This is a list of known American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 players who have played for the Rock Island Independents

Rock Island Independents

The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team based in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the first professional football teams, they were founded in 1907 as an independent club. They later played in what is now the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. They joined the...

of the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

, from 1920

1920 NFL season

The 1920 APFA season was the inaugural regular season of the National Football League which was called the American Professional Football Association in 1920 and 1921...

 until 1925

1925 NFL season

The 1925 NFL season was the 6th regular season of the National Football League. Five new teams entered the league: New York Giants, Detroit Panthers, Pottsville Maroons, Providence Steam Roller, and a new Canton Bulldogs team...

, and the first American Football League

American Football League (1926)

The first American Football League , sometimes called AFL I, AFLG, or the Grange League, was a professional American football league that operated in 1926. It was the first major competitor to the National Football League. Founded by C. C...

. It includes players that have played at least one match with the team.

B

Dick Barker,
Les Belding,
Joe Bernstein

Joe Bernstein (American football)

Joseph G. Bernstein was a professional football player. He played in the National Football League with the Rock Island Independents and the New York Brickley Giants. Please note that Brickley's New York Giants are not related to the modern-day New York Giants.Joe played college football at...

,
Riley Biggs,
Wes Bradshaw

Wes Bradshaw

Wesley Walker Bradshaw was an American football player and coach. He was an All-Southwest Conference back at Baylor University and was the first Southwest Conference football player to score 100 points in a single season with 119 points scored during the 1922 college football season.He earned the...

,
Lane Bridgeford,
Walt Brindley,
Walt Buland

Walt Buland

Walter Daniel Buland was a professional football player in the early National Football League. He played in the NFL for the Rock Island Independents, Green Bay Packers and Duluth Eskimos. He also played for the Minneapolis Marines prior to their entry into the NFL. Buland also played in one of the...

,
Lyle Burton,
Sol Butler

Sol Butler

Edward Solomon Butler was a multi-talented athlete who competed in football as well as track and field. He competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. That year he finished seventh in the long jump competition...

C

Mike Casteel,
Fred Chicken

Fred Chicken

Fred S. Chicken was a professional football player who spent one season in the early National Football League, then called the American Professional Football Association, with the Rock Island Independents. However he also played for the Minneapolis Marines , prior to that team's entry into the NFL...

,
Walt Clago,
Jimmy Conzelman,
Fod Cotton,
Frank Coughlin

Frank Coughlin

Francis Edward Coughlin was an American football player and coach in the American Professional Football Association...

,
Frank Coyle

Frank Coyle

Frank Coyle was an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He was born in Chicago, Illinois.In 1912 he finished eighth in the pole vault event....

D

George Dahlgren

George Dahlgren

George Dahlgren was a player in the National Football League for the Kenosha Maroons, Rock Island Independents, and the Hammond Pros from 1924 to 1926 as a guard and tackle...

,
Frank DeClerk,
Fred Denfeld

Fred Denfeld

Frederick Denfeld was a professional American football offensive lineman in the American Professional Football Association and the National Football League. He played two seasons for the Rock Island Independents and the Duluth Kelleys ....

,
Mark Devlin

Mark Devlin (American football)

Mark Henry Devlin Jr. was a professional football player. He played in the American Professional Football League with the Rock Island Independents, Cleveland Tigers and the New York Brickley Giants...

,
Bob Dinsmore,
Eddie Duggan

G

Frank Garden,
Buck Gavin

Buck Gavin

Buck Gavin was a professional American football player who played running back for seven seasons for the Buffalo, Detroit, Rock Island Independents, Green Bay Packers, and Hammond Pros. His full name was Patrick Marvin Gavin, and he was born in Amenia, NY. -References:...

,
Bill Giaver,
Alex Gorgal,
Harry Gunderson,
Joe Guyon

Joe Guyon

Joseph Napoleon Guyon was a professional American football player in the National Football League...

H

Harry Hall,
Hal Hanson

Hal Hanson

Harold William Hanson was a professional football player and head coach in the National Football League. In 1921 Hanson was a player for the Rock Island Independents. In 1923 he played for the Minneapolis Marines. By 1932 he served as the head coach of the Staten Island Stapletons...

,
Howard Hartzog,
John Hasbrouck,
Dave Hayes

Dave Hayes

David Vincent Hayes is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for two seasons for the Rock Island Independents and Green Bay Packers....

,
Ed Healey

Ed Healey

Edward Francis Healey, Jr. was a professional football player for the Rock Island Independents, and best known with the Chicago Bears.-College years:...

,
Dutch Hendrian

Dutch Hendrian

Oscar George "Dutch" Hendrian was an American actor and former American football player in the National Football League.-Football career:...

,
Ed Herman,
Chuck Hill

J

Jerry Johnson

Jerry Johnson

Jerry Johnson may refer to:*Jerry Johnson , MLB pitcher*Jerry Johnson , American football player, see 2000 NFL Draft*Jerry Johnson , NCAA men's basketball coaches win list*Jerry Johnson...

,
Jerry Jones

Jerry Jones (American football)

Jerald Joseph Jones was a professional American football player in the early National Football League. From 1920-1924, Jones played for the Decatur Staleys/Chicago Staleys , Rock Island Independents, Toledo Maroons and Cleveland Bulldogs...

,
Frank Jordan

Frank Jordan

Francis M. “Frank” Jordan is a U.S. politician, foundation executive and former Chief of Police.Jordan was born in San Francisco in 1935 and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1953...

