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26-829: For the first few years, Joe Rosentover served as league president. He had served in the same capacity for the American Football League (formerly the American Association) from 1947 to 1950; a relative, John Rosentover, had run the league from 1936 to 1947. In fact, several of the teams from the AA were revived in the ACFL, including the Providence Steam Roller , Newark Bears and a team in Paterson, New Jersey . By 1968, Rosentover had left

52-454: A Continental Football League and United Football League team of the same name. The operations were often fly-by-night , with most teams lasting only one season (or less) before folding, and players played for a paycheck equal to one percent of the net gate receipts after expenses (In August 1980, Shreveport Times sports reporter Ron Higgins estimated the average Steamer game check to be about $ 35 per man). Despite its minor-league status,

78-488: A home stadium, pay their league dues, or secure medical insurance for their players—folded mid-August. The San Antonio Charros finished undefeated in the regular season and were declared league champions. The AFA entered an agreement for a loose affiliation with the California Football League for the 1978 season, that both leagues will play their normal league schedules, and at the end of the season

104-401: A sportswriter, much of that time with Sports Illustrated . Hall of Fame running back Steve Van Buren coached in the league from its launch through 1966. One of the most unusual players in league history was DB Kiyo "Doc" Tashiro , a practicing doctor and Harvard alum, who was the oldest player to play in a pro football league when he retired after 1964 season at the age of 47 (his record

130-643: The Alliance of American Football and subsequently the component leagues that would form the United Football League of 2024 . The modern American Football Association, a sanctioning body for semi-pro and amateur football, is unrelated to the former AFA. Harry Lander and Roger Gill, from the existing San Antonio Charros amateur club, decided to create a new minor league football league and attract local investors. Five other clubs from Houston, Fort Worth, Austin, Wichita Falls, and Oklahoma City joined

156-617: The National Football League for "major league" status. Players were paid one percent of gross gate revenue, which often meant players were paid only menial sums for their service (often comparable to minimum wage for three hours of work), and the league struggled to acquire recognizable players. The league played its games on Saturday nights in the summer (beginning its season Memorial Day weekend and ending in August) to avoid direct competition against other football in

182-582: The 1973 season. Commissioner Cosmo Iacovazzi was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against Joe Rosentover Joseph Rosentover (12 January 1903 - 4 December 1973 ) became the manager and president of the American Association football league in 1936 and also became

208-576: The AFA, including a scandal in San Antonio which a player named Robert Lee Johnson misrepresented himself as former NFL offensive lineman Randy Johnson . The Carolina Chargers, one of the league's more successful and stable teams, dropped out of the league mid-season but re-emerged in 1982 under new ownership as the Carolina Storm. In 1982, with former San Antonio Wings executive Roger Gill at

234-586: The Charros to establish the AFA. The plan was to play two exhibition games, and then each team would play twelve regular-season games beginning on July 2. The players were promised 1% of each game's gate receipts. After three games (including two preseason) where they failed to score any points, the Fort Worth Stars were forced out of the league, while the Houston franchise—which had failed to secure

260-624: The Gator Bowl. The AFA was founded in May 1977 and began to play that summer. It was formed to take advantage of the places where the WFL was the most popular, while avoiding the overspending that led to that league's demise. Billy Kilmer , the former NFL quarterback (and coach of the AFA's Shreveport Steamer in 1979), was named commissioner in 1981. Kilmer lasted one season as commissioner, working unpaid, during which he encountered numerous problems in

286-1023: The Neptunes and Panthers were exactly the same teams as the Acorns and Bears respectively, having relocated during their time in the CoFL. In 1970, the Orlando Panthers signed a husband and wife duo, Steven and Patricia Palinkas , as a kicker and holder respectively. Steven did not make the team, but Patricia did, making her the first female professional football player. Other notable ACFL players included Pro Bowl fullback Marvin Hubbard , league leading running back Mel Meeks , kicker Booth Lusteg , three-time championship winning quarterback Jim "The King" Corcoran , eventual 11-year NFL veteran Bob Tucker , and offensive lineman Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmermann , who shortly after his retirement began an over 40-year career as

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312-439: The champions of each league will play in the "King Kong Bowl" to determine the "national champion". Indicates overtime victory. King Kong Bowl (September 30 at State Fair Stadium ) San Jose Tigers 32 vs. Shreveport Steamer 6 The league grow to nine teams and had plans to divide to Eastern and Western divisions, but after Tulsa Mustangs folded the remaining teams has gone from two divisions format to one, with

338-648: The fall, a move that foreshadowed the USFL's similar spring football schedule. The AFA ended operations in 1983, unable to take advantage of the strike that hit the NFL the year prior or weather the competition from the USFL. Many nicknames came from previous leagues, with minor alterations to avoid trademark disputes: the Steamer, Vulcans and Fire all took their names from WFL teams, while the Rockets borrowed their moniker from

