Birmingham Vulcans

Last updated
Birmingham Vulcans
Birmingham Vulcans logo.gif
EstablishedMarch 1975
FoldedOctober 1975
Based in Birmingham, Alabama
Home field Legion Field
Head coach Marvin Bass
General manager Jack Gotta
League World Football League
DivisionEastern
ColoursBlue, Red, and White
   
World Bowl wins1975 (regular season title, league folded before World Bowl could be played)

The Birmingham Vulcans were a professional American football team located in Birmingham, Alabama. They were members of the five-team Eastern Division of the World Football League (WFL). The Vulcans, founded in March 1975, played in the upstart league's second and final season in 1975. The team was owned by a group of Birmingham businessmen with Ferd Weil as team president.

Contents

The Vulcans replaced the Birmingham Americans who had held the WFL franchise for Birmingham in 1974, winning World Bowl I in December 1974 before suffering financial collapse. [1] The Vulcans were the best team in the league in 1975 with a 9–3 record and the best at the box office until the league folded 12 weeks into its second season. After the WFL ceased operations, the Vulcans were declared league champions by virtue of having the best record. [2]

When the league folded, Birmingham and the Memphis Grizzlies attempted to get admitted into the National Football League for the 1976 season, although unlike the similar and more extensive effort in Memphis which involved actual cash deposits toward season tickets, it seemed to consist mainly of getting fans to sign a "statement of support" somewhat similar to a petition. When the Memphis effort failed, Vulcans followers were forced to accept the inevitable as well, and efforts to get the team into the more established league were abandoned.

The Vulcans name would be recycled for the Alabama Vulcans, a member of the American Football Association, in 1979.

As of April 2010, two former Vulcans players have been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Birmingham native Johnny "Italian Stallion" Musso, who placed 4th in Heisman Trophy voting while playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide, was inducted in the Class of 1989. [3] [4] Larry Willingham, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and retired for medical reasons in 1973 but made a comeback in 1974 with the Birmingham Americans, was inducted in the Class of 2003. [5] Willingham was also elected to the Auburn Tigers football "1970s Team of the Decade." [5]

Schedule and results

Key:WinLossBye

1975 regular season

WeekDayDateOpponentResultAttendance
1SundayAugust 2, 1975 Chicago Winds W 10–031,000
2SundayAugust 9, 1975 Philadelphia Bell W 23–1721,000
3SundayAugust 16, 1975at Jacksonville Express L 11–2216,049
4SundayAugust 23, 1975 Southern California Sun L 25–3532,000
5SundayAugust 30, 1975 Shreveport Steamer W 21–818,700
6SaturdaySeptember 6, 1975at Portland Thunder W 26–86,342
7SaturdaySeptember 13, 1975 San Antonio Wings W 33–2412,500
8SundaySeptember 21, 1975 Charlotte Hornets W 22–1618,500
9SaturdaySeptember 27, 1975at Jacksonville Express L 18–2610,881
10SaturdayOctober 4, 1975at Hawaiians W 29–1618,894
11SundayOctober 12, 1975at Memphis Grizzlies W 18–1420,192
12SundayOctober 19, 1975 Memphis Grizzlies W 21–0 [6] 35,000

[7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Football League</span> Former American football league (1974–1975)

The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 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 league folded midway through its second season, in 1975. A new minor football league began play as the World Football League in 2008 after acquiring the rights to its trademarks and intellectual property; it folded in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birmingham Barracudas</span> Canadian Football League team

The Birmingham Barracudas were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Barracudas were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Southmen</span> Former American football team in the World Football League

The Memphis Southmen, also known as the Memphis Grizzlies, were an American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. They played in the World Football League (WFL), which operated in 1974 and 1975. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birmingham Americans</span> American football team

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 (WFL). The Americans, founded in late December 1973, played in the upstart league's inaugural season in 1974. The team was owned by William "Bill" Putnam, doing business as Alabama Football, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birmingham Fire</span> World League of American Football team

The Birmingham Fire were a professional American football team based in Birmingham, Alabama. They were a member of the North American West division of the World League of American Football (WLAF) and played their home games at Legion Field. The club was a charter member of the WLAF, and was under the ownership of Gavin Maloof. Led by head coach Chan Gailey, the Fire saw moderate success as they compiled an overall record of twelve wins, nine losses and one tie (12–9–1) and made the playoffs in both seasons they competed. The franchise folded in September 1992 when the NFL placed the league on an indefinite hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Humphrey</span> American football player (born 1966)

Bobby Gene Humphrey is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, twice earning All-American honors.

