[5] At that meeting, held at Bulldogs owner Ralph Hay's Hupmobile showroom in Canton, representatives of the Rock Island Independents, the Muncie Flyers, the Decatur Staleys, the Massillon Tigers, the Cardinals, and the Hammond Pros agreed to join the league.

Representatives of the Buffalo All-Americans and Rochester Jeffersons could not attend the meeting, but sent letters to Hay asking to be included in the league.

[6] Team representatives changed the league's name slightly to the American Professional Football Association and elected officers, installing Jim Thorpe as president.

[citation needed] October 17, 1920, at St. Rita's Stadium The Cardinals improved their record to 1-0-1 on the season with a resounding victory over the semi-pro team from Moline, Illinois.

A massive four touchdown second quarter spelled demise for Moline,[14] with the Cardinals' putting up long runs by star halfback Paddy Driscoll and his backfield mate, Harry Curran.

[citation needed] October 31, 1920, at Cubs Park In a 21-0 rout of the Heralds with 3,000 fans in attendance, the Cardinals improved to 2-1-1 on the season.

All of the touchdowns scored were in the third quarter, two of which were blocked punts returned to the end zone by Lenny Sachs and Leo Chappell.

[citation needed] November 14, 1920, at Normal Park In a 20-0 shutout victory, the Cardinals hosted the Cincinnati Celts.

November 28, 1920, at Normal Park In the first of two matchups, the Cardinals won 7-6 against the Decatur Staleys in front of a crowd of 5,000 fans.

[citation needed] December 5, 1920, at Cubs Park In a back-to-back rematch, the Staleys struck back with a 10-0 shutout win over the Cardinals.

The only two socres of the game were a Bob Koehler 2-yard rushing touchdown and a Dutch Sternaman field goal from an unknown distance.