Charlotte Barons

Minor League Football System (1989-1990)

Tombstone

Born: 1989 – Minor League Football System founding franchise
Folded: 1990

First Game: July 29, 1989 (W 37-10 @ Florida Renegades)
Last Game: September 30, 1990 (W 24-18 @ Pueblo Crusaders)

MLFS Champions: 1990

Stadium

American Legion Memorial Stadium
Opened: 1936

Marketing

Team Colors:

Ownership

Owner: Vic Gatto

Background

The Charlotte Barons were an outstanding semi-pro football team that played two summer/fall seasons at American Legion Memorial Stadium in 1989 and 1990. The Barons were founding members of the Minor League Football System (MLFS) a nationwide network of semi-pro cubs with never-to-be-realized aspirations of evolving into a developmental league for the NFL.

MLFS attracted some strong players, including many with NFL and Canadian Football League training camp experience and others who would go on to play in the Arena Football League during the 1990’s. The 1989 Barons squad featured former University of Alabama quarterback Vince Sutton and ex-Duke University halfback Stanley Monk in starring roles. But the league was truly a semi-professional operation. MLFS players received no paychecks. Instead, franchises were responsible for providing housing and helping players to find local jobs to pay their bills. The latter expectation was a commitment that several MLFS struggled to fulfill and it was not unusual to see players quit the league in the middle of a season due to financial pressures.

Team owner Vic Gatto was the head coach at Davidson College just north of Charlotte. Gatto was a former college football star, captaining Harvard’s football team during its legendary 29-29 tie with Yale in 1968 to claim the Ivy League title. During MLFS second and final season in 1990 Gatto owned both the Barons and the rival Bay State Titans franchise in Massachusetts.

Domination

The Barons were the class of the Minor League Football System in both of the league’s seasons of play. The 1989 Barons squad ran roughshod over the league enroute to a spotless 12-0 regular season record. But because the Pueblo Crusaders (7 wins, 4 losses) drew better crowds during the season than the Barons, MLFS officials decreed that Pueblo would host the semi-final playoff battle between the two clubs. The Barons travelled to Colorado on November 11th, 1989 and lost in a 20-12 upset.

The Barons returned in 1990 with a complete overhaul. Former University of South Carolina assistant Jim Washburn replaced Larry Story as head coach. Only nine players returned from the 1989 roster – an unsurprising development given the lack of pay. Former Florida State University signal caller Chip Ferguson took over the starting quarterback role.

Despite the new faces, the Barons didn’t miss a beat. Charlotte raced through the regular season with a 10-1 record while franchises dropped out and MLFS collapsed around them. In the playoffs, the Barons once gain had to travel to Colorado for a re-match with the Pueblo Crusaders (also 10-1). This time, the Barons got the best of another close game, with running back Cliff Reid plunging into the end zone from 1-yard out in overtime to clinch a 24-18 victory and the MLFS title.

Reid’s touchdown dive turned out to be the final play in the league’s brief history. MLFS shut down quietly during the winter of 1990 and the Barons closed up shop along with it.