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{{Short description|Minor American football league}}
{{Infobox sports league
{{Infobox sports league
|logo=
|logo=
Line 5: Line 6:
|founded=1966
|founded=1966
|folded=1971
|folded=1971
|teams=4
|teams= Varied (4 to 8)
|fame= First spring pro football league
|countries=[[United States]]<br>[[Mexico]]
|countries=[[United States]]
|champion = [[San Antonio Toros]]
|champion = [[San Antonio Toros]]
|most_champs = San Antonio Toros (4)
|most_champs = San Antonio Toros (4)
}}
}}


The '''Texas Football League''' ('''TFL''') was a semi-professional [[American football]] [[minor league]] that operated in primarily in the United States from 1966 through 1971.
The '''Texas Football League''' ('''TFL''') was a low-level [[American football]] [[Minor league football (gridiron)|minor league]] that operated in primarily in the United States from 1966 through 1968, and again between 1970 and 1971 as a new incarnation called the '''Trans-American Football League''' ('''TAFL''').

The 1971 season of the TAFL was the first season of spring pro football in [[United States]], which made it the first spring pro football league.


==History==
==History==
Line 20: Line 24:
On January 25, 1969, it was announced that the [[Continental Football League]] was adding the entirety of the eight-team TFL to its ranks. The TFL joined as a separate entity and was placed into the new Texas Division (itself split into East and West). The TFL teams were mostly scheduled to play against each other but did also play interleague contests.<ref>{{cite news|title=TFL Aligns With Huge Continental|work=The Odessa American|agency=Associated Press|date=January 26, 1969}}</ref> Joining the Texas division was the [[Mexico Golden Aztecs]], the first American football franchise based in Mexico. The TFL's San Antonio Toros defeated the Indianapolis Capitols, 44-38 in overtime, to capture the last Continental League championship. (The Toros would ultimately win five straight league titles from 1967-71.)
On January 25, 1969, it was announced that the [[Continental Football League]] was adding the entirety of the eight-team TFL to its ranks. The TFL joined as a separate entity and was placed into the new Texas Division (itself split into East and West). The TFL teams were mostly scheduled to play against each other but did also play interleague contests.<ref>{{cite news|title=TFL Aligns With Huge Continental|work=The Odessa American|agency=Associated Press|date=January 26, 1969}}</ref> Joining the Texas division was the [[Mexico Golden Aztecs]], the first American football franchise based in Mexico. The TFL's San Antonio Toros defeated the Indianapolis Capitols, 44-38 in overtime, to capture the last Continental League championship. (The Toros would ultimately win five straight league titles from 1967-71.)


===Trans-American Football League===
=== 1966 ===
With the dissolution of the CoFL in early 1970, the Toros announced the formation of the '''Trans-American Football League''', hoping to add teams in a number of major markets; the TAFL planned teams in [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]; [[Tampa]]; [[Hershey, Pennsylvania]] and even [[Los Angeles]], in addition to San Antonio and existing Continental teams in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Memphis (relocated from Las Vegas).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dZxhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QVcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6451,2825814&dq=trans-american+football+league&hl=en|title=The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search|publisher=|accessdate=December 21, 2014}}</ref> By the time the league played its 1970 season, it was once again mainly based in Texas, with two other Continental teams, the [[Omaha Mustangs]] and [[Texarkana]] Titans, joining the loop.

In 1971, the Trans-American Football League took the unusual step of becoming the first football league to schedule and play all of its games in the [[Spring (season)|spring]] rather than the autumn, a move that attracted the attention of ''Sports Illustrated'' pro football columnist [[Tex Maule]]. The 1971 TAFL season ran from April 25 to June 26 [https://www.si.com/vault/1971/05/10/612016/this-spring-isnt-very-green]
<ref>[https://www.si.com/vault/issue/43076/69 "This Spring Isn't Very Green"], by Tex Maule, ''Sports Illustrated'', May 10, 1971, pp65-57 </ref>. Although Maule commented that the Trans-American league's four teams' Fort Worth to San Antonio lineup "barely makes it Trans-Texas", he also noted that "This is the first ''bona fide'' attempt to play spring football," a gimmick that the [[United States Football League]] did on a larger scale a decade later.

