Although organized in the previous year, the 1922Horlick-Racine Legion season marked the club's inaugural season in the National Football League (NFL). The team finished 6–4–1, good for sixth place in the 18-team league.[1]
Hank Gillo was organizer, coach, and star of the Racine Legion football team in the fall of 1921.
The Racine Legion football team did not suddenly spring from the soil in 1922. The club was first formed by the Racine post of the American Legion in the summer of 1921.[2] Having already sponsored teams in other sports' the team's initial goal seemed modest: to make the team the best in Racine.[2] Assisting in the creation was William Horlick, president of his family's eponymous malted milk company, a profitable firm of the day. Horlick was a financial angel and provided use of his company's employee ball yard, Horlick Athletic Field, for home games.
The football club was officially named Horlick-Racine Legion in recognition of this dual sponsorship. The team was sometimes referred to as "The Horlicks" in the contemporary press. It remained a project of the local American Legion post, however, and it was the post which accrued the team's financial losses, which were significant in 1922 and 1923.[3] The post solicited donations from local fans and hosted fundraising event in an effort to offset this negative cash flow.[3]
Schedule
Early NFL teams made use of local talent. Elmer "Swede" Rhenstrom was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and went to school at Beloit.
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Roster
The following individuals played at least one NFL game for the Horlick-Racine Legion football team in 1922.[13] The total number of NFL game appearances in 1922 follows in parentheses.
