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Muncie Flyers - 1920 by Roy Sye |
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Muncie
Indiana is an All-American city located about 85 miles south of Fort Wayne
and about 65 miles northeast of Indianapolis, located in the Gas Belt
region of east-central Indiana. Muncie, like many other cities in the
early part of the 20th century, grew by annexing neighboring
communities. Muncie was no different, annexing the communities of
Congerville, Avondale and Heekin Park, to name a few. Not much is left of
these communities other than an occasional reference to a bank, grocery
store or a city park. The
Muncie Flyers (referred to as the Congerville Flyers) date back to 1905
when they first formed a team. Playing mostly neighboring towns, the
Flyers did play against teams in larger cities such as Indianapolis, Fort
Wayne and Wabash. In 1919, the Flyers upgraded their schedule and hosted
the Cincinnati Celts and the Dayton Oakwoods. Finishing with a 4-1-1
record and winning the Muncie city championship by defeating the Avondale
AA, the future for the Flyers looked bright. On
August 29th, 1920 upon hearing the news that a professional league was
forming, manager Earl Ball started the process of gaining entry into the
league. He quickly signed the following players to contract: ·
QB - Cooney Checkeye
of Muncie ·
FB - Kenneth Huffine
Col: Purdue ·
HB - Archie Erehart
Col: Indiana ·
HB - “Dutch” Sternaman
Col: Illinois ·
E - Spencer Pope
Col: Indiana ·
E - Jess Reno ·
E - Pete Slane
of Muncie ·
T - Russell Hathaway
Col: Indiana ·
T - Bobby Berns
Col: Purdue ·
G - John Redmond
Col: Indiana ·
G - Al Feeney
Col: Notre Dame ·
G - “Babe” Hole
of Muncie ·
C - Owen Floyd
Col: Rose Holman-Poly Tech ·
Sub - Mickey Hole
of Muncie ·
Sub - Cliff Baldwin
of Muncie
(Note: All of the players listed above played in the 10/03 Rock Island game, with the exception of Dutch Sternaman, who played with the Decatur Staleys and continued as player/co-owner with the Chicago Bears and Al Feeney, who played two more years with the Canton Bulldogs.)
Although
not having a finalized schedule, Ball speculated that the Flyers first
game would be played in Canton. Ball then attended the famous September 17th
“Hupmobile Room” meeting in Canton. (You know the one about bottles of
beer in buckets, sitting on the running boards, nobody having the $100 to
pay the league fees, electing Jim Thorpe president, etc.) In the days
following the meeting, Ball continued to sign players, adding Francis
Bacon (HB) of Wabash College and “Big Ed” Davis (T) of Indiana.
Ball
came back from the meeting with confirmation that the first association
game that the Flyers were scheduled to play was in Rock Island against the
Independents on October 10th. Ball was looking to schedule a
practice game on October 3rd against the Fort Wayne Friars or
the Decatur Staleys. The Flyers ended up playing a practice game against
the local Muncie Tigers on September 26th and then playing in
Rock Island on October 3rd. Most
of what has been written about the 1920 Muncie Flyers states that the
Flyers opened the season in Rock Island and were demolished 45-0. Some
reports continue that the Flyers had also scheduled a game the following
week in Decatur against the Staleys. But when the Staleys heard about the
Flyers poor showing in Rock Island, the Staleys cancelled the game. After
that cancellation, all that is reported is that the Flyers folded for the
season and then miraculously came back to life in 1921 for another attempt
in the APFA and played 2 more APFA games in 1921 and then folded forever. As
Paul Harvey would say “Now for the rest of the story”. Yes,
the Flyers went to Rock Island for one of the first games between 2 APFA
opponents. Yes,
the Flyers got crushed by a score of 45-0. Yes,
the Flyers had a game scheduled in Decatur the following Sunday. Yes,
the Staleys cancelled the game due to the Flyers poor performance against
Rock Island. No!
the Flyers did not fold up their tents and disappear until next year. The
Flyers were unable to schedule a game for October 10th and went
idle for that week. Some of the players signed on with other local teams.
Mickey Hole and Cliff Baldwin went across town and played with the Muncie
Tigers. On October 17th, Mickey Hole and Cooney Checkeye played
for the Wabash AA, losing a close game to the strong Gas City Tigers.