On the other hand, attendance for the four teams "reached a new low"<ref>The ten games in which attendances are known averaged only 2,050 per contest</ref> and, as sports historian Bob Gill would note in 2002, "it was clear by mid-June that the concept of spring football was dead -- and probably the Texas League along with it" <ref>''Minor League Football, 1960-1985— Standings, Statistics, and Rosters", by Bob Gill, with Steven M. Brainerd and Tod Maher'' (McFarland & Company, 2002), p. 59</ref>. The TAFL folded after its spring 1971 season.

==Season standings==
===1966===
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''


''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion
''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion''


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 44: Line 39:
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| Sherman-Denison Jets
|align="left"| Sherman-Denison Jets
|7||3||0||.700||254||161||[[Bearcat Stadium]]||[[Duncan McCauley]]
|7||3||0||.700||254||161||[[Bearcat Stadium (Sherman, Texas)|Bearcat Stadium]]||[[Duncan McCauley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| Pasadena Pistols
|align="left"| Pasadena Pistols
Line 59: Line 54:
|}
|}


===1967===
=== 1967 ===
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''


''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion
''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion''


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 90: Line 85:
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| [[Fort Worth Braves|Fort Worth Texans]]
|align="left"| [[Fort Worth Braves|Fort Worth Texans]]
|5||9||0||.357||346||364||Turnpike Stadium||John Hatley
|5||9||0||.357||346||364||Turnpike Stadium||[[Johnny Hatley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| Odessa-Midland Comets
|align="left"| Odessa-Midland Comets
Line 99: Line 94:
|}
|}


===1968===
=== 1968 ===
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''


''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion
''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion''


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 130: Line 125:
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| Fort Worth Braves
|align="left"| Fort Worth Braves
|10||2||0||.833||377||154||[[Farrington Field]]||John Hatley
|10||2||0||.833||377||154||[[Farrington Field]]||[[Johnny Hatley]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| Odessa Comets/West Texas Rufneks
|align="left"| Odessa Comets/West Texas Rufneks
Line 136: Line 131:
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| El Paso Jets
|align="left"| El Paso Jets
|5||7||0||.417||197||349||[[Dudley Field]]||Harold Stephens
|5||7||0||.417||197||349||[[Dudley Field (El Paso)|Dudley Field]]||Harold Stephens
|}
|}


==Trans-American Football League==
===1970===
With the dissolution of the CoFL in early 1970, the Toros announced the formation of the '''Trans-American Football League''', hoping to add teams in a number of major markets; the TAFL planned teams in [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]; [[Tampa]]; [[Hershey, Pennsylvania]] and even [[Los Angeles]], in addition to San Antonio and existing Continental teams in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Memphis (relocated from Las Vegas).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dZxhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QVcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6451,2825814&dq=trans-american+football+league&hl=en|title=The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search|publisher=|accessdate=December 21, 2014}}</ref> By the time the league played its 1970 season, it was once again mainly based in Texas, with two other Continental teams, the [[Omaha Mustangs]] and [[Texarkana]] Titans, joining the loop.

In 1971, the Trans-American Football League took the unusual step of becoming the first football league to schedule and play all of its games in the [[Spring (season)|spring]] rather than the autumn, a move that attracted the attention of ''Sports Illustrated'' pro football columnist [[Tex Maule]]. The 1971 TAFL season ran from April 25 to June 26 [https://www.si.com/vault/1971/05/10/612016/this-spring-isnt-very-green]
.<ref>[https://www.si.com/vault/issue/43076/69 "This Spring Isn't Very Green"], by Tex Maule, ''Sports Illustrated'', May 10, 1971, pp65-57</ref> Although Maule commented that the Trans-American league's four teams' Fort Worth to San Antonio lineup "barely makes it Trans-Texas", he also noted that "This is the first ''bona fide'' attempt to play spring football," a gimmick that the [[United States Football League]] did on a larger scale a decade later.

On the other hand, attendance for the four teams "reached a new low"<ref>The ten games in which attendances are known averaged only 2,050 per contest</ref> and, as sports historian Bob Gill would note in 2002, "it was clear by mid-June that the concept of spring football was dead -- and probably the Texas League along with it".<ref>''Minor League Football, 1960-1985— Standings, Statistics, and Rosters", by Bob Gill, with Steven M. Brainerd and Tod Maher'' (McFarland & Company, 2002), p. 59</ref> The TAFL folded after its spring 1971 season.

