The Eagles run out the clock, improving their record to 3-0. In 1922, Flanigan sold the contract of Ed Healey, to Halas and the Chicago Bears for $200. Illinois minor leagues serve up top quality action every season. It is likely that Canton's player/coach Jim Thorpe and owner Ralph Hay felt that Flanigan could not deliver on his $5,000 guarantee. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, there were no games to be played on the two artificial turf fields, or anywhere else for that matter. "You don't have to deal with the crowds," says fan Joel Bultsma of Alsip, holding his 3-year-old son, Joshua, along the fence near the Force bench. View source. Defeated Chicago Bears 76. For information on the playoffs or the Force, phone 312-445-2947. To help cover league fees, the Force charges its players $150, which pays for the home and away jerseys players can keep after the season and for the league's annual team participation fee. The other 10 are: 3 executives, 2 coaches, 2 pioneers, 1 official, 1 trainer, and 1 media person. In the past, semi-pro football has kicked off the careers of such stars as former Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas and such coaches as former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh. The Eastern Wisconsin Slayers is a adult semi-pro football team that participates in the Northern Lights Football. "This is a very good No. Currently, in addition to the Force and the DuPage Eagles, Chicago area teams include the Panthers, Thunder and Chargers, all based in Chicago, and the Lake County Chiefs. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. After the game, VonHolt has mixed feelings as his team's record drops to 2-1. The meeting was again at Canton owner Ralph Hay's Hupmobile dealership in Canton and Independents owner Walter Flanigan was present to represent the Independents. One of the first professional football teams, the Independents were founded in 1907 by Demetrius Clements as an independent football club. Much like baseball's minor league system, semi-pro football had the financial support of National Football League teams before the NFL merged with the American Football League in the 1960s, Real said. Theyve posted a winning record every one of their 24 seasons, gone to playoffs 19 times and won four championships. 2009 saw the Chicago Mustangs, Indianapolis Stampede, McHenry County Pirates, Kilbourn City Hawks, and Lincoln-Way Patriots join, as well as the Bolingbrook Buccaneers change their name to the Joliet Buccaneers. October 4, 1925. In 1926, football star Red Grange and his agent, C. C. Pyle, formed the American Football League (AFL) after Pyle was denied ownership of an NFL franchise in New York City. See them play at Allstate Arena, Rosemont. Douglas Park. "My main goal is to win a semi-pro national championship," said Kurt Baldyga, 28, of Crestwood, the Force's place kicker for eight years and a graduate of Marist High School in Chicago. The 34-year-old wide receiver said he was excited for the Royals' first preseason game, the. The UFL will host the first year of the UFL Semi-Pro Draft in Atlanta, Georgia. Although the Roscoe Rush left the MSFL to compete in the Ironman Football League, 2006 saw two new teams join (the Mid-State Steel and the Lafayette Lions). Cubs Park (Wrigley Field) 8,000. We've put together a list of facts so you can understand everything there is to know about Revolution Football: We have five to six home games every year, We practice weekly, both in person and virtually, New players pay $250 and returning players pay $150, Our games are held on Saturdays at the Rockton Sports Complex, We're proud to be fierce competitors and championship contenders. Rock Island left the NFL to join the new league. Clipping found in Chicago Tribune in Chicago, Illinois on Jul 13, 1980. Once again, the Detroit Seminoles reigned supreme, capping another perfect season with another title game win, defeating the Marauders by a score of 43-10. Fill out an application today. In 2010, the Roscoe Rush will return to the MSFL, and the MSFL will welcome the legendary Racine Raiders into their fold, forming a cross-town rivalry with the defending MSFL champions Racine Threat. At the start of the third quarter, the Cyclones recovered a surprise onside kick starting the second half and went on to score and took a 13-6 lead.The Cougars rallied late, picking off a pass and taking it back to the two-yard line and punching it in for a score, but the Cyclones would put the game out of reach with a late score and went on to win. [23], Douglas Park is located at the corner of 18th Avenue and 9th Street in Rock Island, Illinois. The Illini Panthers play in the MidStates Football League (MSFL), an adult amateur football league in the Midwest that's based in Chicago. The Independents also moved from Douglas Park in Rock Island to Browning Field in neighboring Moline, Illinois for the 1926 season. [8], From their inception until their last season, the Independents played at Douglas Park in Rock Island, Illinois, from 19071925. A new team is kicking off this year in the Bloomington-Normal area. Based in Chicago, the MSFL currently consists of 16 teams; ten in Illinois, three in Indiana, and three in Wisconsin. For much of its history the northern division was made up of the Madison Mustangs, Manitowoc Chiefs, Sheboygan Redwings and West Allis Spartans. Theyre also renowned for their pre-game pyrotechnics. See them play at Standard Bank Stadium, Crestwood. The Force starts preparing for the season in June with tryouts and a conditioning camp for prospective and returning players. Walter Flanigan was the owner of the Independents 1915 to 1923. List of