The Rock Island Islanders was the primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...

, one of the

Quad Cities The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...

, between 1892 and 1937. Rock Island teams played as members of the

Illinois–Iowa League The Illinois–Iowa League was a Minor league baseball league which operated in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana from 1890 to 1892. History The Illinois–Iowa League began play in 1890 and was nicknamed as the "Two I League". The Aurora Hoodoos, ...

(1892),

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Western ...

(1894), Eastern Iowa League (1895), Western Association (1898–1899),

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The league began pla ...

( Three-I League) (1901–1911),

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, as it was essentially renamed from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association ran continuously through 1917. It was reorganized thirty yea ...

(1914), Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1916–1917, 1920–1921),

Mississippi Valley League The Mississippi Valley League (MVL) was a baseball Class D level minor league that operated from 1922 through 1933. Playing its last year as a Class B level league, the league franchises were based in Iowa and Illinois. Like many leagues at the ...

(1922–1933) and Western League (1934–1937). The Rock Island Islanders were affiliates of the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

in 1932 and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in 1933. Beginning in 1920, Rock Island played home games at

Douglas Park Douglas Park was a football stadium in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, the home ground of Hamilton Academical from 1888 to 1994. The stadium holds the record for Hamilton Academical's largest ever attendance, 28,690 people against Hearts in 1 ...

, sharing the field with the

Rock Island Independents 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 ...

, a charter

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

franchise.

History

Beginning in 1879, Quad City professional baseball history includes minor League teams based in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline, Illinois, East M ...

, Rock Island, Illinois and nearby

Kewanee, Illinois Kewanee () is a city in Henry County, Illinois, United States. "Kewanee" is the Winnebago word for greater prairie chicken, which lived there. The population was 12,509 at the 2020 census, down from 12,944 in 2000. Geography According to the ...

. The 1879 Davenport Brown Stockings began minor league play as members of the

Northwestern League The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for five seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, and 1886–1887. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the We ...

. Rock Island first fielded a team in the 1894

and other Rock Island teams played as members of the Western Association 1899), Eastern Iowa League (1895) and

(1892). Rock Island first played 1883 as an Independent League team. The 1892 Rock Island-Moline Twins played in the final season of the Illinois-Iowa League, which folded after the season. In 1894, Rock Island played in the Western Association as the Rock Island-Moline Islanders. Rock Island captured the 1894 Western Association Championship with a record of 72–50. In 1901, the "Rock Island Islanders" began play as charter members of the

, along with the

Bloomington Blues Bloomington may refer to: Places U.S.A. (most commonly) * Bloomington, Illinois *Bloomington, Indiana * Bloomington, Minnesota U.S.A. (less commonly) * Bloomington, California * Bloomington, Idaho * Bloomington, Kansas * Bloomington, Maryland * ...

, Cedar Rapids Rabbits,

Davenport River Rats Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta ** District Council of Davenport, former local gover ...

Decatur Commodores The Decatur Commodores were a professional minor league baseball team based in Decatur, Illinois that played for 64 seasons. The Commodores are the primary ancestor of today's Kane County Cougars. They played, with sporadic interruptions, from ...

Evansville River Rats The Evansville River Rats were a professional minor league baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They played from 1901 to 1902 in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (the "Three-I" League) and from 1903 to 1910 and 1914 to 1915 in the Cen ...

Rockford Red Sox Rockford or Rockfords may refer to: Places United States * Rockford, Illinois, a city, the largest municipality of this name *Rockford, Alabama, a town * Rockford, Idaho, a census-designated place * Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois, a United S ...

and

Terre Haute Hottentots The Terre Haute Hottentots were a Minor League Baseball team from Terre Haute, Indiana, that played in the Northwestern League in 1891, Illinois–Iowa League in 1892, Western Interstate League in 1895, Western League in 1895, Class C Central ...

. Rock Island played in the league until 1921. The Rock Island Tri-Cities played in the only season of the Eastern Iowa League in 1895, but were expelled from the league on June 14, 1895 (along with the Clinton Bridegrooms) with a 14–18 record. In 1898, playing in the Western Association, the Islanders disbanded after two other teams had already disbanded that season, causing the Western Association to disband on June 26, 1998. In 1899, the Islanders were in 1st place (28–8), when the Western Association disbanded on June 16, 1899. All the early Rock Island teams were managed by Rock Island native

Harry Sage Harry Sage (March 16, 1864 – May 27, 1947), nicknamed "Doc", was a Major League Baseball catcher in 1890 for the Toledo Maumees of the American Association. He was a native of Rock Island, Illinois. In his only major league season, Sage pl ...

. The Rock Island Islanders won two Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League Championships in an era without playoffs, finishing 84–47 in 1907 and 90–48 in 1909. Both teams were managed by

Jack Tighe John Thomas Tighe ( – ), pronounced "tie", was an American minor league baseball player and a coach, manager and scout for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. Biography Born in Kearny, New Jersey, Tighe joined the professional rank ...

