The Midwest Football League (MFL) was a low-level professional American football minor league that played games from 1962 to 1978. The league was based mainly in Michigan , until the collapse of the Continental Football League in 1969, when it became more of a regional league.
38-480: Behrman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Dave Behrman David Behrman Greg Berhman , founder & CEO of NationSwell Martin Behrman SS Martin Behrman , named after him S. N. Behrman See also [ edit ] Berman Behrmann [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
76-576: A back injury, Behrman did not play when the Bills won their second AFL Championship game over the San Diego Chargers by a score of 23–0 under head coach Lou Saban . That season, Behrman was an AFL All-Star center. However, he did not play in 1966, replaced by Bemiller. Behrman played with the AFL's Denver Broncos during the 1967 AFL season when he played in 11 games. Behrman signed with
114-702: A team name of Dayton Spartans. They were later called the Cedarville Spartans . The Dayton franchise had previously played in the American Football Conference as the Dayton Triangles from 1959 to 1961. The Battle Creek Bears (also known as the Cereal City Bears) joined for the 1963 season, after initially being accepted into the league in 1962. Six teams participated in the 1963 season. The Arrows won
152-544: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Dave Behrman David Wesley Behrman ( Pronounced: BEER-man) (November 9, 1941 – December 9, 2014) was an American football offensive lineman who played in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos . He was the fourth overall pick in the 1963 AFL Draft by the Bills and the 11th pick in
190-759: The 1963 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears . He also played in the Midwest Football League (MFL) for the Lansing All Stars / Capitals and Flint Sabres from 1972 to 1976. Behrman played college football at Michigan State University . Behrman was the Bills' first-round draft pick in 1963 and played for them that year, but not in 1964. During the 1965 AFL season , Behrman became the Bills' starting center, replacing veteran Walt Cudzik , playing between left offensive guard Billy Shaw and right guard Al Bemiller . However, due to
228-964: The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns had agreements with the Columbus Bucks and Youngstown Hardhats (respectively), and the Detroit Lions had agreements with both the Indy Caps and Lansing All Stars , to act as farm teams . By April 1961, six cities had been approved for franchises in the Midwest Football League: Cleveland , Columbus , and Toledo, Ohio ; Grand Rapids, Michigan ; Indianapolis ; and Louisville, Kentucky . Players were to be paid $ 50 salaries per game played, with 30 players on each team's roster. The league played its games on Saturday nights. George Gareff from Columbus
266-692: The Detroit Cowboys for the 1969 season. The Ypsilanti Vikings left the league before the season. A two-division structure of the league began in the 1969 season, with Dayton, Lackawanna, Grand Rapids, and Southwestern Michigan making up the Lakes division, and Detroit, Flint, Lansing, and Pontiac being in the Central division. Detroit was removed from the league in the middle of the season. † Midwest Football League champions. ‡ Won division. The Lansing All Stars won
304-630: The Joliet Chargers , one on each team's field, following their MWL championship win. The first game was called the "Champions Bowl". Lansing won the first matchup on November 14, 1970, with a score of 33–7. Joliet won the second game on November 21, 1970, going up 21–3. The Lackawanna Lancers moved to Niagara Falls, New York , as the Niagara Falls Lancers , and the Detroit Cowboys moved back to Hamtramck to become
342-728: The Lansing All Stars of the Midwest Football League in September 1972. He played with the Flint Sabres in 1973 and 1974. He rejoined Lansing, now called the Lansing Capitals, in July 1975. He played with the Capitals through 1976. On December 9, 2014, he died of pancreatic cancer. He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), caused by repeated hits to
380-799: The Midwest Professional Football League , Central States Football League , Southwestern Football League , Seaboard Football League , and Texas League. The 1972 season began on July 8, 1972. Players earned between $ 50 and $ 200 per game in 1972. On September 1, 1972, the Lansing All Stars were purchased by Ed Dubaj, Joe Cox, and three other buyers, from Gene Howard for a sale price of $ 18,500. League commissioner Keith Bacon resigned on November 12, 1972. † Midwest Football League champions. ‡ Playoff team. The Indiana Caps and Youngstown Hardhats each finished with 8–2 records during
418-779: The Ypsilanti Vikings . The Detroit Rockets franchise rejoined the league in River Rouge, Michigan , as the River Rouge Steelers . The Dayton Colts played an exhibition game of basketball with the National Football League 's Cleveland Browns in March 1966 as a fundraiser. † Midwest Football League champions. The Pontiac Arrows were named league champions for the second straight season, and they went against players from
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#1732772581111456-411: The surname Behrman . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Behrman&oldid=1218542394 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
