Continental Football League
Encyclopedia
The Continental Football League was a professional minor
American football
league that operated in North America
from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside of the National Football League
(NFL) and the American Football League
(AFL). It owed its name, at least in part, to the Continental League
, a proposed third Major League Baseball
organization that influenced MLB significantly.
Bill Walsh, Ken Stabler
, Sam Wyche
and Otis Sistrunk
were among a few players and coaches
who would later gain fame in the NFL.
The formation of the Continental Football League (ContFL) was announced on February 6, 1965. The league was primarily formed by minor-league teams that had played in the United and Atlantic Coast football leagues.
A.B. "Happy" Chandler, former Kentucky
governor and retired Major League Baseball
commissioner, was named ContFL commissioner on March 17, 1965.
The league originally adopted a "professional" appearance. Teams were sorted into two divisions and each team had a 36-man roster with a five-man "taxi" squad
. The rules were primarily those of the NFL except that a "sudden death" overtime period was employed to break ties.
To reinforce an image of league autonomy, teams were restricted from loaning players to, or receiving optioned players from, the NFL or AFL.
The first ContFL season opened with three games played on August 14, 1965. Before the season began, the Springfield, Massachusetts
, franchise moved to Norfolk, Virginia
. 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.
In 1966, the league began abandoning the "league autonomy" posture by striving to establish working relationships with NFL and AFL clubs. Chandler, charging that the league was altering the terms under which he had accepted the position, resigned on Jan. 20, 1966. He was replaced by ContFL Secretary Sol Rosen, owner of the Newark Bears.
The league engaged in some futile preseason negotiations with the Empire Sports Network to obtain a television broadcasting agreement. However, it was able to get American Broadcasting Company
to broadcast the championship game-- for a mere $500 rights fee.
The Brooklyn Dodgers, although under the general managership of the baseball Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson
, failed to attract at the gates. The franchise became a league-operated "road club" early in the season.
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
.
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).
WESTERN DIVISION
The ContFL added a Western Division for the 1967 season. The division comprised established minor-league teams in British Columbia
, California
, Oregon
and Washington. But four small western franchises, in Eugene, Oregon
, Long Beach
and San Jose, Calif. and Victoria, B.C., left the league after the season.
Such instability marked the season for the ContFL, particularly because the league could not improve upon its overall "semi-pro" public image. Inability to establish working relationships with NFL and AFL teams was a contributing factor. The league's breakthrough television contract with the upstart United Network was another: the network ended up folding prior to the 1967 season, leaving the ContFL without a television partner yet again.
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
.
In February 1968, the ContFL merged with the Professional Football League of America (PFLA), in order to expand into the midwestern United States
. The Quad Cities franchise moved to Las Vegas midway through the 1968 season.
Danny Hill succeeded Rosen as ContFL commissioner. Hill established a weekly payroll ceiling of $200 per player and $5,000 per team.
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.
The Michigan Arrows began their season with a soccer-style kicker named Garo Yepremian, who later found Super Bowl fame in the NFL as a member of the Miami Dolphins
.
Jim Dunn replaced Hill as league commissioner for the 1969 season.
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. Midway through the season, the Hawaii
franchise moved to Portland, Oregon
The ContFL entered the 1969 season with high hopes. That optimism was exemplified by the Orlando Panthers' bidding for the services of the 1968 Heisman Trophy
winner, halfback O.J. Simpson of the University of Southern California
(USC). 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.
But ContFL attendance averaged approximately 5,700 spectators per game (the top attended team, Norfolk, had 13,000), insufficient to offset the lack of a TV contract. These economics contributed to the ultimate demise of the league after the 1969 season. Plans for an interleague exhibition between the ContFL champion Capitols and the Canadian Football League
champion Ottawa Rough Riders
had been laid, but the Rough Riders backed out.
The ContFL's most illustrious alumnus didn't make his mark in the NFL, but instead chose to play in Canada after the 1969 season. 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).
