WLAF reborn

Thirty years ago this month, the World League of American Football came out of hibernation.

The WLAF began play in 1991, featuring six United States-based teams (Birmingham Fire, Orlando Thunder, New York/New Jersey Knights, Sacramento Surge, San Antonio Riders, Raleigh/Durham Skyhawks), one Canadian (Montreal Machine) and three European franchises (Barcelona Dragons, Frankfurt Galaxy, London Monarchs).

But after two seasons the league proved to be a hit overseas and a miss in North America, so it went dormant for two years. When it resurfaced in 1995, it featured an all-Europe lineup – the Amsterdam Admirals, Rhein Fire and Scottish (Edinburgh) Claymores, along with three holdovers from 91-92 (Dragons, Galaxy, Monarchs).

“Last time, we had to work around American television schedules with USA and ABC,” NFL President and CEO Neil Austrian told USA Today for an April 7, 1995, story. “We were trying to do too many things. This time, U.S. television is not a factor.”

When the NFL-owned WLAF first took to the field, its goal was to give players a showcase that might help them get to – or back to – the big league. That goal remained the same once it went to an all-international lineup.

But, like modern spring leagues, it also served as a laboratory for rule innovations. Chief among them was the 4-point field goal for kicks that split the uprights from 50 yards or beyond.

“We think the 4-point play is an exciting rules change which is in keeping with the innovative style of the World League, “ WLAF vice president Jerry Vanisi said. “The NFL’s competition committee has frequently debated awarding different points based on the distance of a field goal. We think this change and others will add even more excitement to our league.”

The circuit also introduced defensive conversions (called “a deuce”) in which blocked extra points, recovered fumbles or interceptions returned to the opponents’ goal-line were worth two points.

Receivers needed just one foot in bounds for receptions; defenses could rush no more than three players on punts; and each team would have an opportunity to possess the ball in overtime.

The season consisted of 10 regular season games but was split into two parts. The team that finished with the best record over the first five games automatically earned a berth in the World Bowl championship game.

The Frankfurt Galaxy was far and away the top draw in WLAF ‘95, averaging 29,076 fans per home game. They were the only club during the reboot campaign to draw more than 30,000, which they did twice. Barcelona was the next-best supported team, bringing in an average of 18,599 per home date.

The rest of the franchises, however, were disappointments at the box office.

The Admirals drew only 7,911 on average, while the Claymores and Fire pulled in around 10,000.

The Monarchs welcomed more than 40,000 fans during four home dates in 1991, and averaged nearly 22,000 each time they played at Wembley Stadium in 1992.

However, the reborn London team slipped to 10,417 per host outing.

The World Bowl was played in Amsterdam, with Frankfurt winning 26-22 in front of 23,847 paying customers. For the year, though, average attendance was an underwhelming 14,560.

Still, there were plenty of reasons for the WLAF to play on. Including the 1992-93 seasons, 73 of its players were on NFL rosters in 1996, including 13 quarterbacks.

Monarchs QB Brad Johnson, who struggled to find playing time after being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1992, found his groove during the WLAF relaunch. He went on to spend 17 years in the NFL and guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory in the XXXVII Super Bowl.

And while we hail the current spring football model for making it to a fourth season, the second coming of the WLAF had a 13-year run. The World League changed its name to NFL Europe in 1998 and played its final season as NFL Europa in 2007.

The Galaxy, Fire and Admirals were the only remaining teams from 1995. The Hamburg Sea Devils, Cologne Centurions and Berlin Thunder rounded out NFLE’s farewell lineup.

The minor league reportedly was losing $30 million per year, and with the NFL starting to play regular season games abroad, WLAF/NFL Europe/NFL Europa had finally run its course.

By the time it closed shop, it had helped develop the likes of Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme, and three of its veterans (Adam Vinatieri, Dante Hall and Brian Moorman) made the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

Looking back, it’s obvious that a league such as this certainly has a place in the sports landscape. But turning it into a money-making venture for its stakeholders … well, that code has yet to be cracked.