Sacramento Surge
Encyclopedia
The Sacramento Surge was a professional American football
team that played in the World League of American Football
(WLAF) 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 by Managing General Partner Fred Anderson and the General Manager was Michael F. Keller. In charge of Special Projects was Jack Youngblood
, who also partnered with Joe Starkey and Ronnie Lott
on the Surge radio broadcasts on KRAK
-AM Radio, Sacramento.
The team was coached by former Buffalo Bills
quarterback–head coach Kay Stephenson
. Charlie Sumner was the defensive coordinator and Jim Haslett
was a defensive assistant coach.
The Surge won the World Bowl
in 1992, the only American
team to do so. On this championship team was future professional wrestler Bill Goldberg
.
After the WLAF ended its American presence at the end of the 1992 season, Surge owner Fred Anderson continued Sacramento's presence in professional football by acquiring a Canadian Football League
expansion franchise. The new team was named the Sacramento Gold Miners
; Stephenson and several Surge players were retained in the change, as were the team colors of aqua and yellow.
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 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...
(WLAF) in 1991 and 1992. The team played its first season at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, and the second season in Hornet Stadium
Hornet Stadium
Hornet Stadium is a 21,195 seat football stadium in Sacramento, California. It is located at Sacramento State. It was completed in 1969. It is the home football stadium of the Sacramento State Hornets and Sacramento Mountain Lions...
on the Sacramento State University
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento, popularly known as Sacramento State, is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
campus. It was owned by Managing General Partner Fred Anderson and the General Manager was Michael F. Keller. In charge of Special Projects was Jack Youngblood
Jack Youngblood
Herbert Jackson "Jack" Youngblood, III is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League for fourteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a five-time consensus All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl...
, who also partnered with Joe Starkey and Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
on the Surge radio broadcasts on KRAK
KRAK
KRAK is a commercial radio station located in Hesperia, California, broadcasting to the Victor Valley, California, area. It is currently under ownership of CBS Radio and airs a sports format with programming from ESPN Radio...
-AM Radio, Sacramento.
The team was coached by former 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...
quarterback–head coach Kay Stephenson
Kay Stephenson
George Kay Stephenson is a former American college and professional football player and current coach, whose latter career has seen him work in four different professional leagues. Stephenson played quarterback for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills...
. Charlie Sumner was the defensive coordinator and Jim Haslett
Jim Haslett
James Donald "Jim" Haslett is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Previously, he served as the head coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, and the New Orleans Saints and St...
was a defensive assistant coach.
The Surge won 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...
in 1992, the only American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
team to do so. On this championship team was future professional wrestler Bill Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
.
After the WLAF ended its American presence at the end of the 1992 season, Surge owner Fred Anderson continued Sacramento's presence in professional football by acquiring a 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....
expansion franchise. The new team was named the Sacramento Gold Miners
Sacramento Gold Miners
The Sacramento Gold Miners were a Canadian football team based in Sacramento, California. The franchise was the first American team in the Canadian Football League. The Gold Miners were originally the "descendants" of the Sacramento Surge from the defunct World League of American Football...
; Stephenson and several Surge players were retained in the change, as were the team colors of aqua and yellow.
Season-by-season
| Season | Division | Regular season | Post season results | Awards | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | |||||||||
| Sacramento Surge | |||||||||
| 1991 1991 WLAF season The 1991 WLAF season was the inaugural season of the World League of American Football. The league champions were the London Monarchs, who defeated the Barcelona Dragons in World Bowl '91.-Standings:* * Division winners... |
North American West | 3rd | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | — | — | |
| 1992 | North American West | 1st | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | Won Semifinal (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... ) 17–15 Won World Bowl '92 World Bowl II World Bowl '92 was the WLAF's second championship game, played on June 6, 1992 at Olympic Stadium in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. 43,789 witnessed the matchup between the Sacramento Surge and the Orlando Thunder.... (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... ) 21–17 |
David Archer David Archer David Mark Archer is a former professional American football player. A 6'2" undrafted quarterback from Snow College and Iowa State University, Archer played six seasons in the National Football League from 1984 to 1989 for the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and... (Offensive MVP) |
|
| Total | 11 | 9 | 0 | .500 | (1991–1992, includes only regular season) | ||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | (1991–1992, includes only playoffs) | |||||
| 13 | 9 | 0 | .650 | (1991–1992, includes both regular season and playoffs) | |||||
Staff
