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The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The league folded midway through its second season, in 1975. A new minor football league began play as the World Football League in 2008 after acquiring the rights to its trademarks and intellectual property; it folded in 2011.
The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the nation's best players, and introduced many lasting innovations to the game. However, the AAFC was ultimately unable to sustain itself in competition with the NFL. After it folded, three of its teams were admitted to the NFL: the San Francisco 49ers, the Cleveland Browns and the original Baltimore Colts.
The Charlotte Hornets were an American football team in the short-lived professional World Football League. Despite their brief existence, the Hornets were North Carolina's first attempt at a major league football team, predating the Carolina Panthers by two decades. They were relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, from New York City in the middle of the 1974 season.
The Shreveport Steamer were a professional American football team in the World Football League. The franchise began the 1974 season in Houston, Texas, as the Houston Texans, playing their home games at the Houston Astrodome. Toward the end of the season, the team relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, and became the Shreveport Steamer. They played at the 30,000-seat State Fair Stadium, now named Independence Stadium. Larry King, of future CNN fame, was one of their broadcasters.
The Chicago Rockets were an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets. Unlike the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts, the franchise did not join the National Football League (NFL) prior to the 1950 season.
The 1949 Cleveland Browns season was the team's fourth and final season in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns finished the regular season with a 9–1–2 win–loss–tie record and beat the San Francisco 49ers to win their fourth straight league championship. In the season's sixth game on October 9, the 49ers stopped the Browns' professional football record unbeaten streak at 29 games. It began two years earlier on October 19, 1947, and included two league championship games and two ties.
James Robert "Bob" Smith was an American football defensive back, halfback and punter. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1949 to 1954. He played for NFL championship teams in Detroit in 1952 and 1953 and was selected as a first-team All Pro after the 1952 season. He also played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Buffalo Bills (1948), Brooklyn Dodgers (1948), and Chicago Hornets (1949). Smith played college football for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks (1944), and the Iowa Hawkeyes (1946–1947).
Joseph Robert Soboleski, Jr. was an American football guard.
Zygmont "Ziggy" Peter Czarobski was an American football player. He played at the tackle position for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Rockets/Hornets (1948–1949). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977.
Homer Paine was an American football tackle. He played college football at the University of Tulsa for one season and at the University of Oklahoma for three seasons. Paine was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference first team while at Tulsa, and he was twice named to all-conference first teams while at Oklahoma. After college, Paine played professional football for one season with the Chicago Hornets of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). He was selected in the 14th round of the 1946 NFL Draft.
On December 9, 1949, the National Football League absorbed three teams from the All-America Football Conference.
The 1974 World Football League season was the first season of the World Football League.
The following is a timeline of the expansion and evolution of franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league was formed as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946 and took its current name in 1949. The histories of NBA franchises that were also members of the American Basketball League (ABL), National Basketball League (NBL), National Pro Basketball League (NPBL), and American Basketball Association (ABA) are also included.
Robert Michael Sweiger was an American football back who played four seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the New York Yankees and Chicago Hornets. He was drafted by the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) in the third round of the 1942 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Minnesota and attended Central High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
George Ferdinand Strohmeyer, Jr. was an American football player who played two seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Hornets. He enrolled at Texas A&M University before transferring to the University of Notre Dame. Strohmeyer attended McAllen High School in McAllen, Texas. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the thirteenth round of the 1946 NFL Draft.
Robert Edward Livingstone was an American football halfback who played two seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) with the Chicago Rockets/Hornets and Buffalo Bills. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) in the 22nd round of the 1945 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame and attended Hammond High School in Hammond, Indiana.
Robert Peter Jensen was an American football end.
Marion Vaughn Shirley was an American football player who played at the tackle position. He played college football for Oklahoma City University and professional football for the New York Yankees.
References
- ↑ 1949 Chicago Rockets
- ↑ "1949 Chicago Hornets (AAFC)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 29, 2023.