Missing 2 games, the Flyers were getting back on track and scheduled 2
more games. The first was scheduled for October 31st in
Cleveland against the Tigers and the second was November 7th in
Dayton against the Triangles. During the 2 idle weeks for the Flyers, 2 other strong Muncie teams were grabbing the headlines. The Muncie Tigers defeated the Wabash AA and the Indianapolis Independents, while the Muncie Offers More AC team defeated the Jonesboro AC and the Portland-Redkey Legion. Also strong in the area was the Gas City Tigers, winning their first 5 games by a combined score of 338-9! The
Flyers ended up not playing in Cleveland on the 24th, as the
Tigers hosted the Columbus Panhandles; the Flyers practiced instead. The
October 28th, 1920 edition of the Muncie Evening Press had this
to say about the upcoming game against the Triangles: “The
Flyers club, with an all-star lineup, will play the Dayton Triangle team at
Dayton, Ohio, Sunday, November 7. Both teams are members of the newly organized
American Professional Football Conference”. Manager
Ball signed a few new players to strengthen his team; ·
(G) Tibbs of the
Wabash AA and (G) Biesmeyer of the Cincinnati Celts ·
(T) Bourbon
“Bunny” BonDurant of DePauw ·
(E) George
“Mac” McIndoe of the Fort Wayne Friars ·
(QB) Thomas of
DePauw The
new players were welcome additions to the core team of Cooney Checkeye (QB),
Mickey Hole (HB), Archie Erehart (HB), Kenneth Huffine (FB), Jess Reno
(E), Chuck Helvie (E), “Big Ed” Davis (T), Russell Hathaway (T), Bobby
Burns (T), “Babe” Hole (G) and Wilfred Smith (G). However, on game day
heavy rains washed out the game against the Triangles. A total of 11
players who were scheduled to play in the Triangle game, also played in
the October 3rd Rock Island game. This is good evidence that
the Flyer team of November 7th was the same team as the Flyer
team of October 3rd. Again
unable to schedule a game for the next 2 Sundays, several players signed
on with other teams. Cooney Checkeye, Mickey Hole, “Babe” Hole, Cliff
Baldwin, Pete Slane, Kenneth Huffine and Gus Redmond signed to play for
the Muncie Tigers on November 21st. On November 18th,
the Flyers accepted a challenge made by the Gas City Tigers for a big game
to be played in Gas City on Thanksgiving. The Gas City Tigers had won
their last 4 games by a combined score of 105-0, giving them a perfect
9-0-0 record and outscoring their opponents by an incredible margin of
443-9! The
Thanksgiving edition of the Gas City Journal had this to say about the
upcoming Thanksgiving game;
“Congerville (Muncie) has been playing in the football
association with
Akron, Canton, Dayton, Chicago and other big teams, and have been
successful…. Congerville (Muncie) will have a bunch of noted
stars in
their
lineup, and hope to humble the unbeaten Tigers.” (I’m
not sure what the definition of “successful” is, but if a sportswriter
said it, it must have been true!) The
Flyers defeated the Gas City Tigers by a score of 19-7. Halfback Mickey
Hole scored 3 minutes into the game on a 45-yard run. On the next
possession Kenneth Huffine scored and Checkeye kicked the point after,
making the score 13-0. Early in the second quarter Checkeye scored, but
failed on the point after. The Tigers finally scored early in the third
quarter, but could not cross the goal line again and the game ended with a
long awaited victory for the Flyers. The Tigers and their fans were not
satisfied with the defeat and challenged the Flyers for another game on
December 5th. Six players who played for the Flyers in the Rock
Island game also played in this game, including three-fourths of the
backfield. This is a good indication that the Flyers team on November 25th
was a similar team as the one who played against Rock Island and was
scheduled to play against Dayton. Following
the Flyers strong victory over the previously undefeated Gas City Tigers,
the Muncie Offers More AC challenged the Flyers for a game the upcoming
Sunday to decide the Muncie city championship. This game was billed as the
Flyers “a team of college stars” vs. the Offers More AC “a team of
highly skilled players”. On a muddy field at Walnut Park, frequent
fumbles by the lighter OMAC’s proved to be their downfall as the Flyers
quickly capitalized on the turnovers. Following a stern half-time lecture,
the Flyers came out quickly in the third quarter and scored, increasing
the score to 14-0. Tacking on 10 more points in the last quarter, the
Flyers won the city championship, 24-0. With most other teams in the area
being done for the season, both the Flyers and the OMAC’s expanded their
rosters and played as many as 20 different players during the game. The
Flyers again kept the same backfield with Checkeye at quarterback, Mickey
Hole and Cliff Baldwin at halfbacks and Huffine at fullback. Soon
after the Gas City Tigers loss to the Flyers, the Tigers started beating
the bushes for men to “load up” for the rematch against the Flyers.
