The Pro Football League of America (PFLA) began play in 1965, with the Rock Island Raiders becoming a charter franchise in the six–team league. The Des Moines Warriors, Grand Rapids Blazers, Joliet Explorers,[1]Lincoln Comets and Omaha Mustangs franchises joined the Rock Island Raiders as charter members of the league. The Professional Football League of America evolved from the disbanded United Football League, and began play in the fall of 1965. The Rock Island Raiders were preceded in Rock Island, Illinois professional football play by the Rock Island Independents, who were an original National Football League franchise before disbanding in 1926.[2][3]
In their first season of play, the Rock Island Raiders ended the 1965 PFLA season in last place with a record of 1–9, playing under head coach Paul Suverkrup. On October 2, 1965 the Raiders defeated the Des Moines Warriors 28–20 at Douglas Park for their only win of the season. The Joliet Explorers won the PFLA championship.[4]
In 1966, the Rock Island Raiders franchise changed names and location to become the "Quad City" Raiders, playing home games in neighboring Davenport, Iowa. The Lincoln Comets franchise did not return to Pro Football League of America play and were not replaced, with the PFLA playing 1966 with five teams.[5] The Quad City Raiders again finished last in the standings with a record of 1–9, playing under head coach Frank Abbott. The Raiders one league win was a forfeit to the disbanded Grand Rapids Shamrocks franchise. The Raiders did win two non league games, defeating the Canton Centaurs, playing in Canton, Illinois and Kansas City All Stars, in a game played in Rock Island, Illinois.[6] The Omaha Mustangs won the PFLA championship game, defeating the Des Moines Warriors.[7] Chuck McLeod of the Quad Cities was named to the 1966 All–PFLA team.[8][9]
The Quad Cities Raiders continued play in 1967, the final season of the Pro Football League of America.[10] To begin the season, the PFLA had expanded, adding the Alabama Hawks, Chicago Owls and Oklahoma City Plainsmen franchises. The 1967 league played in two divisions, with the Quad Cities placed in the Western Division. The Quad City Raiders finished the season winless, with an 0–12 record, playing under head coach Jack Morton and finishing 3rd in their division. In 1967, the Alabama Hawks won the Western Division with a 9–3 record and lost the league's championship game 31–20 to the Joliet Chargers, who had won the Eastern Division with a 10–2 record.[11][1]
The PFLA permanently folded following the 1967 season. In February 1968, the Continental Football League expanded to include some PFLA teams and the Quad Cities Raiders briefly continued play in the Continental Football League.[12]
In 1968, the Quad Cities Raiders started their initial Continental Football League season with an 0–2 record before the franchise relocated. After losing their first two games in 1968 and coming off of a 21–9 home loss to the Chicago Owls, the Raiders were scheduled to play their next week's game at the Indianapolis Capitols. In the week preceding the game, Indianapolis businessman Thomas Redmond purchased the Quad Cities franchise and announced the franchise would relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada and become the Las Vegas Cowboys. The new Las Vegas Cowboys subsequently lost to the Indianapolis Capitols, 41–0 on September 14, 1968.[13][14]
At the time the Quad Cities Raiders relocated to Las Vegas, a Las Vegas Cowboys franchise was playing as members of the Western Football League, with Las Vegas holding a 1–1 record in that league. The franchise then forfeited the Cowboys' remaining Western Football League games, leaving that league to play the remainder of the 1968 Continental Football League schedule. Featuring five players from the Quad Cities roster and compiling a 1–9 record based in Las Vegas, the Quad Cities/Las Vegas team finished the 1968 season with a 1–11 overall record.[15][14]
Later, a "Quad City Raiders" team played football as members of the amateur Mid States Football League, beginning in 2012.[16][17][18]
The stadiums
In 1965, the Rock Island Raiders played football home games at Douglas Park. The Raiders were preceded in football play at Douglas Park by the Rock Island Independents, who were an original National Football League franchise. On September 26, 1920, the Rock Island Independents had hosted the first NFL game ever played at Douglas Park. Douglas Park is still in use today as a public park. It is located at 18th Avenue and 9th Street, Rock Island, Illinois.[19][20]
The Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team, based in Rock Island, Illinois, from 1907 to 1926. The Independents were a founding National Football League franchise. They hosted what has been retrospectively designated the first National Football League game on September 26, 1920 at Douglas Park. The Independents were founded in 1907 by Demetrius Clements as an independent football club. Hence, the team was named the "Independents."
