In 1915 the Racine Regulars formed Wisconsin's first important semi-professional team. They primarily played against teams from Illinois and Indiana. Because of World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the team took a break. In 1922 Racine, now known as the Racine Legion, was one of four new teams admitted to the newly named National Football League that season.  Led by the fullback-kicker Hank Gillo, who led the league in scoring with 52 points, Racine finished sixth in the 18-team league with a 6-4-1 record.