Memphis Southmen

Last updated
Memphis Southmen
Memphis Southmen logo.gif
Established1974
Folded1975
Based in Memphis, Tennessee
Home field Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Head coach John McVay
General manager Leo Cahill
Owner(s) John F. Bassett
League World Football League
DivisionCentral (1974)
Eastern (1975)
ColoursBurnt Orange and Brown   
Nickname(s)Grizzlies

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.

Contents

From North to South

The team was originally slated to be based in Toronto, Canada, with the nickname of the Northmen. However, when Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced that no U.S.-based professional football league would be allowed in Canada in competition with the Canadian Football League under the Canadian Football Act, a change in venue and nickname was announced. [1] [2] [3] From the beginning, Memphians disliked "Southmen" and the team was informally known as the Memphis Grizzlies. The name appeared to come from the logo, a representation of a bear backed by the sun.

The "Grizzlies" were owned by John F. Bassett. A multi-millionaire, Bassett gave the league instant credibility by signing three stars from the National Football League's Miami Dolphins for the 1975 season: running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick, and wide receiver Paul Warfield. A Grizzlies quarterback was Danny White, who later became a quarterback and punter with the Dallas Cowboys from 1976 to 1988. John McVay was introduced as the head coach of the Grizzlies before the 1974 season. After his tenure with the Grizzlies, McVay would later serve as Vice-President and General Manager of the San Francisco 49ers for nineteen years, from 1980 to 1999. During this period, McVay presided over five Super Bowl-winning seasons and was named NFL Executive of the Year in 1989.

The Southmen's home opener against the Detroit Wheels drew 30,122 fans, including Elvis Presley, a professed football fanatic. Country superstar Charlie Rich sang the national anthem. After Rich took his seat next to Elvis afterward, Presley commented, "That's a tough song to sing, ain't it?" Rich replied, "It ain't no 'Behind Closed Doors'."

Even before the Miami Trio arrived, the 1974 Southmen found two durable running backs in J. J. Jennings and John Harvey, and they finished with the league's best record at 17–3. They lost in the semifinals to the Orlando-based Florida Blazers, 18–15.

In 1975, Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield finally came to Memphis (now officially dubbed the Grizzlies), but even they couldn't save the league, which folded during the middle of its second season. The 1975 Grizzlies finished 7–4; in their last WFL game, they were shut out by the Birmingham Vulcans, 21–0.

Memphis eventually not only received another professional sports team via a relocation from Canada, but one that was officially called the Grizzlies – the Vancouver Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association would move to Memphis in 2001. The NBA Grizzlies are the only major professional sports team to keep its nickname after moving from Canada to the United States.

In 2004, Mississippi's Johnny Wofford produced a DVD honouring the 1974–75 Southmen/Grizzlies. It included pictures from the 2004 30-year reunion conference.

The Grizzlies were supported by a large local fan base that included Memphis-resident Elvis Presley Elvis Presley first national television appearance 1956.jpg
The Grizzlies were supported by a large local fan base that included Memphis-resident Elvis Presley

Memphis and the NFL

The Southmen were one of the stronger and better-supported WFL franchises. With the wealth of Bassett, by far the richest owner in the WFL, behind them, the Southmen would have almost certainly been a viable venture had the WFL's overall management been more financially sound. After the WFL folded, Bassett applied for membership in the NFL as an expansion team. Over 40,000 deposits for season tickets were collected in this effort, which included a December 1975 telethon dubbed the "NFL-a-Thon" on Memphis television station WMC-TV Channel 5. To their dismay, the NFL refused to accept the team. McVay and many of the Southmen moved on to join the New York Giants, where in what has been described as "the closest approximation to a meeting between the champions of the WFL and the NFL", the Southmen reinforcements helped the Giants defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers 17–0 in a 1976 preseason matchup. [4]

Still, there were fans who would not quit. A lawsuit, Mid-South Grizzlies v. NFL , tried to force the league to accept the Grizzlies. It was not settled until 1984, by which time Bassett owned the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League and the case was rendered moot.

Long after Presley's death in 1977, his estate was involved in an attempt to bring the NFL to Memphis; the Memphis Hound Dogs proposal ultimately lost (professional football would eventually come to the city in 1995 in the form of the Canadian Football League's Mad Dogs, which Presley's estate had no involvement with; the team folded after that single season).

