Most recent season or competition: 1999 | |
Sport | American football |
---|---|
Founded | 1997 [1] |
Inaugural season | 1999 |
Ceased | 1999 |
Commissioner | John "Gus" Bell [1] Ron Floridia [2] |
No. of teams | 6 |
Country | United States |
Headquarters | Framingham, MA [3] Mobile, AL [2] |
Last champion(s) | Mobile Admirals (1999) |
TV partner(s) | none |
The Regional Football League (RFL) was an American football minor league formed to be the self-styled "major league of spring football." Established in 1997, the league played a single season, 1999, and then ceased operations.
The RFL season was designed for spring-summer play with teams based primarily in the Southern United States. The debut season was originally slated to begin in March 1998, [4] however this was delayed by a year. [5] The league adopted rules consistent with professional football of the era, with some exceptions: [6] [7]
The league's inaugural (and only) season was 1999, where each of its six teams was scheduled to have training camp and two preseason games in early April, followed by 12 regular season games; a postseason would follow in July. The league held its first regular season games on April 17, 1999. [8] Financial constraints forced the league to reduce player salaries at the end of April, due to low attendance at games. [9] In late May, the league announced that the regular season would be shortened by three games, with the championship game held in late June. [10] Ultimately, the league only played an eight-week regular season. Near the end of the shortened season, the league cancelled a contest between New Orleans and Ohio, and Shreveport forfeited a game, both due to financial concerns. [11] Four teams qualified for the playoffs, [12] and on June 20, 1999, the Mobile Admirals defeated the Houston Outlaws, 14–12, in the championship game, RFL Bowl I, which was played at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. [13]
RFL rosters were limited to 37 active players and five practice squad members with salaries in the range of $30,000 to $65,000 per player and team salary caps of $1,500,000. [3] The league held a draft where each team could only draft from their respective region in hopes that fans would turn out to see players they'd followed in college. Players who had been with college football programs in the south such as Jason Martin (Louisiana Tech), Stewart Patridge (Ole Miss), Raymond Philyaw (Northeast Louisiana), Marquette Smith (Central Florida) and Sherman Williams (Alabama) were signed to southern RFL teams, while players like Ricky Powers (Michigan), Corey Croom (Ball State), and Skip Tramontana (Miami University) were assigned to the Ohio franchise based in Toledo. Patridge, playing for Mississippi, was the all-RFL quarterback, [14] while running back Williams was the league MVP with Mobile. [15] This regional approach worked at the outset of play, as evidenced fan interest in the league at the start of the season.
The first commissioner of the league was John "Gus" Bell, who was succeeded by Ron Floridia in May 1999. [2] The league did not secure a television contract, and only one game was ever televised—the May 8, 1999, New Orleans Thunder at Mobile Admirals contest on WHNO,[ citation needed ] a mainly-religious television station in New Orleans.
Despite some efforts made to resume play for a second season, the league folded after its shortened 1999 season. The announced beginning of the XFL for 2001 precluded any realistic chance of the league resuming operations.
The league's six charter members were announced on November 12, 1998. [16] They participated in the league's only season, which ran from April to June 1999.
Source [18]
vs. HOU | vs. MISS | vs. MOBL | vs. N.O. | vs. OHIO | vs. SHRV | Forfeit | Overall | Win pct. | |
HOU | — | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | — | 6–2 | .750 |
MISS | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 4–4 | .500 |
MOBL | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 6–2 | .750 |
N.O. | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–6 | .143 |
OHIO | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | W | 3–4 | .429 |
SHRV | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | L | 3–5 | .375 |
Notes:
Semi-finals June 12 | RFL Bowl I June 20 | ||||||||
1 | Mobile | 35 | |||||||
4 | Ohio | 14 | |||||||
1 | Mobile | 14 | |||||||
2 | Houston | 12 | |||||||
2 | Houston | 27 | |||||||
3 | Mississippi | 3 |
Games were hosted by the higher-seeded team.
Proposed for the 2000 season, [8] which was not played.
Dallas and Monterey, Mexico were originally eyed for expansion, but dropped at the initial stages.
The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bowl was named because it was inaugurated in 1976, the year of the United States Bicentennial. The bowl's current title sponsor is Radiance Technologies, per an agreement announced for the 2020–2025 editions. Only one prior edition of the bowl, in 2013, has not used Independence Bowl branding.
Raymond 'Ray' Philyaw is a former arena football quarterback who was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League (AFL). He also played for the Cleveland Gladiators, Chicago Rush, Kansas City Brigade, Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings and the Albany/Indiana Firebirds, leading the former to the American Conference championship game in 2004 and 2005. Prior to his Arena Football career, he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and the Madison Mad Dogs of the Indoor Football League. After leaving to coach with the New Orleans VooDoo in 2011, he attempted a return as a player in 2012 with the San Jose SaberCats, but later became OC for the San Antonio Talons. He holds the record for the highest career TD-to-INT ratio in AFL history and threw a school record 52 TDs while attending Northeast Louisiana.
Marquette Dennison Robinson is a former American football defensive back of the Arena Football League (AFL). He now serves as the Assistant Defensive Coordinator and ( )for the Chicago Blitz of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). He last played for the Chicago Slaughter of the CIFL. He attended the University of West Georgia.
The New Orleans Thunder were a professional American football team that played during the 1999 season as part of the Regional Football League. They played their home games at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park in New Orleans.
Paul Buford Jordan is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints.
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Alfonso Teddy Garcia is a former professional American football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) and the World League of American Football (WLAF).
Dameian Jeffries is a former American football defensive end. He played college football for Alabama before being selected in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He appeared in two games for the Saints in 1995. Jeffries later played for the Mobile Admirals in the short-lived Regional Football League in 1999.
The 1941 LSU Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Louisiana State University (LSU) in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1941 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Bernie Moore, the Tigers compiled a 4–4–2 record, finished seventh in the conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 119 to 93. The team played its home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Jason Martin is a former American football quarterback who played two seasons with the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League. He played college football at Louisiana Tech University. He was also a member of the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe in 1998, and the Shreveport Knights of the short-lived Regional Football League in 1999.
The Shreveport Knights were a professional American football team that played during the 1999 season as part of the Regional Football League. They played their home games at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The Mobile Admirals were a professional American football team that played during the 1999 season as part of the Regional Football League; the Admirals were the league champions. They played their home games at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
The Mississippi Pride were a professional American football team that played during the 1999 season as part of the Regional Football League. They played their home games at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi.
The Ohio Cannon, also known as the Toledo Cannon, was a professional American football team that played during the 1999 season as part of the Regional Football League. They played their home games at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio.
The Houston Outlaws were a professional American football team that played during the 1999 season as part of the Regional Football League. They played their home games at Pasadena Memorial Stadium in Pasadena, Texas, a suburb of Houston.
The 1910 Louisiana Industrial football team was an American football team that represented the Louisiana Industrial Institute—now known as Louisiana Tech University—as an independent during the 1910 college football season. Led by second-year head coach Percy S. Prince, Louisiana Industrial compiled a record of 7–0.