Birmingham Fire
Encyclopedia
The Birmingham Fire was a professional American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 team based in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

 that played in the World League of American Football
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...

 in 1991 and 1992. The team played at Legion Field
Legion Field
Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak...

, and it made the playoffs in both seasons.

Gavin Maloof was the primary owner of the Fire. He had previously owned the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...

 of the NBA. He hired long time NFL assistant Chan Gailey
Chan Gailey
Thomas Chandler "Chan" Gailey, Jr. is an American professional and college football coach. Gailey is the current head coach of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League ; he was formerly the head coach of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college football...

 as head coach. The Fire also had one of the first African-American general managers in pro football, United Football League commissioner Michael Huyghue
Michael Huyghue
Michael L. Huyghue is a sports lawyer and businessman who is the current commissioner of the new United Football League, having served in that capacity since the league's founding in 2007. He was previously a member of the legal department of the NFL Players Association before joining the NFL...

. Ronn Hollis was the Director of Communications.

Season-by-season

|-
|1991 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 1st North American West || Lost Semifinals (Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...

)
|-
|1992 || 7 || 2 || 1 || 2nd North American West || Lost Semifinals (Thunder
Orlando Thunder
The Orlando Thunder was a member of the World League of American Football from 1991 to 1992 . The team played their games in the 70,000 seat Citrus Bowl, and was coached by Don Matthews in 1991 and Galen Hall in 1992...

)
|-
!Totals || 12 || 9 || 1
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)

1991 season

The first game at Legion Field featured an attendance of over 53,000. The Fire lost to Montreal 20-5. Their second game, a 17-10 win against Sacramento, only drew 16,000. The game featured a 99 yard interception return for a touchdown, by free safety John Miller. The Fire got off to a 1-4 start, but clinched the North American West Division with a 5-5 record. They would lose in the playoffs to the Barcelona Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...

 10-3. The team was led on the field by former Houtson Oilers back up quarterback Breant Pease. He shared duties with back up Eric Jones. However, Jones was ineffective, and Pease took oveer starting duties full time. The Fire managed to make the play offs, where they lost to Barcelona 10-3.

Five players were named to the All-WLAF Team:
  • John Brantley, LB, 1st Team
  • John Miller, FS, 1st Team
  • Darrell Phillips, NT, 2nd Team
  • John Holland, CB, 2nd Team
  • Kirk Maggio, P, 2nd Team

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Results Game site Attendance
Final score Team record
1 Saturday, March 23 7:00 p.m. Montreal Machine
Montreal Machine
The Montreal Machine was the sole Canadian team in the World League of American Football, a springtime developmental professional league set up by the National Football League that played in 1991 and 1992. There were also three European teams and six U.S.-based teams...

L 5–20 0–1 Legion Field
Legion Field
Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak...

52,942
2 Saturday, March 30 7:00 p.m. Sacramento Surge
Sacramento Surge
The Sacramento Surge was a professional American football team that played in the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992. The team played its first season at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, and the second season in Hornet Stadium on the Sacramento State University campus. It was owned...

W 17–10 1–1 Legion Field 16,432
3 Monday, April 8 8:00 p.m. at Montreal Machine
Montreal Machine
The Montreal Machine was the sole Canadian team in the World League of American Football, a springtime developmental professional league set up by the National Football League that played in 1991 and 1992. There were also three European teams and six U.S.-based teams...

L 10–23 1–2 Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...

27,766
4 Monday, April 15 7:00 p.m. London Monarchs
1991 London Monarchs season
The 1991 London Monarchs season was the inaugural season for the team in the World League of American Football.-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Standings:...

L 0–27 1–3 Legion Field 18,512
5 Sunday, April 21 7:00 p.m. at Orlando Thunder
Orlando Thunder
The Orlando Thunder was a member of the World League of American Football from 1991 to 1992 . The team played their games in the 70,000 seat Citrus Bowl, and was coached by Don Matthews in 1991 and Galen Hall in 1992...

W 31–6 2–3 Florida Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....

21,249
6 Monday, April 29 7:00 p.m. San Antonio Riders
San Antonio Riders
The San Antonio Riders were a professional American football team that played in the WLAF in 1991 and 1992. The team played in the Alamo Stadium in 1991 and then were forced to move to Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, 45 miles northeast of San...

W 16–12 3–3 Legion Field 8,114
7 Saturday, May 4 8:00 p.m. at Barcelona Dragons
1991 Barcelona Dragons season
The 1991 Barcelona Dragons season was the inaugural season for the team in the World League of American Football.-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Standings:...

