World Football League Football

Wfl1974.comIf you're interested in upstart football leagues, you've likely been enjoying this fall. The original AFL teams are celebrating their 50th seasons of existence by wearing throwback uniforms, the new United Football League played its debut season and ESPN's '30 for 30' documentary series featured a look at the dearly departed USFL. But this year also represents an anniversary for another renegade league which has been largely forgotten.Thirty-five years ago this week, the World Football League played its only championship game, the World Bowl (not to be confused with the moniker later employed by NFL Europe for its title game).That the WFL was even able to stage a title game at the end of its 1974 season was surprising given the league's many travails. The brainchild of Gary Davidson, who also had ahand in founding the ABA and the World Hockey Association, the WFL featured a quirky football (gold with orange stripes) and some quirky rules (for instance, touchdowns were worth seven points, with a run-or-pass 'action point' after a touchdown).

Twelve teams took the field for the 1974 season, and early WFL attendance numbers seemed good until it was revealed that some teams (most notably the Philadelphia Bell) were providing many free or discounted tickets. Soon after that, the WFL started losing fans and money rapidly. Two WFL teams moved during the season - the New York Stars became the Charlotte Hornets and the Houston Texans became the Shreveport Steamer. Two others, the Detroit Wheels and Jacksonville Sharks, folded. Jacksonville's departure forced a relocation of the World Bowl since it was originally scheduled to play host to the title game.

Babylonian talmud. Wfl1974.comBirmingham's Joe Profit plunges into the end zone for the first touchdown of the 1974 World Bowl.The start of the playoffs brought more chaos. Seven knights apk mod. The Hornets, the second-place team in the Eastern Division, earned the right to host a playoff game.

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But due to poor ticket sales, the Hornets dropped out of the postseason entirely, allowing the third-place Bell to take their playoff spot.On Dec. 5, 1974, at half-empty Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., the World Bowl matched the Birmingham Americans and the Florida Blazers, who were based in Orlando, Fla. Neither team's players had been paid in weeks, and the Americans walked out of practice leading up to the game. They were eventually coaxed back when ownership promised them championship rings.Ironically, after a regular season which led to millions of dollars in losses, the World Bowl's first touchdown was scored by Birmingham running back Joe Profit, on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. Two more touchdowns and an 'action point' staked the Americans to a 22-0 lead through three quarters. Florida staged a fourth-quarter rally led by quarterback Bob Davis and running back Tommy Reamon, but Birmingham held on for a 22-21 victory and the WFL title.Even in victory, the Americans lost - their uniforms, that is. They were repossessed shortly after the game to help pay off the team's debts.Somehow, the WFL came back for a second season in 1975, but didn't survive long enough to hold a second World Bowl.

Financial troubles finally forced the WFL to shut down for good in October 1975, just past the midway point of the season.Familiar faces of the WFLThe World Football League itself is long gone, but it did feature some notable participants:. Larry Csonka: The Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl VIII MVP was one of three MiamiDolphins (along with Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield) to jump to the WFL's Memphis Southmen for the 1975 season. Csonka rushed for 421 yards before the league folded.

Wfl1974.com Birmingham quarterback George Mira lines up during the World Bowl. He was later named the game MVP. Danny White: The future Dallas Cowboys quarterback and punter threw for 2,635 yards and 22 touchdowns in two seasons with Memphis.