Expansion Canadian Football League in the United States

1 expansion

1.1 background
1.2 1992–1993
1.3 1994
1.4 1994–1995 offseason
1.5 1995
1.6 end of u.s. experiment

1.6.1 league troubles
1.6.2 end game


1.7 aftermath
1.8 list of american cfl teams

1.8.1 teams played
1.8.2 proposed teams did not play

expansion





















cities , provinces/states have hosted cfl teams:

  western   eastern   defunct (1993–95)


background

the idea of expansion united states began take shape in 1990s, prompted precarious ownership situations , chronic money shortages amongst existing canadian teams. chief catalyst of league s struggles carling o keefe brewery s decision stop lucrative television sponsorship in 1987. arrangement had provided steady income of league s teams, reaching $11 million per season before withdrawal. guaranteed revenues, instead of being used grow league, had subsidized outdated , shoddy financial practices , marketing both @ team , league level. montreal alouettes, having been rescued failure 5 years prior, folded during 1987 preseason. take 2 decades economic equilibrium again reestablished.

with exception of edmonton eskimos, every team in league had faced kind of crisis in years leading 1993. in addition montreal s sudden collapse, calgary stampeders , publicly owned saskatchewan roughriders had mount public campaigns survive. 1993, bc lions had experienced years of ownership chaos , winnipeg blue bombers faced $3 million in debt, despite frugal management.

the toronto argonauts embroiled in series of ownership crises after successful ownership triumvirate of bruce mcnall, wayne gretzky, , john candy faced mounting financial losses. hamilton tiger-cats confronting attendance swoon, fan malaise, , struggling community ownership. both ontario teams faced competition @ gate , general attention buffalo bills of nfl, in middle of run of 4 consecutive super bowl appearances. ottawa rough riders , fans being treated disappointing squads on field , constant drama off field under-capitalized , mercurial owner, bernie glieberman.

against economic backdrop new generation of venture capitalist owners had emerged. took place of community groups, local consortiums, or philanthropists typically had owned teams , operated them without serious profit motive. led mcnall in toronto, larry ryckman in calgary, , glieberman in ottawa.

larry smith hired league commissioner in february 1992, reportedly on explicit understanding pursue american expansion. while smith become visible face of era, makes clear owners drove initiative, particularly mcnall , ryckman. mcnall s issues cash flow, later revealed result of wealth being inflated illegal accounting, 1 obvious instigator. while expansion championed newer owners, equal distribution of expansion fees appealed community owned teams shore finances.

1992–1993

with green light owners, smith began task of expanding league across border, beginning june 1992 exhibition game between argos , stampeders in portland, oregon. total of 15,362 attended, close averages later american teams post. portland considered franchise, investors failed emerge. expansion announcement prompted numerous applications wide variety of american cities. end of expansion era, minimum of 22 cities reported have been considered teams.

coincidentally, world league of american football, attempt nfl create spring league in major markets without nfl teams, suspended north american operations after 1992 season. wlaf owners fred anderson of sacramento surge , larry j. benson of san antonio riders applied join cfl sacramento gold miners , san antonio texans, respectively.

on january 13, 1993 league approved both franchises vote of 7–1, winnipeg dissenting. league owners decided not apply requirement of 20 non-import canadian-raised players american squads, fearing requirement violation of employment laws.

the experiment started on sour note, however, when ownership dispute forced benson pull san antonio out on same evening franchise formally introduced. anderson decided continue venture after bensons s withdrawal, made clear did not want american franchise after 1993.

the gold miners placed in strong west division , finished last record of 6–12. gold miners played @ austere hornet stadium, located on campus of sacramento state university , averaged around 17,000 fans per game, selling 9,000 season tickets.

in response massive disparity between east , west divisions, decided in middle of season grant fourth place western team playoff berth. there speculation done in part ensure sacramento remained in playoff contention long possible , @ insistence of ryckman, preferred revenue of 2 playoff games first place stampeders on first-round bye.

