On September 8, 1968, Glen Hepburn, a two-way player for the Omaha Mustangs, suffered an in-game injury from which he died four days later; it would be the only fatality in the league's history. Played at Verdun Municipal Stadium. Jonas led Orlando to the 1967 and 1968 ContFL championships, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player for each season. The offense continues to be one of the best in the league but what has been a pleasant surprise is the complete 180 turn from the offense under first year defensive coordinator Myron Garrett. It was established as a minor league. In Memoriam: NFL Training Camps: NFL … The winner never got the bucket, though, as Hurn pulled up stakes after four games. Don Jonas, Orlando Panthers quarterback, was a dominant force in the ContFL for four seasons before joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). It was an attempt to start a third pro football league in the United States alongside the National Football League and the American Football League. The Spokane Shockers started the 1968 season with a young quarterback named Ken Stabler, who later achieved great success with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL. Walton would become a regular in second-tier professional football; after several failed attempts to get onto an NFL roster in the early 1970s, Walton got his break in the World Football League, starting for the San Antonio Wings in 1975. Before the season began, the Springfield, Massachusetts, franchise moved to Norfolk, Virginia. The Panthers made an offer of $400,000 (nearly double the entire team's salary) for Simpson to play for the Panthers if his negotiations with the Buffalo Bills fell through; they did not, and Simpson signed with Buffalo for the 1969 season.[11]. The Continental Football League began play in 1965 and was primarily formed from teams in the United Football League and Atlantic Coast Football League. Field Size– 50 yards long by 25 yards wide, with end zones a minimum of 5 yards in depth. [1] In February 1968, the ContFL merged with the Professional Football League of America (PFLA), in order to expand into the midwestern United States. The Orange County Ramblers were featured in the 1968 film Skidoo, in a credited role as stand-ins for a nude Green Bay Packers team. Though a league by that name was proposed in 1920, its best-known incarnation was announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 1961 season. [5] Ned Endress also had involvement with the coaching staff. The Quad Cities franchise moved to Las Vegas midway through the 1968 season. The Michigan Arrows began their season with a soccer-style kicker named Garo Yepremian, who had played the previous season with the Detroit Lions but had found himself out of work because of military service. The San Jose Apaches in 1967 were coached by Bill Walsh, who later achieved great success as the three-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. His time with the Oaks was a relatively disappointing one, with only 512 yards in two seasons, but he remained in Hartford after the Charter Oaks disbanded, becoming a member of its replacement, the ACFL's Hartford Knights. The league originally adopted a "professional" appearance. February 18, 1970: The Jersey Jays moved to the, March 6, 1970: At the annual COFL owners meeting in Chicago, the defending champion Indianapolis Capitols, the former champ Orlando Panthers, and the Norfolk Neptunes announced their withdrawal from the league. A rare highlights clip of the 1966 Continental Football League season. "Inflation Deflates". That optimism was exemplified by the Orlando Panthers' bidding for the services of the 1968 Heisman Trophy winner, halfback O.J. The league was primarily formed by minor-league teams that had played in the United and Atlantic Coast football leagues. Four Continental Football League contributors are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the most of any league not considered a major league: coach Bill Walsh, quarterback Ken Stabler, Doak Walker and Steve Van Buren (the last two of whom were inducted as players but were coaches in this league). It owed its name, at least in part, to the Continental League, a proposed third Major League Baseball organization that influenced MLB significantly (but never played a single game). [7] The team was in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference. The rules were primarily those of the NFL except that a "sudden death" overtime period was employed to break ties, which was not part of the NFL during the regular season at that time. In 1966, the Continental Football League's Brooklyn Dodgers, unable to find a suitable field in Brooklyn (Ebbets Field had been torn down in 1960), played their home games at … The CFL began play in 1965, five seasons after the American Football League, and folded after the 1969 season. Sam Wyche, Bob Kuechenberg, Garo Yepremian and Otis Sistrunk were among the other players and coaches who would later gain fame in the NFL, while a few others, such as Don Jonas and Tom Wilkinson, would emerge as stars in the Canadian Football League. The Ramblers offense is seen, from behind, wearing nothing but helmets, during a scene in which a security guard is hallucinating due to the effects of LSD. Stabler later became the Continental league's first Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee as a player through his work with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL. A number of franchises folded or defected during and after the conclusion of the 1969 season, making the end of the COFL all but inevitable. The league also established farm team relationships with semi-pro clubs (for instance, the Dodgers affiliated with the Liberty Football Conference's Long Island Jets in 1966).