The World Football League was a disastrous attempt to set up a fall-season rival to the National Football League in the mid-1970′s.  League founder Gary Davidson was involved in both the American Basketball Association and the World Hockey Association start-ups, both of which similarly sought to challenge the hegemony of the established major leagues.  The WFL succeeded in persuading dozens of NFL stars to jump leagues, largely because the NFL had no free agency and the presence of a rival league created the only leverage that most players had in contract negotiations.  Many of the NFL stars who signed “futures” contracts with the WFL never actually made the jump, as the under-capitalized WFL franchises began shutting down almost as soon as they launched.

The league lost an estimated $20 million during its first season of play in 1974.  The league attempted to mount a second season, but folded on October 22nd, 1975 without managing to complete the regular season.  During its short and tumultuous history, the WFL was plaged with midseason shutdowns and franchise relocations, which has made its obscure memorabilia appealing to a certain kind of collector.

==Franchise List==

==Key Players==

• Larry Csonka (Memphis Southmen 1975)
• Calvin Hill (The Hawaiians 1975)
• Jim Kiick (Memphis Southmen 1975)
• Daryle Lamonica (Southern California Sun 1975)
• Paul Warfield (Memphis Southmen1975)