L 6–11 3–4 Montjuic Stadium
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the city , it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics...

31,490
8 Sunday, May 12 7:00 p.m. at Frankfurt Galaxy
1991 Frankfurt Galaxy season
The 1991 Frankfurt Galaxy season was the inaugural season for the team in the World League of American Football.-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Standings:-Honors:...

L 3–10 3–5 Waldstadion
Commerzbank-Arena
The Commerzbank-Arena is a sports stadium in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. Commonly known by its original name, Waldstadion , the stadium opened in 1925. The stadium has been upgraded several times since then; the most recent remodelling was its redevelopment as a football-only stadium in preparation...

28,127
9 Monday, May 20 8:00 p.m. New York/New Jersey Knights
New York/New Jersey Knights
New York/New Jersey Knights was a franchise in the World League of American Football for the 1991 and 1992 seasons. They played in the North American East division, which they won in the 1991 season. They were coached by Mouse Davis, an architect of the Run & Shoot offense.After 1992 the NFL ...

W 24–14 4–5 Legion Field 31,211
10 Saturday, May 25 3:00 p.m. at Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks W 28–7 5–5 Carter–Finley Stadium 16,335
Postseason
Semifinal Sunday, June 1 7:00 p.m. Barcelona Dragons
Barcelona Dragons
The Barcelona Dragons were a team originally in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. Their home field in Barcelona was the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic, the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and later the Mini Estadi. The Dragons were successful on the field, making it...

L 3–10 5–6 Legion Field 37,590

Staff

1991 Birmingham Fire staff

Head Coaches
  • Head Coach – Chan Gailey
    Chan Gailey
    Thomas Chandler "Chan" Gailey, Jr. is an American professional and college football coach. Gailey is the current head coach of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League ; he was formerly the head coach of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college football...



Offensive Coaches
  • Running Backs – Michael O'Toole
  • Wide Receivers – Steve Marks
  • Offensive Line – Joe D'Alessandris
 
Defensive Coaches
  • Defensive Line – Pete Hurt
  • Linebackers – Gene Smith
  • Defensive Secondary – Stanley King

Roster

1991 Birmingham Fire roster

Quarterbacks
  •  7 Eric Jones
  • 10 Brent Pease
    Brent Pease
    Brent Richard Pease is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. He is currently the offensive coordinator at Boise State University.-Playing career:...



Running Backs
  • 41 Kenny Bell
  • 31 Elroy Harris


Wide Receivers
  • 80 Willie Bouyer
  • 83 Stacey Mobley


Tight Ends

Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen
  • 62 Darrell Phillips NT

Linebackers
  • 54 John Brantley ILB
  • 53 Paul McGowan
    Paul McGowan (American football)
    Paul J. McGowan is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings 237th overall in the 1988 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.-College career:...

     ILB
  • 59 Maurice Oliver OLB


Defensive Backs
  • 45 James Henry CB
  • 21 John Holland CB
  • 24 Arthur Hunter SS
  • 44 John Miller FS


Special Teams
  •  8 Kirk Maggio P
Operation Discovery
Rookies in italics

1992 season

General Manager Michael Huyghue left to join the league's front office and was replaced by Rick Nichols. As for the team, the season started out the same way as the previous year. A loss to Sacramento on the road, followed by winning 4 of the next 6 games. Including a first ever road win in Europe, against the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...

. While in London, the Monarchs and Fire played to the only tie in league history. Birmingham finished up in second place in the division, but would once again lose in the playoffs, this time to Orlando.

John Brantley and John Miller repeated as All-WLAF members.

After the World Bowl
World Bowl
The World Bowl was the American football Championship game of NFL Europe, similar to the Super Bowl of the National Football League.The World Bowl trophy itself was a globe made of glass measuring 35.5 cm in diameter and weighing 18.6 kg .-World League of American Football:When NFL Europe was...

, the league ceased operations in North America, and resurfaced years later as NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...

.

