs Frankford Yellow Jackets, Kansas City Blues, and Kenosha Maroons. The Louisville Brecks, Oorang Indians, St...
under Johnny Armstrong
Johnny Armstrong
John A. Armstrong, Jr. was an American football player and coach. He played on the Rock Island Independents of the National Football League, and later the first American Football League, from 1923–1926. In 1924, Armstrong coached the Independents to a 5–2–2 record, and a fifth-place...
.
Origins
The Independents were first formed in 1907, when a group of men formed an Independent team with 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 team went undefeated and unscored upon in five games. Many of the same players from that 1910 reunited in 1912, under the leadership of John RocheJohn Roche
John Michael Roche is a retired American professional basketball player in both the ABA and the NBA...
, they won eight games without giving up a score.
Walter Flanigan era
In 1913 Walter Flanigan joined the Independents as a backup end. By 1915, Flanigan was the owner of the team. During his tenure, Flanigan promoted the Independents by scheduling two games in 1917 against the Minneapolis Marines, who were considered one of the toughest teams in the midwest. This contest would help the Independents gain national attention. Rock Island lost to the Marines by close score of 7-3. However they were defeated by a wider margin, 33-7, at the second game in Minneapolis.Flanigan then brought in players from outside the Rock Island area to build on the team. In 1919, he hired Rube Ursella
Rube Ursella
Reuben J. Ursella was a professional football player-coach who played during the early years of the National Football League. During his NFL career Rube played for the Minneapolis Marines, Akron Indians, Hammond Pros, Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Rock Island Independents...
of the Marines to serve as a player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
. Rube brought several other Minneapolis players with him. These new players would later help get the team an invitation to join the NFL. The Independents lost only to the Hammond Pros
Hammond Pros
The Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team.-History:The Pros were established by Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young who was a boxing promoter, owner of a racing stable and a doctor and trainer for a semi-pro football team...
, led by George Halas
George Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
in 1919. Flanigan then challenged the Canton Bulldogs
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 its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
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
Ohio League
The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1903 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship . As the name implied, its teams were based in Ohio...
" championship by defeating their arch-rivals, the Massillon Tigers
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 championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become...
, turned down the offer. It's likely that Canton's Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
and Ralph Hay
Ralph Hay
Ralph E. Hay was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 until 1923. However he is mostly recognized for organizing the first meeting of teams that would later former the American Professional Football Association, later called the National Football League....
learned that Rock Island's game against the Akron Indians had drawn only 1,700 spectators and felt that Flanigan could not deliver on his $5,000 guarantee, that was money that came primariliy from the gate. However the Independents still had defeated the Columbus Panhandles 49-0 and the Indians 17-0 that season. In 1919, prior to the establishment of the National Football League, they claimed to be "Champions of the USA".
NFL
Flanigan eagerly join the new American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League in 1922). He was present at the September 17, 1920 meeting at Ralph Hay's HupmobileHupmobile
The Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1940 by the Hupp Motor Company, which was located at 345 Bellevue Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Its first car, the Model 20, was introduced to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1909...
dealership which established the league. Flanigan made his team a card-carrying charter member of the league and he was named to a committee charged with framing the league's constitution. On September 26, 1920, the first game featuring a team from the APFA was played at Douglas Park. The Independents were victorious as they defeated the St. Paul Ideals 48-0.
Dale Johnson era
In 1923 Flanigan left the team to concentrate on his real estate and insurance businesses. Dale Johnson, another local businessman, took over as the team's owner, with the team's backup quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Vince McCarthy
Vince McCarthy
Vincent John McCarthy was an NFL football player, who played for two years with the Rock Island Independents. He was 5'10", and weighed 155 lbs . He played the full back, half back, quarterback and guard positions. Born in Illinois, McCarthy attended St. Viator College.-External links:*...
acting as manager. Rock Island went 2-3-3 that season, however they did post winning seasons in 1924
1924 NFL season
The 1924 NFL season was the 5th regular season of the National Football League. The league had 18 teams play during the season, including the new clubs Frankford Yellow Jackets, Kansas City Blues, and Kenosha Maroons. The Louisville Brecks, Oorang Indians, St...
and 1925
1925 NFL season
The 1925 NFL season was the 6th regular season of the National Football League. Five new teams entered the league: New York Giants, Detroit Panthers, Pottsville Maroons, Providence Steam Roller, and a new Canton Bulldogs team...
. Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
, 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 they toured nationally to promote pro football, often under the name "Tampa Cardinals
Tampa Cardinals
The Tampa Cardinals, was a football barnstorming 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,...
".
First AFL
In 1926, Red Grange and his manager, C. C. PyleC. C. Pyle
Charles C. "C. C." Pyle , often called Cash and Carry Pyle, was a Champaign, Illinois theater owner and sports agent who represented American football star Red Grange and French tennis player Suzanne Lenglen...
