The Miami Floridians / The Floridians (1968-1972) ABA
April 7, 2026 No Comments
A detailed history of the Miami Floridians, later just The Floridians, the former Minnesota Muskies that played four seasons in the Sunshine State before folding.
Spotlight
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Jacksonville Firebirds
October 16, 2012 16 Comments
The Jacksonville Firebirds were a briefly popular entry in the American Football Association. The league, which played a spring/summer schedule, expanded across the Southeast in the late 1970’s and found a nice niche in Jacksonville, where the Firebirds began play in 1979. The Firebirds drew an astonishing 153,000 fans for 13 games at the Gator Bowl during their debut season, a campaign that capped off with a championship game victory over the Carolina Chargers.
Honoring the Negro Leagues
Cleveland Buckeyes (1942-1950)
September 7, 2025 No Comments
The Cleveland Buckeyes started as the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes in 1942, before settling permanently in Northern Ohio in 1943. The club won two league titles as well as a Negro World Series championship.
Retro Hockey
Ottawa Civics
April 8, 2026 1 Comment
The Ottawa Civics were the former Denver Spurs. They moved to the Canadian capital in January 1976 but lasted just 11 games in Ontario.
baseball History
Atlantic City Surf
December 31, 2017 2 Comments
The Atlantic City Surf were one of the six original franchises in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The Atlantic League was (and remains) the most ambitious league to arise out of the independent baseball boom of the 1990’s. The Surf played at the Sandcastle, a 5,900-seat ballpark built on the grounds of Atlantic City’s municipal airport, Bader Field. The stadium was built with $11.5 million in Casino Reinvestment Development Authority funds and $3 million in taxpayer bonds.
Soccer Indoor and outdoor
Philadelphia Atoms
November 25, 2020 No Comments
The Philadelphia Atoms won the North American Soccer League championship in the debut season of 1973. In doing so, they became the first American pro soccer club to earn the cover of Sports Illustrated. After that charmed first season, though, the Atoms’ fortunes fizzled out and the club was out of business by the end of 1976.
Arena Football
New England Sea Wolves
November 13, 2019 No Comments
The New England Sea Wolves were the second attempt to establish the Arena Football League at the Hartford Civic Center. Like their predecessor, the Connecticut Coyotes (1994-1995), the Sea Wolves lasted only two seasons at the Civic Center before getting sold off and relocated.
Carolina Cougars ABA (1969-1974)
April 7, 2026 No Comments
The Carolina Cougars played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1969 to 1974. The team was established as the Houston Mavericks and spent two seasons in Texas before being purchased by North Carolina syndicate. The team was sold and moved to Missouri and became the Spirits of St. Louis in 1974.
Shreveport Pirates
September 27, 2019 4 Comments
Yes, strange as it sounds, but the small, poverty-stricken city of Shreveport, Louisiana once had its very own Canadian Football League franchise: the Shreveport Pirates. The Pirates’ shambolic leadership made a series of head-scratching personnel moves, including the signings of troubled over-the-hill NFL stars Dexter Manley and Mark Duper, and fired the team’s first head coach before taking a regular season snap. Meanwhile the team staggered to a two-year record of 8-28 in the CFL before going out of business at the end of the 1995 season.