Traveling team
Encyclopedia
In professional team sports, a traveling team (also called a road team) is a member of a professional league that never or rarely competes in its home arena or stadium. This differs from a barnstorming team in that the latter does not compete within a league or association framework. While leagues may designate a traveling team prior to the start of competition, some teams become road teams by simply not scheduling any home games.
While the use of traveling teams has been sparing on the upper levels of professional sports, the National Football League
had such road teams (such as the Hammond Pros
, Oorang Indians
, and Columbus Panhandles) in the formative years of the league. Other professional sports leagues on the major league level have employed traveling teams, the most recent being World Team Tennis
, with "The Soviets" nominally being based in Philadelphia.
, the first American Football League, or the second American Football League. No other major professional league of American football had such road teams, the last of such was the 1952 Dallas Texans
of the National Football League. To qualify for the list, the team must have played a complete season of at least four games on the road. Teams that had the traveling team status imposed upon them in midseason are noted.
Though there have been no NFL traveling teams since 1952, owing to the increased stability of the league, the 1973-75 New York Giants, 1997 Tennessee Oilers
, 2002 Chicago Bears
, 2005 New Orleans Saints
and 2010 Minnesota Vikings
were forced to temporarily move to alternate stadiums for various reasons. In the case of New Orleans, forced to move because of Hurricane Katrina
, there was discussion of making the team a traveling team for the season (and, in fact, had one of its designated home games moved to Giants Stadium
in New Jersey, the home stadium of its opponent), but because of concerns over home field advantage
, alternate stadiums in Texas and Louisiana accommodated the team instead for the rest of the season. All of these teams moved into permanent stadiums the next year.
The Canadian Football League
has had only one road team, the Las Vegas Posse
(a CFL USA
team), which was converted into "road team" status for the last few weeks of the 1994 season
. The team had drawn very poorly in Las Vegas (its last game drew less than 2,500 fans) and was folded at the end of the season.
While the use of traveling teams has been sparing on the upper levels of professional sports, the National Football League
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...
had such road teams (such as the Hammond Pros
Hammond Pros
The Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team.-History:The Pros were established by Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young who was a boxing promoter, owner of a racing stable and a doctor and trainer for a semi-pro football team...
, Oorang Indians
Oorang Indians
The Oorang Indians were a traveling team in the National Football League from LaRue, Ohio . The team was named after the Oorang dog kennels. It was a novelty team put together by the kennels' owner, Walter Lingo, for marketing purposes. All of the players were Native American, with Jim Thorpe as...
, and Columbus Panhandles) in the formative years of the league. Other professional sports leagues on the major league level have employed traveling teams, the most recent being World Team Tennis
World Team Tennis
World TeamTennis is a coed professional tennis league played with a unique team format in the United States. Each match consists of five sets. Each set features a different configuration . Coaches, before the match, decide the order in which the sets will be played...
, with "The Soviets" nominally being based in Philadelphia.
Traveling teams in major professional American football
Below is a list of the traveling teams that were members of the National Football LeagueNational 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...
, the first American Football League, or the second American Football League. No other major professional league of American football had such road teams, the last of such was the 1952 Dallas Texans
Dallas Texans (NFL)
The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11.-History:After the 1951 NFL season, the financially troubled New York Yanks franchise were put on the market. Ted Collins had founded that franchise in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, moved it to New...
of the National Football League. To qualify for the list, the team must have played a complete season of at least four games on the road. Teams that had the traveling team status imposed upon them in midseason are noted.
- Columbus Panhandles - 1920-22 (two home games out of 22 played)
- Hammond ProsHammond ProsThe Hammond Pros from Hammond, Indiana played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1926 as a traveling team.-History:The Pros were established by Paul Parduhn and Dr. Alva Young who was a boxing promoter, owner of a racing stable and a doctor and trainer for a semi-pro football team...
- 1920-24 (one home game out of 24; became Akron ProsAkron ProsThe Akron Pros were a professional football team located played in Akron, Ohio from 1908–1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, however name was changed to the Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional...
in 1925) - Rochester JeffersonsRochester JeffersonsThe Rochester Jeffersons from Rochester, New York played in the National Football League from 1920 to 1925.Formed as an amateur outfit by a rag-tag group of Rochester-area teenagers after the turn of the century , the team became known as the Jeffersons in reference to the locale of their playing...
- 1920, 1925 (no home games these two seasons - team active in NFL 1920-1925) - Cincinnati CeltsCincinnati CeltsThe Cincinnati Celts was the first professional football team to play in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team played in the unofficial "Ohio League" and the American Professional Football Association . The Celts were a traveling team, playing all of their APFA games in other cities' stadia...
- 1921 (no home games out of four) - Oorang IndiansOorang IndiansThe Oorang Indians were a traveling team in the National Football League from LaRue, Ohio . The team was named after the Oorang dog kennels. It was a novelty team put together by the kennels' owner, Walter Lingo, for marketing purposes. All of the players were Native American, with Jim Thorpe as...
