Category: Alternative Football

The Canadian Football League brought its brand of the gridiron game to the United States for a regular season contest in 1958. But did you know that 16 years later the World Football League returned the favor?

Yet just as Americans were cool to the historic Hamilton-Ottawa clash in Philadelphia, Canadians in London, Ontario, didn’t have much interest in what the WFL had to offer, either.

The September 2, 1974, contest between the Detroit Wheels and Portland Storm was hardly a memorable one, especially considering it featured two struggling franchises playing in a struggling first-year league. But it is notable in that it was moved from Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to J.W. Wilson Stadium in London on less than a week’s notice – and gave the upstart circuit its only international appearance.

WFL historians will note that Toronto was granted an inaugural franchise (the Toronto Northmen), but faced so much pushback from both the CFL and the Canadian government that team owner John Bassett opted to move the club to Memphis.

With the Toronto team out, the 12-team WFL consisted entirely of U.S.-based franchises (although The Hawaiians, based in Honolulu, did provide the circuit with an exotic locale).

However, there was still a desire to plant a seed north of the American border.

“The league is anxious to play there for two reasons,” Tim Grandi, executive assistant to WFL commissioner Gary Davidson, told the Detroit Free Press. “We want to establish the precedent of having played in Canada since their Parliament never passed the legislation that would’ve banned American football leagues. And we want the people in that area to see what the World Football League is all about.”

The Wheels (0-8) played 35 miles away from Detroit in Eastern Michigan University’s 22,000-seat stadium, and drew just over 12,000 fans per game. They were already on their last legs in the Motor City, having been denied the chance to play at Tiger Stadium since the NFL Lions had exclusive football rights there. There was a strong rumor ahead of the game that the team was headed to Charlotte in a relocation move, so at this point it probably didn’t matter where the game took place.

“We approved Charlotte as a location for a World Football League team a couple of weeks ago,” Grandi said. “It is an acceptable location for us, but we have not approved the transfer of any team, anywhere. And there is no transfer setup at this time.

“Everyone knows the problems of the Detroit team, but they are still attempting to keep the team there and that is the way the situation stands now.”

A potential move wasn’t the reason for the venue change, though. Detroit and London might be separated by only 120 miles, but it was actually a Portland official who requested the game be played in Canada.

Bob Harris, a London businessman who was a major stockholder with the Storm, wanted to show off the league in his hometown. He had planned to put a CFL team in London for the 1974 season but couldn’t come up with the $2 million price tag. So, landing a WFL franchise in Ontario might be the next best thing, and a 2 p.m. game on Labor Day would be a chance to test the waters.

“We have a 180-acre site off Highway 401 where we hope to build a stadium one day,” Harris told the Associated Press.

Unfortunately for Harris – and anyone else who thought the WFL might find a home in Canada – there was little interest in the game.

Whether two winless teams and a sinking league were to blame no one knows, but only 5,101 tickets were sold (most for the equivalent of $2.50 in American money) and many news accounts suggest less than 3,000 fans were in the stands.

For the record, Portland won, 18-7. The Storm improved to 1-7-1 with their first victory and went on to finish the campaign 7-12-1.

The Wheels, on the other hand, didn’t move to Charlotte and didn’t finish the season at all.

They played one more game in Ypsilanti on September 6 and picked up their only victory on September 11 against the Florida Blazers in Orlando. Detroit contested its final four games on the road and folded following a week 14 loss to Shreveport. (Charlotte did get a team via relocation, but it was the New York Stars).

The 1974 WFL was buried in debt, and a reboot in 1975 only made it 12 weeks until the league went out of business.

In the end, the league that wanted to represent the world left American soil only once, playing a largely meaningless game in a small stadium in Ontario. Still, a few thousand Canadians got to see football history – even though it’s history that most fans have long since forgotten.

One of my biggest fanboy moments came on July 15, 1995, when I got to see the Birmingham Barracudas take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a Week Three contest at Legion Field. It was a bit surreal … not only was I watching my longtime favorite Canadian Football League team play in America – in person – they were playing a new CFL franchise located in my hometown.

Of course, Hamilton had been crossing the border to play regular season games since 1993 as part of the “CFL in America” experiment. But 37 years earlier, the Ti-Cats made American football history by playing another Canadian team on U.S. soil in a regular season matchup. That was a first for the newly minted CFL.

On September 14, 1958, Hamilton and the Ottawa Rough Riders met at Philadelphia’s Municipal Stadium in a Big Four (East Division) clash. It was the fifth game of the season for both clubs and was something of a test drive for the league in the United States. Canadian football teams had played several exhibitions in front of American audiences, but this showdown had real stakes.

Hamilton, which agreed to move the game from Ivor Wynne Stadium, was coached by former Philadelphia Eagles boss Jim Trimble and featured four former Eagles: Skippy Giancanelli, Ralph Goldston, Bob Kelley and Hubert Bobo. The hope was a bit of “home cooking” might result in a record crowd. The stadium seated 102,000, and with the start of the NFL season still two weeks away, organizer Bud Dudley expected 40,000 fans to show up for the gridiron novelty.

“We hope to draw in a crowd that will break the Canadian record of 39,000 odd,” Dudley told the Canadian Press.

He added that advance ticket sales were already in the 20,000 range and with prices set at $10, $5 and $3, 17,000 patrons were enough for the event to break even.

Proceeds from the game would benefit both the children’s hospital and rehabilitation center in Philly, and it would come on what had been declared “Canadian-American Day” by the city’s mayor, Richardson Dilworth.