. After the Islanders finished last, with a record of 58–79, in the 1911 Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. Rock Island was replaced by the

Springfield Senators The Springfield Senators were a minor league baseball team based in Springfield, Illinois that played on-and-off from 1889 to 1935. The team played in the Central Interstate League (1889), the Three-I League (1904-1912, 1925–1932, 1935) and the Mi ...

in the 1912 Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. With the Rock Island and Davenport hosting teams in this era, in 1914 a third Quad City minor league team was added. The 1914

Moline Plowboys The Moline Plowboys was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Moline, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities. Moline teams played as members the 1892 Illinois-Iowa League, 1894 Western Association, the Mississippi Valley League (1 ...

joined the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. Moline claimed league championships in 1915, 1921 and 1937. A fourth area minor league team, the nearby Kewanee Boilermakers were members of the

from 1908 to 1913 and 1948 to 1949. The Rock Island Islanders briefly regained a franchise in 1914, when the

member

Ottumwa Packers The Ottumwa Packers was the primary name of the minor league baseball teams that played between 1890 and 1928, based in Ottumwa, Iowa. Ottumwa teams played as members of the Illinois-Iowa League (1890–1891), Eastern Iowa League (1895), Weste ...

moved to Rock Island on July 17, 1914. However, on July 24, 1914, after a few games in Rock Island, the franchise was forced to play the remainder of the season in

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria. At the 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical ...

after the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League ruled against having a league team placed in the territory of the Moline Plowboys. The team played as the

Galesburg Pavers Galesburg is the name of some places in the United States of America: *Galesburg, Illinois, the largest city in the US named Galesburg *Galesburg, Iowa *Galesburg, Kansas *Galesburg, Michigan *Galesburg, Jasper County, Missouri *Galesburg, Putnam Co ...

in their remaining 1914 games. Galesburg did not return in 1915. In 1916, the Rock Island Islanders rejoined the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League, playing alongside the

and

Davenport Blue Sox The Davenport Blue Sox was the name given to three minor league baseball teams based in Davenport, Iowa. The first version of the Blue Sox played in the Class B Three-I League from 1913–1916. The second played in the Class D Mississippi Valle ...

. Rock Island was in 4th place (36–25) when the Three-I League halted play on July 8, 1917. The league did not return in 1918, with the nation invested in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, but resumed in 1919 without Rock Island. The Islanders rejoined the league in 1920–1921, finishing last in both seasons. Overall, the Islanders played in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in 1901–1911, 1916–1917 and 1920–1921. Rock Island joined the 1922

as a charter member, along with the

Cedar Rapids Bunnies Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

, Dubuque Climbers,

Marshalltown Ansons The Marshalltown Ansons were a minor league baseball team that played in the Central Association from 1914 to 1917 and in the Mississippi Valley League from 1922 to 1928. They were located in Marshalltown, Iowa. History The team was named for H ...

, Ottumwa Cardinals and

Waterloo Hawks The Waterloo Hawks were a National Basketball League and National Basketball Association team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The Hawks remain the only sports franchise ever based in Iowa from any of the current Big Four Leagues. Franchise history ...

. The Mississippi Valley League was founded by Rock Island native Michael H. Sexton. Sexton was then president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, after having served as president of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. The Rock Island Islanders remained as members of the Mississippi Valley for the league's entire existence (1922–1933). The Moline Plowboys joined the Mississippi Valley League in 1923 and the Davenport Blue Sox in 1928. In 1922, the Islanders were managed by

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

member

Jimmy Conzelman James Gleason Dunn Conzelman (March 6, 1898 – July 31, 1970) was an American football player and coach, baseball executive, and advertising executive. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 and was selected in 1969 as a qua ...

, who also played for the 1922 team. Conzelman was a player on the

pro football team. The Rock Island Islanders and

faced each other in the Mississippi Valley League Championship series in 1932 and 1933. Rock Island won the 1932 Championship, defeating Davenport in six games. Davenport defeated the Islanders to win the 1933 Championship in the final season of the Mississippi Valley League. After joining the Western League in 1934, the Islanders were 19–46 in the 1935 Western League, when the franchise folded on July 17, 1935. In 1936, the

Omaha Robin Hoods Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

of the Western League moved to Rock Island on August 18, 1936 after their ballpark was destroyed by fire. The franchise was called the Rock Island Islanders for the remainder of the 1936 season. The Rock Island Islanders played their final season in 1937, as both Rock Island and the Davenport Blue Sox were both members of the Western League in 1937. The Rock Island Islanders franchise folded permanently on July 7, 1937. The Western League itself then folded after the season. Rock Island captured league championships in 1894, 1899, 1907, 1909 and 1932. Today, the Quad Cities is represented in minor league baseball by the

Quad City River Bandits Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...

, with the Davenport, Iowa based franchise beginning play in 1960. Douglas Park - Historical Society

The ballparks

Rock Island teams, until 1917, played home minor league games at the 12th Street Grounds. The ballpark was located on the North end of 12th street, near the railroad tracks in Rock Island, Illinois. Beginning in 1920, the Islanders hosted minor league home games at

. The historic park and ballfield are still in use today. Notably, Douglas Park also was the site of the first

game on September 26, 1920, hosted by the

. Douglas Park is located at 18th Avenue & 10th Street, Rock Island, Illinois, 61201.