- 1922-23 (one home game out of 20) - Columbus Tigers - 1924-26 (two home games out of 24)
- Dayton TrianglesDayton TrianglesThe Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
- 1924-29 (three home games out of 42) - Kansas City BluesKansas City (NFL)Kansas City, Missouri had a National Football League team prior to the Chiefs that operated under two different names: The Blues in 1924 and the Cowboys from 1925-1926. The Blues competed as a traveling team, playing all of their NFL games in other cities' stadia in their only year under that name...
- 1925 (no home games out of eight) - Los Angeles BuccaneersLos Angeles BuccaneersThe Los Angeles Buccaneers were a traveling team in the National Football League during their one season 1926, ostensibly representing the city of Los Angeles, California. Like the Los Angeles Wildcats of the first American Football League, the team never actually played a league game in Los...
- 1926 (based in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; no home games out of 10) - Louisville Colonels - 1926 (no home games out of four)
- Los Angeles WildcatsLos Angeles WildcatsThe Los Angeles Wildcats was a traveling team of the first American Football League that was not based in its nominal home city but in Chicago, Illinois...
(AFL I) - 1926 (based in Moline, IllinoisMoline, IllinoisMoline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
; no home games out of 14, played one designated "home game" in TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and also had a post-season "home stand" in California in early 1927) - Rock Island IndependentsRock Island IndependentsThe Rock Island Independents were a professional American football team based in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the first professional football teams, they were founded in 1907 as an independent club. They later played in what is now the National Football League from 1920 to 1925. They joined the...
(AFL) - 1926 (after three games at home, became a traveling team, playing remaining six games on the road) - Duluth Eskimos - 1927 (no home games out of nine)
- Brooklyn Tigers (AFL II) - 1936 (sole home game as Brooklyn Tigers was moved from Ebbets FieldEbbets FieldEbbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
to Yankee StadiumYankee StadiumYankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
for a game with the New York YankeesNew York Yankees (1936 AFL)The New York Yankees of the second American Football League was the second professional American football team competing under that name. It is unrelated to the Yankees of the first AFL , the Yankees of the third AFL, the Yankees of the American Association and the Yankees of the All America...
; Tigers moved to RochesterRochester, New YorkRochester 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...
for first actual home game (at Silver Stadium), then folded. Team played seven games total.) - Dallas TexansDallas Texans (NFL)The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season, 1952, with a record of 1–11.-History:After the 1951 NFL season, the financially troubled New York Yanks franchise were put on the market. Ted Collins had founded that franchise in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, moved it to New...
- 1952 (after drawing poorly in five home games, the NFL declared them a road team, with one designated "home game" in Akron, OhioAkron, OhioAkron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. The last five games were on the road)
Though there have been no NFL traveling teams since 1952, owing to the increased stability of the league, the 1973-75 New York Giants, 1997 Tennessee Oilers
1997 Tennessee Oilers season
The 1997 season was the Tennessee Oilers 38th season and their 28th in the NFL. The Oilers finished the season with 8 wins and 8 losses, and did not qualify for the playoffs. The head coach was Jeff Fisher, and the team played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium...
, 2002 Chicago Bears
2002 Chicago Bears season
The 2002 Chicago Bears season was their 83rd regular season completed in the National Football League. Though the team had hopes of returning to the playoffs after an unexpected 13-3 season the previous year, the club posted a dismal 4-12 record and missed the postseason...
, 2005 New Orleans Saints
2005 New Orleans Saints season
The 2005 New Orleans Saints season began with the team trying to improve from their 8–8 record from 2004. The Saints played two preseason games in the Louisiana Superdome before being forced to evacuate New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina...
and 2010 Minnesota Vikings
2010 Minnesota Vikings season
The 2010 Minnesota Vikings season was the franchise's 50th season in the National Football League, and the fifth under head coach Brad Childress until November 22, when he was fired and Leslie Frazier was named interim head coach...
were forced to temporarily move to alternate stadiums for various reasons. In the case of New Orleans, forced to move because of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, there was discussion of making the team a traveling team for the season (and, in fact, had one of its designated home games moved to Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
in New Jersey, the home stadium of its opponent), but because of concerns over home field advantage
Home Field Advantage
Home Field Advantage is a 2000 independent film starring Tony Award-winning actor Dan Fogler in the role of Charlie....
, alternate stadiums in Texas and Louisiana accommodated the team instead for the rest of the season. All of these teams moved into permanent stadiums the next year.
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....
has had only one road team, 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:...
(a CFL USA
CFL USA
The term CFL USA refers to the abortive expansion of the Canadian Football League into the United States in the early-to-mid 1990s. The 1993 CFL season saw the addition of the first American team to the league, the Sacramento Gold Miners...
team), which was converted into "road team" status for the last few weeks of the 1994 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:...
. The team had drawn very poorly in Las Vegas (its last game drew less than 2,500 fans) and was folded at the end of the season.