1994


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).

1994–1995 offseason

the las vegas situation 1 of bevy of developments absorbed league in 1994 1995 offseason. team not officially disbanded until april 1995 not before league damaged credibility twice giving provisional approval relocation jackson, mississippi, point mississippi team included on 1995 internal schedule , had hired general manager , coaching staff, have deal collapse amid squabbles las vegas corporation owned posse. group miami, florida tried convince league let buy remains of posse , move them south florida miami manatees in miami orange bowl. exhibition game between birmingham , baltimore held there in june 1995 gauge support, drew decent crowd above 20,000.

the gold miners grew increasingly dissatisfied hornet stadium. anderson blamed losses of us$10 million on 2 years on facility. after attempts have sacramento state upgrade or replace facility failed, announced in october 1994—with 2 weeks go in season—that gold miners playing elsewhere in 1995. anderson intended move oakland, abandoned plans after became apparent los angeles raiders owner al davis considering moving nfl franchise original city. gold miners moved alamodome in san antonio, texas; play san antonio texans.

with posse folding, gold miners moving, , pirates facing money troubles 3 of 4 cfl expansion teams had stumbled. league, however, still managed add 2 new cities before 1995 season. memphis mad dogs announced in november 1994, followed birmingham barracudas in january 1995. memphis deal hailed large step forward league s presence in brought in marketing connections of federal express , wealth of founder fred smith.

1995

with series of new additions, league abandoned longstanding east-west divisional format. instead, 5 american teams—baltimore, birmingham, memphis, san antonio, , shreveport—would moved new south division, while 8 canadian teams moved north division. top 5 canadian teams , top 3 american teams qualify playoffs; lowest-seeded north team cross on south playoffs. league gained first national american television contract espn2, agreed televise more 20 regular season games, plus playoffs. deal reportedly worth $1.5 million. cfl remain on network until 1997.

the birmingham barracudas, owned insurance tycoon art williams, entered league playing @ legion field, accommodate canadian football field 15-yard end zones. led future hall of fame member matt dunigan, barracudas fell short of south division title, remained competitive throughout year. despite selling 2,000 season tickets , facing community apathy after numerous attempts @ pro football squads had failed in city, attendance first 3 games exceeded expectations. williams knew cudas potentially faced serious attendance problems once traditional american football season began, , persuaded cfl let them play late-season home games on sunday afternoons - league had been deliberately eschewing in order avoid putting television broadcasts in direct competition nfl s. barracudas owner, more concerned gate receipts, less concerned nfl s impact on gate since alabamians nfl loyalties tend divided between different teams. williams calculated competing nfl on television more reasonable risk take compared competition high school , alabama/auburn football. however, attendance still dropped unsustainable levels; none of final 4 home games attracted more 10,000 people. williams claimed have lost @ least us$10 million on season—at least as startup costs—and blamed community apathy attendance woes.

overhead view of liberty bowl memorial stadium in memphis. while few of american stadiums host canadian football ideal, literal , figurative corners cut @ liberty bowl particularly severe; field short of regulation length.

memphis had been prime target either expansion or relocation. besides location near shreveport , san antonio, in 1995 fred smith s ownership group, had narrowly missed out on nfl team, awarded cfl team begin play memphis mad dogs. mad dogs played in liberty bowl, had heavily reconfigured accommodate canadian game. astroturf sections added around grass field accommodate required width, while expansion of length of field 110 yards forced end zones become half astroturf pentagons averaged 7 yards in corners , fourteen yards behind uprights. grandstands stood mere yards end line, prompting veteran cfl quarterback danny mcmanus call end zones lawsuit waiting happen . compromises made, later discovered liberty bowl grounds crew had marked 33 inch yards.