K

Max Kadesky

Max Kadesky

Max R. Kadesky was an All-American college football player for the University of Iowa. He was a left end for Iowa’s Big Ten championship football teams in 1921 and 1922...

,
Ave Kaplan,
Emmett Keefe

Emmett Keefe

Emmett Gerlad Keefe was a guard in the National Football League.-Career:Keefe played with the Chicago Tigers during the 1920 NFL season. He would split the following season between the Rock Island Independents and the Green Bay Packers...

,
Jim Kendrick

Jim Kendrick

James Marcellus Kendrick was a professional football player during the early years of the National Football League with the Toledo Maroons, Canton Bulldogs, Louisville Brecks, Chicago Bears, Hammond Pros, Buffalo Bisons, Rochester Jeffersons, Rock Island Independents, Buffalo Rangers and the New...

,
Polly Koch

Polly Koch

Walter Henry "Polly" Koch was a player in the American Professional Football Association for the Rock Island Independents in 1920 as a guard and tackle. He played at the collegiate level at the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

,
Louie Kolls,
Joe Kraker,
Ollie Kraehe

Ollie Kraehe

Oliver Robert Kraehe was a professional football player for the Rock Island Independents in 1922. In 1923, he founded the St. Louis All Stars and served, not only as a player-coach, but as the team's manager and owner.-St...

,
Waddy Kuehl

L

Roddy Lamb,
Dutch Lauer

Dutch Lauer

Harold Sebastian "Dutch" Lauer was a player in the National Football League.-Career:Lauer split the 1922 NFL season between the Rock Island Independents and the Green Bay Packers...

,
Elmer Layden

Elmer Layden

Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...

,
Joe Little Twig

Joe Little Twig

Joseph Little Twig was a professional football player, who played during the early years of the National Football League.-Football:...

,
Charlie Lungren,
Walt Lowe,
Dewey Lyle

Dewey Lyle

Dewitt "Dewey" Wagner Lyle was a professional American football offensive lineman in the American Professional Football Association and the National Football League. He played four seasons for the Rock Island Independents and the Green Bay Packers...

M

Grover Malone

Grover Malone

John Grover Malone was a player in the National Football League.-Career:Malone played with the Chicago Tigers during the 1920 NFL season. He would split the following season between the Green Bay Packers and the Rock Island Independents...

,
Jerry Mansfield,
Bobby Marshall

Bobby Marshall

Robert Wells "Bobby" Marshall was an American sports player. He was best known for playing football, however he also competed in baseball, track, boxing and ice hockey....

,
Vince McCarthy

Vince McCarthy

Vincent John McCarthy was an NFL football player, who played for two years with the Rock Island Independents. He was 5'10", and weighed 155 lbs . He played the full back, half back, quarterback and guard positions. Born in Illinois, McCarthy attended St. Viator College.-External links:*...

,
Bud Menefee,
Charlie Mockmore

S

Bill Scarpino,
Ned Scott,
Ed Shaw

Ed Shaw

Edward "Ed" Shaw was an American socialist and lifelong member of the Socialist Workers Party.Born in Zion, Illinois, on July 13, 1923, Shaw grew up in a family of working farmers. In his youth, he rebelled against the fundamentalist religious assumptions that surrounded him in Zion...

,
Herb Sies

Herb Sies

Dale Hubert "Herb" Sies was an American football player and coach. He was born on January 2, 1893 in Ames, Iowa and attended Davenport High School. He enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, where he played football as a guard. Sies was named a consensus All-American in 1917...

,
Duke Slater

Duke Slater

Frederick Wayman "Duke" Slater was an American football player and one of the great black players of his era. Slater played for the University of Iowa in college and played professionally for ten years...

,
Hank Smith

Hank Smith

Hank "Henry" Smith was a cartoon animator, who worked for many Hollywood animation studios during the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. His work includes numerous cartoons for television, including many featuring Mr. Magoo, The Road Runner, Fat Albert, and many of the Peanuts television specials with...

,
Oke Smith

Oke Smith

Okla Eugene "Oke" Smith, also known by his nickname "Oak", was a professional American football player who played wide receiver for two seasons for the Rock Island Independents.-External links:*...

,
Dick Stahlman

Dick Stahlman

Dick Stahlman was an American football offensive lineman. He played seven seasons in the National Football League and one season in the first American Football League....

,
Basil Stanley,
Evar Swanson

Evar Swanson

Ernest Evar Swanson , was a professional baseball and football player. He played outfielder in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox...

T

George Thompson,
Fred Thomsen

Fred Thomsen

-External links:*...

,
Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe

Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...

,
Brick Travis,
Ralph Trout,
Ken Truckenmiller

W

Homer Walker,
Harry Webber,
Ralph Wiedich,
Obe Wenig,
Chet Widerquist

Chet Widerquist

Chester C. Widerquist was a professional American football player for the Milwaukee Badgers, Rock Island Independents, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Wolverines and Minneapolis Red Jackets. He attended Washington & Jefferson College and Northwestern University....

,
Mike Wilson

Mike Wilson (catcher)

Samuel Marshall "Mike" Wilson was a professional football and professional baseball player. He played four seasons in the National Football League and the first American Football League between 1922 and 1926, and part of one Major League Baseball season in 1921- Football :In 1922 Wilson was an end...

,
Pudge Wyland,
Arnie Wyman