494-524: The 1962 season. The 1962 season began on September 8, 1962, with four teams participating. The Mt. Clemens/Macomb County Arrows were declared league champions for the 1962 season, after beating the Dearborn Vikings 34–20 in the title game. † Midwest Football League champions. The Spartan Athletic Club received approval to join the league in April 1963, and they initially chose
532-520: The 1968 due to financial reasons. The Dayton Colts were sold to Recreation Projects, Inc. in April 1968. The Michigan Arrows were purchased by a group from Fort Wayne, Indiana , and subsequently relocated to the city to become the Fort Wayne Tigers . The Flint franchise was part owned by Minnesota Vikings player Paul Krause . † Midwest Football League champions. * Record after eighth or ninth game of season. In
570-782: The Central Division and the Columbus Bucks won the Lakes Division. The Bucks were scheduled to play the second-place team in the Central Division, the Flint Wildcats, in the first round of the playoffs, but the opponent was replaced by the Michigan Barons due to eligibility concerns with Flint's roster. The Barons were made up of players from the Flint and Pontiac rosters. In the divisional round of
608-501: The Central Division with a record of 12–1–1 and the Lackawanna Lancers won the Lakes Division after going 11–3. Lansing defeated Lackawanna, 20–8, in the first MFL Championship Game on November 8, 1969. The All Stars received a championship bonus of $ 500 after the game. John Abel, the commissioner for the league, died in March 1970. Keith Bacon became the new commissioner by July 1970. The Dayton Colts were suspended for
646-503: The Central States Football League champion Racine Raiders in an exhibition game after the season on November 28, 1964. The Toronto team did not show up to a game against Lansing, and were subsequently removed from the league in the middle of the season. The Detroit Rockets were removed from the league after the season after they did not adhere to financial protocols. In searching for two new teams to join
684-538: The Hamtramck Chargers again. The Flint Wildcats returned for the 1971 season. The Wyoming Chiefs became the Wyoming Cowboys in 1971. The Dayton Colts returned to the league in 1971, moved to Columbus, Ohio , in April, and became the Columbus Bucks . The teams were divided into two divisions again for the season. The Central Division comprised Flint, Hamtramck, Lansing, and Wyoming, while
722-528: The Lakes Division was made from Columbus, Michiana, Niagara Falls, and Pontiac. A divisional round of the playoffs was reinstated for the 1971 season. The league prevented players being paid salaries for 1971 after financial struggles the previous season. Bill Byrne , president of the Bucks, was elected vice president of the league in September 1971. † Midwest Football League champions. ‡ Playoff team. The Lansing All Stars won
760-623: The NFL agreed to pay MFL teams $ 1,000 to sign a player off of their rosters. † Midwest Football League champions. * Record before final game of season. A franchise from Lackawanna, New York , joined the league in April 1968, as the Lackawanna Lancers . The Detroit Steelers moved to Hamtramck, Michigan , to become the Hamtramck Chargers for the 1968 season. The Lansing All Stars team folded before
798-741: The November 20 game. Lansing won the November 26 game, 32–14. In September 1971, the league announced franchises in Indianapolis ; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ; Dayton, Ohio; and Massillon, Ohio . The Indianapolis franchise was called the Indiana Caps , which competed in the Atlantic Coast Football League in 1970 as the Indianapolis Capitols . A team from Joliet, Illinois , was expected to join
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#1732772581111836-612: The all-star game on November 16, 1968, the Dayton Colts beat the team of league all-stars, 43–0. They were the first team in league history to go undefeated in a season after posting a 12–0 record. The Lansing All Stars rejoined the league for the 1969 season. The Southwestern Michigan Hawks were accepted into the league in April 1969. The Fort Wayne Tigers became the Grand Rapids Chiefs , and Grand Rapids paid $ 1,000 as an entry fee. The Hamtramck Chargers became
874-573: The first round of the playoffs. The Lansing All Stars defeated the Lackawanna Lancers, 60–0, and the Pontiac Firebirds beat the Michiana Hawks, 35–14, in the first round of the playoffs on October 24, 1970. Lansing won over Pontiac in the championship game, 28–6, on October 31, 1970, for their second straight championship win. Lansing later scheduled two games against the champions of the Midwest Professional Football League ,
912-456: The head. This biographical article relating to an American football offensive lineman born in the 1940s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Midwest Football League (1962%E2%80%931978) During its lifetime, the MFL had a working relationship with the National Football League (NFL), as the NFL had the right to sign any player at any time from the league for $ 1000, while
950-442: The hopes of joining the league for the 1966 season. Dayton was purchased by a new ownership group in 1965. † Midwest Football League champions. The Dayton Colts had to cancel and forfeit a game against Milan due to bad weather. Dayton scheduled the game to be played at a local high school football field, but the school would not allow the game to be played, citing a long-standing policy about wet fields. Dayton
988-560: The league championship for a second year in a row after posting a record of 13–1, including a 9–1 record in league play. The Spartans, who finished second in the league in 1963 after going 6–3–1, played against the Hudson Bar in a game called the Semi-Pro Bowl on December 14, 1963. The All Stars placed third for the season with a record of 5–4–1. † Midwest Football League champions. Ed McCracken from Dayton
