Rock Island Independents The Rock Island Independents was one of the first professional American football teams . They were based in Rock Island , Illinois , and played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925 and in the American Football League of 1926 . They played in Douglas Park and Browning Field . Walter Flanigan was the owner of the team from 1915 to 1923 . Then 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 . History . 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 Roche , 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 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 " . NFL . Flanigan eagerly join the new American Professional Football Association ( renamed the NFL in 1922 ) . He was present at the September 17 , 1920 meeting at Ralph Hay ' s Hupmobile 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 quarterback 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 " . First AFL . In 1926 , Red Grange and his manager , C . C . Pyle , 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 didn ' t rejoin the NFL . They played as a minor , semi - pro team in 1927 , then went out of business .