1995 Canadian Football League in the United States

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.