1026-715: The league for the 1965 season, following the expulsion of the Detroit and Toronto franchises, commissioner Ed McCracken asked for a $ 300 new team fee with a security deposit of $ 200. The Macomb County Arrows became the Pontiac Arrows and the Dearborn Vikings became the Milan Vikings for the 1965 season. A Flint, Michigan , team called the Flint Blue Devils joined the league. A team from Sturgis, Michigan , played some games against league members in
1064-681: The league in 1972. Franchises in Youngstown, Ohio ; Indianapolis; and Warren, Michigan , were accepted into the league in December 1971. The Youngstown franchise was called the Youngstown Hardhats . Dayton and Louisville were prospective cities for new franchises in January 1972. The Michiana Hawks took a leave of absence from the league for the 1972 season due to financial problems. The Wyoming Cowboys and Pontiac Firebirds left
1102-555: The league were announced on January 31, 1962, as the Battle Creek Bears , Dearborn Vikings , Detroit Rockets , Lansing All Stars , Macomb County Arrows (also called the Mt. Clemens Arrows), and Toledo Thunderbirds. The Lansing All Stars were an independent team in the 1961 season. An application for a franchise from Dayton, Ohio , was approved on March 11, 1962. The Battle Creek, Dayton, and Toledo franchises did not play in
1140-739: The league, and the Hamtrmack Chargers moved back to Detroit before the season to become the Detroit Warriors . The Niagara Falls Lancers also left the league before the season. The Flint Wildcats became the Flint Sabres . Youngstown had an agreement with the Cleveland Browns to act as their farm team for the 1972 season. In March 1972, the MFL joined the Independent Professional Football Leagues of America, which included
1178-791: The other five teams in an all-star game on November 12, 1966. The River Rouge Steelers became the Detroit Steelers , the Flint Blue Devils became the Flint Wildcats , and the Pontiac Arrows moved back to Mt. Clemens to become the Michigan Arrows for the 1967 season. The Pontiac Firebirds joined the league as a new franchise. The Lansing All Stars signed their players to $ 1 per year contracts in 1967 due to financial constraints. In October 1967,
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1216-718: The playoffs, Lansing defeated the Niagara Falls Lancers, 17–0, while Columbus beat the Barons, 34–0, on November 6, 1971. On November 13, 1971, Columbus won the league championship with a win over Lansing, by a score of 20–17. After the championship game, Lansing and Columbus played against the Pennsylvania Bruins of the Interstate League . The Columbus–Pennsylvania game was called the "Ohio Mini Super Bowl ", with Columbus winning 44–13 in
1254-663: The season due to financial conditions, but fielded an independent team and played games against members of the league. The Flint Wildcats did not return for the 1970 season. The Grand Rapids Chiefs became the Wyoming Chiefs , and the Southwest Michigan Hawks were renamed the Michiana Hawks . The Hawks played their home games in Buchanan, Michigan . A four-team playoff system was enacted for
1292-445: The season, with the regular season first-place team playing the third-place team and second place playing fourth place in the first round, and the winners of those games playing in a championship game. † Midwest Football League champions. ‡ Playoff team. * Tie in standings between Michiana and Lackawanna broken by a coin toss to determine playoff opponents. Michiana won and chose to face Pontiac in
1330-743: Was elected league commissioner in March 1964. The league also added teams in Toronto, Ohio , and Van Wert, Ohio . The Van Wert team was named the Van Wert Tigers , but they did not participate in the 1964 season. The Toronto team was the Toronto Tigers . The Cedarville Spartans became the Dayton Colts in 1964, and the Cereal City Bears did not return after the 1963 season. The Association of Minor Football Leagues
1368-568: Was formed in April 1964, with the Midwest Football League joining together with five of the other seven minor league football teams in the country. The other leagues to join were the Atlantic Coast Football League , Central States Football League , New England Football Conference , Southern Football League , and United Football League . McCracken was named secretary of the association. † Midwest Football League champions. The Lansing All-Stars played against
1406-435: Was initially league commissioner , with Homer VanHablenbeck from Detroit gaining the title by 1962. A group of Des Moines, Iowa , investors applied for a franchise in the league in April 1961. New teams were to pay a $ 2,000 fee to join the league and send a $ 5,000 security deposit to ensure the full season would be played. The Lakeview Athletic Club Bears joined the league on January 28, 1962. The six initial teams in
1444-439: Was placed a one-year probation by the league as punishment. The Pontiac Arrows were named league champions, and they went against players from the other four teams in an all-star game on November 13, 1965. John Abel from Pontiac was named commissioner of the league in January 1966, replacing McCracken, who resigned to be the head coach for the Dayton Colts. The Milan franchise was moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan , to become
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