| 1991 Sacramento Surge staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Charlie Sumner Charles "Charlie" Sumner is a former American football player who was selected by the Chicago Bears in the twenty second round of the 1954 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 194 lbs. safety from the College of William & Mary, Sumner played in 8 NFL seasons from 1955-1962... Jim Haslett James Donald "Jim" Haslett is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Previously, he served as the head coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, and the New Orleans Saints and St... Support Staff
|
|||||
Roster
| 1991 Sacramento Surge roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends |
Offensive Linemen Defensive Linemen |
Linebackers Defensive Backs Special Teams |
Operation Discovery Rookies in italics |
||||||
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| 1 | Saturday, March 23 | Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks | W 9–3 | 1–0 | Hughes Stadium | 15,126 |
| 2 | Saturday, March 30 | at Birmingham Fire Birmingham Fire The Birmingham Fire was a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama that played in the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992. The team played at Legion Field, and it made the playoffs in both seasons.... |
L 10–17 | 1–1 | 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... |
16,432 |
| 3 | Sunday, April 7 | at 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... |
L 3–10 | 1–2 | Alamo Stadium Alamo Stadium Alamo Stadium is a horseshoe-shaped football stadium in San Antonio, Texas. Nicknamed "the rock pile" due to its primarily limestone construction it was completed in September 1940 as a Works Progress Administration project. The stadium is currently owned and operated by the San Antonio Independent... |
6,772 |
| 4 | Saturday, April 13 | 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:... |
W 16–10 | 2–2 | Hughes Stadium | 17,065 |
| 5 | Monday, April 22 | at 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 ... |
L 20–28 | 2–3 | Giants Stadium Giants Stadium Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to... |
21,230 |
| 6 | Saturday, April 27 | 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 20–29 (OT) | 2–4 | Hughes Stadium | 19,045 |
| 7 | Saturday, May 4 | 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 23–26 (OT) | 2–5 | Hughes Stadium | 17,326 |
| 8 | Saturday, May 11 | 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... |
L 33–45 | 2–6 | 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.... |
20,048 |
| 9 | Saturday, May 18 | 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 21–45 | 2–7 | Hughes Stadium | 21,409 |
| 10 | Saturday, May 25 | at 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... |
W 24–13 | 3–7 | 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... |
51,653 |
Staff
| 1992 Sacramento Surge staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Jim Haslett James Donald "Jim" Haslett is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Previously, he served as the head coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, and the New Orleans Saints and St... Rick Mueller Rick Mueller is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the General Manager of the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League... Support Staff
|
|||||
Roster
| 1992 Sacramento Surge roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends |
Offensive Linemen Defensive Linemen |
Linebackers Defensive Backs Special Teams |
Operation Discovery
|
||||||
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | ||||||
| 1 | Saturday, March 21 | Birmingham Fire Birmingham Fire The Birmingham Fire was a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama that played in the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992. The team played at Legion Field, and it made the playoffs in both seasons.... |
W 20–6 | 1–0 | Hornet Stadium Hornet Stadium Hornet Stadium is a 21,195 seat football stadium in Sacramento, California. It is located at Sacramento State. It was completed in 1969. It is the home football stadium of the Sacramento State Hornets and Sacramento Mountain Lions... |
17,920 | |
| 2 | Sunday, March 29 | at Ohio Glory Ohio Glory The Ohio Glory played one season in the World League of American Football, which later became NFL Europe.Columbus, Ohio was awarded the WLAF franchise after the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks posted an 0-10 season. Ohio didn't do much better, posting a 1-9 record after one season of play... |
W 17–6 | 2–0 | Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is located on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The stadium was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on March 22, 1974... |
37,837 | |
| 3 | Saturday, April 4 | 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... |
W 14–7 | 3–0 | Hornet Stadium | 21,024 | |
| 4 | Saturday, April 11 | 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... |
L 20–23 (OT) | 3–1 | Hornet Stadium | 20,625 | |
| 5 | Saturday, April 18 | at Birmingham Fire | L 14–28 | 3–2 | 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... |
20,794 | |
| 6 | Sunday, April 26 | at London Monarchs London Monarchs The London Monarchs were a professional American football team in NFL Europe and its predecessor league, the World League of American Football . The Monarchs played their final season in 1998 as the England Monarchs... |
W 31–26 | 4–2 | Wembley Stadium | 18,653 | |
| 7 | Sunday, May 3 | 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... |
W 35–21 | 5–2 | 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... |
21,183 | |
| 8 | Saturday, May 9 | 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... |
W 51–7 | 6–2 | Hornet Stadium | 22,720 | |
| 9 | Saturday, May 16 | Ohio Glory | W 21–7 | 7–2 | Hornet Stadium | 21,272 | |
| 10 | Saturday, May 23 | at San Antonio Riders | W 27–21 | 8–2 | Bobcat Stadium Bobcat Stadium (Texas State) Bobcat Stadium is a 16,008-seat multi-purpose stadium in San Marcos, Texas. It opened in 1981 and is home to the Texas State University Bobcats football team. It was also home of the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football... |
19,273 | |
| Postseason | |||||||
| Semifinal | Sunday, May 31 | 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... |
W 17–15 | 9–2 | Hornet Stadium | 23,640 | |
| World Bowl | Sunday, June 6 | 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 21–17 | 10–2 | 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... |
43,789 | |