like williams, smith knew mad dogs face uphill battle attracting fans once traditional american football season started. case in birmingham, smith persuaded cfl let them play late-season home games on sundays avoid competing against high school , tennessee/ole miss football. no avail; late in season mad dogs struggled attract more 10,000 people. williams, smith publicly blamed community apathy , media hostility lackluster attendance. team went 9–9 in year.

in shreveport, meanwhile, whatever positive momentum team had gained @ end of 1994 season failed carry on 1995. notable nfl quarterback billy joe tolliver signed , put decent numbers; rest of team, however, unable muster success , limped 5–13 record. elsewhere, team saw second season attendance decline. season winding down, city had soured on gliebermans. became embroiled in legal difficulties and, in 1 particularly absurd incident, bernie glieberman had lawyer attempt (unsuccessfully) abscond half-million dollar tucker automobile glieberman had donated local museum.

freshly relocated sacramento, san antonio texans found success on field in 1995 playing in brand new alamodome. alamodome offered 2 advantages on other u.s. facilities - multi-purpose facility retractable seating accommodate full size cfl field, also, indoor, air-conditioned facility meant teams playing there did not have deal summer heat. team continued bankrolled enthusiastic fred anderson. archer, entering fifth year anderson s quarterback, led second best offence in league; nevertheless suffered injury late in season, prompting team hire 45-year-old joe ferguson (whom stephenson had coached member of buffalo bills) out of retirement serve backup. finished 12–6 , made playoffs. in first round trounced birmingham, 51–9, before falling baltimore stallions, 21–11, in south division final. team attendance around same level anderson had seen in sacramento.

the baltimore franchise received permanent name, baltimore stallions . led tracy ham , mike pringle, stallions started 2–3, steamrolled through rest of season, winning 13 games in row finish first in south division. knocked off winnipeg , san antonio in south division final. faced calgary stampeders in 1995 grey cup in regina, saskatchewan , won convincingly, 37–20. first , american team take championship, 1995 stallions team has since acquired reputation 1 of cfl s best ever. @ time, .756 winning percentage on first 2 seasons best start expansion team in north american professional sports history.

while stallions experienced successful year on field, , finished second edmonton in average attendance, city s excitement of 1994 died down. attendance declined, season ticket sales dropping around 17,000. later reports suggested attendance numbers had been inflated giveaways , team projected losses in 1995. despite these difficulties, stallions remained model lent expansion credibility; other american owners looked baltimore in deciding on future of own teams.

end of u.s. experiment
league troubles

despite positive initial attendance numbers, after 3 years clear general american fan interest in canadian football sparse. canadian differences, such 3 downs , wider field had not been embraced south of border. while league had small deal espn2, major television contract had not materialized (the league s u.s. teams, led baltimore, had tried negotiate deal cbs sports, without pro or college football or major league sports rights, unable so, cbs instead managed pick college football rights big ten conference, southeastern conference , army–navy game 1996). there no widespread national promotional effort league, , general preference avoid competing nfl in major markets hurt league s efforts reach out major media platforms; baltimore in large media market, , teams in minor league markets such birmingham , shreveport (as serious consideration of mississippi), big 3 television networks—which have historically required teams in new york, los angeles , chicago offer coverage—refused cover league. july november cfl season, designed ensure playoffs finish before canada s harsh winters set in, forced american teams play first half of season in oppressive heat (other texans, played indoors) second half in competition high school, college football, , nfl.

tension had arisen between american owners , canadian teams. 1994 grey cup, american owners, led speros in baltimore, calling numerous changes accommodate american teams , potential fans. american owners proposed end zones reduced 15 yards in length, grey cup played earlier in year, player quotas removed teams, , name change considered. 1995, mad dogs coach pepper rodgers openly disparaging canadian rules , canadian teams. officials of new american teams found canadian clubs hesitant accommodate new american audience. canadian owners refused make major changes rules, schedule, or name of league; accommodation american teams allow smaller field sizes in american stadiums not fit regulation cfl field.

