Atlantic Coast Football League (1969-1971)
Tombstone
Born: 1969 – The Virginia Sailors relocate to Roanoke, VA
Folded: 1972
First Game: September 5, 1969 (W @ 20-7 @ Quincy Giants)
Last Game: November 13, 1971 (W 53-14 vs. Bridgeport Jets)
ACFL Championships: None
Stadium
Victory Stadium
Opened: 1942
Demolished: 2006
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1969: Joel S. Kaufmann, et al.
- 1970-????: Richard Hamlett, et al.
NFL Affiliation: Washington Redskins
Our Favorite Stuff
ACFL Logo T-Shirt
The Atlantic Coast Football League of 1962 – 1973 was likely the closest pro football has ever come to having a true “triple-A” minor league, similar to baseball. At the league’s peak in the late 1960’s, NFL teams such as the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins maintained farm clubs in the ACFL.
This ACFL design is also available today as a Crewneck or Hooded Sweartshirt, 3/4 sleeve Raglan or Women’s Tank Top at Old School Shirts!
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Background
Roanoke, Virginia was the final stop for this well-traveled Mid-Atlantic minor league football outfit that first formed in Maryland as the Annapolis Sailors in 1965. The team played in a different city for each of the next four years, moving from Annapolis to Arlington to Alexandria to Herndon. Along the way, the team won back-to-back Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) championships as the Virginia Sailors in 1966 and 1967.
By 1969 the team landed at Roanoke’s Victory Stadium, with former Boston Red Sox All-Star outfielder Jimmy Piersall installed as General Manager and a new name – the Buckskins – that reflected the team’s new status as a farm club of the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
On The Field
Former Redskin defensive back Bill Cox coached the Sailors/Buckskins for all seven seasons of play from Annapolis through the team’s three-year run in Roanoke.
One of the most notable Buckskins players was the fullback Ray McDonald. The Redskins selected the former University of Idaho star with the #13 overall pick in the 1967 NFL draft. On September 24, 1967, McDonald ran for 98 yards and 3 touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints in his 2nd NFL game.
But McDonald only ran for another 123 yards in his NFL career after that day, hampered by a lingering Achilles tendon injury from college and, almost certainly, by his status as a closeted gay man whose homosexuality was widely presumed in the Washington locker room. During training camp in 1969, new Redskins head coach Vince Lombardi infamously cut McDonald on the spot for arriving a few minutes late (or not) a team meeting, ending his NFL career in an instant. (The Sports Illustrated article linked above suggests that McDonald’s sexual orientation was likely irrelevant to Lombardi’s decision to make an example of young running back).
McDonald was Roanoke’s leading rusher in 1969 and again in 1970.
Demise
Minor league football across the country was in a tailspin by the early 1970’s. Between the 1970 and 1971 seasons, the ACFL shrank from 11 franchises to just four. On May 31, 1972, the ACFL announced it would go dark for the 1972 season in an attempt to re-organize.
After a year off, the ACFL returned to the field for one final season in 1973, but Roanoke was not included in the re-launch of the league. The league folded for good after the 1973 campaign.
Roanoke Buckskins Shop
Editor's Pick
Outsiders II
by Bob Gill with Tod Maher & Steve Brainerd
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In Memoriam
Running back Ray McDonald (Roanoke ’69-’70) died due to AIDS-related complication on May 4, 1993. The former NFL 1st round draft pick, who became a junior high school teacher after football, was only 48 years old.
Head Coach Bill Cox passed away on May 14, 2017 at age 88.
General Manager Jimmy Piersall died on June 3, 2017 at the age of 87. New York Times obituary.
Downloads
9-5-1969 Buckskins @ Quincy Giants Roster
9-5-1969 Roanoke Buckskins @ Quincy Giants Roster
10-31-1970 Buckskins vs. Orlando Panthers Roster
Links
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4 Responses
My dad’s friend, William (Bill) Chauncey, was one of coach’s on The Roanoke Buckskins. Bill was a super nice guy. His wife, Geri, still resides here in Roanoke VA.
My Dad was President of the Buckskin Booster Club. I remember working on the programs for the games. I also remember going to their practices (as a 10 yr old – I though that was the greatest thing!) I also was a ball boy for the games, and actually held for a field goal attempt at one of the practices. I still have some of the game programs and the little footballs they used to hand otu.
Do you know anything about, my dad, Stuart Gottlieb? He played for the Buckskins.
Anyone have a photo of the horse mascot? We ended up buying him. Man. I loved that horse!