1994 Canadian Football League in the United States

memorial stadium in baltimore home baltimore stallions, successful cfl expansion team in united states. averaged more 30,000 fans each of 2 years.

in 1994 gold miners joined 3 other american teams: las vegas posse, baltimore cfl colts , shreveport pirates. on television espn , subsidiary espn2 picked games alongside usual broadcasting tsn , cbc in canada. shreveport , baltimore placed in eastern division, while sacramento , las vegas wound in west. playoffs expanded again 8 teams (four per division). team have been added in orlando, named either manatees or sting rays. however, in debacle had become pattern, presumptive ownership group failed appear @ press conference announcing formation in january 1994.

the baltimore cfl colts in headlines before playing down. owned jim speros, team marketed revival of baltimore colts nfl franchise, had left city 10 years earlier , had played @ memorial stadium. team s embrace of colts history gained instant following in baltimore , headlines in national sports media, although injunction obtained shortly before team s first game forced league refer team baltimore cflers or baltimore football club . since memorial stadium had been built accommodate baseball s baltimore orioles football, playing surface large enough accommodate full-size canadian field.

baltimore far , away successful of american cfl team on field , off, averaging crowds of on 37,000 first year. knowing canadian football considerably different american game, speros stocked stallions cfl veterans. coach, brought in don matthews, had played in 2 grey cups , won one. result team finished second in east 12–6 record , became first american team qualify playoffs. advanced way grey cup. in thrilling match played in bc place, bc lions defeated stallions on last second field goal. perhaps remarkably, reported have turned profit in first year after initial us$7 million investment speros.

the shreveport pirates transplantation of bernie glieberman , organization ottawa. gliebermans had hinted @ moving rough riders united states, making them more unpopular in canada s capital. part of settlement cfl, glieberman sold rough riders bruce firestone can$1.85 million, , in return granted us-based expansion team became shreveport pirates. part of deal, glieberman not had pay expansion fee, had settle previous ottawa debts. there groundswell of local support team significant difficulties in first year: stifling weather, cultural clashes, organizational screw-ups, , serious hints of under-capitalization (during training camp team housed in dorm above milking barn). woeful record did not help: team lost first 14 games. end of season showed promise team, finished last 4 games 3–1 record; once team winning, attendance jumped, , home finale drew on 32,000 fans 40,000-seat independence stadium, highest u.s.-hosted cfl game outside baltimore.

the gold miners, after spending of 1993 adjusting canadian game, rebounded finish 9–8–1 in second season, 1 point short of playoffs. led again david archer @ quarterback, had persisted team since world league days sacramento surge. however, in become trend during cfl expansion, second sacramento season saw attendance decline.

at other end of spectrum, posse abject failure both on field , off. playing in sam boyd stadium on outskirts of city , practicing on ersatz practice field in parking lot of riviera hotel , casino on las vegas strip, team became infamous botched gimmicks. attendance never begin with, dropped embarrassing levels season went on. such dreadful gates, team s cash flow dwindled point that, according 1 assistant coach, couldn t afford paper. after 2,350 attended october home game against winnipeg, owner nick mileti announced team suspending operations. avoid shuttering team mid-season, league moved posse s final home game edmonton. team little better on field either, finishing 5-13—the second-worst record in league (behind pirates).