Leading up to the contest a few local papers took the time to give fans a quick tutorial on the Canadian game, emphasizing the extra player per side, three downs to make a first down, and longer, wider playing field (although the configuration of Municipal Stadium meant the field could be only 100 yards long instead of the 110-yard length used in the CFL).

So, was the game a success?

From a strictly football standpoint it certainly was for the Tiger-Cats, who won, 24-18, and improved to 5-0 on the year.

But the large crowd didn’t materialize, with only 15,110 showing up and 3,000 of them coming down from Canada.

The Canadian Press asked a few American sports writers for their take on the game and the reviews they gave were hardly raving.

“If you’ll forgive me, I’d agitate for four downs on your game,” Jack Walsh of the Washington Post said.

“There is more ball control and, consequently, more sustained scoring drives in the American variety of the game,” added Philadelphia Bulletin writer John Fraser.

And Bulletin sports editor Ed Pollock opined, “As the game progresses, it becomes apparent that the Canadian attack is handicapped by limited number of downs, thus there are fewer drives of good length.”

The American fans who showed up were likely put off by the 31 punts in the contest, and if they weren’t familiar with the rules (Hamilton scored four singles) they probably spent much of the afternoon scratching their heads.

Whether that meeting was the reason or not, the CFL never attempted an all-Canadian regular season game in the United States again.

The next time the CFL did play a game in the Lower 48 that counted in the standings came on July 17, 1993, when the Sacramento Gold Miners hosted the Calgary Stampeders.

Football history is interesting, ain’t it?

Seeing a final score that reads Birmingham Stallions 33, Philadelphia Stars 30, brings a smile to my face.

I mean sure, I’m glad Birmingham won the United States Football League Championship Game; I live here and the team reps the city, so it’s a result certainly worthy of a smile. But the grin is triggered more by an old memory than an instant one.

My dad and I watched the 1974 World Bowl at my brother’s house, and after the Birmingham Americans clinched the WFL title with a 22-21 victory over the Florida Blazers, we made the short drive back home.

I spent the 10-minute trip reveling in the glory of it all – it was exciting to think a team from my hometown had just claimed a “world” championship in football – and fought off sleep when I crawled into bed so I could replay the game in my head.

Then came the next morning.

The good news of Birmingham’s victory was splashed across the newspaper, but it came with the bad news that sheriff’s deputies had seized the winners’ jerseys and equipment to help pay off $700,000 in debts.

It was a school day (the game was played on Thursday, December 5) and while Pop drank his coffee and I wolfed down toast, my joy was replaced by worry and I felt the need to share my angst.

“I’m glad the Americans are champions, but I wonder if I’ll ever get to see them play again,” I said. “It’s gonna be sad if this was it.”

(For reference purposes, the WFL limped to the finish line in an unstable inaugural 1974 season. Birmingham and Florida players hadn’t been paid in weeks; the Detroit and Jacksonville franchises folded; and the New York Stars relocated to Charlotte and the Houston Texans moved to Shreveport. The WFL was, at the time, considered one of the greatest financial disasters in sports history, so coming back for a second year appeared to be a longshot).

Pop and I talked a lot, and many of our conversations were focused on football. When it came to the pro game, he was a Green Bay Packers fan and I cheered for the New York Jets, but we bonded over the Americans. And considering how much I valued his opinion, I wanted him to weigh in on the chances of our WFL champs playing on past a cold December night.

“Well, bud,” he said, looking down at his pocket and reaching for a Lucky Strike, “nobody can predict the future.”

“I know,” I said, “But still … what do you think?”

Pop shot a quick glance in my direction.

“I think that’s not something you should worry about today,” he said. “Birmingham won a championship. If you win a championship, that’s a big deal. Just enjoy it.”

That was exactly what I needed to hear. And he was absolutely right – it was such a big deal that nearly a half century later I not only haven’t forgotten it, but still talk (and write) about it.

The Americans were the first pro team I ever saw in person, and the Stallions hold that distinction for young ‘uns who made their way to Protective Stadium or Legion Field this year.

Such occasions are ones that stick … mental souvenirs that represent a moment in time you find yourself going back to over and over throughout the years.

Perhaps a kid got a smile from J’Mar Smith or Alex McGough, a high-five from Bo Scarbrough, or simply sat in front of a TV and cheered a Victor Bolden catch or Scooby Wright pick-six.

Doesn’t matter the player, doesn’t matter the reason … if you watched the games and made these guys your hometown heroes, you made an investment.

And while an adult investment often comes from a wallet, a kids’ investment almost always comes from the heart.

Certainly, it’s a proud moment for any football fan who calls Birmingham home. There’s no age limit on supporting your town and your team.

But I’m especially happy for the young fans tonight.

Some celebrated with their mother or father or sister or brother, making it a family affair.

Others got together with friends to watch the Stallions make some fresh gridiron history.

And they might already have started dreaming about a repeat; while I never saw the Americans again (World Bowl One was World Bowl Only, and the Birmingham Americans were replaced by the Birmingham Vulcans in 1975), this version of the USFL – and Stallions – seems stable enough to make it through next year and possibly beyond.

Yet regardless of whether or not the league is built to last, it provided a lasting memory for kids who got their first taste of a homegrown title.

“Birmingham won a championship. If you win a championship, that’s a big deal. Just enjoy it.”

It’s been almost 48 years since Pop told me that.

I’m sad I can’t hear him say it anymore, but I’m happy I remember what it felt like when he did.