=== 1970 ===
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''


''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion
''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion''


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 160: Line 163:
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| [[Omaha Mustangs]]
|align="left"| [[Omaha Mustangs]]
|5||4||0||.556||228||240||Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium||Don Fleming
|5||4||0||.556||228||240||[[Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium]]||Don Fleming
|- style="text-align:center;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
|align="left"| Bartlesville Quickicks
|align="left"| Bartlesville Quickicks
Line 169: Line 172:
|}
|}


===1971===
=== 1971 ===
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''
''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''


''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion
''{{Color box|#ccffcc|y|border=darkgray}} = Division Champion''


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 193: Line 196:
|}
|}


==Championship games==
===Championship games===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;" class="unsortable"
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
!Season
!Season
!Date
!Date
Line 201: Line 203:
!Score
!Score
!Losing Team
!Losing Team
!MVP
!Venue
!Venue
!Attendance
!Attendance
Line 207: Line 208:
|align=center|1966
|align=center|1966
|December 3, 1966
|December 3, 1966
|Tulsa Oilers
|[[Tulsa Oilers (football)|Tulsa Oilers]]
|30-27
|30-27
|Sherman-Denison Jets
|[[Sherman-Denison Jets]]
|n/a
|[[Skelly Stadium]]
|[[Skelly Stadium]]
|align=center|n/a
|align=center|n/a
Line 216: Line 216:
|align=center|1967
|align=center|1967
|December 2, 1967
|December 2, 1967
|San Antonio Toros
|[[San Antonio Toros]]
|27-7
|27-7
|Tulsa Thunderbirds
|[[Tulsa Thunderbirds]]
|[[North East Independent School District#Athletic facilities|North East Stadium]]
|n/a
|[[North East Stadium]]
|align=center|4,000
|align=center|4,000
|-
|-
|align=center|1968
|align=center|1968
|December 7, 1968
|December 7, 1968
|San Antonio Toros
|[[San Antonio Toros]]
|21-16
|21-16
|Texarkana Titans
|[[Texarkana Titans]]
|n/a
|[[Alamo Stadium]]
|[[Alamo Stadium]]
|align=center|4.661
|align=center|4.661
Line 234: Line 232:
|align=center|1970
|align=center|1970
|November 21, 1970
|November 21, 1970
|San Antonio Toros
|[[San Antonio Toros]]
|21-17
|21-17
|Fort Worth Braves
|[[Fort Worth Braves]]
|n/a
|[[Harlandale Memorial Stadium]]
|[[Harlandale Memorial Stadium]]
|align=center|5,523
|align=center|5,523
Line 243: Line 240:
|align=center|1971
|align=center|1971
|June 19, 1971
|June 19, 1971
|San Antonio Toros
|[[San Antonio Toros]]
|20-19
|20-19
|Texarkana Titans
|[[Texarkana Titans]]
|[[North East Independent School District#Athletic facilities|North East Stadium]]
|n/a
|[[North East Stadium]]
|align=center|4,500<ref>{{cite news|last1=Clemens|first1=Gus|title=Toros Get 20-19 Victory, Title|work=San Antonio Express|date=June 20, 1971}}</ref>
|align=center|4,500<ref>{{cite news|last1=Clemens|first1=Gus|title=Toros Get 20-19 Victory, Title|work=San Antonio Express|date=June 20, 1971}}</ref>
|-
|-
|}
|}

==Southwest Professional Football League==
After the collapse of the Trans-American Football League the two bigger teams—the San Antonio Toros and the Dallas Rockets—formed a new league called the Southwest Professional Football League (SWPFL), and moved the season back to the fall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/robstown-record-aug-05-1971-p-4/|title=Robstown Record Newspaper Archives; August 05, 1971 Page 4|date=5 August 1971 }}</ref> The league [[commissioner]] was [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]r [[Ollie Matson]], but the SWPFL operated on a much smaller budget than previous related leagues, and disbanded after only two seasons.<ref>Bob Gill, with Tod Maher. ''Outsiders II: Minor League And Independent Football, 1951-1985'', p. vii. St. Johann Press, 2010. {{ISBN|1878282654}}</ref>

=== 1972 ===
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ffcbcb;"
| colspan="8" style="text-align:center;"| '''Southwestern Football League'''
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!Team!!W!!L!!T!!Pct.!!PF!!PA!!Notes
|- align="center"
|align="left"| San Antonio Toros
|8||0||0||1.000||259||78||Champions
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Las Vegas Casinos
|6||2||0||.750||159||94||
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Phoenix Blazers
|6||4||0||.600||240||230||
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Southern California Razorbacks
|4||3||0||.571||n/a||n/a||
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Dallas Rockets
|1||5||0||.166||n/a||n/a||
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Los Angeles Mustangs
|0||6||0||.000||83||150||
|}

