Editing World Football League (section)

===1974 season===
{{Main|1974 World Football League season}}
Playing a 20-game regular season schedule in 1974 – six games longer than the NFL's then 14-game slate – the WFL staged no exhibition games (although their teams did participate in preseason scrimmages).

The season was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, July 10 and end on Wednesday, November 13. This was a 20-game season in 19 weeks – a schedule accomplished by having double games (primarily Monday and Friday) on Labor Day weekend.

Some complained that the schedule was poorly drafted: although most teams played on Wednesday nights with a national TV game slated for Thursday nights, the Hawaiians played their home games on Sunday afternoons, meaning when the Hawaiians had a home game, they played an opponent who flew to Honolulu after having played just four days earlier. In addition, back-to-back meetings between two teams were common.

The WFL held a college draft. The first six rounds were held on January 22, 1974, with the remaining 30 rounds held on February 5. [[David Jaynes]], quarterback from Kansas, was the first player selected in the draft by the original Memphis franchise that became the Houston Texans by the time the season started.

[[File:Gator Bowl Jacksonville Florida 1961.jpg|thumb|right|[[Gator Bowl Stadium]], planned site of the first [[World Bowl (WFL)|World Bowl]]]]
As was common with many upstart leagues, the WFL's intended lineup of teams changed several times before they even played a down. Most notably, Bassett's Toronto Northmen were forced to find a new home after the Canadian government threatened to ban any American football team from competing with the CFL. Though the [[Canadian Football Act]] never passed, the mere threat of it prompted Bassett to move the team to Memphis, where it became the [[Memphis Southmen]]. It was generally referred to by fans, local media, and even some official team materials as the Grizzlies, which they officially renamed themselves to the following season (not to be confused with the [[Memphis Grizzlies|current NBA team of the same name]]). The WFL suffered an even more serious blow when the CFL and NFL reached agreements with their striking players that ensured that the upstart league would be forced to compete with both of their established rivals.

The original schedule called for a four-team playoff, with semifinal games held on Wednesday–Thursday November 20–November 21, and the [[World Bowl (WFL)|World Bowl]] on Friday, November 29 (the night after Thanksgiving) at the [[Gator Bowl Stadium]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]]. League officials also boldly discussed plans for expansion teams in Europe and Asia.

In the first few weeks, the WFL looked to be a resounding success. Attendance outpaced the first week of the [[American Football League]] in 1960, averaging just under 43,000 a game. The box office numbers proved to be the beginning of the WFL's undoing when two teams admitted to inflating their gates on a scale virtually unprecedented in major league sports. The [[Jacksonville Sharks (WFL)|Jacksonville Sharks]] admitted that out of the 105,892 fans who attended their first two games, 30,000 had gotten in for free. The [[Philadelphia Bell]]'s first two home games totaled 120,253 fans. However, when they paid city taxes on those gates, they admitted that 100,198 of the tickets had been given away for free or sold at significantly reduced prices. Presumably, the giveaways were intended in part to pique the public's curiosity and interest, but they ended up seriously eroding the credibility of both the teams and the league.

Six games into the first season, a number of WFL franchises were in serious trouble. The [[Detroit Wheels]] were looking to move to [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], and the [[Florida Blazers]] made overtures of bringing the first place club to [[Atlanta]]. In September, two franchises relocated in mid-season. The [[Houston Texans (WFL)|Houston Texans]] moved to [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], as the [[Shreveport Steamer]], and they were followed a week later by the [[New York Stars (WFL)|New York Stars]], who relocated to Charlotte and became the [[Charlotte Hornets (WFL)|Charlotte Hornets]] (also not to be confused with the present-day [[Charlotte Hornets|NBA franchise of the same name]]; they played one road game after the official move still under the "Stars" name). On top of this, the Wheels moved one game to [[London, Ontario]] due to poor ticket sales, this time without any complaints from Canadian officials.

It was discovered that in the rush to commence play in 1974, several WFL teams had paid less than the original $120,000 franchise fee in order to meet Davidson's target of 12 teams. Additionally, league officials had conducted little to no [[due diligence]]. As a result, most of the league's teams were badly undercapitalized. By most accounts, the only reasonably well-financed teams were Memphis, Philadelphia, the Hawaiians and Southern California.

