Owner Fred Anderson and Head Coach Pepper Rodgers on the cover of the 1995 Memphis Mad Dogs Media Guide

Memphis Mad Dogs

Canadian Football League (1995)

Tombstone

Born: January 28, 1995 – CFL expansion franchise11995 Canadian Football League Facts Figures & Records
Folded: November 30, 19952Harding, Thomas. “Memphis Mad Dogs will fold”. The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN). December 1, 1995

First Game: June 29, 1995 (L 24-18 @ Calgary Stampeders)
Last Game: 
October 26, 1995 (L 25-14 vs. Edmonton Eskimos)

Grey Cup Championships: None

Stadium

Liberty Bowl (63,068)31995 Canadian Football League Facts Figures & Records
Opened: 1965

Marketing

Team Colors: “Mad Dogs Green”, Burgundy & Yellow41995 Canadian Football League Facts Figures & Records

Ownership

Owner: Fred Smith

Attendance

Memphis Mad Dogs attendance ranked last in the 13-team Canadian Football League during their only season of existence.

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Source: CFL.db

 

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Memphis Mad Dogs
Logo T-Shirt

The Mad Dogs lasted just one season in Memphis, but put together quite a rogues gallery of characters that include pro football’s all-time passing yardage leader, refugees from the USFL’s showboats, an NFL 1,000-yard rusher and the some of CFL’s toughest defenders of the era.
This Mad Dogs design is available as a crewneck sweatshirt and in women’s scoop neck and women’s racerback tank styles from Old School Shirts!
 
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Background

The Memphis Mad Dogs were a one-year wonder in the Canadian Football League (yes, Canadian) and part of the CFL’s expansion misadventure into the United States between 1993 and 1995. The Mad Dogs arrived just in time for the final season of the CFL’s three-year American experiment in the fall of 1995.

Federal Express founder and CEO Frederick W. Smith led the Mad Dogs ownership group. He acquired the franchise for a reported $3 million expansion fee in December 1994.  The CFL franchise was something of a consolation prize for Smith and the City of Memphis.  Smith was part of a group of investors, led by cotton king and former Memphis Showboats owner Billy Dunavant, that tried to land an NFL expansion franchise for Memphis in 1993.  The proposed NFL team would have been named the Memphis Hound Dogs, due to the participation of the Elvis Presley Estate in the investor group.  But Dunavant & Co. lost out to Charlotte and Jacksonville in the NFL sweepstakes. When Smith brought the CFL to town a little more than a year later, it felt like sloppy seconds to many area football fans.

Memphis did have an intriguing pro football track record.  The Memphis Southmen of the mid-1970’s World Football League drew strong crowds at the Liberty Bowl.  That club made national headlines by luring a trio of stars – Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield – away from the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in 1975.  The mid-1980’s saw the arrival of Dunavant’s Showboats, a popular franchise in the United States Football League.  The Showboats launched the Hall-of-Fame pro career of University of Tennessee defensive end Reggie White. During the USFL’s final season in the spring of 1985, the Showboats averaged more than 30,000 fans per game.  But the USFL folded in 1986 taking the ‘Boats down with it.

1995 Memphis Mad Dogs program from the Canadian Football League

The Roster: CFL All-Stars, Showboats Connections

The Mad Dogs re-assembled parts of the USFL brain trust to try and re-capture the Showboats’ buzz.  Charismatic former Showboats Head Coach Pepper Rodgers – equal parts promoter and coach – returned as Head Coach and minority partner of the Mad Dogs.  Ex-Showboats front office executives Steve Ehrhart and Rudi Schiffer returned in key positions.  The team even signed 35-year old quarterback Mike Kelley, the Showboats back-up quarterback in 1984-85.  Kelley hadn’t played a down of football in eight years, since suiting up as an NFL replacement player during the 1987 player strike.

The Mad Dogs featured a formidable defense. Two-time CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player Greg Battle headed the linebacking corps. Perennial CFL All-Stars Tim Cofield (DE) and Rodney Harding (DT) anchored the line.  The offense ranked near the bottom of the league, but featured a couple of notable names in starting quarterback Damon Allen and 34-year old running back Gary Anderson. Anderson was a former 1,000-yard rusher in both the USFL and the NFL.  Allen had a mediocre season for the Mad Dogs, passing for only 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.  But he would go to play 23 seasons in the CFL, retiring in 2007 as the all-time leading passer by yardage in professional football history (at the time) with 72,381 passing yards.

Discovery of Joe Horn

The Mad Dogs greatest legacy is likely the discovery of wide receiver Joe Horn, an unheralded community college player who previously kicked around a few other CFL training camps without latching on.  Horn was a 1,000-yard receiver for the Mad Dogs in 1995, and attracted the attention of NFL scouts.  The Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in the 5th round in 1996.  Horn went onto a 12-season NFL career, earning four Pro Bowl appearances with the New Orleans Saints between 2000 and 2004.

Put Down

The Mad Dogs debuted at the Liberty Bowl on July 7, 1995, losing their second game of the season 31-13 to the British Columbia Lions.  A disappointing crowd of 14,278 turned out for the inaugural game in the 62,000-seat bowl.  A few late summer games cracked the 20,000 barrier. But once college football started up in September, attendance plummeted down to around 10,000 per game.

The Mad Dogs played their final game on October 26, 1995, a 25-13 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos before an announced crowd of 12,078 at the Liberty Bowl.  A little over a month later, Fred Smith threw in the towel and folded the club. Published accounts at the time pegged his losses at anywhere from $3 million to $6 million.  The four other American CFL franchises soon followed suit, bringing an end to the CFL southern adventure after three seasons.

 

Memphis Mad Dogs Shop

Editor's Pick

borders wars

The Era of American Expansion in the CFL
By Ed Willes
 

End Zones and Border Wars is the story of the Canadian Football League’s ill-fated period
of expansion into the United States during the early to mid-
1990s. It was a time filled with intriguing characters, from John
Candy to Nick Mileti to Pepper Rodgers, the coach who loved everything
about the Canadian game except the rules and the teams. With
a cast of investors who are hopeful but unfamiliar with the game,
bizarre stories emerge, from the Las Vegas Posse practising in the
parking lot of the Riviera to the Shreveport Pirates camping out
above a barn full of circus animals.

 

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Mad Dogs MErcH

Memphis Mad Dogs
Mini-Helmet

This Mad Dogs Mini Helmet is available through Royal Retros.
  • 15 oz. mini helmet
  • Available in the classic helmet style by Schutt or modern style by Riddell
  • Typically ships in 3-5 business days
  • Fulfilled by 417 Helmets
 
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Memphis Mad Dogs Video

The Mad Dogs host the Edmonton Eskimos at the Liberty Bowl. October 26th, 1995

 

In Memoriam

Head Coach Pepper Rodgers passed away at age 88 on May 14, 2020 after suffering a fall at home. Los Angeles Times obituary.

 

Links

Canadian Football League Media Guides

Canadian Football League Programs

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