364-535: The helm, the league attempted to expand northward by absorbing other semi-pro teams in Buffalo, New York , Racine, Wisconsin and Canton, Ohio . The USFL's securing of a TV contract, especially after the AFA had failed to do so (the AFA was only able to get a few of its teams onto local cable stations, still a nascent technology at the time), led to the AFA eventually declining into semi-pro status and folding after its 1983 season. The AFA lasted six seasons, one of

390-563: The league announced it was leaving with the intent to reform the ACFL. The ACFL returned for one final season in 1973 with Hartford, Bridgeport, and several teams promoted up from the SFL (which led to a trickle-up that brought Empire Football League teams upward to the SFL to fill the old SFL teams' void). The return, however, was short-lived; the league determined it would not compete with the World Football League and folded after

416-652: The league was started, Rosentover was made president and manager of the Atlantic Coast Football League , a league that included teams from several former AA/AFL markets (including two, the Newark Bears and Providence Steam Roller that revived former AA teams). Rosentover was with the league through no later than the 1967 season; by 1968, Cosmo Iacavazzi had replaced him as head of the league. American Football Association (1979%E2%80%931982) The American Football Association ( AFA )

442-682: The league's teams often were able to secure leases for unusually large stadiums, often those used by the WFL and the USFL: the Orlando Americans, in their lone season, played in the 70,000-seat Citrus Bowl , while the Vulcans and Magic played at similarly-sized Legion Field , Houston played at 73,000 seat Rice Stadium , and the Fire played at Soldier Field . The Mustangs played at 30,000-seat Skelly Stadium . The Jacksonville Firebirds played in

468-399: The longest runs of a minor professional football organization in the sport's history, and considered the strongest league in the era between the WFL and the USFL. The development of arena football and its numerous imitators has effectively reduced most outdoor leagues to amateur or semi-pro status, with some exceptions, until the modern era of professional spring football began in 2019 with

494-580: The organization and been superseded by commissioner Cosmo Iacavazzi . In 1965, three of the franchises (the Hartford Charter Oaks, Newark Bears and Springfield Acorns) joined with five teams from the United Football League to create the Continental Football League . The league picked up four franchises from that league when it folded in 1969 (Norfolk Neptunes, Orlando Panthers, Jersey Jays and Indianapolis Capitols);

520-496: The president of Atlantic Coast Football League in 1963. Rosentover was born in 1903. He died at the age of 70 in 1973. In 1936, when he was 33, Rosentover was made president of the newly founded American Association. In 1940 the league started to include teams from Ohio and Pennsylvania. He was inducted into the American Football Association Hall of Fame in 1983. In 1963, the year after

546-578: The top four teams making the playoffs. The AFA started the season with eight teams and split up to Eastern and Western divisions. The league revoked Kentucky Trackers license after several cases of misconduct with four remaining weeks in the regular season. The Trackers' remaining games was filled with semi-pro teams from the Atlantic Coast League and the Dixie League , but those games did not count in AFA standings. Billy Kilmer

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572-515: Was a professional American football minor league that operated from 1977 to 1983. The AFA was concentrated in the southern United States and served as the second tier of professional football between the World Football League , which folded in 1975, and the United States Football League , which began play in 1983. Unlike the WFL or USFL, the AFA always fashioned itself as a minor league , and never planned to rival

598-642: Was introduced as the first full-time commissioner of the American Football Association. Also, for the first time, the league expended behind southern United States , when they add the Chicago Fire.The Chargers players voted to walk out on the team four games into the season, while both Shreveport Steamer and Austin Texans folded before season end, resulting in Kilmer resignation before the American Bowl. He

624-669: Was later broke by George Blanda in 1975). He played for Newark Bears and Mohawk Valley Falcons from 1962 to 1964. Most of the ACFL's teams, including all of the teams that had been in the Continental League, folded following the 1971 season. The Hartford Knights and Bridgeport Jets survived, and both moved down to the Seaboard Football League in 1972. Hartford accrued a perfect season in that league in 1972, including several games with margins of victory over 40 points, and after much dissatisfaction with

650-599: Was replaced by AFA president Roger Gill. During the season a member of the Orlando Americans admits he impersonated former NFL guard Randy Johnson to make the team. He was discovered when he couldn't crack the starting lineup. Includes forfeit games. The AFA expanded to 18 teams, and split up to three divisions, while two teams (Florida Sun and Roanoke Valley Express) folded mid-season. Includes forfeit games. First Round (August 7): Racine 44 vs. Akron 6 Carolina 61 vs. West Virginia 18 Texas 17 vs. Oklahoma 14 Shreveport 42 vs. Georgia 35 It

676-464: Was the seventh and final year of the AFA. The United Football Teams of America league champion – Oklahoma City Drillers – joined the league but later announced that they would play the season as a travelling team before folding altogether after two weeks. The majority of the teams followed, and the league decided that division champions Carolina and San Antonio would meet in the final American Bowl. The Bulls knew before season's end that they would join

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