=== 1973 ===

After the first season the SWPFL approached to the [[Canadian Football League]] to become an "American branch league of the CFL". The league even sent representative to the CFL league meeting, which were "receptive to the idea", but the SWPFL did not survive long enough to see it come to fruition.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVYAg-AXsAAsBxD?format=jpg&name=4096x4096 | first=Pat | last=Pence | title=Pro grid debut for Albq tonight | work=[[Albuquerque Tribune]] | date=June 16, 1973 | access-date=June 17, 2022 | archive-date=June 17, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617022920/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FVYAg-AXsAAsBxD?format=jpg&name=4096x4096 | url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ffcbcb;"
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| '''Eastern Division'''
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!Team!!W!!L!!T!!Pct.!!PF!!PA
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Oklahoma City Wranglers
|9||1||0||.900||442||110
|- align="center"
|align="left"| San Antonio Toros
|6||2||0||.750||239||170
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Albuquerque Thunderbirds
|4||4||0||.500||212||173
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Denver Oilers
|1||7||0||.125||87||372
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Kansas City Steers
|0||3||0||.000||19||139
|- style="background:#ffcbcb;"
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| '''Western Division'''
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!Team!!W!!L!!T!!Pct.!!PF!!PA
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Las Vegas Casinos
|6||2||0||.750||192||129
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Phoenix Blazers
|6||3||0||.666||217||181
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Southern California Razorbacks
|3||6||0||.333||164||147
|- align="center"
|align="left"| Los Angeles Mustangs
|1||8||0||.111||128||221
|}

<u>Semifinals</u>:''San Antonio Toros'' 45 vs. Las Vegas Casinos 3

<u>Finals</u>:''Oklahoma City Wranglers'' 19 vs. San Antonio Toros 16

===Aftermath===
The Toros continued to exist into 1974 season and joined the semi-pro Mid-America Football League, and even playing an [[exhibition game]] against the [[1974 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]] on July 16. Because of a players' strike, the Oilers played with an all-rookie roster, narrowly defeating the Toros 13–7 in a much more competitive match than most NFL vs. non-NFL matches were at the time.<ref>[https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/communities/southside/article/Today-in-S-A-history-8385205.php Today in SA history] (July 19, 2016).</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 257: Line 331:
== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}



{{Professional gridiron football leagues in North America}}
{{Professional gridiron football leagues in North America}}

Latest revision as of 16:49, 4 October 2024

Texas Football League
SportAmerican football
Founded1966
Ceased1971
Claim to fameFirst spring pro football league
No. of teamsVaried (4 to 8)
CountriesUnited States
Last
champion(s)		San Antonio Toros
Most titlesSan Antonio Toros (4)

The Texas Football League (TFL) was a low-level American football minor league that operated in primarily in the United States from 1966 through 1968, and again between 1970 and 1971 as a new incarnation called the Trans-American Football League (TAFL).

The 1971 season of the TAFL was the first season of spring pro football in United States, which made it the first spring pro football league.

History

[edit]

The league, which initially comprised six franchises from Texas and Oklahoma, was formally announced in May 1966.[1] The league was supposed to begin with eight teams, but entries from Hammond, Louisiana and New Orleans were not accepted. With the addition of two franchises in 1967, the TFL expanded to two four-team divisions.

During the 1967-68 offseason the Continental Football League offered a merger of operations with the TFL, but was turned down by TFL commissioner George Schepps. He additionally challenged the CoFL to pit its champion against the TFL's champion for the 1968 campaign.[2]

On January 25, 1969, it was announced that the Continental Football League was adding the entirety of the eight-team TFL to its ranks. The TFL joined as a separate entity and was placed into the new Texas Division (itself split into East and West). The TFL teams were mostly scheduled to play against each other but did also play interleague contests.[3] Joining the Texas division was the Mexico Golden Aztecs, the first American football franchise based in Mexico. The TFL's San Antonio Toros defeated the Indianapolis Capitols, 44-38 in overtime, to capture the last Continental League championship. (The Toros would ultimately win five straight league titles from 1967-71.)

