The Pottstown Firebirds were a professional American football minor league team and member of the Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) from 1968 to 1970. The Pottstown Firebirds played their home games at Pottstown High School stadium. In their final two seasons of existence in Pottstown (1969 and 1970), the Firebirds won the league championship.
The Firebirds were founded in 1968 and were originally a "farm club" of the Philadelphia Eagles. The team was provided with equipment/helmets already emblazoned with Eagle wings. The Firebirds affiliation with the Philadelphia Eagles was short-lived and was withdrawn in 1970. In 1969 and 1970, the Firebirds won back-to-back ACFL championships.
In 1971, the Firebirds merged with the Norfolk Neptunes and left Pottstown. After the collapse of the ACFL a couple of years later, the World Football League sprang up. Many of the Pottstown Firebirds went on to play for the Philadelphia Bell as described in Vince Papale's book Invincible. Ron Waller, former Head Offensive Coach of the Firebirds, served as interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers for the final six games of 1973, then moved on to become head coach of the Philadelphia Bell in 1974.
NFL Films documentary
The Firebirds were perhaps best remembered as the subject of a 1970 NFL Films documentary Pro Football, Pottstown, Pa. which documented the ties between the minor league club, its players, and their hometown of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Of particular note was the portrayal of the Firebirds' star quarterback, Jim "The King" Corcoran. "The King" was considered the "Poor Man's Joe Namath" for his flamboyance; preferring to be a star in the minor leagues over a backup in the NFL, he played a single game in the NFL with the then-Boston Patriots in addition to preseason stints with several others.
In 2000, NFL Films returned to Pottstown for an episode of their Lost Treasures series. Pottstown Revisited covered some surviving players reminiscing about their days on the team, remembered the town's relationship with the long-gone football team, and filmed a 30-year player reunion.
Funding
Bob "Chuz" Calvario and Al Cavallo were credited with founding the Firebirds minor league football franchise in Pottstown. To raise funds, Calvario and Cavallo assembled a group of local investors that all put up a few hundred dollars each and they also sold public stock. In order to secure a franchise, $10,000 was needed to post a performance bond with the ACFL. The franchise was secured but the group fell short of meeting their financial goals to fund an entire team until the entry of local millionaire Ed Gruber. The Pottstown Firebirds financial short-comings were over as Gruber put up the cash to attract the best minor league players money could buy. Ultimately, Gruber became the team owner and called all the shots.
Key Landmarks
The Downtown Motor Inn's name has since gone but the hotel itself, at High and Manatawny Streets, still exists. The Firebirds and their staff lived there during the season.
The Firebird's "Roost" was a home near Hanover and Third Streets where a number of the Firebirds players lived. The "Roost" was later torn down and no longer exists today.
The Elks Home, 61 High Street, was the location where important team meetings took place and where the Firebirds ate a number of their meals. The Elks Home is still in operation today.
Pottstown High School– Firebird home games were played at the high school football stadium that is used to this day. Firebird team players used the high school locker room in the basement for practices and games. Not sure if the old locker room in the basement still exists today (2012) as the school had undergone renovations in the past few years.
Bellewood Country Club– Both mansions at this country club belonged to Gruber and was later purchased by investors to develop the location into a golf course.
1968 Results
Second Place Southern Division 6-5-1
08/17/1968 Harrisburg Capitol Colts10 at Pottstown Firebirds 0 Franklin Field, Attendance of 5,000
08/24/1968 Virginia Sailors 13 vs Pottstown Firebirds 20 Hemdon Stadium, Virginia
09/07/1968 Hartford Knights 13 at Pottstown Firebirds 7 Franklin Field, Attendance of 6,150
09/14/1968 Bridgeport Jets 24 at Pottstown Firebirds 0 Franklin Field, Attendance of 5,228
09/21/1968 Lowell Giants 14 vs Pottstown Firebirds 35 Cawley Memorial Stadium, Lowell, MA, Attendance of 4,500
09/28/1968 Virginia Sailors 10 vs Pottstown Firebirds 7 Hemdon Stadium, Virginia, Attendance 3,723
10/05/1968 Harrisburg Capitol Colts 7 at Pottstown Firebirds 17 Franklin Field, Attendance 4,000
10/12/1968 Virginia Sailors 0 at Pottstown Firebirds 17 Franklin Field, Attendance 4,820
10/18/1968 Bridgeport Jets 27 vs Potstown Firebirds 7 John F. Kennedy Stadium, Bridgeport, CT, Attendance 13,246
10/26/1968 Lowell Giants 14 at Pottstown Firebirds 25 Franklin Field, Attendance 5,000
11/02/1968 Richmond Roadrunners 17 vs Pottstown Firebirds 17 City Stadium, Richmond, Virginia, Attendance 6,000
11/09/1968 Richmond Roadrunners 3 at Pottstown Firebirds 14 Franklin Field, Attendance 2,600
Ball Boys - Dave Musser, John Katch, and Steve Cavallo
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