"Shreveport Steamers" redirects here. For the 1979–81 team, see American Football Association (1979–1982).

The Shreveport Steamer were 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 in the World Football League

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...

. The franchise began the 1974 season in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, as the Houston Texans, who are in no way related to the current NFL team

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 of the same name, playing their home games at the Houston Astrodome. Toward the end of the season the team relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....

, and became the Shreveport Steamer. They played at the 30,000-seat State Fair Stadium, now named Independence Stadium.

Larry King

Larry King

Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....

, of CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

 fame, was one of their broadcasters.

The Steamer showcased a number of veterans and a few rookies. Among them were ambidextrous quarterback and former University of Houston

University of Houston

The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...

 star D.C. Nobles and several 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...

 veterans: quarterbacks Mike Taliaferro

Mike Taliaferro

Myron Eugene Taliaferro is a former collegiate and professional American football player who led the University of Illinois to the 1964 Rose Bowl championship over Washington, 17-7...

 and Don Trull

Don Trull

Donald Dean Trull is a former professional American football quarterback in the American Football League. Trull played football collegiately at Baylor University, where he was an All-American and twice won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top passer.-External links:*...

, fullback Jim Nance

Jim Nance

James Solomon "Big Jim" Nance was an American collegiate and Professional Football fullback with the Boston Patriots during their days in the American Football League...

, wide receivers Don Maynard

Don Maynard

Donald Rogers Maynard is a former American football player who played collegiately for Texas Western College and professionally with the National Football League's New York Giants and the American Football League's New York Jets and the World Football League's Shreveport Steamer.After having been...

 and Rick Eber, tight end Willie Frazier

Willie Frazier

Willie C. Frazier is a former professional American football tight end.At 6'4", 225 lbs. from Arkansas AM&N , Frazier played 10 seasons from 1964–1975, all in the American Football League or the American Football Conference of the National Football League.-See also:*List of American Football...

, former Texas A&I offensive guard Adam Gama-Madrid, linebacker Garland Boyette

Garland Boyette

Garland Boyette was a professional linebacker in the American Football League for the Houston Oilers and in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Oilers . He played in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes from 1964 to 1965. In 1974 he finished he played for the...

, defensive end Al Dotson, defensive backs Daryl Johnson

Daryl Johnson

For the basketball player, see Darryl Johnson. For the baseball player, see Darrell Johnson.Daryl E. Johnson is a former American football defensive back who played in the American Football League, the National Football League, and the World Football League.-College career:Johnson graduated from...

, Richmond Flowers, Jr., John Mallory

John Mallory

Sir John Mallory was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War....

 and Art McMahon, and rookie linebacker John Villapiano, brother of Oakland Raiders defender Phil Villapiano

Phil Villapiano

Philip James Villapiano is a former American football linebacker in the NFL. He played in four Pro Bowls and was a part of the Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI winning team....

.

1974 season

The Texans played in Houston for 11 games, going 3-7-1. The team relocated to Shreveport on September 18, 1974. On September 23, 1974, they were rechristened the Shreveport Steamer. The franchise, according to the WFL, was operated on a "play now, pay later" basis. The team was coached by Marshall Taylor, a former star player at Tennessee Tech. The Steamer made their home debut on September 25 against 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:...

. They played in front of just over 22,000 fans, and lost 17-3. They had a 4-5 record after the move, finishing 7-12-1 overall in 1974.

1975 season

The Steamer returned for the 1975

1975 in sports

1975 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...

 WFL season. Right from the start both the "Boats" and the resurrected league struggled. The second Chicago franchise ceased operations on September 2, after five games. After a mediocre 5-7 record and with the franchise almost out of money, the Steamer and the WFL sank permanently on October 22, 1975. The second WFL ceased operations little more than halfway through the 1975 season.

An apparently unrelated "Shreveport Steamer," also known as the plural "Steamers," played in the American Football Association from 1979 to 1981, renaming itself the "Steamers-Americans" after merging with the Orlando Americans in 1982. Billy Kilmer

Billy Kilmer

William Orland Kilmer, Jr. was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins...

served as the team's coach in its first season.