San Antonio Riders
Encyclopedia
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 (now Texas State University) in San Marcos, Texas
, 45 miles northeast of San Antonio for the 1992 season, after the school district (San Antonio Independent School District
) refused the sale of beer at WLAF games. The district refused to allow the sale of beer at WLAF games and also blocked the Riders’ ability to display beer advertising at Alamo Stadium. In return, Riders ownership scrapped plans to fund $235,000 in renovations to the Stadium. In June 1991, SAISD officials announced plans for a rent increase on the Riders for the 1992 season. The relationship would last for only one season.
The team was owned by Larry Benson, the brother of Tom Benson
(owner of the New Orleans Saints
of the NFL). The general managers were Tom Landry
(Pro Football Hall of Fame
coach) and Tom Landry, Jr. The head coach for both seasons was Mike Riley
.
The team's record in 1991 was 4-6. San Antonio turned things around in 1992 with a mark of 7-3. The Riders were not able to compete in the highly competitive North American West Division during the 1992 season, and like the Frankfurt Galaxy
of 1991, they did not make the playoffs despite a 7-3 record.
Former players include professional wrestler John "Bradshaw" Layfield
, better known as JBL of World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), Jason Garrett
who not only went on to play with the Dallas Cowboys
, but in 2010 became their interim head coach, and head coach Mike Riley
, who went on to coach the San Diego Chargers
of the NFL.
After the 1992 season saw the suspension of the WLAF (and ultimately the abandonment of North American teams), Benson applied to the Canadian Football League
to have the Riders join that league instead for the 1993 season. The CFL accepted, and admitted the Riders and the Sacramento Surge
/Gold Miners
to the CFL. The Riders were to change names to the San Antonio Texans (there was already a Rough Riders
and a Roughriders
, both of whom were known as the "Riders" for short), but the team folded abruptly prior to the 1993 season. (The San Antonio Texans
name would later be used for the aforementioned Gold Miners when they moved to San Antonio in 1995.)
|1991 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 2nd North American West || --
|-
|1992 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 3rd North American West || --
|-
!Totals || 11 || 9 || 0
|colspan="2"|
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 WLAF
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 in the 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...
in 1991 and then were forced to move to 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...
on the campus of Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is the seat of Hays County. Located within the metropolitan area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio....
, 45 miles northeast of San Antonio for the 1992 season, after the school district (San Antonio Independent School District
San Antonio Independent School District
San Antonio Independent School District is a school district based in Downtown San Antonio, Texas .San Antonio ISD is one of 15 school districts serving San Antonio. San Antonio ISD serves the downtown and inner city areas of San Antonio. San Antonio ISD also serves a small portion of the city of...
) refused the sale of beer at WLAF games. The district refused to allow the sale of beer at WLAF games and also blocked the Riders’ ability to display beer advertising at Alamo Stadium. In return, Riders ownership scrapped plans to fund $235,000 in renovations to the Stadium. In June 1991, SAISD officials announced plans for a rent increase on the Riders for the 1992 season. The relationship would last for only one season.
The team was owned by Larry Benson, the brother of Tom Benson
Tom Benson
See also Tom Benson and Tom Benson for the Northern Ireland Unionist.Tom Benson is the owner of the New Orleans Saints. He is currently the owner of several automobile dealerships in the Greater New Orleans and San Antonio areas...
(owner of the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
of the NFL). The general managers were Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
(Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
coach) and Tom Landry, Jr. The head coach for both seasons was Mike Riley
Mike Riley
Michael Joseph "Mike" Riley is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference...
.
The team's record in 1991 was 4-6. San Antonio turned things around in 1992 with a mark of 7-3. The Riders were not able to compete in the highly competitive North American West Division during the 1992 season, and like 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...
of 1991, they did not make the playoffs despite a 7-3 record.
Former players include professional wrestler John "Bradshaw" Layfield
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
, better known as JBL of World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), Jason Garrett
Jason Garrett
Jason Calvin Garrett is an American former National Football League player and the current head coach of the Dallas Cowboys...
who not only went on to play with 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...
, but in 2010 became their interim head coach, and head coach Mike Riley
Mike Riley
Michael Joseph "Mike" Riley is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference...
, who went on to coach the 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...
of the NFL.
After the 1992 season saw the suspension of the WLAF (and ultimately the abandonment of North American teams), Benson applied to 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....
to have the Riders join that league instead for the 1993 season. The CFL accepted, and admitted the Riders and the 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...
/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...
to the CFL. The Riders were to change names to the San Antonio Texans (there was already a 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...
and a Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
, both of whom were known as the "Riders" for short), but the team folded abruptly prior to the 1993 season. (The San Antonio Texans
San Antonio Texans
The San Antonio Texans were a Canadian Football League team that played in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1995 CFL season. They had relocated from Sacramento, California, where the team had been called the Sacramento Gold Miners...
name would later be used for the aforementioned Gold Miners when they moved to San Antonio in 1995.)
Season-by-season
|-|1991 || 4 || 6 || 0 || 2nd North American West || --
|-
|1992 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 3rd North American West || --
|-
!Totals || 11 || 9 || 0
|colspan="2"|
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Final score | Team record | ||||||
1 | Monday, March 25 | 8:00 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... |
L 34–35 | 0–1 | 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.... |
21,714 |
2 | Monday, April 1 | 7:00 p.m. | 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 | 0–2 | 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... |
18,432 |
3 | Sunday, April 7 | 12:00 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 10–3 | 1–2 | Alamo Stadium | 6,772 |
4 | Monday, April 15 | 8:00 p.m. | at Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks | W 37–15 | 2–2 | Carter–Finley Stadium | 11,818 |
5 | Saturday, April 20 | 7:00 p.m. | 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:... |
W 22–14 | 3–2 | Alamo Stadium | 16,500 |
6 | Monday, April 29 | 7:00 p.m. | 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 12–16 | 3–3 | 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... |
8,114 |
7 | Monday, May 6 | 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 15–38 | 3–4 | Alamo Stadium | 12,328 |
8 | Saturday, May 11 | 8:00 p.m. | at 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 7–17 | 3–5 | 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... |
23,670 |
9 | Sunday, May 19 | 11:30 a.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... |
W 27–10 | 4–5 | Alamo Stadium | 20,234 |
10 | Saturday, May 25 | 8:00 p.m. | 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 9–38 | 4–6 | 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... |
32,857 |
Staff
Roster
1991 San Antonio Riders roster | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Operation Discovery
Rookies in italics |
|||
Results
- Week 1: San Antonio 17, Montreal Machine 16
- Week 2: Birmingham Fire 17, San Antonio 10
- Week 3: San Antonio 9, New York/New Jersey Knights 3
- Week 4: San Antonio 23, Sacramento Surge 20 (OT)
- Week 5: San Antonio 17, Ohio Glory 0
- Week 6: San Antonio 17, Birmingham Fire 14
- Week 7: Orlando Thunder 39, San Antonio 21
- Week 8: San Antonio 17, Barcelona Dragons 0
- Week 9: San Antonio 43, Frankfurt Galaxy 14
- Week 10: Sacramento Surge 27, San Antonio 21
Roster
1992 San Antonio Riders roster | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Operation Discovery
Rookies in italics |
|||||
External Links
- Lee's Autograph Hall of Fame - Photos of a San Antonio Riders home game with team history: http://lee.n8d.com/?p=1336