CFL USA
Encyclopedia
The term CFL USA refers to the abortive expansion of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(CFL) into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early-to-mid 1990s. The 1993 CFL season
1993 CFL season
The 1993 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 40th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 36th Canadian Football League season.-CFL news in 1993:...
saw the addition of the first American team to the league, the Sacramento Gold Miners
Sacramento Gold Miners
The Sacramento Gold Miners were a Canadian football team based in Sacramento, California. The franchise was the first American team in the Canadian Football League. The Gold Miners were originally the "descendants" of the Sacramento Surge from the defunct World League of American Football...
. By the 1994 CFL season
1994 CFL season
The 1994 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 41st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 37th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1994:...
, there were four American teams, and in the 1995 CFL season
1995 CFL season
The 1995 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 42nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 38th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1995:...
, there were five, which were then split off into their own South Division. However, following the 1995 season, the only American team remaining was the Baltimore Stallions
Baltimore Stallions
The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the Canadian Football League, having two winning seasons and a division title. In 1995 they became the only American team...
, which were moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and renamed the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
for the 1996 CFL season
1996 CFL season
The 1996 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 43rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 39th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1996:...
.
Although the league originally intended to only place teams in the areas within driving distance of Canada, it turned out to be the exact opposite. All but two of the CFL USA teams were based south of the 37th parallel north
37th parallel north
The 37th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 37 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
; the northernmost team was based in Baltimore, Maryland, 375 miles (600 km) from the Canada–United States border.
1992–93: Origins
The league first began exploring American expansion in June 19921992 CFL season
-1992 CFL Awards:*CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Doug Flutie , Calgary Stampeders*CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Ray Elgaard , Saskatchewan Roughriders*CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Willie Pless , Edmonton Eskimos...
with an exhibition game between the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
and Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
, held in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The league planned on launching a few teams in the northern United States.
In 1993, the league admitted its first U.S. franchise, the Sacramento Gold Miners
Sacramento Gold Miners
The Sacramento Gold Miners were a Canadian football team based in Sacramento, California. The franchise was the first American team in the Canadian Football League. The Gold Miners were originally the "descendants" of the Sacramento Surge from the defunct World League of American Football...
(formerly the Sacramento Surge
Sacramento Surge
The Sacramento Surge was a professional American football team that played in the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992. The team played its first season at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, and the second season in Hornet Stadium on the Sacramento State University campus. It was owned...
of the WLAF
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
), in an attempt to broaden Canadian football's popular appeal and boost league revenues. The ultimate plan was to have a league of 10 Canadian and 10 American teams. Some cities that were being considered were Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
; Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
; Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
; Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
; Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and Minot, North Dakota
Minot, North Dakota
Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...
. Spearheading the efforts were two former World League of American Football
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
owners, Fred Anderson and Larry J. Benson, who would each receive a franchise. While Benson's team, the San Antonio Texans
San Antonio Riders
The San Antonio Riders were a professional American football team that played in the WLAF in 1991 and 1992. The team played in the Alamo Stadium in 1991 and then were forced to move to Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, 45 miles northeast of San...
, would not play a single down, the Gold Miners would see action, finishing a respectable 6-12 (but remaining at the bottom of the West Division). Also during this time, Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
owner Bernard Glieberman
Bernard Glieberman
Bernard "Bernie" Glieberman is an American real estate mogul and the president of Crosswinds Communities. Despite having made his fortune in real estate, Glieberman was perhaps best known for, with his son Lonie, making several unsuccessful and controversial forays into sports team ownership and...
began discussing the possibility of moving his team to the United States, although he opted to sell the existing Rough Riders franchise and launch a new American franchise instead.
1994
The following year would see more expansion: the Las Vegas PosseLas Vegas Posse
The Las Vegas Posse was a Canadian Football League team that played the 1994 season as part of the CFL's short-lived American expansion. The Posse was one of the least successful CFL teams, both on the field and off.-On the field:...
, Glieberman's Shreveport Pirates
Shreveport Pirates
The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, in 1994 and 1995....
, and the Baltimore CFL Colts
Baltimore Stallions
The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the Canadian Football League, having two winning seasons and a division title. In 1995 they became the only American team...
(who were forced to change their name to the Stallions after a long legal battle with the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
of the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
). Baltimore was the most successful of any American CFL team, having finished second in the East and making it to the 1994
82nd Grey Cup
The 82nd Grey Cup was the 1994 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Baltimore Football Club and the BC Lions at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, BC. It was the first-ever championship in professional football history to feature a United States-vs-Canada matchup...
Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
game, becoming the first American team to play for the Grey Cup. At the other end of the spectrum, the Las Vegas Posse
Las Vegas Posse
The Las Vegas Posse was a Canadian Football League team that played the 1994 season as part of the CFL's short-lived American expansion. The Posse was one of the least successful CFL teams, both on the field and off.-On the field:...
were an abject failure, becoming a road team after attendance dropped to under 3,000 in Las Vegas; the team folded at the end of the season.
1995: Turmoil and termination
In 1995, the American franchises were split off into their own South Division. The Gold Miners' problems with Hornet StadiumHornet Stadium
Hornet Stadium is a 21,195 seat football stadium in Sacramento, California. It is located at Sacramento State. It was completed in 1969. It is the home football stadium of the Sacramento State Hornets and Sacramento Mountain Lions...
prompted a move to San Antonio, where they were reincarnated as the San Antonio Texans
San Antonio Texans
The San Antonio Texans were a Canadian Football League team that played in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1995 CFL season. They had relocated from Sacramento, California, where the team had been called the Sacramento Gold Miners...
, while the Birmingham Barracudas
Birmingham Barracudas
The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.-In the beginning:...
and Memphis Mad Dogs
Memphis Mad Dogs
The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States....
(previously the Memphis Hound Dogs
Memphis Hound Dogs
For the professional basketball team, click on Memphis Houn'DawgsThe Memphis Hound Dogs were a proposed NFL team in the mid-1990s. William Dunavant, Paul Tudor Jones, Fred Smith and Elvis Presley Enterprises were the members of the potential ownership group.In 1993, the NFL invited potential...
, a rejected NFL franchise), were added. Teams were also considered for Orlando and Miami, the latter to have been nicknamed the Manatees, and an exhibition game between Birmingham and Baltimore was held in Miami to gauge support. The Miami expansion was eventually abandoned.
However, American fan interest in Canadian football, with the exception of Baltimore, was sparse at best. Teams like Birmingham and Memphis began with promising crowds comparable to their Canadian counterparts, but saw attendance plummet with the onset of the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season. At the end of the year, which saw the Stallions become the first non-Canadian team to win the Grey Cup
83rd Grey Cup
The 83rd Grey Cup aka The Wind Bowl was the 1995 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Baltimore Stallions and the Calgary Stampeders at Taylor Field in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Stallions won the game by a score of 37-20...
, Birmingham and Shreveport's teams had already announced that they were leaving their hometowns before the Grey Cup had even been played. Cities such as Montreal, Los Angeles, and Norfolk were mentioned as possible sites for the relocated franchises, with the Birmingham team being moved to Shreveport. However, shortly after, commissioner Larry Smith ordered the Barracudas, Mad Dogs and Pirates shut down.
Only a few months after the Stallions' Grey Cup triumph, the NFL's Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
announced they were moving their roster to Baltimore to play as the Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. While the Stallions had been a runaway hit, Speros knew they could not hope to go head-to-head with an NFL team and decided to move elsewhere. He began talks with Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, but nothing could be worked out. The Stallions team moved to Montreal and became the third incarnation of the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
. Unwilling to remain as the sole U.S.-based team in the league, the Texans voluntarily folded soon afterward. By the 1996 CFL season
1996 CFL season
The 1996 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 43rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 39th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1996:...
, the entire league was once again based in Canada.
The last vestiges of the CFL's American experiment were erased when Speros sold the Alouettes to Bob Wetenhall after the 1996 season. The fact that Baltimore, an American team, had won a championship that was a symbol of Canadian culture, was the subject of much consternation and lamentation at the time. As such, the CFL has refused to acknowledge the Alouettes' Baltimore connections and reckons the Stallions as a separate team from the current incarnation of the Alouettes. It does, however, reckon the Alouettes as the successors of the original Alouettes franchise.
One of the often cited reasons for the CFL South Division's failure, and part of the reason why the CFL fell behind the NFL in terms of quality players, was the state of the league's American television contract. The league, which had held a U.S. network TV contract in the 1950s and again briefly in 1982, was then being carried on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
, at the time a nascent channel devoted to extreme sports that was not nearly as widely available as its parent network and only carried a limited number of the league's games (with ESPN itself airing some late-season games and the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
on tape delay). It was not until after the 1995 season that the CFL, mainly through the action of its American franchises, began negotiating with CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
(at the time the only of the Big Four that did not have rights to NFL broadcasts
NFL on television
The television rights to broadcast National Football League games are the most lucrative and expensive rights of any American sport. It was television that brought professional football into prominence in the modern era after World War II...
