Atlantic Coast Football League
Sport | American football |
---|---|
Founded | 1962 |
Ceased | 1973 |
No. of teams | 6 |
Countries | United States |
Last champion(s) | New England Colonials |
Most titles | Virginia Sailors and Pottstown Firebirds (2) |
The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid a base salary of $100 per game and had 36 players on each active roster.[1]
History
For the first few years,
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); 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
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 the league announced it was leaving with the intent to reform the ACFL.[4] 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 the 1973 season.
Commissioner Cosmo Iacovazzi was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.[5]
Team list
- Ansonia Black Knights (1962-1963)
- Atlanta Spartans (1964)
- Atlantic City Senators (1966)
- Baltimore Broncos (1963)
- Boston Steamrollers (1965)
- Boston Sweepers (1963-1964)
- Bridgeport Jets (1968-1971, 1973) (affiliated with New York Jets in 1969)[6]
- Frankfort Falcons(1962)
- Harrisburg Capitol-Colts (1968-1969) (affiliated with Baltimore Colts in 1969)[6]
- Harrisburg Capitols (1963-1967)
- Hartford Charter Oaks (1964)
- Hartford Knights (1968-1971, 1973) (affiliated with Buffalo Bills in 1969)[6]
- Holyoke Bombers (1965)
- Indianapolis Capitols (1970)
- Jersey Giants (1963-1964)
- Jersey Jays (1970)
- Jersey Jets (1965-1966)
- Jersey Tigers (1970)
- Long Island Bulls (1969-1970) (affiliated with New York Giants in 1969)[6]
- Long Island Chiefs (1973)
- Boston Patriots in 1969)[6]
- Mohawk Valley Falcons (1963-1965)
- Boston Patriots)
- New Bedford Sweepers(1965-1966)
- New England Colonials (1973) (affiliated with New England Patriots)[7]
- New York Crusaders (1973)
- Newark Bears(1963-1964)
- Norfolk Neptunes (1970-1971)
- Orlando Panthers (1970)
- Paterson Miners(1962)
- Pittsburgh Valley Ironmen (none)
- Portland Sea Hawks (1962-1964)
- Pottstown Firebirds (1968-1970) (affiliated with Philadelphia Eagles in 1969)[6]
- Providence Steamroller(1962-1964)
- Quincy Giants (1969)
- Rhode Island Steelers (1966)
- Richmond Rebels (1964)
- Richmond Roadrunners 1968-1969 (affiliated with New Orleans Saints in 1969–70)[6]
- Richmond Saints(1970)
- Washington Redskins from 1966 to 1969)[6]
- Scranton Miners (1965-1966)
- Scranton Pros (1964)
- Springfield Acorns (1963-1964)
- Stamford Golden Bears (1962)
- Virginia Sailors (1966-1968)
- Waterbury Orbits (1966-1967) (affiliated with New York Jets in 1969)[6]
- Western Massachusetts Pioneers (1973)
- Westchester Bulls (1967-1968)
- Westchester Crusaders (1963–1964)
- Wilmington Clippers/Renegades (1966-1967)
Championship games
- 1962: Providence Steam Roller 14 (Double OT), played indoors in the Atlantic City Convention Hall[8]
- 1963: Newark Bears 23 Springfield Acorns6
- 1964: Newark Bears10
- 1965: New Bedford Sweepers 13, Jersey Jets 9
- 1966: Virginia Sailors 42, Lowell Giants 10
- 1967: Virginia Sailors 20, Westchester Bulls 14
- 1968: Hartford Knights 30, Virginia Sailors 17
- 1969: Pottstown Firebirds 20, Hartford Knights 0
- 1970: Pottstown Firebirds 31, Hartford Knights 0
- 1971: Norfolk Neptunes 24, Hartford Knights 13
- 1973: New England Colonials 41, Bridgeport Jets 17
Season standings
1962
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
Atlantic Coast Football League | ||||||||
Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | Coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paterson Miners | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | 251 | 102 | Hinchliffe Stadium | Sal Rosen |
Providence Steam Roller | 8 | 1 | 1 | .889 | 273 | 97 | City Stadium | Connie Pensavalle |
Portland Sea Hawks | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 180 | 168 | Portland Stadium | Vuskin Amerigan |
Ansonia Black Knights | 4 | 5 | 1 | .400 | 133 | 147 | Nolan Field | Gene Casey |
Stamford Golden Bears | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 65 | 241 | Boyle Stadium | Sam Coppola |
Frankfort Falcons | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 | 96 | 243 | Harmon Field | Frank Sanders |
References
- ^ a b Associated Press (1970-09-04). "First woman to earn place on pro grid team is also suspended." Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ "Doc takes own medicine Work outs, football keep him young".
- ^ "IS THERE A DR . TASHIRO ON THE FIELD?". 28 October 1963.
- ^ "Hartford quits Seaboard loop." Associated Press (1972-11-23). Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-22. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i Stetz, Bill (1969). "1969 Atlantic Coast Football League media guide". Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-21.
- ^ Woods, Mark (2009-10-22). Smith is Pats' UK connection. ESPN.com. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ Nauta, Bob (December 19, 1962). "Unique Christmas Gift". The Day. p. 32. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
Further reading
- Gill, Bob Outsiders II: Minor League and Independent Football 1951-1985 (St. Johann Press, 2010) ISBN 978-1-878282-65-1