The original Macon Whoopees were charter members of the Southern Hockey League in 1973. The team only lasted one season. In the 1990s, a new team in the Central Hockey League (CHL) revived the name, though they dropped the “S” at the end. That team skated for five seasons, the last as members of the ECHL.
The Jacksonville Express was a franchise that existed for part of one season in the World Football League during the summer and autumn of 1975. The WFL was an under-funded effort to challenge the NFL head-to-head in the fall, along the lines of the AFL-NFL rivalry of the 1960’s. Jacksonville was one of the league’s original cities in 1974, but the Jacksonville Sharks club went kaput midway through the season. The WFL took another crack at Jacksonville in 1975 with the formation of the Express. But this time the entire league folded halfway through the regular season on October 22nd. The Express had a 6-5 record when their season was cut short.
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.
The Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association were one of the first major pro hockey teams to make their home in the Deep South, sharing that distinction with the slightly older Atlanta Flames of the National Hockey League. The Bulls never posted a winning record and made the playoffs only once in three WHA seasons. But the team did make news for its controversial “Baby Bulls” youth movement that saw the team sign a parade of teenage stars from the junior ranks who would later go on to NHL stardom, including Ken Linseman, Michel Goulet, Rick Vaive, Pat Riggin and others. Read more…
Houston’s dreams of landing a Major League Baseball team go back at least as far as the 1950s. The threat of a third major league, the proposed Continental League, yielded Houston a National League expansion franchise that was known as the Houston Colt .45s for its first three seasons.
SUPER SOCCER LEAGUE Announced: January 5, 1978 Vanished: Summer 1978 Founders: Dennis Murphy, Jerry Saperstein, Richard Ragone, Norm Sutherland, Fredric Wise & Dr. Elliott Gorin Background Periodically, some persuasive entrepreneur claims to have developed the sport of the future. And from the 1960’s to the 1990’s that man was
Arena Football League (2001-2008) Born: November 1, 2000 – The Iowa Barnstormers relocate to Long Island, NY Folded: 2009 First Game: April 21, 2001 (L 68-58 vs. Toronto Phantoms) Last Game: July 5, 2008 (L 49-48 @ Philadelphia Soul) Arena Bowl Championships: None Nassau Coliseum (11,965) Opened: 1972 Team Colors: Red, Black, Orange
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed in 1967 as a competitor to the established National Basketball Association (NBA). It started with 11 teams, and within a few years was angling for a merger with the older league. In 1976, the NBA took in four ABA teams, while three other surviving teams disbanded.
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.
Fun While it Lasted presents the Jersey of the Week, brought to you by Royal Retros. Each week, we feature a historic uniform. Click to learn more about the team that wore this classic gear.
