The Orlando Panthers were a professional American football team based in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
. Founded in 1958 as the Franklin Miners, the team spent its first four years in the Eastern Football Conference, then three further years in the Atlantic Coast Football League before moving to the
Continental Football League
The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to beco ...
in 1965. The franchise moved from Newark, New Jersey to Orlando in 1966 and found success on the field as the Panthers. However, while the team won the COFL championship twice they were plagued by financial difficulties. The team jumped back to the ACFL in 1970 but were suspended by the league after the season.
History
New Jersey
The Franklin Miners were originally established in 1958 as a member of the Eastern Football Conference; their head coach was eventual Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren. The Miners were charter members of the Atlantic Coast Football League upon its founding in 1962, relocating to Hinchliffe Stadium in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Providence Steam Roller in front of 2,000 spectators at the indoor Atlantic City Convention Hall. The following summer the Miners moved to Newark Schools Stadium in nearby Newark, New Jersey and were renamed as the Newark Bears. The Bears took their name from a team in the
American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
football league in the late 1930s through 1941, itself a direct descendant from the
Orange/Newark Tornadoes
The Orange Tornadoes and Newark Tornadoes were two manifestations of a long-lived professional American football franchise that existed in some form from 1887 to 1941 and from 1958 to 1970, having played in the American Amateur Football Union from ...
, a football club with roots dating to the 19th century and that had played two seasons in the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
. (The ACFL had several ties to the old AA, including teams in Paterson and Newark, and the same President,
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 the president of Atlantic Coast Football League in 1963.
Personal life
Rosentover was born ...
.)
The Bears won the Southern Division and claimed the 1963 ACFL title by defeating the Springfield Acorns, 23-6. A few months later the team announced its interest in joining the
American Football League
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...
; at the time, the New York metro area's existing AFL franchise, recently rechristened the Jets, was still on uncertain financial footing, but the Jets survived and the AFL ultimately rejected the Newark bid. Newark had another strong season in 1964, advancing to their third straight league championship. This time, however, they were defeated by the Boston Sweepers, 14-10.
In 1965 the Bears joined two other ACFL teams in a minor-league merger that led to the formation of the
Continental Football League
The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to beco ...
. Newark struggled during its first COFL season, placed fourth in their division and finished with a record of 5-9.
Orlando
During the subsequent offseason, team owner Sol Rosen sold his franchise to Tom Granatell, who moved the Bears to
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
and renamed them as the Orlando Panthers. They signed a 10-year lease to play their home games at the Tangerine Bowl. The move to Orlando was somewhat of a coup, as there was already a team named the Orlando Panthers that had played in the Southern Professional Football League the year prior (having played as the Daytona Beach Thunderbirds from 1962 to 1964) and, due to the Southern league's folding, was seeking to join the Continental league; the Newark ownership group managed to secure the lease, and the previous Orlando owner died, apparently of a rage-induced apoplexy, immediately after the meeting. Van Buren was promoted to vice president and replaced as head coach by Perry Moss, who led the Charleston Rockets to the 1965 COFL title.
Over the next four seasons the Panthers were consistent winners, never finishing with fewer than 10 wins. The team, led by quarterback Don Jonas, appeared in the COFL championship game three seasons in a row starting in 1966, winning two titles during that span. In 1966, the team lost the championship to the Philadelphia Bulldogs in sudden-death overtime, 20–17. In 1967, the Panthers won the title with a 38–14 win over the
Orange County Ramblers The Orange County Ramblers were a professional football team that competed in the Continental Football League from 1967 to 1968. The Ramblers played their home games in Santa Ana, California and Anaheim, California. The team was coached both seasons ...
. In 1968, they repeated the feat by defeating the Ramblers 30–23, though they had to enter the game by winning a playoff with the
Indianapolis Capitols
The Indianapolis Capitols were a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They played in the Continental Football League from 1968 to 1969 and Midwest Football League from 1972 to 1974 and 1977 to 1978.
The team was c ...
(which Orlando won 28–14). In 1969, however, Orlando and Indianapolis rematched in the semifinals, with the Capitols prevailing 27–7. Such was the team's prestige that in the 1969 offseason, the Panthers entered into a deal with the Florida Citrus Commission to put up $400,000 in salary if
O. J. Simpson
Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "Juice", is an American former football running back, actor, and broadcaster who played for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Once a popular figure ...
agreed to sign with the team; with his negotiations with the team that drafted him, the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
, stalled at the time, and the institution of the Common Draft prohibiting him from negotiating with other teams in the AFL or NFL, the Panthers were the highest-profile team able to give Simpson a counteroffer. Simpson ultimately achieved a contract agreement with the Bills.
With the future of the COFL in doubt after the 1969 season, Panthers general manager and president Elmer Cook announced his intention to found a new football league based in Florida, the Sunshine League. Within weeks of that announcement, the Panthers applied and were accepted for membership in the franchise original home, the ACFL. The team was in major financial trouble at the time, fueled by massive overspending, and a new consortium took over the money-bleeding franchise in the offseason. The new owners, who originally planned to rechristen the team as the Orlando Oranges but never did, planned to run the team on a much tighter financial budget.
The Panthers made headlines in 1970 with the signing of a holder named
Patricia Palinkas
Patricia Palinkas (née Barczi, born 1943) is credited as the first woman to play American football professionally in a league made predominantly of men. She was a holder for her husband Stephen Palinkas for the Orlando Panthers of the minor leag ...
, the first woman to play on a men's professional football team. Palinkas originally served as holder for her husband, Steve Palinkas, but he was cut prior to the regular season. Patricia made the team but was immediately suspended after missing an entire week of team activities due to her full-time teaching job and personal appearances.
Financial difficulties continued to plague the Panthers in 1970, culminating in players (including Palinkas) quitting over unpaid wages and a lawsuit from the ACFL over unpaid dues. The Panthers were suspended by the ACFL for the 1971 season and never played again. The rights to Orlando's players were granted to the Roanoke Buckskins in June.