1966

[edit]

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

 y  = Division Champion

Texas Football League
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
Tulsa Oilers 7 2 1 .778 246 161 Skelly Stadium Floyd Harrawood
Sherman-Denison Jets 7 3 0 .700 254 161 Bearcat Stadium Duncan McCauley
Pasadena Pistols 7 3 0 .700 284 149 Memorial Stadium Donnie Caraway
Burkburnett Kings 4 6 0 .400 152 298 Burkburnett High School Stadium E.J. Webb
Dallas County Rockets 3 7 0 .300 127 181 Eagle Stadium Bill Crow/Joe Verret
Odessa-Midland Comets 1 8 1 .111 83 196 W.T. Barrett Stadium Byron Townsend

1967

[edit]

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

 y  = Division Champion

Eastern Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
San Antonio Toros 14 0 0 1.000 538 137 North East Stadium Duncan McCauley
Pasadena Pistols 8 6 0 .571 417 383 Auxiliary Stadium Donnie Caraway
Dallas Rockets 8 6 0 .571 285 324 Jesuit High School Stadium Joe Verret
Sherman-Denison Jets 5 9 0 .357 360 424 n/a Gene Babb
Western Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
Tulsa Thunderbirds 10 4 0 .714 320 276 Skelly Stadium Art Ramage
Fort Worth Texans 5 9 0 .357 346 364 Turnpike Stadium Johnny Hatley
Odessa-Midland Comets 3 11 0 .214 247 411 W.T. Barrett Stadium Jim Daniel
Wichita Falls Kings 3 11 0 .214 255 449 Midwestern University Stadium E.J. Webb

1968

[edit]

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

 y  = Division Champion

Eastern Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
Texarkana Titans 7 5 0 .583 273 277 Grim Stadium Tom Collins
Tulsa Thunderbirds 4 8 0 .333 171 156 Auxiliary Stadium Art Ramage
Dallas Rockets 4 8 0 .333 249 354 Jesuit High School Stadium Joe Verret
Beaumont Golden Vikings 2 10 0 .167 165 365 Greenie Stadium Roy Davidson
Western Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
San Antonio Toros 11 1 0 .917 447 121 Alamo Stadium Duncan McCauley/Hoover Evans
Fort Worth Braves 10 2 0 .833 377 154 Farrington Field Johnny Hatley
Odessa Comets/West Texas Rufneks 5 7 0 .417 235 338 W.T. Barrett Stadium Jim Daniel/Ted Dawson
El Paso Jets 5 7 0 .417 197 349 Dudley Field Harold Stephens

Trans-American Football League

[edit]

With the dissolution of the CoFL in early 1970, the Toros announced the formation of the Trans-American Football League, hoping to add teams in a number of major markets; the TAFL planned teams in Birmingham; Tampa; Hershey, Pennsylvania and even Los Angeles, in addition to San Antonio and existing Continental teams in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Memphis (relocated from Las Vegas).[4] By the time the league played its 1970 season, it was once again mainly based in Texas, with two other Continental teams, the Omaha Mustangs and Texarkana Titans, joining the loop.

In 1971, the Trans-American Football League took the unusual step of becoming the first football league to schedule and play all of its games in the spring rather than the autumn, a move that attracted the attention of Sports Illustrated pro football columnist Tex Maule. The 1971 TAFL season ran from April 25 to June 26 [1] .[5] Although Maule commented that the Trans-American league's four teams' Fort Worth to San Antonio lineup "barely makes it Trans-Texas", he also noted that "This is the first bona fide attempt to play spring football," a gimmick that the United States Football League did on a larger scale a decade later.

On the other hand, attendance for the four teams "reached a new low"[6] and, as sports historian Bob Gill would note in 2002, "it was clear by mid-June that the concept of spring football was dead -- and probably the Texas League along with it".[7] The TAFL folded after its spring 1971 season.

1970

[edit]

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

 y  = Division Champion

Texas Football League
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
San Antonio Toros 7 2 0 .800 288 158 Harlandale Memorial Stadium George Pasterchick
Texarkana Titans 7 3 0 .700 323 175 Grim Stadium Durwood Merrill
Fort Worth Braves 6 4 0 .600 365 266 Farrington Field Duncan McCauley
Omaha Mustangs 5 4 0 .556 228 240 Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Don Fleming
Bartlesville Quickicks 3 7 0 .300 185 289 Custer Field Art Ramage
Dallas Rockets 1 9 0 .100 97 358 Roffino Stadium Joe Verret

1971

[edit]

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

 y  = Division Champion

Trans-American Football League
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
Texarkana Titans 5 0 0 1.000 171 71 n/a n/a
San Antonio Toros 4 1 0 .800 174 76 North East Stadium George Pasterchick
Fort Worth Braves 1 4 0 .200 89 171 Handley Field n/a
Dallas Rockets 0 5 0 .000 56 172 P. C. Cobb Stadium n/a