debates on rules , schedules might have been solvable had league achieved economic stability losses amongst american teams drastic , widespread. in 1995 alone, fred anderson estimated u.s. teams had collectively lost more us$20 million. baltimore sun provides similar estimate of us$21 million. $10 million estimated loss in birmingham substantial, followed us$4 $6 million estimated anderson s texans. memphis , shreveport losses estimated @ us$3 million apiece. baltimore losses comparatively modest @ us$1 $1.5 million, stung league given prestige of franchise.

canadian teams facing own troubles, particularly attendance. 8 canadian teams down average of 22,740 in 1994, drop of 3,000 previous year. marked beginning of historic trough in canadian cfl attendance last of 1990s. massive season ticket drive undertaken prior 1995. smith told rough riders , tiger-cats unless sold more tickets, forced either fold or move. ottawa owner bruce firestone went bankrupt after 1994 season, placing team in hands of horn chen, final owner. in calgary, ryckman suggested d move united states unless fans stepped 16,000 season tickets. while season ticket goals met, overall increase in attendance modest in 1995 24,406 , wiped out next year. in toronto, bruce mcnall s finances collapsed in midst of revelations of financial wrongdoing, , because wayne gretzky s salary relied on mcnall, , john candy had put share in team sale day died, argonauts had no owners; team operated television partner tsn through rest of 1990s.

end game

with these troubles fresh, expansion dealt critical blow nfl. on november 6, 1995—the week of south division final—the nfl s cleveland browns announced moving baltimore following season. day after game, american owners called smith , requested meeting in toronto; smith s summary of position ll pay our bills re done.

even prior browns announcement, rumors of nfl s impending return had been enough impair stallions marketing efforts, , attendance team s semi-final against winnipeg (played 2 days before browns announcement) franchise low of 21,040. once browns move became official, remained of local support stallions dried overnight. team responded desperate measures, giving away thousands of tickets become final cfl game played in united states, , announced respectable attendance of 30,217 victory on san antonio. nevertheless, speros realized successful stallions had been, not begin compete nfl team; years later, said stallions have been minor league , faced great logistical problems memorial stadium had stayed in baltimore.

speros began talks richmond, norfolk, lehigh valley, and, seriously, houston, lose nfl oilers. @ 1 point, speros prepared move houston , play in astrodome. intended take on then-houston astros owner drayton mclane minority partner. williams had decided out before baltimore s fate announced; day after being eliminated playoffs (and day before browns announced leaving cleveland), announced barracudas not playing in birmingham in 1996, if returned @ all. earlier, had stated not willing play season in birmingham unless league moved spring schedule; felt folly risk season going head-to-head alabama , auburn.

the end came swiftly in months after grey cup. time of december 1 cfl board of governors meeting, mad dogs had folded , barracudas on brink. pirates held out little longer , flirted relocation norfolk, local officials broke off talks after learned glieberman still facing legal disputes in shreveport. barracudas resurfaced in news in january 1996 when williams sold them $750,000 group planned move them shreveport replacement pirates. however, deal contingent upon league approving sale , relocation, never happened.

smith had given american teams until end of january 1996 decide whether return 1996 season. then, sources stating 4 of 5 american teams had either folded, have no stadiums play in or not permitted part of cfl in 1996 . stallions appeared able take field in form 1996 season. of american owners, anderson amenable retaining american-based team in 1996. while stated league needed @ least 3 other american teams texans viable, willing bring texans 1996 if stallions moved houston, since have not ensured 2 american teams intrastate rivalry. proposal have meant return league s traditional east-west divisional alignment, san antonio , houston both being placed in east. anderson estimated if there 1 other american team in league, withstand annual losses of us$2 million indefinitely. however, scenario looked less , less likely, speros—under prodding smith—had begun serious discussions officials in montreal.

