July 12, 1931 - Cleveland Indians franchise forms after the Cleveland Tigers franchise changed their name and then subsequently folded after the 1921 season per the ProFootballHOF.com website. According to the American Football Fandom site this was the first of three different instances of an “Indians” pro football franchise in Cleveland. A second "Indians" NFL team arose in 1923. That team played as the "Indians" for the 1923 season before changing their name to the Cleveland Bulldogs in 1924. The third rendition of the Cleveland Indians came in 1931 when the League sponsored the club that only played games on the road. The NFL intended to locate this team permanently in Cleveland. However when no suitable owner was found,  the franchise folded after just one season as visiting gate revenues. These three Cleveland teams are viewed as three totally different franchises by the NFL.