) to see if they could get coverage. It would not be until several years later that the CFL got a TV contract in the United States, on a much smaller network (America One
America One
America One is an over-the-air television network in the United States. The network serves over 170 LPTV, Class A, Full Power, Cable and Satellite affiliate stations...
).
Proposed revivals
World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
chairman Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
was given a chance to buy the Toronto Argonauts in 1999. He countered with an offer to buy the entire league and eventually "have it migrate south" (either adding teams in, or relocating teams to, the United States). The league refused McMahon's offer, but these proposed American teams became the basis of the XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
, which played one season in 2001.
In February 2009, former NFL receiver Oronde Gadsden
Oronde Gadsden
Oronde Benjamin Gadsden is a former professional American football player who played with the Miami Dolphins from 1998 to 2003. A 6'3", 220-lb...
(cousin of former CFL star John Avery) proposed that, due to the discontinuation of other spring football leagues such as the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
(which has since returned) and NFL Europa, the league consider expanding back into the United States, with potential markets being Detroit-Windsor and Rochester, New York. Wetenhall was open to the idea, but league offices have been unwilling to hear the proposal, with an Ottawa franchise
Ottawa CFL
The Ottawa Canadian Football League team is an unnamed conditional CFL franchise that has been awarded in the city of Ottawa. On March 25, 2008, an ownership group led by Ottawa 67's owner Jeff Hunt was awarded the franchise. The team is expected to play at Frank Clair Stadium if the stadium can be...
set for launch in 2013, and both Halifax and Moncton angling for an Atlantic region franchise
Atlantic Schooners
The Atlantic Schooners were a conditional Canadian Football League expansion team that was to begin play in 1984 out of Halifax, Nova Scotia.On May 13, 1982, Maritime Professional Football Club Ltd. was granted a conditional expansion franchise...
in the future.
Teams that played
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Quarterback | Kicker/Punter | Head Coach | General Manager | Owner | Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento Gold Miners Sacramento Gold Miners The Sacramento Gold Miners were a Canadian football team based in Sacramento, California. The franchise was the first American team in the Canadian Football League. The Gold Miners were originally the "descendants" of the Sacramento Surge from the defunct World League of American Football... |
Sacramento, California Sacramento, California Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,... |
Hornet Stadium Hornet Stadium Hornet Stadium is a 21,195 seat football stadium in Sacramento, California. It is located at Sacramento State. It was completed in 1969. It is the home football stadium of the Sacramento State Hornets and Sacramento Mountain Lions... |
21,195 | David Archer David Archer David Mark Archer is a former professional American football player. A 6'2" undrafted quarterback from Snow College and Iowa State University, Archer played six seasons in the National Football League from 1984 to 1989 for the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and... |
Jim Crouch, Roman Anderson | Kay Stephenson Kay Stephenson George Kay Stephenson is a former American college and professional football player and current coach, whose latter career has seen him work in four different professional leagues. Stephenson played quarterback for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills... |
Tom Huiskens Tom Huiskens Tom Huiskens was a player and general manager in American and Canadian football.In 1969 and 1970, Huiskens played football for the University of Michigan. In the early 1990s, he would become the general manager of the Sacramento Gold Miners, the first American team in the Canadian Football League... |
Fred Anderson | 1993–1994 |
| Las Vegas Posse Las Vegas Posse The Las Vegas Posse was a Canadian Football League team that played the 1994 season as part of the CFL's short-lived American expansion. The Posse was one of the least successful CFL teams, both on the field and off.-On the field:... |
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous... |
Sam Boyd Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists... |
45,000 | Anthony Calvillo Anthony Calvillo Anthony Calvillo is a Canadian Football League quarterback, currently playing for the Montreal Alouettes. He is the all-time professional football passing yards leader and first in all-time CFL passing yards... |
Carlos Huerta Carlos Huerta Carlos Huerta was a gridiron football kicker in three professional leagues.After playing his college football at the University of Miami, Huerta joined the Las Vegas Posse, a Canadian Football League expansion franchise... |
Ron Meyer Ron Meyer -References:... |
Nick Mileti Nick Mileti Nick James Mileti was, during the 1970s, the owner of the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Crusaders hockey team, the Coliseum at Richfield and radio station "3WE" WWWE AM/1100 .... |
Nick Mileti Nick Mileti Nick James Mileti was, during the 1970s, the owner of the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Crusaders hockey team, the Coliseum at Richfield and radio station "3WE" WWWE AM/1100 .... |
1994 |