professional sports teams in Illinois The following is a list of current and former professional sports teams in Illinois . [12][13], On September 26, 1920, the Independents hosted the first official game featuring a team from the APFA. See them play atLanghorst Field @ Elmhurst University. Whatever their goals, semi-pro football players must keep their day jobs. Revolution Football invites you to join our semi-pro football team in Rockford, IL. Copyright 2023 Revolution Football, all rights reserved. "Probably 20 percent of the players want to take the next step ," said Ed O'Reilly of Lisle, the offensive coordinator for the semi-pro DuPage Eagles and a coach on that level for 25 years. Field 4 is a full-size soccer field, while Field 3 is marked for both football and soccer. Most trips consist of 60 miles or greater will be chartered. "Other than that, they are big boys.". Tied Chicago Bears 33. Castellana was a retired Cook County sheriff's deputy. Dale Johnson then owned the team from 1924 until it folded, along with the rest of the American Football League in 1926. It currently has 10 teams with the Panthers in their second season. The team charges spectators at games $2 for children and $4 for adults and also generates money from a yearly team ad book and raffles. We only have two days to prepare for a team, which is difficult. But experience pays off. We will provide the local community with a fabulous experience at all Cowboys home games. The Cougars will play their second game of the season Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bunker Hill High School against the East Missouri Eagles. It specifically mentions that players should at the "bare minimum" have insurance and that teams have folded because of financial reasons. Coached by Johnny Armstrong, the Independents played their first three games at Browning Field and then played the rest of their 1926 games as a traveling team. This year, the national championship will be held on Dec. 10 in Orlando, Fla., and the winning team will take home the Arthur S. Arkush Memorial Cup, named for the founder and original publisher of Pro Football Weekly. The Eagles began the year ranked third, after losing the national championship game to the Fresno (Calif.) Bandits last December. He supplies some equipment, such as tape and chin straps, and buys other equipment, such as uniforms, which he resells to players. Three teams have won national semi-pro football championships under the MSFL banner; the Detroit Seminoles in 2002 and the Chicago Thunder in 2006 and 2008. I had contacted Alton last season about the possibility of our team playing there, before the turf was put in, said Myles, whos owned the Cougars since 1998. Louisville Firebirds Mississippi Mudcats Oklahoma City Wranglers Pittsburgh Pioneers Richmond Iron Horses Saint Louis Stampede Virginia Beach Destroyers THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE SAINT LOUIS STAMPEDE GREATER ST. LOUIS PROFESSIONAL SPRING FOOTBALL TEAM PROUD MEMBER OF THE HOME NEWS TICKETS PRO SHOP TEAM SCHEDULE STANDINGS More Every player is issued a playbook, and each week the coaching staff gives them packets of new plays for upcoming games and handouts on the formations and tendencies of opponents. The Chicago Union were founded in 2013 and compete in the Central Division of theAmerican Ultimate Disc League. Delavan, Madison (WI), Calumet City (IN) and the Chicago Hornets, Aurora Clippers and Chicago Panthers of Illinois. Try 7 Days Free to get access to 836 million+ pages, Search the Largest Online Newspaper Archive. Fifty nine seasons would go by before another professional baseball team the Miners would take the field. He added that the team position on semi-pro players isn't an indictment of their talents; instead, he said, the Bears prefer to draft college players or those who have been cut from other NFL teams.). "We skipped preseason games this year," Myles said. The team came to Rockford via Baltimore and Cincinnati, taking over from another different team named Rockford IceHogs back in 2007. Defeated Moline Fans Association 570. With Rock Island High School alumni and Olympian Sol Butler joining the squad, Rock Island went 233 in 1923, and rebounded to post winning seasons in 1924 and 1925. In 2011, the MSFL announced that the Lake Geneva Generals and the Springfield Foxes have both been accepted as the newest members of the Mid-States Football League for the upcoming 2011 season. In addition, two had won league titles in 2003 (Chicago Falcons and Lake County Chiefs). The Force foils the two-point try, leaving the Eagles with a 19-17 lead. The coroners office has completed an investigation into a body found in Troy home in December 2023 Edwardsville Publishing Company, LLC, Three face drug charges in Madison County, Lenhardt has big plans for Downtown Alton, Granite City High senior Kyla Gerhardt in area talent competition, Coroners office completes investigation into body found in Troy, Fairview Heights man faces weapons felony. [14] Thus, the Independents' Douglas Park became the site of the first ever National Football League contest. In what proved to be a fatal move, after the 1925 season Johnson moved the team to the American Football League. Founding American Football League teams for 1926 were the Boston Bulldogs, Brooklyn Horsemen, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Panthers, Los Angeles Wildcats, Newark Bears, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Quakers and the Rock Island Independents. Klepser, an Elmhurst paramedic, cares for game injuries and gives the players advice about staying in shape during the year. 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