The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-18
Football in Rock Island.

1t should be matter Of pride with citizens
generally that Rock Island is known as being
the home of one of the strongest professional
football teams in the country The Rock Island
Independents, now entering upon their 18th
season, are affiliated with the National Football
association. The association has a playing
schedule that will bring to Rock Island teams
representing several large cities and that will
send the Independents to those cities for con-
tests. Aside from the fine sport that will be
supplied to home lovers of football, the team
will prove a valuable advertising asset to Rock
Island, both excellent arguments why the or
ganization should be loyalty supported. Some
of the nations most famous football stars will
play with the Independents the present season.
The Rock Island Independents should be
maintained as local institution. The team has
not been commercialized to the extent that it is
a bonanza for anybody identified with its dfrec-
tion OF course the players are men who re-
ceive generous salaries. Otherwise their ser
vices could not be secured. Rock Island must
bid against other cities for these players. Last
season the men who financed the team were
obliged to meet considerable deficit, but they
are real football fans, and they determined
| that encouragement would not cause them to
surrender their franchise in the National Foot
ball association, believing that improved con-
ditons this season would give them nearer a
| break than was the case year ago.,
| Walter Flanagan is the football wizard of
Rock Island He puts his whole heart and soul
into the management of the Independents. He
has been the guiding genius of the team for
| ~
| for placing Rock Island on the national foot
ball map. Flanagan is known over the country
as one of the ablest football managers in pro-
| fessional company, and has had any number Of
/ offers to transfer the Independents to cities
largeh than Rock Island.
| But Rock Island is Flanigan's home and he
| would rather give the team to his home town
| than to some other city. But he wants the bus
mess people and the fans to see him through
financially He has assumed a heavy financial
responsibility, in association with several low
ers of the sport, and has enough faith in Rock
Island to believe that he will receive the CO.
operation that he must have to put the organi-
zaeion successfully over the present season.
= Flanagan has engaged James Councilman as
his field manager. Councilman is not stranger
in Rock Island. He was with the independents
last year, giving brilliant account Of himself
and during the past season managed the local
Mississippi Valley baseball team and did very
well in the latter position considering that ii
! was his initial experience in that capacity in
baseball. ta
Rock Island has always been loyal to the
Independents, and in return for that, loyalty
local followers of the game are going to have
an opportunity to witness at home as fast ar
article Of football as will be seen in any other
city in the country during the present season
The management proposes holding the gate
admission at level where it will be possible
for everybody to witness the games It's a
good time right now to begin boosting for the
Independents Rock Island is on the national
football map. and let's keep it there The way
to do 1t is to cooperate with Manager Flanagan
In the efforts he is making to finance the team
Football fans here are lucky that they have q
live wire like Flanagan engineering the Indie
pendents One of less enthusiasm and faiti
would have abandoned his task long ago.