Spotlight

1975 Hawaiians Program from the World Football League

The Hawaiians

The Hawaiians pro football team was the first North American major pro sports franchise based outside the continental United States and Canada. The team was part of the rebel World Football League (1974-1975), formed to challenge the NFL in the mid-1970’s. Thanks to solid ownership and an alluring locale, the Hawaiians persuaded nearly a dozen NFL veterans to jump to the WFL, including All-Pros John Gilliam, Calvin Hill and Ted Kwalick. But only Hill would ever suit up for the team.

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Honoring the Negro Leagues

Seattle Steelheads barnstorming poster

Seattle Steelheads

The Seattle Steelheads were members of the West Coast Negro Baseball Association (WCNBA) in that circuit’s only season, 1946. The team was actually the Harlem Globetrotters baseball club and returned to barnstorming when the WCNBA ceased operations.

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Retro Hockey

San Francisco Seals program 1965

San Francisco Seals (1961-1967)

Hockey’s San Francisco Seals were a popular entry in the minor Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 1960s. The team won two championships before being “promoted” to the NHL in 1966 for the 1967-68 season.

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baseball History

1983 Omaha Royals baseball program from the American Association

Omaha Royals / Omaha Golden Spikes

Omaha, Nebraska has hosted the top farm club of the Kansas City Royals since the Major League club’s inception in 1969. Initially known as the Omaha Royals, the Class AAA club won four league championships of the American Association, including back-to-back titles in their first two seasons in 1969 and 1970. The Royals survived the closure of the American Association, joining the Pacific Coast League in 1998. From 1999 until 2001, the team was briefly known as the “Golden Spikes” before returning to the Royals nickname. In 2011, the club re-branded as the Omaha Storm Chasers while simultaneously moving into the new $36M Werner Park.

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Soccer Indoor and outdoor

Boston Tigers

The Boston Tigers were a semi-professional soccer team that played in Chelsea and Lynn, Massachusetts, melting pot cities that bordered the northern edge of Boston. The Tigers competed in the American Soccer League (ASL) against competition from other Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic cities. Future two-time NASL Most Valuable Player Carlos Metidieri suited up for the Tigers in 1967.

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Arena Football

Quarterback Scooter Molander on the cover of a 1994 Las Vegas Sting program from the Arena Football League

Las Vegas Sting

The purple and gold-clad Sting were Las Vegas’ first of several Arena Football League franchises. The team played at the newly opened MGM Grand Garden Arena in 1994 before moving to the Thomas & Mack Center for their final season in 1995. The franchise moved to Southern California under new ownership and became the Anaheim Piranhas in 1996. The AFL would try again in Las Vegas with the Gladiators (2003-2007) and the Outlaws (2015).

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Los Angeles Stars American Basketball Association

Los Angeles Stars (1968-1970)

The Los Angeles Stars basketball team was a short-lived effort by the American Basketball Association to plant its flag in L.A. during the early years of its rivalry with the National Basketball Association.  The Stars labored in the shadows of the NBA’s Lakers and never established a substantial following. Coached by Hall-of-Famer (and future Lakers coach) Bill Sharman, the Stars did enjoy a thrilling Cinderella playoff run at the end of their second and final season in L.A.

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1994 Sacramento Gold Miners media guide from the Canadian Football League

Sacramento Gold Miners

The Sacramento Gold Miners were the first U.S.-based franchise admitted into the Canadian Football League during the CFL’s short-lived American expansion adventure from 1993 to 1995. The Gold Miners weren’t a brand new operation though. Owner Fred Anderson’s team previously played in the NFL-sponsored World League of American Football (WLAF) as the Sacramento Surge in 1991 and 1992. After NFL owners pulled the plug on the WLAF in September 1992, Anderson applied for entry to the CFL. The team retained its color scheme, Head Coach Kay Stephenson and a number of players from the WLAF era, but changed its name upon joining the CFL.

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