A group of Quad-Cities football historians are putting on a 1920s style 9-on-9 flag football game, to be held on Sunday, Aug. 23, at Douglas Park in Rock Island. The pregame festivities will start at 1:30 p.m., with the kickoff at 2. Simon Herrera and Chris Zimmerman are the organizers of the event.
The purpose of the game is to bring awareness to the pro football history at Douglas Park and to the local football history of Rock Island, Moline and the entire Quad-Cities.
The teams will be wearing custom designed replica jerseys, replica leather helmets and using a 1920s style melon football.
Rock Island and Moline were home to several amateur, semi-pro and professional football organizations that played yearly contests in the park dating as far back as the early 1900s.
The teams selected to represent the era are the Rock Island Independents and the Moline Universal Tractors. Despite both teams existing in 1920, they never played each other.
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The Independents grew from a small neighborhood team to become one of the original members in the National Football League in 1920, (the year it was formed).The Moline Universal Tractors are famous for being the first opponent of the Chicago Bears (at the time known as the Decatur Staleys) in their first season in the NFL (1920).
No admission will be charged. The public is invited to fill the park as it did back in 1920. Bring a chair or blanket and cheer on your favorite past-time team in this leather-head, throwback vintage American football game. The game will go on rain of shine.
Happy Joe’s Pizza and Bent River Brewing Co. will be on hand.