, formed the first American Football League
American Football League (1926)
The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...
after a dispute over granting Pyle ownship of an NFL franchise in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Thinking that having a league centered around Grange would led to higher profits, McCarthy pulled Rock Island out of the NFL and joined the new league. The Independents were the only NFL team to make the jump to the rival league. However the new league did not pay as much as the NFL did a year prior. Several players left the Independents for bigger salaries with other teams. As a result the Independents ended their season with a 2-6-1 record. The AFL folded and the Independents did not rejoin the NFL. They played as a minor, semi-pro team in 1927, then went out of business.
Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
rs
- Jimmy Conzelman
- Joe GuyonJoe GuyonJoseph Napoleon Guyon was a professional American football player in the National Football League...
- Ed HealeyEd HealeyEdward Francis Healey, Jr. was a professional football player for the Rock Island Independents, and best known with the Chicago Bears.-College years:...
- Jim ThorpeJim ThorpeJacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
Season-by-season
| Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 1908 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1909 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| 1910 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1911 | Did Not Play | |||||
| 1912 | 8 | 0 | 0 | Dick Liitt | ||
| 1913 | 6 | 0 | 1 | Dick Liitt | ||
| 1914 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Joseph Smith | ||
| 1915 | 5 | 1 | 1 | Walter Flanigan Walter Flanigan Walter H. Flanigan was a professional football player, and later the owner, for the Rock Island Independents. He was also one of the co-founders of the National Football League.-Player turned owner:... |
||
| 1916 | 5 | 3 | 1 | Walter Flanigan Walter Flanigan Walter H. Flanigan was a professional football player, and later the owner, for the Rock Island Independents. He was also one of the co-founders of the National Football League.-Player turned owner:... |
||
| 1917 | 7 | 3 | 0 | Ted Guyer | ||
| 1918 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Walter Flanigan Walter Flanigan Walter H. Flanigan was a professional football player, and later the owner, for the Rock Island Independents. He was also one of the co-founders of the National Football League.-Player turned owner:... |
||
| 1919 | 9 | 1 | 1 | Rube Ursella Rube Ursella Reuben J. Ursella was a professional football player-coach who played during the early years of the National Football League. During his NFL career Rube played for the Minneapolis Marines, Akron Indians, Hammond Pros, Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Rock Island Independents... , John Roche John Roche John Michael Roche is a retired American professional basketball player in both the ABA and the NBA... |
||
| 1920 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3rd | Rube Ursella Rube Ursella Reuben J. Ursella was a professional football player-coach who played during the early years of the National Football League. During his NFL career Rube played for the Minneapolis Marines, Akron Indians, Hammond Pros, Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Rock Island Independents... |
|
| 1921 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5th | Frank Coughlin Frank Coughlin Francis Edward Coughlin was an American football player and coach in the American Professional Football Association... , Jimmy Conzelman |
|
| 1922 1922 NFL season The 1922 NFL season was the 3rd regular season of what was now called National Football League . The NFL fielded 18 teams during the season, including new league teams such as the Milwaukee Badgers, the Oorang Indians, the Racine Legion, and the Toledo Maroons... |
4 | 2 | 1 | 5th | Jimmy Conzelman | |
| 1923 1923 NFL season The 1923 NFL season was the 4th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time, all of the clubs that were considered to be part of the NFL fielded teams. The new teams that entered the league included the Duluth Kelleys, the St. Louis All Stars , and a new Cleveland Indians team... |
2 | 3 | 3 | 12th | Herb Sies Herb Sies Dale Hubert "Herb" Sies was an American football player and coach. He was born on January 2, 1893 in Ames, Iowa and attended Davenport High School. He enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where he played football as a guard. Sies was named a consensus All-American in 1917... |
|
| 1924 1924 NFL season The 1924 NFL season was the 5th regular season of the National Football League. The league had 18 teams play during the season, including the new clubs Frankford Yellow Jackets, Kansas City Blues, and Kenosha Maroons. The Louisville Brecks, Oorang Indians, St... |
5 | 2 | 2 | 5th | Johnny Armstrong Johnny Armstrong John A. Armstrong, Jr. was an American football player and coach. He played on the Rock Island Independents of the National Football League, and later the first American Football League, from 1923–1926. In 1924, Armstrong coached the Independents to a 5–2–2 record, and a fifth-place... |
|
| 1925 1925 NFL season The 1925 NFL season was the 6th regular season of the National Football League. Five new teams entered the league: New York Giants, Detroit Panthers, Pottsville Maroons, Providence Steam Roller, and a new Canton Bulldogs team... |
5 | 3 | 3 | 8th | Rube Ursella Rube Ursella Reuben J. Ursella was a professional football player-coach who played during the early years of the National Football League. During his NFL career Rube played for the Minneapolis Marines, Akron Indians, Hammond Pros, Minneapolis Red Jackets and the Rock Island Independents... |
|
| Moved to American Football League (1926) American Football League (1926) The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C... |
||||||
| 1926 1926 American Football League season The 1926 American Football League season is the only season of the existence of the first American Football League. It started with nine teams, with the initial game of the season being played in front of 22,000 fans in Cleveland, Ohio, but by the end of the season , only four teams were still in... |
2 | 6 | 1 | 7th | Johnny Armstrong | |
| NFL-AFL Totals | 28 | 20 | 13 | |||