| Baltimore Stallions Baltimore Stallions The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the Canadian Football League, having two winning seasons and a division title. In 1995 they became the only American team... (aka Baltimore CFLers) |
Baltimore, Maryland | Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) Memorial Stadium (Baltimore) Memorial Stadium was a sports stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an over-sized block also bounded by Ellerslie Avenue , 36th Street , and Ednor Road... |
53,371 | Tracy Ham Tracy Ham Tracy Ham is a retired Canadian Football League quarterback for the Edmonton Eskimos, Toronto Argonauts, Baltimore Stallions, and the Montreal Alouettes. He was known for his abilities as a dual threat quarterback... |
Donald Igwebuike Donald Igwebuike Donald Amechi Igwebuike is a former Nigerian kicker of American football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He is the fourth place all-time scorer for the Buccaneers with 416 overall points... , Carlos Huerta Carlos Huerta Carlos Huerta was a gridiron football kicker in three professional leagues.After playing his college football at the University of Miami, Huerta joined the Las Vegas Posse, a Canadian Football League expansion franchise... , Josh Miller Josh Miller Josh Miller is a former American football punter and current football analyst.He was signed by the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League as an undrafted free agent in 1994... |
Don Matthews Don Matthews Don Matthews, a.k.a. "The Don", is a former head coach of several teams in the Canadian Football League and is the second winningest head coach in CFL history with 231 wins... |
Jim Popp Jim Popp Jim Popp is the general manager of the Montreal Alouettes football club of the Canadian Football League .... |
Jim Speros Jim Speros Jim Speros is an American businessman and former American football player and coach from Great Falls, Virginia, best known for his ownership of teams in the Canadian Football League and United Football League.-Early career:... |
1994–1995 |
| Shreveport Pirates Shreveport Pirates The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, in 1994 and 1995.... |
Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States.... |
Independence Stadium | 40,000 | Billy Joe Tolliver Billy Joe Tolliver Billy Joe Tolliver is a former American football player who played in the National Football League and Canadian Football League for twelve seasons. During this time, he played for the San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Oilers, Shreveport Pirates, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints... |
Bjorn Nittmo Björn Nittmo Björn Arne Nittmo is a retired American football placekicker, being the first Swedish-born player ever in the National Football League.-Football career:... |
John Huard John Huard John Roland "Big John" Huard is a former National Football League linebacker and Canadian Football League coach.-Playing career:... and Forrest Gregg Forrest Gregg Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in... |
J. I. Albrecht J. I. Albrecht J. I. Albrecht worked in college and professional sports for 53 years. He worked in the CFL, NFL and NCAA, and NASL.-Background:... , Terri Sipes |
Bernard Glieberman Bernard Glieberman Bernard "Bernie" Glieberman is an American real estate mogul and the president of Crosswinds Communities. Despite having made his fortune in real estate, Glieberman was perhaps best known for, with his son Lonie, making several unsuccessful and controversial forays into sports team ownership and... |
1994–1995 |
| San Antonio Texans San Antonio Texans The San Antonio Texans were a Canadian Football League team that played in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1995 CFL season. They had relocated from Sacramento, California, where the team had been called the Sacramento Gold Miners... '95 (relocated from Sacramento Sacramento Gold Miners The Sacramento Gold Miners were a Canadian football team based in Sacramento, California. The franchise was the first American team in the Canadian Football League. The Gold Miners were originally the "descendants" of the Sacramento Surge from the defunct World League of American Football... ) |
San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,... |
Alamodome Alamodome The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S... |
59,000 | David Archer David Archer David Mark Archer is a former professional American football player. A 6'2" undrafted quarterback from Snow College and Iowa State University, Archer played six seasons in the National Football League from 1984 to 1989 for the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and... |
Kay Stephenson Kay Stephenson George Kay Stephenson is a former American college and professional football player and current coach, whose latter career has seen him work in four different professional leagues. Stephenson played quarterback for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills... |
Dan Bass | Fred Anderson | 1995 | |
| Birmingham Barracudas Birmingham Barracudas The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.-In the beginning:... |
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... |
Legion Field Legion Field Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak... |
71,594 | Matt Dunigan Matt Dunigan Matt Dunigan is a former quarterback, coach, and executive in the Canadian Football League who is currently a CFL sportscaster for Canadian sports television channel TSN... |
Franco Grilla, Luis Zendejas Luis Zendejas Luis Fernando Zendejas is a Mexican former placekicker in American football. He played college football for Arizona State University, and was the all-time career leading scorer in the NCAA when he left Arizona State... |
