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The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor 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 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, although they never played a game.
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The Charleston Rockets were a professional American football team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They began play in 1964 as a member of the United Football League, and became a charter franchise in the Continental Football League in 1965. In their first season in the COFL, the Rockets finished with a perfect 14–0 record and won the league championship over the Toronto Rifles, 24–7. After an ownership change in 1968, the team announced that it was suspending operations in January 1969. Its place in the league's lineup was replaced by the Jersey Jays, returning the CFL to North Jersey after the departure of the Newark Bears to Orlando three seasons prior.
The Jersey Jays were a professional American football minor league team based in Jersey City, New Jersey. They began play in 1969 as a member of the Continental Football League, and were a farm team of the NFL's Cleveland Browns. The Jays played their home games in Newark Schools Stadium in 1969.
The Long Beach Admirals were a professional American football team based in Long Beach, California.
The Omaha Mustangs were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska. They began as an independent, semi-pro team in the early 1960s before joining the Professional Football League of America, a newly formed league based on remnants of the United Football League, in 1965. The Mustangs won the PFLA championship in their second season by defeating the Des Moines Warriors in a playoff game in front of 4,530 spectators. The Mustangs were affiliated with the Kansas City Chiefs for the 1967 season.
References
- ↑ "Arrows Shift Site". The Holland Evening Sentinel. UPI. January 15, 1969.
- ↑ "Farm for Lions". Detroit Free Press. June 3, 1969.
- ↑ "Hawaii Enters Continental Loop". The Indianapolis Star. Associated Press. January 23, 1969.
- ↑ "Portland Obtains Football Ramblers". Tucson Daily Citizen. UPI. August 7, 1969.
- ↑ "Newark Gains CFL Franchise". The Arizona Republic. Associated Press. February 2, 1969.
- ↑ "Jays Join Browns". San Antonio Express. Associated Press. April 13, 1969.
- ↑ "Orange County Gridders Move". The Times. San Mateo, California. UPI. April 8, 1969.
- ↑ "CFL Team Inactive". Northwest Arkansas Times. Associated Press. May 19, 1969.
- ↑ Guys, Carl (September 23, 1969). "Inflation Deflates". Del Rio (Texas) News-Herald.
- ↑ "Raiders Make Ties with Spokane Club". The Daily Herald. UPI. June 10, 1969.
- ↑ "El Paso Is Retired For Season". The Galveston Daily News. Associated Press. August 5, 1969.
- ↑ "TFL Aligns With Huge Continental". The Odessa American. Associated Press. January 26, 1969.
- ↑ "Moves to Indiana". The Terre Haute Tribune. Associated Press. February 3, 1969.
- ↑ "Award Set Up in Memory of Player". Ironwood Daily Globe. Associated Press. May 21, 1969.