Spotlight

Chicago Feds opening day ad

Chicago Whales – Chicago Chifeds (1913-1915)

The Chicago Whales were established in 1913 as the Chicago Feds in 1913, charter members of the Federal League (FL). The FL was an attempt to start a third major league to compete with the established American and National Leagues. The circuit was done after three seasons, the last two as a major league. The most recognizable piece of the league’s legacy is Wrigley Field, opened as Weeghman Field, the Whale’s home in 1915, later taken over by the NL Cubs.

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1975 Jacksonville Express program from the World Football League

Jacksonville Express

The Jacksonville Express was a franchise that existed for part of one season in the World Football League during the summer and autumn of 1975.  The WFL was an under-funded effort to challenge the NFL head-to-head in the fall, along the lines of the AFL-NFL rivalry of the 1960’s. Jacksonville was one of the league’s original cities in 1974, but the Jacksonville Sharks club went kaput midway through the season. The WFL took another crack at Jacksonville in 1975 with the formation of the Express. But this time the entire league folded halfway through the regular season on October 22nd. The Express had a 6-5 record when their season was cut short.

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Honoring the Negro Leagues

Cleveland Buckeyes

Baltimore Elite Giants (1938-1951)

The Baltimore Elite Giants got their start in Nashville, before moving to Columbus, Ohio for one year, then to Washington, D.C. They moved down the road in Baltimore in 1938 and played there until 1950, before spending their final season back in Tennessee.

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Retro Hockey

Winnipeg Jets program

Winnipeg Jets (1972-1996)

The original Winnipeg Jets were charter members of the WHA in 1972. They moved to the NHL in 1979, along with three other WHA squads. In 1995, they were sold and moved to Phoenix for the 1996-97 hockey season. The name was revived when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Manitoba in 2011 and assumed the Jets name but not their history.

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baseball History

1998 Atlantic City Surf baseball program from the Atlantic League

Atlantic City Surf

The Atlantic City Surf were one of the six original franchises in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The Atlantic League was (and remains) the most ambitious league to arise out of the independent baseball boom of the 1990’s. The Surf played at the Sandcastle, a 5,900-seat ballpark built on the grounds of Atlantic City’s municipal airport, Bader Field. The stadium was built with $11.5 million in Casino Reinvestment Development Authority funds and $3 million in taxpayer bonds.

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Soccer Indoor and outdoor

New Jersey Stallions Pro Soccer

New Jersey Stallions

The New Jersey Stallions are a long-time youth club soccer program operating out of Clifton, New Jersey. But during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the organization also operated men’s – and, briefly, women’s – pro & amateur teams in the United Soccer Leagues. The Stallions debuted in 1996 and the Lady Stallions women’s club joined the USL in 2003. Following the 2004 season, the Stallions shuttered both their men’s and women’s USL adult clubs.

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Arena Football

1990 Albany Firebirds Media Guide from the Arena Football League

Albany Firebirds (1990-2000)

Arena Football League (1990-2000) Founded: April 19, 1990 – Arena Football expansion franchise Moved: October 19, 2000 (Indiana Firebirds) First Game: June 9, 2000 (W 16-12 vs. Washington Commandos) Last Game: August 5, 2000 (L 53-50 vs. Arizona Rattlers) Arena Bowl Champions: 1999 Knickerbocker Arena (13,652) Opened: 1990 Team Colors: Orange,

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1970-71 Sporting News American Basketball Association Guide

American Basketball Association (1967-1976)

The American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed in 1967 as a competitor to the established National Basketball Association (NBA). It started with 11 teams, and within a few years was angling for a merger with the older league. In 1976, the NBA took in four ABA teams, while three other surviving teams disbanded.

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Baltimore Football Club

Baltimore Stallions (Baltimore Football Club/Baltimore CFL Colts)

The Baltimore Stallions played two seasons in the CFL starting in 1994. The most successful of the league’s American teams, they went to the Grey Cup following both seasons, winning in 1995. The team experienced grief off the field from the NFL, first with a lawsuit over using the name Colts, then by the relocation of the Cleveland Browns.

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