Richard Barry Krauss is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

Johnny Musso is an American former professional football player who was a running back for three seasons with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears. Musso played college football at the University of Alabama, where was a consensus selection on the 1971 College Football All-America Team. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Dennis Frank Homan is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons for the Dallas Cowboys (1968–1970) and the Kansas City Chiefs (1971–1972). He later played for the Birmingham Americans (1974) and Birmingham Vulcans (1975) of the World Football League (WFL) He is most proud of his children and grandchildren.

Warren Samuel Capone is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He also was a member of the Birmingham Americans and the Birmingham Vulcans in the World Football League (WFL). He played college football at Louisiana State University and is a member of the LSU Sports Hall of Fame.

The World Bowl, also known as World Bowl 1, was the only American football championship game of the short-lived World Football League. The Birmingham Americans defeated the Florida Blazers 22–21 on Thursday, December 5, 1974 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. George Mira, quarterback for Birmingham was named the game's Most Valuable Player (MVP). It was televised on TVS Television Network.

Larry Levi Willingham is a former professional American football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1971–1972) and in the World Football League (WFL) for both the Birmingham Americans (1974) and Birmingham Vulcans (1975). He was an All-American defensive back for Auburn University in 1970 and inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Terry Henley is a former American football player. Henley played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was named first-team All-SEC in 1972. He was signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1973 but was cut during training camp. Henley signed to play for the Birmingham Americans of the World Football League in 1974 but was cut from the team just before the season began. The Washington Redskins invited Henley to their training camp in August 1974 but he failed to make the team. In February 1975, Henley signed on to the New England Patriots as a free agent but was cut from the roster before the start of the regular season. Henley announced in 1976 that he would no longer pursue a career in professional football and turned to Birmingham, Alabama, to sell insurance.

Vaughn Michael Raines is a former professional and college football player.

The 1974 World Football League season was the first season of the World Football League.

The 1975 World Football League season was the second and last season of the World Football League. The 1975 season was to be an 18-game season over a twenty-week schedule.

Sports in Birmingham, Alabama, include several minor league professional teams and college sports. The City of Birmingham and the Birmingham metro area have no major professional sport franchises. The Birmingham area is home to the Birmingham Barons, the AA minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, which plays at Regions Field in the Southside adjacent to Railroad Park. The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Samford University in Homewood have popular collegiate sports teams, including college basketball and football. The Hoover Metropolitan Stadium is home to the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament, which drew more than 108,000 spectators in 2006 and continues to draw large crowds today. The city also hosts a USL team: the Birmingham Legion FC. The Birmingham area also hosts the Alabama Youth Sports Alliance basketball league and Tragic City Rollers women's roller derby team.

Wayne B. Wheeler Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He also played for the Birmingham Vulcans of the World Football League (WFL).

References

  1. ↑ "New name for the old Americans". Gadsden Times . Associated Press. March 8, 1975. p. 38. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  2. ↑ Talley, Rick (July 16, 1978). "Origer's feelings for WFL, Fire still burn bright". Chicago Tribune . p. B8. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2010. Although he could have sold 22000 season tickets for that ill-fated '75 season, he folded the team [...]
  3. ↑ "Johnny "Italian Stallion" Musso – Class of 1989". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  4. ↑ Smith, Wayne (May 14, 1995). "Musso remains one of the most popular Tide stars". Gadsden Times . p. D6. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Larry Willingham – Class of 2003". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Roy (20 Oct 1975). "Vulcs take fire out of Southmen". Montgomery Advertiser. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-10-04– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "1975 World Football League Results" . Retrieved 2015-11-11.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.