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.
James Larry Grantham was an American collegiate and professional football player.
The Charlotte Hornets were an American football team in the short-lived professional World Football League. Despite their brief existence, the Hornets were North Carolina's first attempt at a major league football team, predating the Carolina Panthers by two decades. They were relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, from New York City in the middle of the 1974 season.
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.
Joe Stanier Cribbs is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Auburn University along with future NFL backs William Andrews and James Brooks. He began his professional career in 1980 with the Buffalo Bills.
Robert Dennis Latchford is an English former footballer who played as a centre forward. He made more than 500 appearances in the Football League, playing for Birmingham City, Everton, Swansea City and Coventry City in the First Division, and won 12 full caps for England.
George Kay Stephenson is an American former college and professional football player and retired coach, whose latter career has seen him work in four different professional leagues. Stephenson played quarterback for the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills. He finished his playing career in 1974 in the World Football League with the Jacksonville Sharks before entering the coaching ranks.
Charles Edward Harraway, Jr. is a former professional American football player, a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. He also played one season in the World Football League, with the champion Birmingham Americans in 1974.
George Ignacio Mira is a Cuban-American former professional American football player, a quarterback in eight National Football League (NFL) seasons for four teams. He then played five seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and World Football League (WFL).
Howard Wayne Kindig, Jr. is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the American Football League and the National Football League, mainly with the Buffalo Bills.
Dennis Frank Homan is a former professional American football 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).
Sebastian Paul Costa was an American football tight end. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame's Fighting Irish. The American Football League (AFL)'s Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in his junior year, 1964, and he was traded to the AFL's Buffalo Bills for the 1965 season. He won a starting job at tight end his rookie year with the Bills, and soon became an excellent tight end, being named an AFL All-Star in his first two seasons.
Donald Dorman was an English professional footballer who played as an inside right or wing half. He made 265 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham City, Coventry City and Walsall in the years following the Second World War. He later became a scout.
Joseph Raymond O'Donnell was an American football player. He played college football as a fullback, guard and tackle for the University of Michigan from 1960 to 1963. He also played professional football as a guard and tackle for eight seasons for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He was a part of the 1964 and 1965 AFL Championship teams. O'Donnell was an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1965. He also came out of retirement to play in the World Football League (WFL) in 1974 and 1975.
Edgar Thomas Chandler, Jr. was an American football player who played linebacker professionally for six seasons for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL), and for the NFL's New England Patriots. Chandler was a two-time All-American at the University of Georgia, in 1966 and 1967.
Alvin B. Wyatt is a former American football player and coach of football and basketball. He played professionally as a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) with the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Houston Oilers and in World Football League (WFL) with the Jacksonville Sharks. Wyatt served as the head football coach at his alma mater, Bethune–Cookman University from 1997 to 2009 and Edward Waters College from 2013 to 2017, compiling a career college football coaching record of 100–92. He was also the head women's basketball coach at Bethune–Cookman from 1978 to 1996, tallying a mark of 245–201.
Robert John Landsee is a former American football player and coach. He was also the head coach and owner of the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League (AFL) till the team folded. He is a former American football center and guard who played for two seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986–1987. He was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.
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.
The 1974 World Football League season was the first season of the World Football League.
The 1974 WFL Pro Draft was the first professional draft of the World Football League (WFL). It supplemented its collegiate draft and included players from the NFL and CFL. It consisted of 480 selections in 40 rounds. Although it was expected that most of the NFL players drafted would have no intention of signing with the new league, the WFL still wanted to have the prominent NFL players future rights assigned, preventing WFL teams from competing in the signing for the same players.