AAA Teams in Non-NFL Cities 1974-2020
| City | WFL | USFL | WLAF | XFL | UFL | AAF |
| (Years) | 1974-75 | 1983-85 | 1991-92 | 2001 | 2009-11 | 2019 |
| Orlando | Blazers | Renegades | Thunder | Rage | Tuskers | Apollos |
| Memphis | Southmen | Showboats | Maniax | Express | ||
| Orange Co. | Sun | |||||
| Honolulu | Hawaiians | |||||
| Portland | Storm / Thunder | Breakers | ||||
| Shreveport | Steamer | |||||
| Birmingham | Vulcans | Stallions | Fire | Bolts | Iron | |
| San Antonio | Wings | Gunslingers | Riders | Commanders | ||
| New Jersey | Generals | Knights | Hitmen | |||
| Arizona | Wranglers | Hotshots | ||||
| Oklahoma | Outlaws | |||||
| Raleigh-Durham | Skyhawks | |||||
| Sacramento | Surge | Mountain Lions | ||||
| Columbus | Glory | |||||
| Hartford | Colonials | |||||
| Omaha | Nighthawks | |||||
| Virginia | Destroyers | |||||
| Salt Lake | Stallions |
Legend
| Acronym | League | Years |
| WFL | World Football League | 1974-1975 |
| USFL | United States Football League | 1983-1985 |
| WLAF | World League of American Football | 1991-1992 |
| XFL | XFL | 2001; 2020 |
| UFL | United Football League | 2009-2011 |
| AAF | Alliance of American Football | 2019 |
Report
With the current round of name changes and city moves in the National Football League (NFL) – Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas Raiders, San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles Chargers, St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers to San Jose (but still called San Francisco), and Washington Redskins renamed Washington Football team – Eirball takes a look at Non-NFL Cities that have had AAA League (2nd Division Minor League) Teams since the World Football League in the 1970s.
The NFL has often looked at where AAA markets have worked, and later put expansion teams in those cities, and has often reused names from those AAA Leagues (e.g. Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals as well as using the names Seahawks, Panthers, Texans to name but three, although in different cities to the AAA teams of that name).
The most popular cities for AAA teams have been Orlando (6 – World Football League, United States Football League, World League of American Football, XFL, United Football League and Alliance of American Football); Birmingham (5 – WFL, USFL, WLAF, XFL, AAF); Memphis (4 – WFL, USFL, XFL, AAF); and San Antonio (4 – WFL, USFL, WLAF, AAF).
References
Images
[1] Sports Logos History (2018) USFL Logo 1983-1985 [Internet] Available from: https://sportslogohistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/united_states_football_league.png [Accessed 31 December 2019]
Websites
[2] Bob Braunwart, The Coffin Corner, Pro Football Researchers Association (1988) WFL by Team Records [Internet] Available from: http://profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/10-03-337.pdf [Accessed 9 October 2018]
[3] Pro Football Archives (2019) Adrian Young [Internet] Available from: https://www.profootballarchives.com/playery/youn00400.html [Accessed 12 October 2019]
Websites
[4] USFL.info (2017) 1983 Standings [Internet] Available from: http://www.usfl.info/1983standings.html [Accessed 3 February 2017]
[5] USFL.info (2017) 1983 Playoffs [Internet] Available from: http://www.usfl.info/1983playoffs.html [Accessed 3 February 2017]
[6] USFL.info (2017) 1984 Standings [Internet] Available from: http://www.usfl.info/1984standings.html [Accessed 3 February 2017]
[7] USFL.info (2017) 1984 Playoffs [Internet] Available from: http://www.usfl.info/1984playoffs.html [Accessed 3 February 2017]
[8] USFL.info (2017) 1985 Standings [Internet] Available from: http://www.usfl.info/1985standings.html [Accessed 3 February 2017]
[9] USFL.info (2017) 1985 Playoffs [Internet] Available from: http://www.usfl.info/1985playoffs.html [Accessed 3 February 2017]
Websites
[10] World League of American Football (2018) WLAF History: 1992 [Internet] Available from: http://www.worldleagueofamericanfootball.com/id166.html [Accessed 23 April 2018]
[11] Remember the XFL (2017) XFL Final Standings [Internet] Available from: http://sites.google.com/site/rememberthexfl/standings [Accessed 3 February 2017]
[12] United Football League | Internet Archive (2010) Schedule 2009 [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20100102212241/http://www.ufl-football.com/schedule [Accessed 13 August 2019]
[13] United Football League | Internet Archive (2011) Schedule 2010 [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20110609043730/http://www.ufl-football.com/schedule [Accessed 13 August 2019]
[14] United Football League | Internet Archive (2011) Schedule 2011 [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20111026023511/http://www.ufl-football.com/schedule [Accessed 13 August 2019]
[15] Alliance of American Football (2019) Standings [Internet] Available from: https://aaf.com/standings [Accessed 4 April 2019]
[16] Alliance of American Football (2019) Scores [Internet] Available from: https://aaf.com/scores [Accessed 4 April 2019]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Tim Leadingham, Brianna Wallace, Bart Barden and Todd Zboyan.
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 6 October 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and World Gridiron Archive 2020
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.
