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The 1921 Rock Island Independents season was their second completed in the young American Professional Football Association (APFA), later rechristened the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their previous record against league opponents of 6–2–2, winning only four games.[1] They finished fifth in the league.[2]
| 1921 Rock Island Independents season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Walter Flanigan |
| Head coach | Frank Coughlin and Jimmy Conzelman |
| Home field | Douglas Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–2–1 Overall 4–2–1 APFA |
| League place | 5th in APFA |
The team was broadly supported by the community of Rock Island, Illinois. For away games the local newspaper, the Rock Island Argus, put up a large gridboard outside its offices and kept up with the game by direct wire, marking the position of the ball on the board.[3] Large crowds were attracted to follow the action, with more than 2,000 people blocking Second Avenue to follow the progress of the Green Bay Packers game on October 30.[3]
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 2 | Detroit Tigers | T 0–0 | 0–0–1 | Douglas Park | 3,304 | Recap | [4] | |
| 2 | October 10 | at Chicago Staleys | L 10–14 | 0–1–1 | Staley Field | 4,000 | Recap | [5][6] | |
| 3 | October 16 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 14–7 | 1–1–1 | Normal Park | 4,000 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 23 | at Detroit Tigers | W 14–0 | 2–1–1 | Navin Field | 3,000 | Recap | [7] | |
| 5 | October 30 | at Green Bay Packers | W 13–3 | 3–1–1 | Hagemeister Park | 6,000 [8] | Recap | [9][10][11] | |
| 6 | November 6 | Minneapolis Marines | W 14–3 | 4–1–1 | Douglas Park | < 2,000 | Recap | [12] | |
| 7 | November 13 | at Chicago Staleys | L 0–3 | 4–2–1 | Cubs Park | 6,000 | Recap | [13][14][15] | |
| – | November 20 | Duluth Knights of Columbus | W 28–0 | 5–2–1 | Douglas Park | 800 | — | [16] | |
| Note: Games in italics indicate a non-league opponent. | |||||||||
| APFA standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| Chicago Staleys | 9 | 1 | 1 | .900 | 128 | 53 | T1 | ||
| Buffalo All-Americans | 9 | 1 | 2 | .900 | 211 | 29 | L1 | ||
| Akron Pros | 8 | 3 | 1 | .727 | 148 | 31 | W1 | ||
| Canton Bulldogs | 5 | 2 | 3 | .714 | 106 | 55 | W1 | ||
| Rock Island Independents | 4 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 65 | 30 | L1 | ||
| Evansville Crimson Giants | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 89 | 46 | W1 | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 3 | 2 | 1 | .600 | 70 | 55 | L1 | ||
| Dayton Triangles | 4 | 4 | 1 | .500 | 96 | 67 | L1 | ||
| Chicago Cardinals | 3 | 3 | 2 | .500 | 54 | 53 | T1 | ||
| Rochester Jeffersons | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 85 | 76 | W2 | ||
| Cleveland Tigers | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 95 | 58 | L1 | ||
| Washington Senators | 1 | 2 | 0 | .334 | 21 | 43 | L1 | ||
| Cincinnati Celts | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 14 | 117 | L2 | ||
| Hammond Pros | 1 | 3 | 1 | .250 | 17 | 45 | L2 | ||
| Minneapolis Marines | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 37 | 41 | L1 | ||
| Detroit Tigers | 1 | 5 | 1 | .167 | 19 | 109 | L5 | ||
| Columbus Panhandles | 1 | 8 | 0 | .111 | 47 | 222 | W1 | ||
| Tonawanda Kardex | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 45 | L1 | ||
| Muncie Flyers | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 28 | L2 | ||
| Louisville Brecks | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 27 | L2 | ||
| New York Brickley Giants | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 72 | L2 | ||
The following individuals appeared in at least one game for the 1921 Rock Island Independents.[17] The total number of NFL games in which they saw action in 1921 follows in parentheses.
There were two future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the roster — tackle Ed Healey and quarterback Jimmy Conzelman, both members of the hall's second class, inducted in September 1964.[18]
Linemen
Backs
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