[6]. However, by its second season, it focused on becoming a high-level minor league to complement the now merged NFL and [3] Jerry Healey was the team's radio broadcaster. The team's logo was a stylized, elongated A above a V, a football with flames shooting out. It was established following the collapse of the original United Fotball League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside of the NFL and the AFL. Jim Dunn replaced Hill as league commissioner for the 1969 season. Teams were sorted into two divisions and each team had a 36-m… Based at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut, the Charter Oaks had among their players Mel Meeks, a power running back who had set a minor league rushing record (1460 yards in a season) in 1964 when in the Atlantic Coast Football League. Midway through the season, the Hawaii franchise moved to Portland, Oregon. List of Denver Broncos starting quarterbacks, List of Washington Redskins starting quarterbacks, List of Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterbacks. Charleston's Coy Bacon, 1966 CFL All-Star end, went on to play for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins. [8] The Hawks sent several notable players on to the NFL including Jeff Van Note, Chip Myers, and Glen Condren, in part because of an unofficial farm team affiliation with the Atlanta Falcons (the Falcons rookies and the Hawks actually played an interleague preseason game in 1969, which the Falcons won 55–0). Major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1969, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. About the Continental The Continental is a 22 team draft league. Into The Continental Football League This turned out to be the last game for the Professional Football League of America. To avoid the competition of high school, college and major league football, the season begins in August and ends in November. Padded dasher board walls around the entire field that act as an extension of the ground (only “out of bounds” if contact made by opposing player that forces player into the dasher wall, much like a ‘down by contact’ rule). Brand New. He later found Super Bowl fame in the NFL as a member of the Miami Dolphins. For the same reason, most games are held Sunday evenings. Originally in the Pacific Football League in 1966. personal recollection -- I won the contest. Russia offers you to participate in the third international mini-football tournament among the clubs in the 8-a-side format. The Continental Football League was an American football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. The Philadelphia Bulldogs won the 1966 league championship, defeating the Orlando Panthers by a score of 20-17 in overtime. The league originally adopted a "professional" appearance. Followers 1. The CFL added a Western Division for the 1967 season. Rosen sold the Bears to Tom Granatell, who promptly moved the team to Orlando. The Continental Football League was a professional American Football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. The Continental Football League provided a brief bloom to the marked career of a well-traveled quarterback from the University of Utah. / / - Continental Football League, 1965–1969 / / / / Intercontinental Football League - Intended to begin play in 1975, folded before first game [19] - BCAFL British Collegiate American Football League , … Plans for an interleague exhibition between the CFL champion Capitols and the Canadian Football League champion Ottawa Rough Riders had been laid, but the Rough Riders backed out. The first CFL season opened with three games played on August 14, 1965. While that didn't work out and the league folded after five years, some of the memorabilia is still highly sought. The Continental Football League was an American football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. September 21, 1969: The Mexico Golden Aztecs ceased operations and forfeited the remainder of their 1969 schedule. The division comprised established minor-league teams in British Columbia, California, Oregon and Washington. The last meeting between the two sides also saw Emma Hayes’ side run out emphatic 5-0 winners in a WSL encounter at Twerton Park on February 14.. The team, based in Akron, Ohio, played four games in the Continental Football League during the 1967 season, accruing a record of 1–3. He also paced the Panthers to the 1966 championship game, which they lost to Philadelphia in overtime; and to the CFL semifinal game in 1969. [7], Such instability marked the season for the CFL, particularly because the league could not improve upon its overall "semi-pro" public image. March 2021 TODAY > >> S: M: T: W: T: F: S: 28: 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: 9: 10: 11: 12: 13: 14: 15: 16: 17: 18: 19: 20: 21: 22: 23: 24 But four small western franchises, in Eugene, Oregon, Long Beach and San Jose, California and Victoria, B.C., left the league after the season. Successors to the Indianapolis Warriors of the United Football League. Local radio station WHLO ran a 'water boy' contest for the Vulcans, with the winner receiving a sideline pass to the Rubber Bowl, as well as an autographed water bucket, emblazoned with that logo. It was established following the collapse of the original United Fotball League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside of the NFL and the AFL. Commissioner Chandler, charging that the league was altering the terms under which he had accepted the position, resigned on January 20, 1966. The young man, a first round draft choice of the New York Giants in 1958, had worked seven seasons in four leagues on both sides of the U.S./Canadian border. Walton would spend the 1976–79 seasons as an NFL backup, then came out of retirement in 1983 to lead the Boston Breakers of the United States Football League. March 11, 1970: The San Antonio Toros announced the formation of the. The Orlando Panthers won the 1968 league championship, defeating the Orange County Ramblers by a score of 30-23. Logan is notable for being the last professional football player to wear the singular jersey number zero (two others, Ken Burrough and Jim Otto, would wear a double zero, 