Birmingham Vulcans

Birmingham Vulcans
Logo
General information
FoundedMarch 1975
FoldedOctober 1975
StadiumLegion Field
HeadquarteredBirmingham, Alabama
ColoursBlue, Red, and White
     
Personnel
General managerJack Gotta
Head coachMarvin Bass
League / conference affiliations
World Football League
Eastern Division
Championships
League championships: 1
1975 (regular season title, league folded before World Bowl could be played)

The Birmingham Vulcans were a professional American football team located in Birmingham, Alabama. They were members of the five-team Eastern Division of the World Football League (WFL). The Vulcans, founded in March 1975, played in the upstart league's second and final season in 1975. The team was owned by a group of Birmingham businessmen with Ferd Weil as team president.

The Vulcans replaced the Birmingham Americans who had held the WFL franchise for Birmingham in 1974, winning World Bowl I in December 1974 before suffering financial collapse.[1] The Vulcans were the best team in the league in 1975 with a 9–3 record and the best at the box office until the league folded 12 weeks into its second season. After the WFL ceased operations, the Vulcans were declared league champions by virtue of having the best record.[2]

When the league folded, Birmingham and the Memphis Grizzlies attempted to get admitted into the National Football League for the 1976 season, although unlike the similar and more extensive effort in Memphis which involved actual cash deposits toward season tickets, it seemed to consist mainly of getting fans to sign a "statement of support" somewhat similar to a petition. When the Memphis effort failed, Vulcans followers were forced to accept the inevitable as well, and efforts to get the team into the more established league were abandoned.

The Vulcans name would be recycled for the Alabama Vulcans, a member of the American Football Association, in 1979.

As of April 2010, two former Vulcans players have been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Birmingham native Johnny "Italian Stallion" Musso, who placed 4th in Heisman Trophy voting while playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide, was inducted in the Class of 1989.[3][4] Larry Willingham, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and retired for medical reasons in 1973 but made a comeback in 1974 with the Birmingham Americans, was inducted in the Class of 2003.[5] Willingham was also elected to the Auburn Tigers football "1970s Team of the Decade."[5]

Schedule and results

Key: Win Loss Bye

1975 regular season

Week Day Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Source
1 Sunday August 2, 1975 Chicago Winds W 10–0 Legion Field 31,000 [6]
2 Sunday August 9, 1975 Philadelphia Bell W 23–17 Legion Field 21,000 [7]
3 Sunday August 16, 1975 at Jacksonville Express L 11–22 Gator Bowl Stadium 16,049 [8]
4 Sunday August 23, 1975 Southern California Sun L 25–35 Legion Field 32,000 [9]
5 Sunday August 30, 1975 Shreveport Steamer W 21–8 Legion Field 18,700 [10]
6 Saturday September 6, 1975 at Portland Thunder W 26–8 Civic Stadium 6,342 [11]
7 Saturday September 13, 1975 San Antonio Wings W 33–24 Legion Field 12,500 [12]
8 Sunday September 21, 1975 Charlotte Hornets W 22–16 Legion Field 18,500 [13]
9 Saturday September 27, 1975 at Jacksonville Express L 18–26 Gator Bowl Stadium 10,881 [14]
10 Saturday October 4, 1975 at Hawaiians W 29–16 Aloha Stadium 18,894 [15]
11 Sunday October 12, 1975 at Memphis Grizzlies W 18–14 Memphis Memorial Stadium 20,192 [16]
12 Sunday October 19, 1975 Memphis Grizzlies W 21–0 Legion Field 35,000 [17]

[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ "New name for the old Americans". Gadsden Times. Associated Press. March 8, 1975. p. 38. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  2. ^ Talley, Rick (July 16, 1978). "Origer's feelings for WFL, Fire still burn bright". Chicago Tribune. p. B8. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2010. Although he could have sold 22000 season tickets for that ill-fated '75 season, he folded the team [...]
  3. ^ "Johnny "Italian Stallion" Musso – Class of 1989". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  4. ^ Smith, Wayne (May 14, 1995). "Musso remains one of the most popular Tide stars". Gadsden Times. p. D6. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Larry Willingham – Class of 2003". Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  6. ^ Mayes, Bob (August 3, 1975). "Vulcans maintain their home streak". The Huntsville Times. p. 64. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Johnson, Steve (August 10, 1975). "Vulcans 'crack' the Bell". The Anniston Star. p. 2C. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Bryan, Jimmy (August 17, 1975). "No magic, Vulcans lose one". The Birmingham News. p. C1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Haden leads Sun victory handing Vulcs home loss". The Selma Times-Journal. Associated Press. August 24, 1975. p. B1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Mayes, Bob (August 31, 1975). "Birmingham Vulcans win, but still lose". The Huntsville Times. p. 66. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Fielder, Dave (September 7, 1975). "Vulcans whip Thunder, 26–8". The Columbian. p. 33. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Reed paces Vulcans". The Shreveport Times. UPI. September 14, 1975. p. 4D. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Lumpkin, Bill (September 22, 1975). "Reed engineers another late Vulcans triumph". Birmingham Post-Herald. p. A12. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Mira passes Jacksonville past Vulcans". San Antonio Express. Associated Press. September 28, 1975. p. 4-S. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Cargile, John (October 6, 1975). "Vulcs win 'biggest' road game". Birmingham Post-Herald. p. A12. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Krebs, Sam (October 13, 1975). "Grizzlies play crazy game at Memphis". The Courier News. p. 8. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Thomas, Roy (October 20, 1975). "Vulcs take fire out of Southmen". Montgomery Advertiser. p. 7. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "1975 World Football League Results". Retrieved November 11, 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.