Aaronhere
07-15-2008, 04:36 PM
In my continuing football history research, I have come across some "phantom" football leagues, organized but never played. Any additional information would be appreciated:
TRANS-AMERICA FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1944) - Organized by promoter John "Chick" Meehan. The league did not get off the ground and folded in June 1945
UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1944) - Organized in April 1944, with a proposed 12-team lineup (East - New York, Washington, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, West - Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Akron, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles). Red Grange was named commissioner, but resigned later in the year. The league folded on the same day as the TAFL, as both leagues could not compete with the new All-America Football Conference.
TRANS-AMERICA CONFERENCE (1959) - The league began as a minor-league (Mid-America Football League), but it was revealed in July 1959 during Congressional testimony by NFL Commissioner Bert Bell that the league wanted to challenge the NFL. Former NY Giant QB Travis Tidwell said the league would consist of Houston, Denver, Minneapolis, New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and said other possible members are Louisville, Boston, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco and Buffalo. Some of the organizers behind the Continental League (baseball) were also reportedly behind the TAC. Tidwell was last mentioned in
INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1959) - Was briefly mentioned in a July 1959 Dallas Morning-News article about the newly-formed AFL. The organizers were indentified as Jack Corbitt, former owner of the El Paso minor league baseball team, and Harvey Hester, an Atlanta businessman and sportsman. Hester owned the Miami Seahawks in the AAFC. Nothing was ever heard about the league after the brief mentions in July and August 1959.
UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1965) - Created by future league developer extraordinaire David Dixon, the USFL was unveiled in an April 11, 1965 article in the Dallas Times-Herald. The league, which would kick off in January 1966, would have franchises in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, Miami and Anaheim. Games would be held to a strict two-hour limit, with the title game on Memorial Day. An organizational meeting was supposed to be held in May, while Dallas Cowboy GM Tex Schramm said the NFL may develop its own winter-spring league. Neither plan got off the ground.
UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1966) - The league was announced in June 1966 by former Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy. The league said it would name twelve franchises to begin play in 1967 (Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Memphis, New Orleans, Seattle, Phoenix and Cincinnati were among the early choices). Leahy resigned at the end of July, but the league announced in mid-August it would move forward in 1967 with eight franchises (New Orleans, Philadelphia, Washington, Los Angeles, Akron, Pittsburgh and either Atlanta or Memphis and Oakland or San Jose). The USFL filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL and AFL to block their merger in October. Norman Hecht, USFL commissioner, was quoted in November as saying the league had leases for franchises in Washington, Philadelphia, Akron, Cincinnati, Chicago, San Jose and Jacksonville, but the league would be reorganized as the International Football League. Nothing more was heard from the league.
UNIVERSAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1974) - The league was announced on October 5, 1973, when sports agents Tony Rizzano and Louis S. Goldman said their UFL would draw teams from the United States, Mexico and Canada and games would be played with new rules, including several from the CFL. The pair revealed plans for the new league, just two days after plans were unveiled for the World Football League. Rizzano said the UFL, to be composed of 10 teams, hoped to begin playing in 1974. The prospective franchise owners in league cities — New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, Tampa, Memphis, Anaheim, Birmingham, Mexico City and Toronto — would be charged $3 million in cash for their franchises. In January 1974, Razzano announced the UFL would hold off until the spring of 1975 to begin play due to competition from the WFL, but nothing more was ever heard from the league.
INTERCONTINENTAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1974) - The NFL planned a “satellite” league that would start play in the spring of 1975. The NFL even had nicknames for the six teams. They were the Istanbul Conquerors, the Rome Gladiators, the Munich Lions, the Berlin Bears, the Vienna Lippizzaners and the Barcelona Almovogeres. The NFL also had pre-selected four expansion teams – the Paris Lafayettes, the Copenhagen Vikings, the Rotterdam Flying Dutchmen and the Milan Centurions. The NFL owners were to provide the initial funding, and the league would employ “second-line athletes and rookies from established NFL teams.” Heading the NFL committee that was to put the league together were Al Davis and Tex Schramm. The league never materialized. Former soccer coach Bob Kap tried to keep the dream of the league alive, bringing two American college teams over to Europe in 1976 to gauge interest. Kap planned to place teams in West Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Vienna, Copenhagen and Frankfurt to begin play in March 1977, but nothing came of this plan either.