Timeline

Notable alumni

Varney Anderson Varney Samuel "Varn" Anderson ( – ) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Indianapolis Hoosiers and the Washington Senators. Professional career Early minor league years Anderson played professionally at least as early as 18 ...

(1898) *

Harry Bay Harry Elbert "Deerfoot" Bay (January 17, 1878 – March 19, 1952) was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from 1901 to 1908. Bay played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Bronchos/Naps. Early life He atte ...

(1916) 2x AL Stolen Base Leader * Julio Bonetti (1934–1935) *

Pat Caraway Cecil Bradford Patrick Caraway (September 26, 1905, in Erath County, Texas – June 9, 1974, in El Paso, Texas) was a Major League Baseball player who played pitcher from -. He played for the Chicago White Sox. He is buried in Gordon Cemetery in Go ...

(1927) * Charlie Case (1903) * Pug Cavet (1910) *

(1922, MGR)

* Como Cotelle (1926) *

Bert Cunningham Ellsworth Elmer "Bert" Cunningham (November 25, 1865 – May 14, 1952), was a Major League Baseball pitcher from 1887 to 1901. He played for the Brooklyn Grays, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Athletics, Buffalo Bisons, Louisville Colonels, an ...

(1892) *

Ed Cushman Edgar Leander Cushman (March 27, 1852 – September 26, 1915) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from – for five teams in three different Major leagues spanning his six-year career. Career Ed was born in Eagleville, Ohio, a ...

(1892) *

Johnny Dickshot John Oscar Dickshot (born John Oscar Dicksus, January 24, 1910 – November 4, 1997), nicknamed "Ugly" Johnny Dickshot, was an American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New Yo ...

(1932, 1934) *

Pop Dillon Frank Edward Dillon (October 17, 1873 – September 12, 1931), known in later years as Pop Dillon, was an American baseball player and manager. He played 22 seasons in professional baseball from 1894 to 1915, including five years in Major League ...

(1898) *

Red Dooin Charles Sebastian "Red" Dooin (June 12, 1879 – May 12, 1952) was an American professional baseball player and Manager (baseball), manager. A catcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century, he played 1,219 of h ...

(1899) * Tommy Heath (1932) * Hunter Hill (1902) *

Fred Hofmann Fred Hofmann (June 10, 1894 – November 19, 1964), nicknamed "Bootnose", was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. From 1919 to 1928, he played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees an ...

(1917) * Al Hollingsworth (1931–33) *

Charlie Hollocher Charles Jacob Hollocher (June 11, 1896 – August 14, 1940) was a professional baseball player who was a shortstop in Major League Baseball. Biography Born in St. Louis, Hollocher was a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs from 1918 to 1924. His cous ...

(1916) 1918 NL Hits Leader *

Joe Hoover Robert Joseph Hoover (April 15, 1915 – September 2, 1965) was an American professional baseball player from 1937 to 1946. He played three years in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Detroit Tigers from 1943 to 1945. He also played s ...

(1937) *

Baby Doll Jacobson William Chester "Baby Doll" Jacobson (August 16, 1890 – January 16, 1977) was an American baseball outfielder. He played 11 seasons of Major League Baseball, principally with the St. Louis Browns, between 1915 and 1927. He also played for the ...

(1910–11) * Si Johnson (1928) * Arndt Jorgens (1926) *

Harry Kimberlin Harry Lydle Kimberlin (March 13, 1909 – December 31, 1999) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwa ...

(1932) *

Bill Krieg William Frederick Krieg (January 29, 1859 – March 25. 1930) was a Major League Baseball player from 1884 to 1887.

(1894) *

Tacks Latimer Clifford Wesley "Tacks" Latimer (November 30, 1875 – April 24, 1936) was an American professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants, Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, a ...

(1903) * Glenn Liebhardt (1904) * Clarence Mitchell (1936) * Tim O'Rourke (1899) * Russ Scarritt (1936) *

Boss Schmidt Charles "Boss" Schmidt (September 12, 1880 – November 14, 1932) was an American baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) A native of Arkansas, Schmidt played professional baseball from 1901 to 1926, including six ...

(1903) * Al Schweitzer (1921) *

Elmer Stricklett Elmer Griffin Stricklett (August 29, 1876 – June 7, 1964) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and Brooklyn Superbas from 1904 through 1907. Including his time in mi ...

(1899) * Harry Swacina (1909) * Bill Sweeney (1904–05) *

Phil Weintraub Philip Weintraub (October 12, 1907 – June 21, 1987) was an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. Weintraub played for 13 minor league teams, for whom he had an aggregate batting average of .337, as well as for the New Yo ...

(1926) * Butch Weis (1920) * Paul Zahniser (1937)

External links

Baseball Reference

References

{{Cincinnati Reds Defunct minor league baseball teams

Rock Island Islanders The Rock Island Islanders was the primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Rock Island, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities, between 1892 and 1937. Rock Island teams played as members of the Illinois–Iowa League (1892), Western Ass ...