In many cases, WFL teams were unable to meet the most basic team expenses. For instance, the [[Portland Storm]]'s players were reportedly being fed by sympathetic local fans. The Hornets had their uniforms impounded for not paying a laundry bill from the time the team was located in New York and were not paid regularly after the third week in October. The [[Birmingham Americans]] were not paid for the last two months of the season, the Florida Blazers went three months without pay (and reportedly survived on [[McDonald's]] meal vouchers), and the Sharks were not paid for what turned out to be their last six games. The other teams' finances were not much better, as the Southmen, Bell and Hawaiians were the only teams who met payroll for every week of the season.

The most dire situation, however, was that of the Detroit Wheels. The team's original 33 owners appeared to pay for team expenses out of pocket as they arose, resulting in what amounted to a club football team playing at the professional level. On several occasions, the team was left without uniforms when they did not pay the cleaning bill, forcing them to cancel practices. After several hotels and airlines went unpaid, the Wheels were also unable to fly to games or get a place for the players to stay without paying in advance. One player was forced to pay a hospital bill for his son out of pocket after being informed the team's insurance policy had been cancelled for non-payment of premiums. The owners refused to provide filming equipment for the coaches.

The Wheels seemingly bottomed out when they arrived in Philadelphia to face the Bell. The players discovered that there were no medical supplies or tape available, and initially refused to take the field. When it looked like the Wheels would have to forfeit, a salesman at the game donated enough tape to allow them to play.<ref name=FallOff/> The league was forced to take over the team after complaints from the players.

Perhaps one of the most bizarre incidents for the WFL in 1974 involved defensive end [[John Matuszak]], who had jumped from the NFL's [[Houston Oilers]] to play for the WFL's [[Houston Texans (WFL)|Houston Texans]]. While Matuszak worked out on the field prior to a game against the [[Charlotte Hornets (WFL)|New York Stars]], attorneys for the Oilers and federal marshals arrived at the stadium: five minutes into the first quarter, shortly after sacking Stars quarterback Tom Sherman for a 13-yard loss, Matuszak was benched—the Texans had been served with a restraining order that barred Matuszak from playing another down for the Texans until his Oilers contract expired at the end of the 1977 NFL season. Afterwards, Matuszak waved the document to show the stunned home crowd why he was sitting on the bench,<ref name="worldfootballleague.org"/> while the Oilers, who were angered at this debacle, subsequently traded Matuszak to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The league seemingly bottomed out in October when it shut down the Wheels and the Sharks after 14 games. The collapse of the Sharks meant that the [[Gator Bowl Stadium|Gator Bowl]] did not host World Bowl I; coincidentally, Jacksonville was also slated to be the host of the 1986 [[United States Football League|USFL]] Championship Game, but the USFL folded before that season began. It was not until February 2005 that the city hosted its first championship pro football game, [[Super Bowl XXXIX]].

Davidson was forced to resign in October 1974, and Hawaiians owner [[Christopher Hemmeter]] was named the new commissioner a month later.

Late in the year, the league announced that it would award its Most Valuable Player a prize of $10,000 at the World Bowl. Rather than endure the embarrassment of media sneers about whether a WFL check would clear, the league neatly stacked $10,000 in cash high upon a table in the middle of the field. The MVP award was a three-way split, and the players involved split the cash.

The playoff format itself was also chaotic: numerous playoff formats were tossed around, including brackets ranging from three to eight teams, with one owner proposing the World Bowl be canceled and the championship handed to the regular-season champion Memphis Southmen.

[[File:Warren McVea 1969.jpg|thumb|right|Running back [[Warren McVea]] began the 1974 season with Detroit but was traded to Houston a month into the season.]]
Eventually, six teams were chosen for the postseason. The two teams with the best regular-season records, Memphis and Birmingham, were awarded first-round byes. The other two division winners would play in first-round games against the runners-up in their division. Originally, Florida was to host Charlotte, while Southern California was to host the Hawaiians.

However, after being informed only 1,000 advance tickets had been sold for the Hornets' matchup against the Blazers, league officials forced the Hornets to withdraw from the playoffs. The Hornets' cut of the gate would have only been enough for their players to get $100 for the game, nowhere near enough for the financially strapped team to justify the trip to Orlando. League officials arranged for the Bell to advance in their place, as they were slightly more robustly funded and could cover their travel costs.<ref>Speck, Mark (1998). [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927003954/http://www.footballresearch.com/articles/frpage.cfm?topic=worldbowl WORLD BOWL I .... AND ONLY]. ''Coffin Corner''. Retrieved 2011-02-27.</ref>

Despite the various disasters, many thought the WFL performed fairly well, though below NFL standards. Many games were tight, decided by seven points or less, and the Action Point, the one-point conversion run or pass attempt after a touchdown, was favored among WFL coaches and critics. The league championship—the [[World Bowl (WFL)|World Bowl]], or "World Bowl I"—was staged in Birmingham between the hometown Birmingham Americans and the Florida Blazers.

