World Football League
The World Football League (WFL) was a professional American football league in 1974 and 1975 in competition with the National Football League (NFL). Despite the name, the teams were only based in the United States , one in Hawaii . Mostly cities were selected in which the NFL was not present. In order to avoid direct competition from NFL and college football , which played their games almost exclusively on weekends at the time, the game was played on weekdays.
The NFL, which has survived several competitive leagues since the 1920s and has partly taken over their teams, had in turn planned an Intercontinental Football League in Europe that never started playing. The idea was implemented as the World League of American Football / NFL Europe from 1991 .
The WFL managed to sign several well-known NFL players. Since the WFL did not have a lucrative television contract other than with TVS Television Network (the number of channels only increased with the arrival of cable television in the early 1980s), there was little TV income in addition to the stadium income, and awareness remained limited due to a lack of TV presence . Soon the teams could neither pay players nor travel expenses. The first World Bowl was played despite adverse circumstances in 1974 - the name was resumed by the WLAF in 1991. During the 1975 season, the game was stopped. Some of the players and coaches who made a name for themselves in the WFL switched to the NFL, such as head coaches Lindy Infante , Marty Schottenheimer and Jim Fassel , as well as Danny White as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys .
1974 season
| Eastern Division | ||||||
| team | Victories | N. | U. | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Blazers | 14th | 6th | 0 | .700 | ||
| Charlotte Hornets | 10 | 10 | 0 | .500 | ||
| Philadelphia Bell | 9 | 11 | 0 | .450 | ||
| Jacksonville Sharks | 4th | 10 | 0 | .286 | ||
| Central Division | ||||||
| team | W. | L. | T | PCT | ||
| Memphis Southmen | 17th | 3 | 0 | .850 | ||
| Birmingham Americans | 15th | 5 | 0 | .750 | ||
| Chicago Fire | 7th | 13 | 0 | .350 | ||
| Detroit Wheels | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | ||
| Western Division | ||||||
| team | W. | L. | T | PCT | ||
| Southern California Sun | 13 | 7th | 0 | .650 | ||
| The Hawaiians | 9 | 11 | 0 | .450 | ||
| Portland Storm | 7th | 12 | 1 | .375 | ||
| Shreveport steamer | 7th | 12 | 1 | .375 | ||
Quarter finals
- Hawaiians - Southern California Sun 32:14 (in Anaheim on Wed November 20, 1974)
- Florida Blazers - Philadelphia Bell 18-3 in Orlando on Thursday November 21, 1974
Semifinals
- Birmingham Americans - The Hawaiians 10:19 pm in Birmingham on Wed 27th November 1974
- Florida Blazers - Memphis Southmen 6:15 p.m. in Memphis on Fri November 29, 1974
World Bowl
Birmingham Americans 22 - Florida Blazers 21 (in Birmingham on December 5, 1974)
1975 season
| Eastern Division | ||||
| team | S. | N | U | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Vulcans | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 |
| Memphis Southmen | 7th | 4th | 0 | .636 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 6th | 5 | 0 | .545 |
| Jacksonville Express | 6th | 5 | 0 | .545 |
| Philadelphia Bell | 4th | 7th | 0 | .364 |
| Western Division | ||||
| team | W. | L. | T | PCT |
| Southern California Sun | 7th | 5 | 0 | .583 |
| San Antonio Wings | 7th | 6th | 0 | .538 |
| Shreveport steamer | 5 | 7th | 0 | .417 |
| The Hawaiians | 4th | 7th | 0 | .364 |
| Portland Thunder | 4th | 7th | 0 | .364 |
| Chicago Winds | 1 | 4th | 0 | .200 |
- Birmingham were declared champions in 1975 when the league ceased to play
Teams
- Birmingham Americans 1974 / Birmingham Vulcans 1975
- Chicago Fire 1974 / Chicago Winds 1975
- Detroit Wheels 1974
- Washington-Baltimore Ambassadors / Virginia Ambassadors / Florida Blazers 1974 / San Antonio Wings 1975
- ( Honolulu ) The Hawaiians 1974-75
- Houston Texans 1974 / Shreveport Steamer 1974-75
- Jacksonville Sharks 1974 / Jacksonville Express 1975
- Memphis Southmen (started as Toronto Northmen , moved to Memphis , Tennessee before the 1974–1975 season started ) 1974–1975 / Memphis Grizzlies 1975 (Official name change to "Grizzlies" after the league ceased playing. Tried so in the NFL switch).
- Boston Bulls / New York Stars 1974 / Charlotte Stars 1974 / Charlotte Hornets 1974–75
- Philadelphia Bell 1974-75
- Portland Storm 1974 / Portland Thunder 1975
- Southern California Sun 1974-75
Stages
- Legion Field , Birmingham (1974-75)
- Soldier Field , Chicago (1974-75)
- Rynearson Stadium , Detroit (1974)
- Tangerine Bowl , Orlando (1974)
- Alamo Stadium , San Antonio (1975)
- Honolulu Stadium (1974)
- Aloha Stadium , Honolulu (1975)
- Astrodome , Houston (1974)
- State Fair Stadium , Shreveport (1974-75)
- Gator Bowl Stadium , Jacksonville (1974-75)
- Liberty Bowl Stadium , Memphis (1974-75)
- Downing Stadium , New York (1974)
- American Legion Memorial Stadium , Charlotte (1974-75)
- JFK Stadium , Philadelphia (1974-75)
- Franklin Field , Philadelphia (1975)
- Civic Stadium , Portland (1974-75)
- Anaheim Stadium (1974-75)