The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the league has an affiliation agreement with one NHL team. When NHL teams do not have an AHL affiliate, players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL teams. Twenty-six AHL teams are located in the United States and the remaining six are in Canada. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is Scott Howson.
The Orange Tornadoes and Newark Tornadoes were two manifestations of a long-lived professional American football franchise that existed in some form from 1887 to 1941 and from 1958 to 1970, having played in the American Amateur Football Union from 1888 to 1895, the National Football League from 1929 to 1930, the American Association from 1936 to 1941, the Atlantic Coast Football League from 1963 to 1964 and 1970, and the Continental Football League from 1965 to 1969. The team was based for most of its history in Orange, New Jersey, with many of its later years in Newark. Its last five seasons of existence were as the Orlando Panthers, when the team was based in Orlando, Florida. The NFL franchise was sold back to the league in October 1930. The team had four head coaches in its two years in the NFL – Jack Depler in Orange, and Jack Fish, Al McGall and Andy Salata in Newark.
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.
The Manchester Wolves were a professional arena football team, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, which folded at the end of the 2009 season along with the rest of the league. They played in the East Division of the American Conference of the AF2 league, which was the minor league of the Arena Football League.
The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Joan Joyce was the softball coach at Florida Atlantic, for 28 years until her death in 2022. She previously was a softball player for the Raybestos Brakettes and the Orange Lionettes. She also had set records on the LPGA Tour as a golfer and on the USA women's national basketball team, and was a player and coach for the Connecticut Clippers volleyball team.
The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid a base salary of $100 per game and had 36 players on each active roster.
John Michael Smith is an English-American retired American football placekicker. He made his professional debut with the New England Patriots in 1974, remaining with the team until 1983.
James Sean Patrick "King" Corcoran was an American football quarterback who had a ten-year career as a journeyman in the Atlantic Coast Football League, Seaboard Football League, Midwest Football League, World Football League, and briefly in the American Football League. Corcoran played college football, mostly as a back-up, for the Maryland Terrapins. He gained notoriety for his flamboyant dress and playboy lifestyle, which earned him the reputation of being a "poor man's Joe Namath".
The Orlando Panthers were a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. Founded in 1958 as the Franklin Miners, the team spent its first four years in the Eastern Football Conference, then three further years in the Atlantic Coast Football League before moving to the Continental Football League in 1965. The franchise moved from Newark, New Jersey to Orlando in 1966 and found success on the field as the Panthers. However, while the team won the COFL championship twice they were plagued by financial difficulties. The team jumped back to the ACFL in 1970 but were suspended by the league after the season.
The Seaboard Football League was an American football minor league that operated from 1971 to 1974. It folded during the 1974 season as a result of the founding of the World Football League, which deprived the league of talent.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights are a junior ice hockey organization from Pittston, Pennsylvania. In 2015, the Knights' junior hockey organization purchased the dormant Dawson Creek Rage franchise in the Tier II North American Hockey League (NAHL) and placed their Tier III franchise in the Eastern Hockey League into dormancy. The organization has reactivated and deactivated their Tier III level teams at various times, but plans to launch teams in the United States Premier Hockey League's Premier and Elite Divisions, non-USA Hockey sanctioned leagues that operate similar to the Tier III level. The organization also has several youth ice hockey teams in its development program.
The Norfolk Neptunes were an American football franchise based in Norfolk, Virginia that played in the Continental Football League from 1966 until 1969 and the Atlantic Coast Football League from 1970 to 1971. The team played at Foreman Field at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
The Hartford Charter Oaks were a professional American football team based in Hartford, Connecticut. They began play in 1964 as a member of the Atlantic Coast Football League, replacing the Ansonia Black Knights. In 1965 the Charter Oaks were one of several ACFL franchises to join the new Continental Football League, where they finished in last place in their division.
The Ansonia Black Knights were a minor league American football team based in Ansonia, Connecticut. They began play in the Atlantic Coast Football League in 1962 and played their home games at Nolan Field. The team finished fourth out of six teams during the ACFL's inaugural season. Their head coach was Gene Casey, formerly a line coach with the University of Illinois and an assistant coach with Southern Connecticut State College.
The Wilmington Renegades were a minor league American football team based in Wilmington, Delaware. They joined the Atlantic Coast Football League as the Wilmington Clippers on February 20, 1966. Most of the team's ownership and management carried over from another Wilmington football franchise, the Wilmington Comets of the North American Football League. The team's first signing was Dick Christy, former running back with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Boston Patriots, and New York Jets.
Riley D. Morris was an American football linebacker and defensive end who played three seasons in the American Football League (AFL) for the Oakland Raiders and five seasons in the Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) for the Boston/New Bedford Sweepers, Waterbury Orbits and Quincy Giants. He played college football at Florida A&M.
Richard Thomas Swatland was an American football guard who played one season in the American Football League (AFL) for the Houston Oilers. He played college football at Notre Dame and was selected in the 8th round of the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Swatland also spent time with the Bridgeport Jets of the Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL), the Washington Redskins and New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL), and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
