The Florida Blazers were an American football team who played in 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 ...

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 Wheeler bought the WFL rights to the Washington, D. C. area. The team was originally called the Washington Capitals, but the NHL expansion team of the same name objected, forcing him to change the name to the Washington Ambassadors. Wheeler wanted to share

RFK Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the w ...

with the Washington Redskins, but negotiations hit a snag over financing. He then flirted with playing in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, prompting him to change the team's name to the Washington-Baltimore Ambassadors. When it became apparent that Wheeler could not find a suitable stadium in the Baltimore-Washington area, he moved the club to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

as the Virginia Ambassadors. By this time, it was obvious that Wheeler's supposed $2–3 million of financing existed only on paper. League president Gary Davidson got Wheeler in touch with former

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

player and executive Rommie Loudd, who was fronting for a group of Orlando businessmen who had recently failed in their bid to get the NFL expansion team that became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wheeler agreed to sell the team to Loudd's group, who moved the team to Orlando. The team was originally named the Orlando Suns, but due to objections from the Southern California Sun the name was changed once again, to the Florida Blazers. They were the first professional sports team based in Central Florida. Loudd became managing general partner and president, making him the first African-American senior executive of a professional team in North America. David L. Williams, owner of the Holiday Inn franchise in the Orlando area, was majority owner. The team set up shop in the Tangerine Bowl. Under coach Jack Pardee, quarterback Bob Davis (

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943) is a former American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college foot ...

's former backup), running back Tommy Reamon and a dominating secondary, the Blazers ran away with the Eastern Division, finishing with a 14–6 record. They then upset the Memphis Southmen, owners of the league's best record, to advance to the World Bowl against the Birmingham Americans. Early in that game, Reamon scored what appeared to be the game's first touchdown, only to have it ruled a touchback because the officials believed that he fumbled the ball out of the end zone. Replays clearly showed that Reamon lost the ball after it broke the plane of the goal line. The missed call proved to be the difference, as the Blazers lost 22–21. Off the field, the franchise was unraveling. The Blazers never drew well, leading Loudd to openly discuss moving the team to Atlanta in the middle of the season. The players and coaches were not paid for three months. In December 1974, shortly after the Blazers' defeat in the World Bowl, Loudd was arrested on tax evasion and cocaine trafficking charges. He was convicted on the latter charge and served three years in prison.

1974 regular season

Playoffs

Relocation

After speculation that the Blazers might move to Akron, Ohio or Tulsa, San Antonio banker Norman Bevan bought the club in early March 1975, whereupon they became the San Antonio Wings. The new Wings retained 16 former Blazers, including running back Jim Strong and tight end Luther Palmer.

Larry Grantham James Larry Grantham (September 16, 1938 – June 17, 2017) was an American collegiate and professional football player. Biography A member of the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame, he was a linebacker at the University of Mississippi who came to ...

, a linebacker on the 1974 Blazers, retired but joined the Wings' coaching staff. However, several former Blazers, including Pardee, wanted nothing more to do with the WFL. This forced the league to restock the team with an expansion draft. The new head coach was Perry Moss, a former head coach at Marshall and a former NFL assistant coach.

References

External links