The NFL's Tennessee Oilers (newly relocated from Houston) played their 1997 season in Memphis before making their permanent home in Nashville.

Former Grizzlies RB Larry Csonka (shown in 2013) was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 Larry Csonka 2013.jpg
Former Grizzlies RB Larry Csonka (shown in 2013) was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987
Former Grizzlies WR Paul Warfield was inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame in 1983 Paul Warfield 1971MIA.png
Former Grizzlies WR Paul Warfield was inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame in 1983
Jim Kiick was a AFL All-Star RB prior to joining the Grizzlies 1986 Jeno's Pizza - 33 - Jim Kiick (Jim Kiick crop).jpg
Jim Kiick was a AFL All-Star RB prior to joining the Grizzlies

Schedule and results

Key:WinLossBye

1974 regular season

Week [5] DayDateOpponentResultAttendance
1WednesdayJuly 10, 1974 Detroit Wheels W 34–1530,122
2ThursdayJuly 18, 1974 Portland Storm W 16–831,088
3WednesdayJuly 24, 1974at Birmingham Americans L 33–5861,319
4ThursdayAugust 1, 1974 Southern California Sun W 25–1525,175
5WednesdayAugust 7, 1974at Philadelphia Bell L 15–4612,396
6WednesdayAugust 14, 1974at Detroit Wheels W 37–714,424
7WednesdayAugust 21, 1974 Hawaiians W 60–825,123
8WednesdayAugust 28, 1974at Florida Blazers W 26–1815,746
9MondaySeptember 2, 1974at Jacksonville Sharks W 16–1322,169
10SaturdaySeptember 7, 1974 Houston Texans W 45–015,291
11WednesdaySeptember 11, 1974 Birmingham Americans W 46–730,675
12WednesdaySeptember 18, 1974at Chicago Fire W 25–726,678
13WednesdaySeptember 25, 1974at Shreveport Steamer W 17–321,357
14WednesdayOctober 2, 1974 Jacksonville Sharks W 47–1915,016
15WednesdayOctober 9, 1974at Charlotte Hornets W 27–2325,133
16WednesdayOctober 16, 1974 Florida Blazers W 25–1515,334
17ThursdayOctober 24, 1974at Portland Storm L 25–2613,228
18WednesdayOctober 30, 1974at Hawaiians W 33–3120,544
19ThursdayNovember 7, 1974 Chicago Fire W 49–2414,085
20WednesdayNovember 13, 1974 Charlotte Hornets W 28–2213,339

Playoffs

GameDayDateOpponentResultAttendance
Quarterfinals BYE
SemifinalsFridayNovember 29, 1974 Florida Blazers L 15–189,692

1975 regular season

Week [6] DayDateOpponentResultAttendance
1SundayAugust 2, 1975 Jacksonville Express W 27–2625,166
2SundayAugust 9, 1975 Charlotte Hornets W 23–1119,729
3SundayAugust 23, 1975at Philadelphia Bell L 18–225,051
4SundayAugust 30, 1975 Chicago Winds W 31–721,515
5SundaySeptember 7, 1975 Hawaiians W 37–1715,132
6SundaySeptember 14, 1975 Shreveport Steamer W 34–2318,003
7SundaySeptember 21, 1975at Portland Thunder W 16–314,818
8SundaySeptember 28, 1975at San Antonio Wings L 17–2516,283
9SundayOctober 5, 1975 Southern California Sun W 37–3318,129
10SundayOctober 12, 1975 Birmingham Vulcans L 14–1820,192
11SundayOctober 19, 1975at Birmingham Vulcans L 0–21 [7] 35,000

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Basset says Northmen likely to move". The Globe and Mail . 1974-05-04.
  2. ↑ "Toronto of W.F.L. Gets Memphis Home". The New York Times . 1974-05-07.
  3. ↑ York, Marty (1983-03-22). "Alternative to Tiger-Cats: Bassett sees Hamilton in USFL". The Globe and Mail .
  4. ↑ Ford, Mark L. (2000). "25 Significant "Meaningless" NFL Games" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. Vol. 22, no. 5. Pro Football Researchers Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 14, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  5. ↑ "1974 World Football League Game Results" . Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  6. ↑ "1975 World Football League Results" . Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Roy (20 Oct 1975). "Vulcs take fire out of Southmen". Montgomery Advertiser. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-10-04– via Newspapers.com.
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