TRANS-AMERICA FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1944) - Organized by promoter John "Chick" Meehan. The league did not get off the ground and folded in June 1945
UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1944) - Organized in April 1944, with a proposed 12-team lineup (East - New York, Washington, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, West - Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Akron, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles). Red Grange was named commissioner, but resigned later in the year. The league folded on the same day as the TAFL, as both leagues could not compete with the new All-America Football Conference.
TRANS-AMERICA CONFERENCE (1959) - The league began as a minor-league (Mid-America Football League), but it was revealed in July 1959 during Congressional testimony by NFL Commissioner Bert Bell that the league wanted to challenge the NFL. Former NY Giant QB Travis Tidwell said the league would consist of Houston, Denver, Minneapolis, New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and said other possible members are Louisville, Boston, Miami, Seattle, San Francisco and Buffalo. Some of the organizers behind the Continental League (baseball) were also reportedly behind the TAC. Tidwell was last mentioned in
INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1959) - Was briefly mentioned in a July 1959 Dallas Morning-News article about the newly-formed AFL. The organizers were indentified as Jack Corbitt, former owner of the El Paso minor league baseball team, and Harvey Hester, an Atlanta businessman and sportsman. Hester owned the Miami Seahawks in the AAFC. Nothing was ever heard about the league after the brief mentions in July and August 1959.
UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1965) - Created by future league developer extraordinaire David Dixon, the USFL was unveiled in an April 11, 1965 article in the Dallas Times-Herald. The league, which would kick off in January 1966, would have franchises in Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, Miami and Anaheim. Games would be held to a strict two-hour limit, with the title game on Memorial Day. An organizational meeting was supposed to be held in May, while Dallas Cowboy GM Tex Schramm said the NFL may develop its own winter-spring league. Neither plan got off the ground.
UNITED STATES FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1966) - The league was announced in June 1966 by former Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy. The league said it would name twelve franchises to begin play in 1967 (Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Memphis, New Orleans, Seattle, Phoenix and Cincinnati were among the early choices). Leahy resigned at the end of July, but the league announced in mid-August it would move forward in 1967 with eight franchises (New Orleans, Philadelphia, Washington, Los Angeles, Akron, Pittsburgh and either Atlanta or Memphis and Oakland or San Jose). The USFL filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL and AFL to block their merger in October. Norman Hecht, USFL commissioner, was quoted in November as saying the league had leases for franchises in Washington, Philadelphia, Akron, Cincinnati, Chicago, San Jose and Jacksonville, but the league would be reorganized as the International Football League. Nothing more was heard from the league.
UNIVERSAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1974) - The league was announced on October 5, 1973, when sports agents Tony Rizzano and Louis S. Goldman said their UFL would draw teams from the United States, Mexico and Canada and games would be played with new rules, including several from the CFL. The pair revealed plans for the new league, just two days after plans were unveiled for the World Football League. Rizzano said the UFL, to be composed of 10 teams, hoped to begin playing in 1974. The prospective franchise owners in league cities — New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, Tampa, Memphis, Anaheim, Birmingham, Mexico City and Toronto — would be charged $3 million in cash for their franchises. In January 1974, Razzano announced the UFL would hold off until the spring of 1975 to begin play due to competition from the WFL, but nothing more was ever heard from the league.
INTERCONTINENTAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1974) - The NFL planned a “satellite” league that would start play in the spring of 1975. The NFL even had nicknames for the six teams. They were the Istanbul Conquerors, the Rome Gladiators, the Munich Lions, the Berlin Bears, the Vienna Lippizzaners and the Barcelona Almovogeres. The NFL also had pre-selected four expansion teams – the Paris Lafayettes, the Copenhagen Vikings, the Rotterdam Flying Dutchmen and the Milan Centurions. The NFL owners were to provide the initial funding, and the league would employ “second-line athletes and rookies from established NFL teams.” Heading the NFL committee that was to put the league together were Al Davis and Tex Schramm. The league never materialized. Former soccer coach Bob Kap tried to keep the dream of the league alive, bringing two American college teams over to Europe in 1976 to gauge interest. Kap planned to place teams in West Berlin, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Vienna, Copenhagen and Frankfurt to begin play in March 1977, but nothing came of this plan either.