Muncie Flyers
Founded | 1905 |
---|---|
Folded | 1925 |
Based in | Muncie, Indiana , United States |
League | National Football League (1920) |
Team history | Congerville Athletic Club (1905–1916) Congerville Thirds (1916) Congerville Flyers (1916–1920) Muncie Flyers (1920–1921) Congerville Flyers (1922–1924) Jonesboro Flyers (1925) |
Team colors | Red, white |
Head coaches | Ken Huffine (1920) Cooney Checkaye (1921) |
Owner(s) | Congerville Athletic Club (1905–1916) Earl Ball (1917–1921) Cooney Checkaye (1919–1925) |
The Muncie Flyers, known as the Congerville Flyers for most of their existence, were a
History
Origins
The origins of the team show that it evolved from the Congerville (Muncie) Athletic Club, which dates back to at least 1905.[1] Local newspapers provided spotty coverage of the team. An occasional reference was made to a game being scheduled and sometimes the game results with a brief game account were in the Monday paper. In 1910, the Congerville Athletic Club finished with a 10–0–1 record, outscoring their opponents 145–0.[2] All of the home games were played against other local Muncie teams, while the road games were played in nearby Hartford City, Dunkirk, and Alexandria. In 1916, the Congerville Athletic Club team and the Congerville Flyers team merged and Muncie was represented by the Congerville Flyers.
The Flyers
The Congerville Muncie Flyers evolved from a team called the Congerville Thirds. This team was later renamed the Congerville Flyers. The 1915 edition of the Flyers proved to be a respectable team, finishing with a 5–3–3 record. Their star player was local player Cooney Checkeye. Playing all its games on the road, the 1916 Flyers had a disappointing year, finishing with a 2–6–1 record. Also representing Congerville in 1915 and 1916 was the Congerville Eagles. This lightweight team was closely associated with the Flyers, sometimes lending the heavyweight team a player or two when they were short due to injuries.
World War I
The Congerville Flyers played briefly in 1917, but they did not field a team in 1918 due to the United States involvement in
The NFL era
With the war ended, football came back to life in eastern Indiana. The Flyers played some strong teams, including the Wabash Athletic Association, Fort Wayne War Vets, and Cincinnati Celts. The 1919 team finished with a 4–1–1 record. In
Post-NFL
After leaving the APFA, the Muncie Flyers reverted to their original name of the Congerville Flyers. Due to weak fan support, the Flyers played almost all their games on the road from in 1922, 1923, and 1924. The Flyers did play one home game, in 1924, that was against the "Notre Dame Reserves of Brownson Hall". The Flyers lost 47–0. Some speculate that the team they played was not really reserves from Notre Dame, but the strong South Bend Arrows. During those three years, the road-bound Flyers finished with a respectable 10–8–3 record. In 1925, the Flyers could not find a home field in Muncie, so they based their team out of neighboring Jonesboro. The team was referred to as the Jonesboro Flyers and played 9 of 11 games in Jonesboro, finishing with a 6–2–3 record.
Season-by-season
Year | W | L | T | Finish | Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1910 | 11 | 0 | 1 | Earl Ball | |
1911 | 7 | 1 | 2 | ||
1912 | 6 | 3 | 2 | ||
1913 | 8 | 2 | 0 | Indiana State Champs | |
1914 | 5 | 3 | 1 | ||
1915 | 8 | 2 | 1 | ||
1916 | 2 | 7 | 1 | F. W. Smith | |
1917 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Ky Foster, Ralph Dawson, Zach Toliner | |
1918 | did not play | ||||
1919 | 4 | 1 | 1 | Cooney Checkaye | |
1920 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14th APFA | Ken Huffine |
1921 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18th APFA | Cooney Checkaye |
1922 | 5 | 1 | 3 | Cooney Checkaye | |
1923 | 3 | 4 | 0 | Cooney Checkaye | |
1924 | 3 | 3 | 0 | Cooney Checkaye | |
1925 | 6 | 2 | 3 | Cooney Checkaye | |
1926 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Incomplete |
Notes
- ^ Sye (2002), p. 1
- ^ "1910 Muncie Congerville A.C." The Pro Football Archives. Maher Sports Media. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
References
- Sye, Roy (2002). "Muncie Flyers – 1920" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 24 (3). Professional Football Researchers Association. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-05-11.