against backdrop, second round of league meetings held on february 2, 5 american franchises formally shuttered. @ same time, stallions owner speros granted new franchise in montreal, transaction being formally arranged reactivation of alouettes franchise had ceased operations in 1987. speros new team therefore reckoned resumption of alouettes (complete montreal s franchise history) , not continuation of stallions. stallions general manager jim popp , of stallions coaching , front office staff moved north montreal, furthermore, although alouettes subject usual cfl limits on american players, of stallions roster re-signed alouettes. these moves, cfl s american expansion brought close.

aftermath

amongst canadian cfl owners, calgary stampeders head larry ryckman driving force behind american expansion. bruce mcnall in toronto, face dramatic fall.

the entire league once again based in canada 1996 cfl season, larry smith describing move retrenchment . did not stem troubles teams facing. no expansion fee revenue buoy them, 8 of 9 canadian teams lose money in 1996. rough riders disbanded @ end of season , stampeders declared bankruptcy after ryckman fined $250,000 stock manipulation alberta securities commission. after indictment of mcnall, ryckman second major architect of expansion run afoul of law.

other legal troubles left on in wake of expansion collapse. louisiana courts ordered gliebermans repay shreveport us$1 million interest; dispute centered on whether city had agreed share losses or lent money ownership group. art williams, enraged after discovering american owners had received discounts , extended payment periods on franchise fees, threatened litigation , @ first refused honour balance of matt dunigan s sizable contract before matter dragged through court.

the expansion fees significant legacy of expansion effort. smith claims us$14 $15 million brought in , saved league. more modest assessment suggests expansion saved stampeders , tiger-cats—both teams undeniably in distress during era—and other canadian teams able have maintain semblance of stability.

the post-expansion financial crisis elicit response nfl. end of 1996, speculation rampant if nfl placed franchise in toronto, mean end of cfl. instead, in exchange new player agreement between leagues, nfl provided cfl franchises marketing assistance , $3 million loan in 1997.

in 1999, world wrestling federation chairman vince mcmahon offered chance buy argonauts, , countered proposal buy entire league , have migrate south , owners refused. mcmahon instead partner nbc create xfl, place teams in birmingham, las vegas, , memphis @ same stadiums respective cfl franchises played. following massive losses, nbc , wwf shuttered xfl after 1 year.

the cfl re-gained relative stability in 2000s, enforcement of salary cap, stricter standards of ownership, , increasingly lucrative television contracts negotiated canadian networks. league has remained solely focused on canadian operations, expansion efforts focused on returning stable team ottawa. first attempt @ replacement rough riders, ottawa renegades, played 2002 2005; in last season, despite league resistance without other buyers, gliebermans purchased franchise, gave league, suspended prior 2006 season. after extended delay due stadium problems in ottawa, ottawa redblacks, own rough riders history , trademarks, launched in 2014 , have far been success under ownership of jeff hunt s consortium. further expansion has been limited one-off games such touchdown atlantic , northern kickoff in more distant canadian markets.

the re-establishment of montreal alouettes remains major legacy of american experiment. commissioner smith, under pressure cflpa , keen ensure montreal s new team grey cup contender outset, persuaded other 8 cfl teams permit expansion draft in alouettes allowed draft canadian players allow team remain competitive under more restrictive rule regime, finishing first season 12-6 , advancing eastern final. eventually, speros sell alouettes robert wetenhall, smith resigning commissioner become president of team. wetenhall s patient ownership, , move more intimate percival molson memorial stadium, returned team stability off field while steering 3 grey cups on field. longtime alouettes starting quarterback anthony calvillo last remaining active player played american cfl team (las vegas) upon retirement after 2013 season.

even after end of u.s. expansion, american investors continued involved cfl many years @ ownership level, notably in calgary , ottawa. end of first decade of 21st century, extant franchises except montreal had come under canadian ownership, leaving alouettes wetenhall league s american owner.

further u.s. expansion has been proposed informally however, league has expressed little interest in these proposals , u.s. expansion has not been formally explored. spectre of american cfl games has been used device satire , april fool s day jokes.

list of american cfl teams
teams played

proposed teams did not play