Jonas led Orlando to the 1967 and 1968 ContFL championships, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player for each season. He also paced the Panthers to the 1966 championship game, which they lost to Philadelphia in overtime; and to the ContFL semifinal game in 1969. Don was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Hall of Fame in 1983
The league's fate was eventually sealed when Indianapolis, Jersey, Norfolk and Orlando moved to the Atlantic Coast Football League
for the 1970 season. San Antonio and Fort Worth planned on launching a Trans-American Football League in 1970. There had been intentions for Spokane, Portland, Seattle and Sacramento to play a West Coast circuit for 1970 under the Continental League banner, but by August 1970, teams had gone silent about the prospects of a 1970 season. The league apparently never made an official announcement of its cessation of operations.
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
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...
league that operated in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to become the major force in professional football outside of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) and the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL). It owed its name, at least in part, to the Continental League
Continental League
The Continental League was a proposed third major league for baseball, announced in 1959 and scheduled to begin play in the 1961 season...
, a proposed third Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
organization that influenced MLB significantly.
Bill Walsh, Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler
Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...
, Sam Wyche
Sam Wyche
Samuel David "Sam" Wyche is a former American football player and head coach, who is best known as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL...
and Otis Sistrunk
Otis Sistrunk
Otis Sistrunk is a former professional football player who played seven seasons as a defensive lineman, from 1972 to 1978. He played his entire National Football League career with the Oakland Raiders. Sistrunk later became a professional wrestler in the National Wrestling Alliance...
were among a few players and coaches
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
who would later gain fame in the NFL.
Championship games
- 1965 — Charleston (W.Va.) Rockets 24-7 Toronto RiflesToronto RiflesThe Toronto Rifles were a minor-league professional American football team active between 1964 and 1967. It was based in Toronto, Ontario. The team's home fields were Maple Leaf Stadium and Varsity Stadium from 1966 to 1967...
- 1966 — Philadelphia Bulldogs 20-17 (OT) Orlando Panthers
- 1967 — Orlando Panthers 38-14 Orange County Ramblers
- 1968 — Orlando Panthers 30-23 Orange County Ramblers
- 1969 — Indianapolis Capitols 44-38 (OT) San Antonio Toros
1965 season
- Charleston (W.Va.) Rockets
- Fort Wayne Warriors
- Hartford Charter Oaks
- Newark BearsOrange/Newark TornadoesThe Orange Tornadoes and Newark Tornadoes were two manifestations of a long-lived professional American football franchise that existed in some form from 1887 to 1971, having played in the National Football League from 1929 to 1930, the American Association from 1936 to 1941, the Atlantic Coast...
- Philadelphia Bulldogs
- Providence/Rhode Island Indians
- Richmond (Va.) RebelsRichmond RebelsThe Richmond Rebels were one of eight teams in the United States Baseball League, and were based in Richmond, Virginia. The league collapsed within two months of its creation from May 1 to June 24, 1912...
- Springfield (Mass.) Acorns / Norfolk Neptunes
- Toronto RiflesToronto RiflesThe Toronto Rifles were a minor-league professional American football team active between 1964 and 1967. It was based in Toronto, Ontario. The team's home fields were Maple Leaf Stadium and Varsity Stadium from 1966 to 1967...
- Wheeling Ironmen
The formation of the Continental Football League (ContFL) was announced on February 6, 1965. The league was primarily formed by minor-league teams that had played in the United and Atlantic Coast football leagues.
A.B. "Happy" Chandler, former Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
governor and retired Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
commissioner, was named ContFL commissioner on March 17, 1965.
The league originally adopted a "professional" appearance. Teams were sorted into two divisions and each team had a 36-man roster with a five-man "taxi" squad
Scout team
In sports, the scout team, also referred to as a practice team, taxi squad, practice squad or practice roster, is a group of players on a team whose task is to emulate future opponents for the featured players. Frequently used in American or Canadian Football, these teams consist of less...
. The rules were primarily those of the NFL except that a "sudden death" overtime period was employed to break ties.
To reinforce an image of league autonomy, teams were restricted from loaning players to, or receiving optioned players from, the NFL or AFL.