Championship games

[edit]
Season Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Venue Attendance
1966 December 3, 1966 Tulsa Oilers 30-27 Sherman-Denison Jets Skelly Stadium n/a
1967 December 2, 1967 San Antonio Toros 27-7 Tulsa Thunderbirds North East Stadium 4,000
1968 December 7, 1968 San Antonio Toros 21-16 Texarkana Titans Alamo Stadium 4.661
1970 November 21, 1970 San Antonio Toros 21-17 Fort Worth Braves Harlandale Memorial Stadium 5,523
1971 June 19, 1971 San Antonio Toros 20-19 Texarkana Titans North East Stadium 4,500[8]

Southwest Professional Football League

[edit]

After the collapse of the Trans-American Football League the two bigger teams—the San Antonio Toros and the Dallas Rockets—formed a new league called the Southwest Professional Football League (SWPFL), and moved the season back to the fall.[9] The league commissioner was Pro Football Hall of Famer Ollie Matson, but the SWPFL operated on a much smaller budget than previous related leagues, and disbanded after only two seasons.[10]

1972

[edit]
Southwestern Football League
Team W L T Pct. PF PA Notes
San Antonio Toros 8 0 0 1.000 259 78 Champions
Las Vegas Casinos 6 2 0 .750 159 94
Phoenix Blazers 6 4 0 .600 240 230
Southern California Razorbacks 4 3 0 .571 n/a n/a
Dallas Rockets 1 5 0 .166 n/a n/a
Los Angeles Mustangs 0 6 0 .000 83 150

1973

[edit]

After the first season the SWPFL approached to the Canadian Football League to become an "American branch league of the CFL". The league even sent representative to the CFL league meeting, which were "receptive to the idea", but the SWPFL did not survive long enough to see it come to fruition.[11]

Eastern Division
Team W L T Pct. PF PA
Oklahoma City Wranglers 9 1 0 .900 442 110
San Antonio Toros 6 2 0 .750 239 170
Albuquerque Thunderbirds 4 4 0 .500 212 173
Denver Oilers 1 7 0 .125 87 372
Kansas City Steers 0 3 0 .000 19 139
Western Division
Team W L T Pct. PF PA
Las Vegas Casinos 6 2 0 .750 192 129
Phoenix Blazers 6 3 0 .666 217 181
Southern California Razorbacks 3 6 0 .333 164 147
Los Angeles Mustangs 1 8 0 .111 128 221

Semifinals:San Antonio Toros 45 vs. Las Vegas Casinos 3

Finals:Oklahoma City Wranglers 19 vs. San Antonio Toros 16

Aftermath

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The Toros continued to exist into 1974 season and joined the semi-pro Mid-America Football League, and even playing an exhibition game against the Houston Oilers on July 16. Because of a players' strike, the Oilers played with an all-rookie roster, narrowly defeating the Toros 13–7 in a much more competitive match than most NFL vs. non-NFL matches were at the time.[12]

See also

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "Semipro Football League Organized". The Corpus Christi Times. Associated Press. May 30, 1966.
  2. ^ "Texas Loop Challenges Continental". The Abilene Reporter-News. Associated Press. March 4, 1968.
  3. ^ "TFL Aligns With Huge Continental". The Odessa American. Associated Press. January 26, 1969.
  4. ^ "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "This Spring Isn't Very Green", by Tex Maule, Sports Illustrated, May 10, 1971, pp65-57
  6. ^ The ten games in which attendances are known averaged only 2,050 per contest
  7. ^ Minor League Football, 1960-1985— Standings, Statistics, and Rosters", by Bob Gill, with Steven M. Brainerd and Tod Maher (McFarland & Company, 2002), p. 59
  8. ^ Clemens, Gus (June 20, 1971). "Toros Get 20-19 Victory, Title". San Antonio Express.
  9. ^ "Robstown Record Newspaper Archives; August 05, 1971 Page 4". 5 August 1971.
  10. ^ Bob Gill, with Tod Maher. Outsiders II: Minor League And Independent Football, 1951-1985, p. vii. St. Johann Press, 2010. ISBN 1878282654
  11. ^ Pence, Pat (June 16, 1973). "Pro grid debut for Albq tonight". Albuquerque Tribune. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ Today in SA history (July 19, 2016).
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