United States Football League

On May 11, 1982 the United States Football announced to world its founding as a 12 club spring football league. A year later the league began its history on the playing field. This announcement was not the first time the United States Football League announced its founding.

On July 24, 1944 plans were anounced to field a new football league with clubs in Akron, OH; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Honolulu, HI; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA and Saint Louis, MO. This league of course never hit the playing field even with Red Grange as league president.

In the early months of 1957 another attempt to form the league was made. This time the cities of Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Buffalo, NY; Cincinnati, OH, Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; Louisville, KY; Miami, FL; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis, MN; New Orleans, LA and Saint Louis, MO. Once again the league failed to reach the playing field.

By 1961 a league called the United States Football League did manage to reach the playing field as the Grand Rapids Shamrocks and the Columbus Colts played in the championship game. The other league members were the Akron Pros; Cleveland Bulldogs; Indianapolis Warriors and the Louisville Raiders.

At the end of June 1966 another attempt to form was made. The initial league announcement was that a 12 club league would be formed consisting of Anaheim, CA and 11 other cities.

Even today yet another attempt to form a new version of the league is underway. Will this league do any better then the other attempts. Quite possibly it will, however the odds are very long against it. I hope this league does actually hit the playing field.

While we wait to see if this league does make it, we will take a look at Baseball great Yogi Berra.