The first ContFL season opened with three games played on August 14, 1965. Before the season began, the Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, franchise moved to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. 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.
1966 season
- Brooklyn Dodgers
- Charleston Rockets
- Hartford Charter Oaks
- Montreal Beavers
- Norfolk Neptunes
- Orlando Panthers
- Philadelphia Bulldogs
- Richmond RebelsRichmond RebelsThe Richmond Rebels were one of eight teams in the United States Baseball League, and were based in Richmond, Virginia. The league collapsed within two months of its creation from May 1 to June 24, 1912...
- Toronto RiflesToronto RiflesThe Toronto Rifles were a minor-league professional American football team active between 1964 and 1967. It was based in Toronto, Ontario. The team's home fields were Maple Leaf Stadium and Varsity Stadium from 1966 to 1967...
- Wheeling Ironmen
In 1966, the league began abandoning the "league autonomy" posture by striving to establish working relationships with NFL and AFL clubs. Chandler, charging that the league was altering the terms under which he had accepted the position, resigned on Jan. 20, 1966. He was replaced by ContFL Secretary Sol Rosen, owner of the Newark Bears.
The league engaged in some futile preseason negotiations with the Empire Sports Network to obtain a television broadcasting agreement. However, it was able to get American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
to broadcast the championship game-- for a mere $500 rights fee.
The Brooklyn Dodgers, although under the general managership of the baseball Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
, failed to attract at the gates. The franchise became a league-operated "road club" early in the season.
Charleston's Coy Bacon, 1966 ContFL All-Star end, went on to play for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
and Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
.
The league also established farm team
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
relationships with semi-pro clubs (for instance, the Dodgers affiliated with the Liberty Football Conference's Long Island Jets in 1966).
1967 season
EASTERN DIVISION- Akron Vulcans
- Charleston Rockets
- Hartford Charter Oaks
- Montreal Beavers
- Norfolk Neptunes
- Orlando Panthers
- Philadelphia Bulldogs
- Richmond RebelsRichmond RebelsThe Richmond Rebels were one of eight teams in the United States Baseball League, and were based in Richmond, Virginia. The league collapsed within two months of its creation from May 1 to June 24, 1912...
- Toronto RiflesToronto RiflesThe Toronto Rifles were a minor-league professional American football team active between 1964 and 1967. It was based in Toronto, Ontario. The team's home fields were Maple Leaf Stadium and Varsity Stadium from 1966 to 1967...
- Wheeling Ironmen
WESTERN DIVISION
- Eugene Bombers
- Long Beach Admirals
- Orange County Ramblers (Anaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
) - Sacramento Buccaneers
- San Jose Apaches
- Seattle Rangers
- Victoria Steelers
The ContFL added a Western Division for the 1967 season. The division comprised established minor-league teams in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington. But four small western franchises, in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
and San Jose, Calif. and Victoria, B.C., left the league after the season.
Such instability marked the season for the ContFL, particularly because the league could not improve upon its overall "semi-pro" public image. Inability to establish working relationships with NFL and AFL teams was a contributing factor. The league's breakthrough television contract with the upstart United Network was another: the network ended up folding prior to the 1967 season, leaving the ContFL without a television partner yet again.
The San Jose Apaches in 1967 were coached by Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh (football coach)
William Ernest "Bill" Walsh was a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford Cardinal football team, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense....
, who later achieved great success as the three-time Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
-winning coach of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
.
1968 season
- Alabama HawksAlabama HawksThe Alabama Hawks were a professional American football team based in Huntsville, Alabama. They were members of the Continental Football League during the league's last two years . The team was in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference. During the 1968 season, the team was also known as...
(Huntsville, Alabama) - Arkansas Diamonds (Little Rock)
- Charleston Rockets
- Chicago OwlsChicago OwlsThe Chicago Owls were a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They were members of the Continental Football League during the league's last two years...
- Indianapolis Capitols
- Michigan Arrows (Detroit)
- Norfolk Neptunes
- Ohio Valley Ironmen (Wheeling, W.Va.)
