The 1975 World Football League season was the second and last season of the

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...

. The 1975 season was to be an 18-game season over a twenty-week schedule. The WFL returned with a massive overhaul under new commissioner,

Christopher Hemmeter Christopher Hemmeter (October 8, 1939 – November 27, 2003) was an American real estate developer who pioneered the concept of destination resorts in Hawaii and was involved in gambling development of casinos, primarily in New Orleans and Col ...

. Four of the inaugural twelve teams returned from the 1974 season:

The Hawaiians Hawaiians are the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiians or The Hawaiians may also refer to: * The Hawaiians (WFL), a football team in the World Football League from 1974 to 1975 * The Hawaiians (film), ''The Hawaiians'' (film), a 1 ...

Southern California Sun The Southern California Sun were an American football team based in Anaheim, California that played in the World Football League in 1974 and 1975. Their records were 13-7 in 1974 and 7-5 in 1975. Their home stadium was Anaheim Stadium. They wer ...

Philadelphia Bell The Philadelphia Bell was a franchise in the World Football League, which operated in 1974 and a portion of a season in 1975. The Bell played their home games in 1974 at JFK Stadium in South Philadelphia. The team logo was a representation of th ...

and Memphis Southmen, as did the

Shreveport Steamer The Shreveport Steamer were a professional American football team in the World Football League. The franchise began the 1974 season in Houston, Texas, as the Houston Texans (no connection to the current NFL team of the same name), playing their ...

and

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

, who moved from Houston and New York City, respectively, midway through the 1974 season. New WFL teams replaced folded teams in Birmingham (where the

Vulcans Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to l ...

replaced the league champion Americans), Portland (where the Thunder took the place of the Storm), Jacksonville (the

Express Express or EXPRESS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn * '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid Music * ''Express'' ...

took over for the Sharks), and Chicago (the Winds stepped into the place of the Fire). One new market was added when the

Florida Blazers The Florida Blazers were an American football team who played in the World Football League in 1974. The team moved to San Antonio in 1975 and became the San Antonio Wings. History The Blazers began in 1974 when oceanographic engineer E. Joseph W ...

moved to become the

San Antonio Wings The San Antonio Wings were an American football team who played in the World Football League in 1975. The team started as the Florida Blazers in 1974, then moved to San Antonio in 1975 and became the San Antonio Wings. History The Florida Blazers ...

; the Blazers and Detroit Wheels were not replaced in their home markets. The Winds were expelled from the league five games into the season. They had essentially bet their existence on an attempt to woo 1975 New York Jets season, New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath as its starting quarterback. The Winds all but promised that Namath was coming, and their failure to deliver him was a severe blow to the league's credibility. It also prompted TVS Television Network, the league's TV partner, to cancel its WFL coverage prior to the regular season, leaving the league untelevised with the exception of some local television. Memphis and San Antonio won the first half of the split-season format and had secured playoff spots for the end of the season. The playoffs were to have six teams and World Bowl (WFL), World Bowl 2 was scheduled for Sunday, January 4, 1976. Without significant television and low attendance, WFL ceased operations twelve weeks into the regular season on Wednesday, October 22. The Birmingham Vulcans had the league's best record (9–3) at the time of the shutdown.

Draft

Because of the uncertainties facing the WFL, the 1974 WFL Draft was the only collegiate draft held by the league. In 1975, only a Pro Draft of entire National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football League, CFL teams was done at its league meetings in Birmingham, Alabama. The professional football teams chosen were the following: * Birmingham Vulcans: Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. *

: Baltimore Colts, Detroit Lions, and Buffalo Bills. * Chicago Winds: Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, and Edmonton Eskimos. *

: San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Philadelphia Eagles. * Jacksonville Express: Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, and Green Bay Packers. * Memphis Southmen: Toronto Argonauts, St. Louis Cardinals, and New England Patriots. *

: Montreal Alouettes, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins. * Portland Storm, Portland Thunder: Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Ottawa Rough Riders, and Saskatchewan Roughriders. *

: Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers, Calgary Stampeders, and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. *

: New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and Cincinnati Bengals. *

: Los Angeles Rams, BC Lions, and San Diego Chargers.

Final standings

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

References

{{WFL 1975 in American football, World Football League World Football League

Draft

Final standings

See also

References