Results

Week 1: Sacramento Surge 20, Birmingham 6

Week 2: Birmingham 17, San Antonio Riders 10

Week 3: Birmingham 17, Frankfurt Galaxy 7

Week 4: Birmingham 17, London Monarchs 17 (OT)

Week 5: Birmingham 28, Sacramento Surge 14

Week 6: San Antonio Riders 17, Birmingham 14

Week 7: Birmingham 19, Barcelona Dragons 17

Week 8: Birmingham 23, Montreal Machine 16 (OT)

Week 9: Birmingham 24, Orlando Thunder 23

Week 10: Birmingham 27, Ohio Glory 24

Semifinals: Orlando Thunder 45, Birmingham 7

Staff

1992 Birmingham Fire staff

Front Office
  • Owner/President – Gavin Maloof
  • Vice President/General Manager – Rick Nichols
  • Vice President of Football Operations – Chan Gailey
    Chan Gailey
    Thomas Chandler "Chan" Gailey, Jr. is an American professional and college football coach. Gailey is the current head coach of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League ; he was formerly the head coach of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college football...

  • Player Personnel Coordinator – Joe Baker


Head Coaches
  • Head Coach – Chan Gailey


Offensive Coaches
  • Running Backs – Michael O'Toole
  • Tight Ends/Special Teams – Joel Williams
  • Offensive Line – Joe D'Alessandris
 
Defensive Coaches
  • Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Gene Smith
  • Defensive Line – Pete Hurt
  • Secondary – Stanley King


Support Staff
  • Head Athletic Trainer – Mike Roberts
  • Equipment Manager – Doug West

1992 Roster

  • Bill Anderson Center
  • Rick Apolskis Guard
  • Steve Avery Fullback
  • Carl Bax Guard
  • Jim Bell Running Back
  • Willie Bouyer Wide Receiver
  • Tony Bowick Defensive Tackle
  • John Brantley Linebacker
  • Eddie Britton wide Receiver
  • Simmie Carter Defensive Back
  • Tony Delorenzo Tackle
  • Phillip Doyle Kicker
  • Fred Foggie Defensive Back
  • Antinio Gibson Defensive Back
  • Anthony Green Wide receiver
  • Elroy Harris Running Back
  • James Henry Defensive Back
  • Anthony Henton Linebacker
  • J.R. Holland Defensive Back
  • Mark Hopkins Tight End
  • Craig Hudson Tight End
  • Arthur Hunter Defensive Back
  • Junio Jackson Linebacker
  • Kirk Kirkpatrick Tight end
  • Kirk Maggio Punter
  • Pellom McDaniels Defensive End
  • Paul McGowan Linebacker
  • John Miller Free Safety
  • Otis Moore Defensive Tackle
  • Shawn Moore Quarterback
  • Andreas Motzkus Wide receiver
  • Mike Norseth Quarterback
  • Craig Ogletree linebacker
  • Maurice Oliver Linebacker
  • Darrell Phillips Defensive/Nose Tackle
  • Caesar Rentie Tackle
  • Phil Ross Tight End
  • Eugene Rowell Wide Receiver
  • Tracy Sanders Defensive Back
  • Rich Schonewolf Tackle
  • Joe Valerio Center
  • John Wyche Defensive Back

Life after the WLAF

Chan Gailey became the head coach at Samford University
Samford University
Samford University, founded as Howard College is a private, coeducational, Alabama Baptist Convention-affiliated university located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It includes the , Cumberland School of Law, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Brock School of Business, Ida V....

. When he left to re-enter the NFL, he was replaced by Fire offensive line coach Pete Hurt. Gailey went on to become the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

, Georgia Tech, and the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

.

Gavin Maloof would join his brother in becoming owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

.

In 1995, the Fire nickname was resurrected in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 as the Rhein Fire
Rhein Fire
The Rhein Fire was a professional American football team in NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Germany in 1995, the franchise resurrected the name of the former Birmingham Fire team which was active during the 1991-1992 WLAF seasons.-History:The team was...

 of NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...

.

Michael Huyghue
Michael Huyghue
Michael L. Huyghue is a sports lawyer and businessman who is the current commissioner of the new United Football League, having served in that capacity since the league's founding in 2007. He was previously a member of the legal department of the NFL Players Association before joining the NFL...

 worked in the front office of the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. As of November 2009, he is the Commissioner of the United Football League.

Trivia

  • Birmingham only had 3 players from the state of Alabama on the team. Kicker Wyn Lyle from Auburn, on the 1991 team. Auburn's Craig Ogletree and Alabama's Phillip Doyle on the 92 team.

  • The Fire went through four General Managers in its two year history.

  • Wayne Rogers
    Wayne Rogers
    William Wayne McMillan Rogers III is an American film and television actor, best known for playing the role of 'Trapper John' McIntyre in the U.S...

    , who acted in the hit television series M*A*S*H, was rumored as a potential owner.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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