Not even the World Bowl could go off without a hitch. For a time, it appeared that the game would not take place because the Americans owed $237,000 in back federal taxes. However, the [[Internal Revenue Service]] agreed to let the game go ahead in return for a portion of the gate. Both teams were owed several weeks' back pay; the Americans only agreed to play when their owner promised them championship rings if they won.

Aside from the money woes the league was having, the players did not hold back in complaining about the officiating during the game. Blazers running back [[Tommy Reamon]] scored what he thought was a touchdown, but the officials on the field ruled that he fumbled the ball out of the end zone before he hit the ground, resulting in a touchback that gave the ball to Birmingham. Replays clearly showed that the ball had broken the plane of the end zone before slipping out of Reamon's hands. While the phantom turnover did not account for any Birmingham points, it did serve to break the spirits of the Blazers. Birmingham led 15–0, with Birmingham quarterback Matthew Reed scoring an action point. Birmingham led 22–0, and thought they had the game wrapped up. However, Florida managed a small comeback, trailing 22–21 as the gun went off in the fourth quarter.<ref name="worldfootballleague.org"/> After the game, the Americans' jerseys were seized to satisfy team debts. (''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' referred to the game, prophetically, as "The first, and possibly ''only'' World Bowl".)<ref name=wbinc>{{cite magazine |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1974/12/16/world-bowl-in-crisis<!--http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1089343/index.htm--> |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Marshall |first=Joe |title=World Bowl in crisis |date=December 16, 1974|page=20}}</ref>

As if losing a championship game in a squeaker was not bad enough, things got much worse. Florida head coach Jack Pardee bolted back to the NFL to take over the [[Chicago Bears]], and the Blazers' franchise was sold off at a court-ordered auction after it was discovered that Blazers part-owner [[Rommie Loudd]] had financed the team through selling cocaine and a tax evasion scheme, for which he was arrested shortly after the season (and later convicted).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SLISAAAAIBAJ&pg=5154,2866866&dq=rommie+loudd|title=Orlando Boss Faces Charges|date=December 23, 1974|work=Spokane Daily Chronicle|access-date=June 13, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/611396872.html?dids=611396872:611396872&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Mar+11%2C+1975&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Ex-GM+in+WFL+charged+in+drug+ring&pqatl=google |title=Ex-GM in WFL charged in drug ring |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=March 11, 1975 |access-date=June 12, 2009 |archive-date=October 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021003522/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/611396872.html?dids=611396872:611396872&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&date=Mar+11,+1975&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Ex-GM+in+WFL+charged+in+drug+ring&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The champions did not fare much better; only days after the World Bowl, the Americans' office furniture was repossessed by sheriff's deputies.<ref name="worldfootballleague.org"/>

The financial losses were tremendous: The Hawaiians had lost $3.2 million, while the New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets had over $2 million of debt against just $94,000 in assets, and the Jacksonville Sharks and Detroit Wheels were liquidated owing nearly $4 million: Detroit had 122 creditors looking to recoup losses.<ref name="worldfootballleague.org"/>

Many NFL stars who had been attracted to the league quickly sought to get out of their contracts. Quarterback [[Ken Stabler]] (Raiders), defensive end [[L. C. Greenwood]] (Steelers), and quarterback [[Craig Morton]] (Giants) all were able to get courts to nullify their contracts with WFL teams, while former NFL veterans like [[George Sauer Jr.]], [[Charley Harraway]], [[Leroy Kelly]], and [[Don Maynard]] all retired.

Home-grown talent, like quarterbacks [[Tony Adams (quarterback)|Tony Adams]],  [[Danny White]], and wideout [[Alfred Jenkins]] quickly bolted for the NFL, with Adams landing with the [[Kansas City Chiefs]], White with the [[Dallas Cowboys]], and Jenkins with the [[Atlanta Falcons]]; Florida head coach Jack Pardee also got star Blazers' tight end [[Greg Latta]] to jump ship with him to the NFL's Bears.<ref name="worldfootballleague.org"/>