San Antonio Wings
Encyclopedia
The San Antonio Wings was an American Football team that played in the World Football League
in 1974 and 1975. The team started as the Florida Blazers in 1974, then moved to San Antonio in 1975 and became the San Antonio Wings.
objected, forcing him to change the name to the Washington Ambassadors. Wheeler wanted to share RFK Stadium with the Washington Redskins
, but negotiations hit a snag over financing. He then flirted with playing in Baltimore
or Annapolis, prompting him to change the team's name to the Washington-Baltimore Ambassadors. When it became apparent that Wheeler could not find a suitable stadium in the Baltimore-Washington area, he moved the club to Norfolk, Virginia
as the Virginia Ambassadors. By this time, however, it was obvious that Wheeler's supposed $2-3 million of financing existed only on paper.
League president Gary Davidson got Wheeler in touch with former New England Patriots
player and executive Rommie Loudd
, who was fronting for a group of Orlando
businessmen who had recently failed in their bid to get an NFL expansion team (what became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
). Wheeler agreed to sell the team to Loudd's group, who moved the team to Orlando. The team was originally named the Orlando Suns, but due to objections from the Southern California Sun
the name was changed once again, to the Florida Blazers. They were the first big-league team based in Central Florida
.
Loudd became managing general partner and president, making him the first African-American senior executive of a major-league team in North America. David L. Williams, owner of the Holiday Inn
franchise in the Orlando area, was majority owner.
The team set up shop in the Tangerine Bowl
. Under coach Jack Pardee
, quarterback Bob Davis
(Joe Namath
's former backup), running back Tommy Reamon
and a dominating secondary, the Blazers ran away with the Eastern Division, finishing with a 14-6 record. They then upset the Memphis Southmen
, owners of the league's best record, to advance to the World Bowl
against the Birmingham Americans
. Early in that game, Reamon scored what appeared to be the game's first touchdown, only to have it ruled a touchback because the officials believed that he fumbled the ball out of the end zone. Replays clearly showed that Reamon lost the ball after it broke the plane of the goal line. The missed call proved to be the difference, as the Blazers lost 22-21.
However, the franchise was unraveling off the field. The Blazers never drew well, leading Loudd to make noises about moving the team to Atlanta in the middle of the season. The players and coaches also went three months without being paid. During the playoffs, Williams and Loudd agreed in principle to sell the team to Cocoa Beach financier Robert Prentice for $100 million. However, the initial $1.5 million payment never arrived.
The new Wings retained 16 former Blazers, including running back Jim Strong and tight end Luther Palmer. Larry Grantham
, a linebacker on the 1974 Blazers, retired but joined the Wings coaching staff. However, several former Blazers, including Pardee, wanted nothing more to do with the WFL, forcing the league to restock the team with an expansion draft. The new head coach was Perry Moss
, a former head coach at Marshall
and a former NFL assistant coach.
Veteran NFL quarterback Johnnie Walton
led the WFL in passing in 1975. The Wings held their home games at Alamo Stadium
, which seated 25,000. San Antonio won the WFL Summer Title and finished with a 7-6 record (winning all seven home games and losing all six road games) before the league folded on October 22, 1975
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
in 1974 and 1975. The team started as the Florida Blazers in 1974, then moved to San Antonio in 1975 and became the San Antonio Wings.
Florida Blazers (1974)
The Blazers began in 1974 when oceanographic engineer E. Joseph Wheeler bought the WFL rights to the Washington, D. C. area. The team was originally called the Washington Capitals, but the NHL expansion team of the same nameWashington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
objected, forcing him to change the name to the Washington Ambassadors. Wheeler wanted to share RFK Stadium with the 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,...
, but negotiations hit a snag over financing. He then flirted with playing in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
or Annapolis, prompting him to change the team's name to the Washington-Baltimore Ambassadors. When it became apparent that Wheeler could not find a suitable stadium in the Baltimore-Washington area, he moved the club 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....
as the Virginia Ambassadors. By this time, however, it was obvious that Wheeler's supposed $2-3 million of financing existed only on paper.
League president Gary Davidson got Wheeler in touch with former New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
player and executive Rommie Loudd
Rommie Loudd
Rommie Lee Loudd was a former American football player, coach, and executive. He was the first black assistant coach in the American Football League and the first black majority owner of a major league sports team.-Playing career:Loudd played tight end for coach Red Sanders at UCLA from 1953 to 1955...
