An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also hope that the expansion of their competition will grow the popularity of the sport generally. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues but is applied to sports leagues in other countries with a closed franchise system of league membership. The term refers to the expansion of the sport into new areas. The addition of an expansion team sometimes results in the payment of an expansion fee to the league by the new team and an expansion draft to populate the new roster.
Craig Ochs is a former American football quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills in the National Football League (NFL) and was also assigned to the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe in the 2006 season.
Oronde Benjamin Gadsden is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. He also was a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy of the WLAF and the Portland Forest Dragons of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Winston-Salem State University.
Edward William O'Neil is an American football coach and former professional linebacker, who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Casey Bramlet is an American former professional football quarterback. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Wyoming.
William B. Frank, Jr. was a Canadian football offensive tackle in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the BC Lions, Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He also was a member of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Colorado. He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Michael Nathaniel Oliphant is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns. He also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Sacramento Gold Miners and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Mario Urrutia Jr. is a former American football wide receiver. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football at Louisville.
Bruce Romell Walker is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle who played one season in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft after playing college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was released by the Eagles prior to the start of the 1994 season, and was a member of the Patriots in 1994 and 1995. He played for the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe in 1997.
Curtis Trishton Taylor is a former American football safety who was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU). He played high school football at Frankliinton High School in Franklinton, Louisiana.
Pat Barnes is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), XFL, and Canadian Football League (CFL).. He played college football for the California Golden Bears. Barnes was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL draft. He played professionally from 1997 to 2003.
Henry Taylor is a former American football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). He was signed by the San Diego Chargers of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1998. He played college football at South Carolina.
Justin Goltz is a former gridiron football quarterback. He played college football at Occidental College.
Daron Alcorn is a former American football placekicker who played eight seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Portland Forest Dragons/Oklahoma Wranglers, San Jose SaberCats and Las Vegas Gladiators. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the last selection in the 1993 NFL draft, making him Mr. Irrelevant. He played college football at the University of Akron and attended Mountain View High School in Vancouver, Washington. Alcorn was also a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football (WLAF).
Patrick McGuirk is a former American football defensive back who played eight professional seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL), World League of American Football (WLAF) and the National Football League (NFL). McGuirk played 5 season in the AFL with the Fort Worth Cavalry and San Jose SaberCats. He first enrolled at the College of San Mateo before transferring to California Polytechnic State University. He was also a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks, Frankfurt Galaxy and San Francisco 49ers.
Rasheed Bailey is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Delaware Valley. He has been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers, and Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL.
Christopher Perez is a former American football offensive tackle who played six seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Memphis Mad Dogs, Toronto Argonauts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and BC Lions. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 1992 NFL draft. He played college football at the University of Kansas and attended William Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois. Perez was also a member of the New England Patriots, Phoenix Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Barcelona Dragons and Chicago Enforcers.
Drew Desjarlais is a Canadian professional football guard for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Windsor. He has also been a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL, as well as the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).
Armon Merrell Hatcher is a former American football defensive back who played one season for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon State.
James Ray Fuller is an American football coach and former defensive back who is currently the offensive coordinator for the San Antonio Gunslingers of the National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at Walla Walla CC and Portland State before being selected in the 8th round of the 1992 NFL draft; he went on to play three seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles while also spending time in the World League of American Football (WLAF) for the Scottish Claymores and Arena Football League (AFL) for the Portland Forest Dragons. He later served as a coach for the Forest Dragons, Bakersfield Blitz, Philadelphia Soul, Dallas Desperados, Dallas Vigilantes, Richmond Raiders, Maine Mammoths, and Jacksonville Sharks.
