MUNCIE, Ind. — The Indianapolis Colts and the National Football League are coming to Muncie for a day.

A celebration at Canan Commons will include family activities and representatives from the Colts on the day of the 2019 NFL Draft, and as part of that, one of the Colts' draft picks will be announced live from downtown Muncie.

This is all happening because of a piece of Muncie history that some residents might not even know about. Muncie is one of 13 communities that were home to the 14 teams of the league's inaugural season, and the NFL is honoring those communities as part of its “NFL 100” centennial celebration.

Muncie's Draft Day Tailgate

Never heard of the Congerville Flyers? We'll get to that. First, here are the details of April 27:

Muncie’s Draft Day Tailgate event will run 2-5:30 p.m. on April 27 at Canan Commons and will feature a DJ, lawn games, football-themed inflatables, a meet-and-greet tent, food trucks and a photo booth.

The event will culminate in the Colts' 6th-round pick being announced from Canan Commons. The pick will be announced by former Colts player Bill Brooks, two Colts cheerleaders and a Verizon customer (winner of a Draft Day prize package).

Brooks was a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts from 1986–1992. He was the first player inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor. Brooks and the cheerleaders will be available to sign autographs and take photos with fans at the Draft Day Tailgate event.

Round 6 of the draft pick is expected to begin no earlier than 3:10 p.m. and end no later than 5:20 p.m.

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The Delaware County Historical Society will also provide an exhibit on the Muncie “Congerville” Flyers.

Muncie is one of the eight “Original Towns” outside of the 32 current NFL markets that will announce a pick via live telecast.

Coaches, players and cheerleaders from Ball State, local high schools and John Frank Football League are expected to be in attendance, as well as other Muncie-based NFL alumni.

The NFL and the Muncie Flyers

Muncie's foray into the professional football world was brief, but it holds a place in the history books.

The Muncie Flyers, known as the Congerville Flyers outside of their NFL involvement, were one of the founding teams of the American Professional Football Association, which later became the NFL.

The Flyers played in the first two seasons of the league.

Football history:How the Muncie Flyers were formed and faded away

"A lot of people were aware of the Muncie Flyers, but hadn't thought about it in a long time," Vicki Veach, executive director for the Muncie Downtown Development Partnership said. "It's been fun to watch reactions."

Muncie's team featured names like Mickey Babe, coach/fullback Ken Huffine, and Toad and Cooney Checkaye, the latter of whom played quarterback and was a tactician ahead of his time according to a column published when he died.

The fame for the team was short lived.

As the league moved forward into what would eventually become the NFL, the Flyers didn’t make the jump. After a series of canceled games and financial backers dropping out, the Flyers were relegated to a football club; playing small games against local opponents.

Don't be afraid to admit if you hadn't ever heard of the Muncie Flyers before. Even some officials needed to be brought up to speed initially.

Cheryl Crowder, events director with the Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, said she got caught up on the history of the Flyers from local historian Chris Flook, who writes a regular history column called "Bygone Muncie" with the Star Press.

►Bygone Muncie: Delaware County played its part in the First World War

►Bygone Muncie: White River still winds through Muncie

Downtown on a national scale

The chance for the city to pair up with a major league sports team was an exciting one for local officials, and according to them provides Muncie with a chance to shine.

“The first time they called me I thought it was somebody joking with us,” Mayor Dennis Tyler said. “It’s just gotten more exciting daily.”

Other major sports teams like the Cincinnati Reds have made Muncie an annual stop on their caravan tour. Tyler says this gives the city a chance to put its best foot forward.

“People all over the country, that are watching the NFL draft network, will get to see Muncie, Indiana in all of its glory downtown,” Tyler said. He expects high turnout for the event.

The Flyers, according to the mayor, were the epitome of the middle-class, hardworking cities that are on the NFL’s “original” list.

Jim Mansfield, executive director of the Muncie Visitors Bureau also spoke about the Flyers' tenacity.

“The Flyers were known as rugged, tenacious individuals that would give an outstanding effort every time they suited up, and that’s been the trademark style of this community and its people ever since,” Mansfield said in a press release.

The 13 "Original Towns" of the NFL are:

Akron, Ohio (Akron Pros) Buffalo, New York (Buffalo All-Americans) Canton, Ohio (Canton Bulldogs) Chicago, Illinois (Racine Cardinals, Chicago Tigers) Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland Tigers) Columbus, Ohio (Columbus Panhandles) Dayton, Ohio (Dayton Triangles) Decatur, Illinois (Decatur Staleys) Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Heralds) Hammond, Indiana (Hammond Pros) Muncie, Indiana (Muncie Flyers) Rochester, New York (Rochester Jeffersons) Rock Island, Illinois (Rock Island Independents

Veach and Crowder said that even more details about the event will be coming out as the date gets closer.

"We would really love to have a sea of support behind the people making the draft pick when we get our minute of national coverage," Crowder said. Officials said they want to see the event take over downtown during that day.

Veach said that the extensive planning that has gone into the event has helped spur a partnership with the Colts and that more events were possible in the future.

"We hope to have some more announcements very soon" Veach said.

For more information on Muncie’s Draft Day Tailgate event, visit downtownmuncie.org. To learn more about how the NFL is celebrating its 100th season, visit NFL.com/100.