, who was fronting for a group of Orlando
Orlando
Orlando is a major city in the U.S. state of Florida.Orlando may also refer to-Places:* in Florida** Orlando, a major city** Greater Orlando, the 27th-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
businessmen who had recently failed in their bid to get an NFL expansion team (what became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
). Wheeler agreed to sell the team to Loudd's group, who moved the team to Orlando. The team was originally named the Orlando Suns, but due to objections from the Southern California Sun
Southern California Sun
The Southern California Sun were an American football team based out of Anaheim, California that played in the World Football League in 1974 and 1975. Their records were 13-7 in 1974 and 7-5 in 1975. Their home stadium was Anaheim Stadium...
the name was changed once again, to the Florida Blazers. They were the first big-league team based in Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
.
Loudd became managing general partner and president, making him the first African-American senior executive of a major-league team in North America. David L. Williams, owner of the Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
franchise in the Orlando area, was majority owner.
The team set up shop in the Tangerine Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
. Under coach Jack Pardee
Jack Pardee
-NFL:-External links:...
, quarterback Bob Davis
Bob Davis (quarterback)
Robert Ellersie Davis, Jr. is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback. He played at the University of Virginia...
(Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
's former backup), running back Tommy Reamon
Tommy Reamon
Thomas Waverly "Tommy" Reamon is a retired African-American professional football player, who has worked as an actor, and is currently an educator in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia...
and a dominating secondary, the Blazers ran away with the Eastern Division, finishing with a 14-6 record. They then upset the Memphis Southmen
Memphis Southmen
The Memphis Southmen were a franchise in the World Football League which operated in 1974 and 1975. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-From North to South:...
, owners of the league's best record, to advance to the World Bowl
World Bowl (WFL)
The World Bowl, also known as World Bowl 1, was the American football championship game of the short-lived World Football League. It was televised on TVS Television Network....
against the Birmingham Americans
Birmingham Americans
The Birmingham Americans were a professional American football team located in Birmingham, Alabama. They were members of the four-team Central Division of the World Football League . The Americans, founded in late December 1973, played in the upstart league's inaugural season in 1974...
. Early in that game, Reamon scored what appeared to be the game's first touchdown, only to have it ruled a touchback because the officials believed that he fumbled the ball out of the end zone. Replays clearly showed that Reamon lost the ball after it broke the plane of the goal line. The missed call proved to be the difference, as the Blazers lost 22-21.
However, the franchise was unraveling off the field. The Blazers never drew well, leading Loudd to make noises about moving the team to Atlanta in the middle of the season. The players and coaches also went three months without being paid. During the playoffs, Williams and Loudd agreed in principle to sell the team to Cocoa Beach financier Robert Prentice for $100 million. However, the initial $1.5 million payment never arrived.
San Antonio Wings
Finally, in early March, San Antonio banker Norman Bevan bought the Blazers and moved them to San Antonio as the Wings.The new Wings retained 16 former Blazers, including running back Jim Strong and tight end Luther Palmer. Larry Grantham
Larry Grantham
Larry Grantham is a former American collegiate and Professional Football player.A member of the "Ole Miss" Athletic Hall of Fame, he was a linebacker of the University of Mississippi who came to the American Football League's New York Titans in the 1960 college draft and helped form the backbone...
, a linebacker on the 1974 Blazers, retired but joined the Wings coaching staff. However, several former Blazers, including Pardee, wanted nothing more to do with the WFL, forcing the league to restock the team with an expansion draft. The new head coach was Perry Moss
Perry Moss
-External links:...
, a former head coach at Marshall
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
and a former NFL assistant coach.
Veteran NFL quarterback Johnnie Walton
Johnnie Walton
John B. Walton is a former professional American football quarterback. Walton played college football at Elizabeth City State University. From there, he joined the Indianapolis Capitols of the Continental Football League for the 1969 season...
led the WFL in passing in 1975. The Wings held their home games at 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...
, which seated 25,000. San Antonio won the WFL Summer Title and finished with a 7-6 record (winning all seven home games and losing all six road games) before the league folded on October 22, 1975
External links
- Florida Blazers 1974 season at WorldFootballLeague.org
- San Antonio Wings 1975 season at WorldFootballLeague.org
- San Antonio Wings Helmets