The Tigers signed Wren, former Harvard star, and Kilrain from the famous
Kirklin team to bolster their lineup. The Flyers came into the game with
the same players that played against the OMAC’s. The game was scoreless
after the first quarter when the Flyers tried a drop-kick, which was
blocked. After an exchange of punts, Weaver of Gas City took off on an
85-yard touchdown run. Following the point after, the Tigers lead 7-0. On
the next drive, Woody of the Tigers dropped a pass in the endzone and the
ball went over on downs to the Flyers. That would be the closest the
Tigers came to scoring for the rest of the day. Early in the third
quarter, the Tigers fumbled on a punt attempt and the Flyers recovered on
the 5-yard line. Four plays later, Huffine went over for the score and the
point after was kicked for a 7-7 score. In the fourth quarter, Cooney
Checkeye took a punt and raced 60 yards for a touchdown, but failed on the
point after. The Tigers tried to rally, but fumbled on their last
possession. Final score: Muncie Flyers 13 – Gas City Tigers 7. The
Tigers ended up with a 9-2-0 record and the Flyers with a 3-1-0 record,
but the Flyers claimed the fictitious Indiana State Championship based on
their victories over the Gas City Tigers and the Muncie Offers More AC. In
summary, the Muncie Flyers should be credited with 3 more games played in
1920. Although they played non-APFA teams, the same team that started the
season played in these games. Other APFA teams played a heavy non-APFA
schedule; Rochester Jeffersons (10), Decatur Staleys (5), Buffalo
All-Americans (5), Chicago Cardinals (5), Canton Bulldogs (5), Columbus
Panhandles (5), Detroit Heralds (4) and Hammond Pros (4). Hopefully, this
article provides sufficient evidence that the Flyers did indeed continue
playing (however sporadically) after the Rock Island game. Game Results for 1920 Muncie Flyers
Sun 09/26 H Muncie Flyers vs Muncie Tigers practice game Sun 10/03 A Muncie Flyers vs @Rock Island Independents
Lost
0-45 Sun
10/10
A
Muncie Flyers vs @ Decatur Staleys cancelled Sun
10/17
no game Sun
10/24
no game Sun
10/31
A
Muncie Flyers vs @Cleveland Tigers
scheduled/cancelled Sun
11/07
A
Muncie Flyers vs @Dayton Triangles
cancelled - rain Sun
11/14
no game Sun
11/21
no game Thu
11/25
A Muncie
Flyers vs @Gas City Tigers Won
19-7 Sun
11/28 A
Muncie Flyers vs @Muncie Offers More AC Won
24-0 Sun
12/05
A
Muncie Flyers vs @Gas City Tigers Won
13-7 Final Record
3-1-0
Points Scored: 56
Points Allowed: 59
Lineups
for 1920 Muncie Flyers
*
– played in game, position unknown or did not start
-aa
– played in the game as a substitute at that position
In
the rag-tag days of the APFA, players hopped from team to team, depending
on what team was paying the most and what the match-ups were. Below
outlines all the players who played with the Flyers and how they hopped
from team to team. This list is not complete, but gives a good indication
as to how players moved around.
Cliff
Baldwin started with the Flyers, then played with the Muncie Tigers, then
finished off playing the last 3 games for the Flyers. Bardeau
played 3 games with the Tigers, then played for the Flyers on 11/25 and
11/28. Cooney
Checkeye played in all the Flyers games, and also for the Wabash AA on
10/17 and the Tigers on 11/21. Joe
Checkeye played 4 games for the Offers More AC, then 1 for the Tigers and
then for the Flyers on 11/25 and 11/28.
L.
“Toad” Checkeye, captain for the Offers More AC, and played 7 games
for them, and played for the Flyers on 12/05. Taylor
Cooper played the offensive line for 3 games with the Muncie Tigers, then
played in the final 3 games with the Flyers. Ed
Davis played for the Flyers in Rock Island then, played 8 games for the
Dayton Triangles. Ross
Etchison played 4 games for the Tigers, then played for the Flyers on
11/28. Russ
Hathaway played for the Flyers in Rock Island, then played 2 games for the
Dayton Triangles. Ken
Fulton played 3 games for the Tigers and then played for the Flyers on
11/28 and 12/05. Chuck
Helvie played for the Flyers in Rock Island, then played 5 games for the
Dayton Triangles. Hilton
played for the Tigers on 11/21 and then for the Flyers on 11/28. Babe
Hole played in all the Flyers games, and also for the Wabash AA on 10/17
and the Tigers on 11/21. Louis
Hole played for the Tigers on 11/21 and for the Flyers on 11/28. Mickey
Hole played in all the Flyers games, and also for the Tigers on 10/10,
10/24 and 11/21 and for Wabash AA on 10/17. Ray
Hollymeyer played 5 games for the Tigers and then for the Flyers on 11/28
and 12/05. Kenneth
Huffine played in all Flyers games, for the Fort Wayne Friars on 10/17 and
10/31, Kirklin on 11/14 and the Tigers on 11/21. Lafferty
played 3 games for the Tigers and for the Flyers on 11/28. Peckinpaugh
played 1 game for the Offers More AC and then for the Flyers on 11/28 and
12/05. Randall
played 4 games for the Tigers and then for the Flyers on 11/28 and 12/05. Ratican
played 4 games for the Tigers and then for the Flyers on 11/28 and 12/05. Gus
Redmond played for the Tigers on 11/21 and the Flyers on 11/7 and 11/25. Settles
played 4 games for the Tigers and then for the Flyers on 11/28. Schaefer
played 4 games for the Tigers and then for the Flyers on 11/28 and 12/05. Pete
Slane started the season with the Flyers, then played for the Tigers on
10/24 and 11/21, and then finished with the Flyers on 11/25. Dud
Williamson played 3 games for the Offers More AC, then for the Tigers on
11/21, and then for the Flyers on 11/28 and 12/05. 1920 Flyers
Team Scoring Summary
Player
Touchdowns and Type
Extra Points & FG Total
Points
Sources
Muncie
Morning Star Muncie
Evening Press Dayton
Daily News (courtesy of Mark Fenner) Gas
City (IN) Journal |
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