Jack Pardee Jack Pardee -NFL:-External links:... |
Roy Shivers Roy Shivers Roy Shivers was the General Manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League from December 24, 1999 until August 21, 2006; the first Black general manager in professional football. He was also a former running back in the National Football League with the St. Louis... |
Art Williams Art Williams Arthur T. Williams is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'1" guard from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Williams played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the San Diego Rockets and Boston Celtics... |
1995 |
| Memphis Mad Dogs Memphis Mad Dogs The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.... |
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers.... |
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team... |
62,380 | Damon Allen Damon Allen Damon Allen is a former professional quarterback in the Canadian Football League, most recently with the Toronto Argonauts. He is currently second in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he was surpassed for first place by the Montréal... |
Donald Igwebuike Donald Igwebuike Donald Amechi Igwebuike is a former Nigerian kicker of American football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He is the fourth place all-time scorer for the Buccaneers with 416 overall points... |
Pepper Rodgers Pepper Rodgers Franklin C. "Pepper" Rodgers is a former American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head coach at the University of Kansas , University of California, Los Angeles , and the Georgia Institute of Technology , compiling a career college football record of... |
Steve Ehrhart | Frederick W. Smith Frederick W. Smith Fred Sidney Smith III , or Fred Smith, is the founder, chairman, president, and CEO of FedEx, originally known as Federal Express, the first overnight express delivery company in the world, and the largest in the United States... |
1995 |
Proposed teams that did not play
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Quarterback | Kicker/Punter | Head Coach | General Manager | Owner | Scheduled to begin play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Manatees Miami Manatees (CFL) The Miami Manatees was a proposed Canadian Football League team scheduled to begin play in the 1996 season, and had plans to play out of the Miami Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. After looking at a possible expansion franchise, the decision to relocate the Las Vegas Posse to Miami became the... |
Miami, Florida Miami, Florida Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625... |
Miami Orange Bowl Miami Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team... |
74,476 | Anthony Calvillo Anthony Calvillo Anthony Calvillo is a Canadian Football League quarterback, currently playing for the Montreal Alouettes. He is the all-time professional football passing yards leader and first in all-time CFL passing yards... |
Carlos Huerta Carlos Huerta Carlos Huerta was a gridiron football kicker in three professional leagues.After playing his college football at the University of Miami, Huerta joined the Las Vegas Posse, a Canadian Football League expansion franchise... |
Ron Meyer Ron Meyer -References:... |
1996 | ||
| San Antonio Texans '93 San Antonio Riders The San Antonio Riders were a professional American football team that played in the WLAF in 1991 and 1992. The team played in the Alamo Stadium in 1991 and then were forced to move to Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, 45 miles northeast of San... |
San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,... |
Bobcat Stadium Bobcat Stadium (Texas State) Bobcat Stadium is a 16,008-seat multi-purpose stadium in San Marcos, Texas. It opened in 1981 and is home to the Texas State University Bobcats football team. It was also home of the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football... 1 |
15,218 | Jason Garrett Jason Garrett Jason Calvin Garrett is an American former National Football League player and the current head coach of the Dallas Cowboys... |
Jim Gallery | Mike Riley Mike Riley Michael Joseph "Mike" Riley is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference... |
Tom Landry Tom Landry Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods... |
Larry J. Benson | 1993 |
| Shreveport Barracudas Birmingham Barracudas The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.-In the beginning:... |
Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States.... |
Independence Stadium | 53,000 | Matt Dunigan Matt Dunigan Matt Dunigan is a former quarterback, coach, and executive in the Canadian Football League who is currently a CFL sportscaster for Canadian sports television channel TSN... |
Luis Zendejas Luis Zendejas Luis Fernando Zendejas is a Mexican former placekicker in American football. He played college football for Arizona State University, and was the all-time career leading scorer in the NCAA when he left Arizona State... |
Jack Pardee Jack Pardee -NFL:-External links:... |
Roy Shivers Roy Shivers Roy Shivers was the General Manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League from December 24, 1999 until August 21, 2006; the first Black general manager in professional football. He was also a former running back in the National Football League with the St. Louis... |
Ark-La-Tex Football, Inc. | 1996 |
- Would have had to move to a larger stadium, as CFL mandates required a minimum 20,000 seats.