The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It owed its name, at least in part, to the Continental League, a proposed third Major League Baseball organization that influenced MLB significantly, although they never played a game.
The United Football League was a professional american football minor league that operated between 1961 and 1964. It had eight teams, primarily based in the Midwestern United States.
The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid a base salary of $100 per game and had 36 players on each active roster.
Robert Melville Lee is a former American football quarterback and punter. He played college football for Arizona State, City College of San Francisco, and Pacific. He was selected 441st overall in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He also played for the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams.
The Alabama Hawks were a professional American football team based in Huntsville, Alabama. They were members of various minor league football circuits in the 1960s: the Southern Football League (1963–64); the North American Football League (1965–66), the Professional Football League of America (1967), and finally the Continental Football League during the league's last two years (1968–1969). While in the CoFL, the Hawks played in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference. During the 1968 season, the team was also known as the Huntsville Hawks.
Douglas Park is a public park located at 18th Avenue and 10th Street in Rock Island, Illinois.
The Huntsville Rockets were a professional American football team based in Huntsville, Alabama, from 1962 to 1966. They played their home games at Goldsmith–Schiffman Field.
Robert Keith Humphreys, better known as Bob Humphreys, is a former American football placekicker who played two seasons with the Denver Broncos of the American Football League. He first enrolled at Long Beach City College before transferring to the Wichita State University. He attended David Starr Jordan High School in Long Beach, California. Humphreys was also a member of the Long Beach Admirals and Las Vegas Cowboys of the Continental Football League.
The 1969 COFL season was the fifth and final season of the Continental Football League (COFL). Following the season, nine of the league's remaining teams split from the league, with five forming the Trans-American Football League and four joining the Atlantic Coast Football League.
The Las Vegas Cowboys were a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their roots can be traced to the independent Quad City Raiders, who joined the new Professional Football League of America as the Rock Island Raiders in 1965. The Raiders remained in the PFLA until its merger with the Continental Football League in 1968. After losing their first two regular-season contests in 1968, the Raiders were set to play the Indianapolis Capitols in Indiana. Instead, Indianapolis businessman Thomas Redmond swiftly purchased the club and announced the team would be known as the Las Vegas Cowboys
The Texas Football League (TFL) was a low-level American football minor league that operated in primarily in the United States from 1966 through 1968, and again between 1970 and 1971 as a new incarnation called the Trans-American Football League (TAFL).
The Omaha Mustangs were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska. They began as an independent, semi-pro team in the early 1960s before joining the Professional Football League of America, a newly formed league based on remnants of the United Football League, in 1965. The Mustangs won the PFLA championship in their second season by defeating the Des Moines Warriors in a playoff game in front of 4,530 spectators. The Mustangs were affiliated with the Kansas City Chiefs for the 1967 season.
The Midwest Football League (MFL) was a low-level professional American football minor league that played games from 1962 to 1978. The league was based mainly in Michigan, until the collapse of the Continental Football League in 1969, when it became more of a regional league.
The Professional Football League of America (PFLA) was an American football minor league that operated in the Midwest region of the United States from 1965 through 1967. With franchises based in the Midwest, the league played three seasons before merging some teams into the Continental Football League.
The Des Moines Warriors were a professional American football team based the Des Moines, Iowa from 1965 to 1967. In 1965, the Warriors became charter members of the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) and played exclusively in the league.
The Joliet Chargers was the final nickname of the professional American football franchise based in Joliet, Illinois from 1964 to 1967. The Joliet Explorers played the 1964 season as members of the United Football League. In 1965, Joliet became charter members of the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) and played the next three seasons in the league. The 1967 Joliet Chargers were an affiliate of the San Diego Chargers.
The Lincoln Comets were an professional American football team based in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1965. The Comets joined the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) as charter members.
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