Miami Manatees (CFL)
Founded | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
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League | Canadian Football League |
The Miami Manatees was a proposed
History
By March 1995, an investment group that originally sought to relocate the defunct Las Vegas Posse franchise announced their intention to pursue an expansion franchise to begin play in the 1996 season.[1] At this time the name Miami Manatees was officially submitted to the CFL, and the team announced that a portion ticket sales would go to a fund to help save Florida's manatees. The team even adopted a manatee named Gamzo. To be coached by Ron Meyer, the team needed to sell 20,000 to 25,000 tickets per game to break even.[1]
Although previously stating that an expansion franchise would be preferred, the Miami ownership group sought to purchase the Las Vegas team after deals to relocate to
Had the league gone forward with American teams in the 1996 season, the Manatees would have been the only CFL team to compete directly in an NFL market (the Baltimore Stallions refused to do so and moved to Montreal to become the revived Montreal Alouettes; had Baltimore stayed in the U.S. it would have relocated to recently vacated Houston).
References
- ^ a b Salguero, Armando (March 8, 1995). "CFL in OB? Wayne may have rival". The Miami Herald. p. 3D.
- ^ a b Jackson, Barry (May 17, 1995). "South Florida investors move to buy CFL team". The Miami Herald. p. 1D.
- ^ Jackson, Barry (June 25, 1995). "20,250 at OB moves CFL closer to Miami". The Miami Herald. p. 1D.
- ^ Jackson, Barry (June 27, 1996). "MLS is sought for Orange Bowl". The Miami Herald. p. 10D.