Editing Quad Cities (section)

==Sports==
From 1907 to 1926, Rock Island was home to the NFL's [[Rock Island Independents]]. The franchise was a charter member of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) in 1920. The first NFL game ever was played by the Independents at [[Douglas Park (Rock Island)|Douglas Park]] in September 1920. Football legend [[Jim Thorpe]] was a member of the team in 1924.

The [[Tri-Cities Blackhawks]], named in honor of the [[Sauk people|Sauk]] [[Tribal chief|war chief]] [[Black Hawk (chief)|Black Hawk]], was the next top-level professional sports franchise. The club played in the [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]] (NBL) from 1946 until its merger in 1949 with the [[Basketball Association of America]] to become the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of famer]] [[Red Auerbach]] coached the Blackhawks during their first NBA season.

After the 1950–51 basketball season, the team moved to [[Milwaukee]], where they were renamed the Hawks. After additional moves to [[St. Louis]] and [[Atlanta]], the team is now the [[Atlanta Hawks]].

Professional basketball returned to the Quad Cities during the 1980s and 1990s with the Quad City Thunder of the [[Continental Basketball Association]]. The CBA served as the NBA's premier developmental league and produced many highly regarded NBA stars. From 1987 through the 1992–93 season, the Thunder played at Wharton Field House in Moline. Starting with the 1993–94 season, the team played at The MARK of the Quad Cities (now the [[Vibrant Arena at The MARK]]). After the CBA folded in 2001, the Thunder franchise ceased operations permanently. Vibrant Arena at The MARK occasionally hosts [[NCAA Division I]] [[college basketball]] conference tournaments as well as [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] and [[National Hockey League|NHL]] exhibitions.

The Quad Cities has hosted minor league baseball teams since the Davenport Brown Stockings first played in 1878. The [[Rock Island Islanders]] and [[Moline Plowboys]] each fielded teams for many seasons. The Islanders began play in 1901 and played primarily at [[Douglas Park]]. The Plowboys were founded in 1914. Their home was [[Browning Field]].

The Davenport franchise has been a member of the [[Midwest League]] since 1960. They have played at [[Modern Woodmen Park]] since 1931. Today, the [[Quad Cities River Bandits]] are High Class A affiliate of the [[Kansas City Royals]]

The [[PGA Tour]] makes an annual stop in the Quad Cities. The golf tournament is currently known as the [[John Deere Classic]]. It has drawn dozens of top PGA players over the years, including [[Tiger Woods]], [[Vijay Singh]], and [[Payne Stewart]].

The Quad Cities [[Marathon]] has run annually in late September since 1998. Roughly 400-500 participants race through the four cities, beginning and ending in Moline. The race weekend also offers a half marathon and a 5K as well as races for children. Kenyan [[Kiplangat Terer]] holds the men's record with a 2:14:04, run in 2013. Kenyan [[Damaris Areba]] holds the woman's record at 2:30:29, from her 2022 win.<ref>{{cite web |title=Quad Cities Marathon |url=http://qcmarathon.org |website=QC Marathon |access-date=26 December 2024}}</ref>

===Sports teams===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" | Club
! scope="col" | Sport
! scope="col" | League
! scope="col" | Venue
! scope="col" | Established
! scope="col" | Championships
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal;" | [[Quad Cities River Bandits]]
| [[Baseball]]
| [[Midwest League]]
| [[Modern Woodmen Park]]
| 1960
| 6
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal;" | [[Quad City Steamwheelers (2018–)|Quad City Steamwheelers]]
| [[Indoor American football|Indoor football]]
| [[Indoor Football League|IFL]]
| [[Vibrant Arena at The MARK]]
| 2017
| 0
|-
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal;" | [[Quad City Storm]]
| [[Ice hockey]]
| [[Southern Professional Hockey League|SPHL]]
| [[Vibrant Arena at The MARK]]
| 2018
| 0
|}

*[[Quad City River Bandits]] is a Class A [[Midwest League]] [[minor league baseball]] team in Davenport. Their home games are played at [[Modern Woodmen Park]], formerly John O'Donnell Stadium. The Davenport team has existed under a variety of names and [[Major League Baseball]] team affiliations since 1901. The River Bandits are currently affiliated with the [[Kansas City Royals]].
*[[Quad City Mallards]] were an [[ice hockey]] team that played from 2009 to 2018 with home games held at the [[Vibrant Arena at The MARK]] in Moline. The new Mallards replaced the former [[Quad City Flames]] [[American Hockey League|AHL]] team which played from 2007 to 2009. The [[Quad City Mallards (1995–2007)|original Mallards]] played in the [[United Hockey League]] from 1995 to 2007.
* The [[Quad City Storm]] was launched for the 2018&ndash;19 season in the [[Southern Professional Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://qctimes.com/sports/hockey/professional/minor/storm-s-a-coming-quad-cities-hockey-franchise-unveils-new/article_770dc340-c012-507f-be10-9ce1ac745402.html |title=Storm's a coming: Quad-Cities hockey franchise unveils new name |work=[[The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus]] |date=June 22, 2018}}</ref>
* The [[Quad City Steamwheelers]] were an [[AF2]] [[arena football]] franchise that also played at the [[Vibrant Arena at The MARK]]. The Steamwheelers won the league's title game, the [[ArenaCup]], in 2000 and 2001. After the AF2 league folded following its 2009 season, the Steamwheelers also ceased operations.
* A new [[Quad City Steamwheelers (2018–)|Quad City Steamwheelers]] organization launched for the 2018 season in [[Champions Indoor Football]] and then moved to the [[Indoor Football League]] for 2019.<ref name="JoiningIFL">{{cite web |title=Quad City Steamwheelers join the IFL for 2019 season |url=https://nebraska.tv/sports/content/quad-city-steamwheelers-join-the-ifl-for-2019-season |website=Nebraska.tv |access-date=September 7, 2018|date=2018-09-07 }}</ref>
* [[Quad City Silverbacks]] were a professional [[mixed martial arts]] team competing in the now-defunct [[International Fight League]]. Home matches took place at the [[Vibrant Arena at The MARK]].
* [[Pat Miletich]] formed and based a [[mixed martial arts]] gym and fight team, [[Miletich Fighting Systems]], in the Quad Cities. [[Miletich Fighting Systems]] is among MMA's first 'super-camps', and housed many of the consensus greatest fighters of the early 2000s, such as [[Jens Pulver]], [[Matt Hughes (fighter)|Matt Hughes]], [[Robbie Lawler]], [[Tim Sylvia]], and [[Jeremy Horn]], among others. 
* The [[Quad City Riverhawks]] was a PBL ([[Premier Basketball League]]) team. They played home games at [[Wharton Field House]] in Moline during the 2008 season. They ended with that season. Previously, the [[Quad City Thunder]] were a [[Continental Basketball Association|CBA]] team playing in the late 1980s thru 2000, first at Wharton and then at [[The Mark.]]
* The Quad City Raiders are a semi-professional minor league football team that was formed in 2011 to serve the Quad City area. The Raiders play in the MidStates Football League and have reached the semi-finals in the league playoffs each season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://qcraiders.com/about/ |title=ABOUT – Quad City Raiders |publisher=Qcraiders.com |access-date=2016-02-03 |archive-date=2016-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305075843/http://qcraiders.com/about/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===See also===
*[[Mississippi Athletic Conference]] for [[Iowa]] high school sports, and [[Western Big 6 Conference]] for high school sports in [[Illinois]].
*[[Quad Cities International Airport]]