Ottawa Civics
April 8, 2026 No Comments
The Ottawa Civics were the former Denver Spurs. They moved to the Canadian capital in January 1976 but lasted just 11 games in Ontario.
Spotlight
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San Antonio Toros
September 24, 2023 4 Comments
The San Antonio Toros were a powerhouse minor league football squad of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Between 1967 and 1971 the Toros won five consecutive league titles, thanks to a unusually stable core of returning players that came back to the Toros year after year. The Toros disappeared from the scene in 1975 after getting displaced by the San Antonio Wings of the more ambitious World Football League.
Honoring the Negro Leagues
Kansas City Monarchs (1920-1965)
April 15, 2025 No Comments
The Kanas City Monarchs are perhaps the best known Negro Leagues baseball team of all time. They played from the inception of the first Negro league in 1920 until finishing up as a barnstorming team in 1965.
Retro Hockey
Las Vegas Thunder
November 30, 2013 1 Comment
The Las Vegas Thunder were a six-year entry in the International Hockey League during that organization’s gold rush era of nationwide expansion in the mid-1990’s. Minor league baseball investors Hank Stickney and his son Ken paid a $2.0 million expansion fee for the Thunder in 1993. The Stickneys also owned the Las Vegas Stars Class AAA baseball team.
baseball History
Atlantic City Surf
December 31, 2017 2 Comments
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.
Soccer Indoor and outdoor
Lehigh Valley Steam
March 26, 2021 No Comments
This doomed 2nd division men’s club was part of the disastrous Lehigh Valley Multi-Purpose Stadium project, intended to bring minor league baseball and pro soccer to the Easton/Allentown region of Pennsylvania during the late 1990’s. The Steam would be the region’s first outdoor pro soccer team since the Pennsylvania Stoners, who played out of Allentown and Bethlehem, folded in 1984. When the stadium project failed to come to fruition, the Steam embarked on a single, futile season in the USL A-League during the summer of 1999, cobbling together a schedule of “home” matches in various sites around Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Steam officially disbanded in December 1999.
Arena Football
Connecticut Coyotes
December 3, 2019 No Comments
The Coyotes were the first of two half-hearted efforts to establish the Arena Football League at the Hartford Civic Center during the 1990’s. The Coyotes were really dreadful, posting a 3-23 record across two seasons in 1995 and 1996. The New England Sea Wolves (1999-2000) were more competitive but also lasted just two seasons in Hartford before leaving town.
Carolina Cougars ABA (1969-1974)
April 7, 2026 No Comments
The Carolina Cougars played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1969 to 1974. The team was established as the Houston Mavericks and spent two seasons in Texas before being purchased by North Carolina syndicate. The team was sold and moved to Missouri and became the Spirits of St. Louis in 1974.
Sacramento Gold Miners
March 5, 2019 1 Comment
The Sacramento Gold Miners were the first U.S.-based franchise admitted into the Canadian Football League during the CFL’s short-lived American expansion adventure from 1993 to 1995. The Gold Miners weren’t a brand new operation though. Owner Fred Anderson’s team previously played in the NFL-sponsored World League of American Football (WLAF) as the Sacramento Surge in 1991 and 1992. After NFL owners pulled the plug on the WLAF in September 1992, Anderson applied for entry to the CFL. The team retained its color scheme, Head Coach Kay Stephenson and a number of players from the WLAF era, but changed its name upon joining the CFL.