- Oklahoma City Plainsmen
- Omaha Mustangs
- Orange County Ramblers
- Orlando Panthers
- Quad Cities Raiders / Las Vegas Cowboys
- Sacramento Capitols
- Seattle Rangers
- Spokane Shockers
In February 1968, the ContFL merged with the Professional Football League of America (PFLA), in order to expand into the midwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Quad Cities franchise moved to Las Vegas midway through the 1968 season.
Danny Hill succeeded Rosen as ContFL commissioner. Hill established a weekly payroll ceiling of $200 per player and $5,000 per team.
The Spokane Shockers started the 1968 season with a young quarterback named Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler
Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...
, who later achieved great success with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL.
The Michigan Arrows began their season with a soccer-style kicker named Garo Yepremian, who later found Super Bowl fame in the NFL as a member of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
1969 season
- Alabama HawksAlabama HawksThe Alabama Hawks were a professional American football team based in Huntsville, Alabama. They were members of the Continental Football League during the league's last two years . The team was in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference. During the 1968 season, the team was also known as...
(Huntsville, Alabama) - Arkansas Diamonds
- Chicago OwlsChicago OwlsThe Chicago Owls were a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They were members of the Continental Football League during the league's last two years...
- Dallas Rockets
- Fort Worth Braves
- Hawaii Warriors Honolulu / Portland Loggers
- Indianapolis Capitols
- Jersey Jays (Newark, N.J.)
- Las Vegas Cowboys
- Mexico Golden Aztecs
- Norfolk Neptunes
- Ohio Valley Ironmen
- Oklahoma Thunderbirds (Tulsa)
- Omaha Mustangs
- Orlando Panthers
- Sacramento Capitols
- San Antonio Toros
- Seattle Rangers
- Spokane Shockers
- Texarkana Titans
- Tri-City Apollos (Midland, Mich.)
- West Texas Rufneks (Odessa-Midland)
Jim Dunn replaced Hill as league commissioner for the 1969 season.
The league expanded into Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
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. Midway through the season, the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
franchise moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
The ContFL entered the 1969 season with high hopes. That optimism was exemplified by the Orlando Panthers' bidding for the services of the 1968 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner, halfback O.J. Simpson of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
(USC). 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
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...
fell through; they did not, and Simpson signed with Buffalo for the 1969 season.
But ContFL attendance averaged approximately 5,700 spectators per game (the top attended team, Norfolk, had 13,000), insufficient to offset the lack of a TV contract. These economics contributed to the ultimate demise of the league after the 1969 season. Plans for an interleague exhibition between the ContFL champion Capitols and the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
champion Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
had been laid, but the Rough Riders backed out.
The ContFL's most illustrious alumnus didn't make his mark in the NFL, but instead chose to play in Canada after the 1969 season. Don Jonas
Don Jonas
-Sources:* Bob Gill, “The Best Little Quarterback You Never Heard Of” on the Professional Football Researchers Association website.-References:...
, Orlando Panthers quarterback, was a dominant force in the ContFL for four seasons before joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(CFL).
Jonas led Orlando to the 1967 and 1968 ContFL championships, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player for each season. He also paced the Panthers to the 1966 championship game, which they lost to Philadelphia in overtime; and to the ContFL semifinal game in 1969. Don was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Hall of Fame in 1983
The league's fate was eventually sealed when Indianapolis, Jersey, Norfolk and Orlando moved to the Atlantic Coast Football League
Atlantic Coast Football League
The Atlantic Coast Football League was a minor football league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid a base salary of $100 per game and had 36 players on each active roster.For the...
for the 1970 season. San Antonio and Fort Worth planned on launching a Trans-American Football League in 1970. There had been intentions for Spokane, Portland, Seattle and Sacramento to play a West Coast circuit for 1970 under the Continental League banner, but by August 1970, teams had gone silent about the prospects of a 1970 season. The league apparently never made an official announcement of its cessation of operations.