Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-11-17
Haneus Six Nessor Brothers On
Aggregation Which ID SEIZED.
IA He'd With Canton, Dec. Z.

Football fans Of Rock Island and
heighboring cities will have an op-
pUrtunity Of seeing In action the
greatest professional football elev-
On that has ever been gathered to-
g1ther 1.-THE team, under the same
management, 10 the direct descend
ant OF the first team in the United
States to play football outside Of
the colleges) when the famous
Panhandles Of Columbus appear to
play the Rock Island independ-
snts.
The history of the famous Pan
handle team is one Of the bright
spots In football annals, and the
origin and continued success of the
team has been the subject Of mag
Asine articles for a number of
years.
The origin Of the team was rath-
or unique. Back in the late nine
heB. the Pennsylvania railroad, or
% It is known through Ohio, the
Panhandle railroad company, in
statntAd a sort of postgraduate
course for engineering students Of
al Of the big colleges of the east.
This attracted about two hundred
college graduates to the Columbus
Plant OF the Panhandle, and among
them: were a number of football
stars of the previous year from
the Harvard, Yale. Penn and Cor
nell.
Time was somewhat heavy on
the hands of the fasteners on Sun
day, and the present manager of
thu Panhandles, Joe F. Carr, sug-
njsted the idea of organizing a
football team. At first 1t was
thought ridiculous, as football out
side OF colleges had never been
heard of, but the plan progressed
and a game was arranged with the
soldiers of the Columbus barracks,
one OF the largest military posts in
the country, where at that time
there were quite few graduates
Of West Point. The game was
played on Sunday, Oct. IL, 1898,
and so was launched the first in
dependent or out-of-college game
Of football ever played In the Unit
ed States.
From the humble beginning the
independent game has grown un-
til today college stars look for
ward to the end Of their college
grid days to get the big money that
Is offered in the independent game.
Through all these years, with
the opposition growing stronger
each year, the celebrated Pam
handle eleven have always remain
ed out in the front, and In the II
years of awarding the worlds IT,
tie they have come through first
seven times,
Runners.Up for Title.
In 1919, after 20 years Of contin-
nous playing, the Panhandles are
the runners-up this season for the
worlds titular honor, and through
out Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan,
and even into Canada, the Column
bus eleven are the greatest draw
ing card in the independent game.
They also hold the worlds record
for drawing the largest crowd.
when they defeated the Detroit
/ Ffsralds before q crowd Of 10000
people gathered In Navin field in
OGkroit. Last Sunday at Dayton,
Chic, the park was 30 crowded the
management had to quit selling
tickets a half hour before game
time.
Many distinctive features make
the Panhandles the most sought
after team in the country, and an
nually their schedule is Allied long
before the first college team starts
to practice. It was only through
persistence and the offer Of a large
gunrantee and the privilege Of a
+ lafxU Share of the gate receipts
that they were induced to come to
Rock Island, and Manager Flani-
eAus deserves the support Of every
football fan in this part Of the
i country for his efforts in bringing
this great team to Rock Island.
~ Six Brothers.
Some Of the notable features OF
thu Panhandles are the fact that
the team has six brothers all play