00, into the 1970s). The league expanded into Texas by absorbing the Texas Football League, which also brought the first and, to date, only team from Mexico to play in a professional American football league, the Mexico Golden Aztecs (whose owner, Red McCombs, would later buy the NFL's Minnesota Vikings). During the 1968 season, the team was also known as the Huntsville Hawks. League information will be available on the web site and/or via e-mail from the Commissioner. As Orlando Panthers quarterback, he played four seasons before joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). [11], Midway through the 1969 season, the Hawaii franchise moved to Portland, Oregon. "List of Continental Football League teams", Learn how and when to remove this template message, "A Roundup Of The Sports Information Of The Week", Ohio History Central - Akron Vulcans entry, http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/39179167.html, http://www.ohio.com/news/a-false-start-1.109305, Booster Club of the Continental Football League, 1968 Alabama Hawks, "Professional Football Research Association, Continental Football League", http://www.luckyshow.org/football/LIJets.htm, ONE DEFINITION OF "MINOR LEAGUE" FOOTBALL, PART TWO, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Continental_Football_League_teams&oldid=918620673, Articles needing additional references from January 2011, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 September 2019, at 15:48. In 1969, the league expanded into Texas by absorbing the Texas Football League, which also brought the first (and, to date, … [12] Successor to the "Canton Bulldogs," also known as the "Cleveland Bulldogs" (unrelated to the NFL teams of the same name) of the United Football League. The Continental Football League was a professional American Football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. The Norfolk club went on to become the most successful team in the league at the box office and held several minor league attendance records throughout the 1960s and 1970s. December 15, 1969: The COFL revoked the franchises of the Chicago Owls, Ohio Valley Ironmen, and Omaha Mustangs for failure to meet the league's financial obligations. The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. Charleston's Coy Bacon, 1966 ContFL All-Star end, went on to play for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins. [2] In 1969, the league expanded into Texas by absorbing the Texas Football League, which also brought the first (and, to date, only) team from Mexico to play in a professional American football league, the Mexico Golden Aztecs. He was replaced by CFL Secretary Sol Rosen, owner of the Newark Bears. 3 talking about this. The Toronto Rifles actually folded midseason, under unusual circumstances: the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League raided the Rifles roster and signed away the Rifles head coach, starting quarterback and starting running back, leaving the team unable to continue. Inability to establish working relationships with NFL and AFL teams was a contributing factor. See more ideas about football league, league, football. The league was primarily formed by minor-league teams that had played in the United and Atlantic Coast football leagues. March 10, 1970, COFL commissioner James Dunn announced his resignation effective the end of that month. The Caps joined the league in 1966 as the Montreal Beavers before moving to Indiana two years later. Don was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Hall of Fame in 1983. Play started with the 1960 professional football league season playing forward in time. B. These economics contributed to the ultimate demise of the league after the 1969 season. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. The Norfolk club went on to become the most successful team in the league at the box office and held several minor league attendance records throughout the 1960s and 1970s. This defensive line was scraping the bottom against the run but have managed to slow HON, TEN, DET, and CLE. Not dissimilar to that of the Tennessee Titans. The Orlando Panthers won the 1967 league championship, defeating the Orange County Ramblers by a score of 38-14. Therefore the Continental Football League will always try to maintain a Coaches Waiting List. Hill established a weekly payroll ceiling of $200 per player and $5,000 per team. July 2, 1970: The Sacramento Capitols folded after selling less than half of the 3,000 season tickets needed to remain viable. Buhite also discusses the relationship between the Continental League and the rising American Football League that challenged the NFL during the early 1960s, and the eventual merger of major league football into the current powerhouse. More colors. The Indianapolis Capitols featured a rookie quarterback named Johnnie Walton during the 1969 season. The Ironmen are representative of the whole Continental League, football on the wrong side of the tracks. The Alabama Hawks were members of the CFL during the league's last two years, 1968-1969. Ken Stabler played two games for the Spokane Shockers in 1968. The Continental Football League (COFL) formed in 1965 with hopes of achieving a status approaching that of the NFL and AFL. The Continental Football League was an American football league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. March 27, 1970: The Arkansas Diamonds folded. Under Hurn, the team lost $100,000 after just three weeks of play, forcing his big-budget head coaches, Doak Walker and Lou Rymkus, to front their own money to keep the team afloat; Hurn never paid the either the coaches or players for their services, and the Wheeling Ironmen ended up paying the Vulcans' salaries for what would be the Vulcans' fourth and final game in order to avoid a strike. In 1966, the league began abandoning the "league autonomy" posture by striving to establish working relationships with NFL and AFL clubs. 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