Rock Island Independents

The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team, based in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1907 to 1926. They hosted what has been retrospectively designated the first National Football League game on September 26, 1920. Pro Football Hall of Fame alumni Jimmy Conzelman (1920–1921), Joe Guyon (1924), Ed Healey ( 1920–1922), Duke Slater (1922–1926), and Jim Thorpe (19 24–1925) played for the Independent. In 1926, they left the NFL to become a charter member of the first American Football League, the only NFL team to do so. They then folded along with the entire league in 1927.Summarize the following text using ONLY facts from it. Do NOT invent references, emails, or links. If the text doesn't mention something, leave it out. For more information, visit the NFL.com/Independents website. for more information about the NFL and the American Football Association. for the NFL/AFL website.For more information on the NFL, go to the NFL website.