The San Francisco Spiders were a One-Year Wonder in the International Hockey League playing out of the Cow Palace in Daly City. The Spiders followed the Shamrocks (1978-1979) and preceded the Bulls (2012-2014) in that building’s brutal history of doomed ice hockey ventures. On the plus side, the Spiders featured future Hall-of-Famer Rod Langway skating his final pro season.
The Golden Gaters tennis team was the Bay Area franchise in the co-ed World Team Tennis league of the mid-1970’s. Of the league’s original 16 franchises that debuted in 1974, the Golden Gaters were one of just two that remained standing in its original city when the league played its final season in 1978. The league considered the Golden Gaters to be its “San Francisco” franchise, but the team played nearly all of its matches in blue-collar Oakland at the Coliseum Arena.
The San Francisco Saints were a One-Year Wonder in the upstart American Basketball League that briefly attempted to challenge the NBA during the early 60’s. The Saints finished 38-38 in their only season of play. The franchise relocated across the Bay to Oakland as the Oakland Oaks for the 1962-63 season.
This short-lived entry in the Major Indoor Soccer League lasted just one season at the Cow Palace during the winter of 1980-81. With former San Jose Earthquakes star Johnny Moore onboard as player-coach, the Fog finished with the worst record (11-29) in the 12-team MISL that winter. The franchise moved to Kansas City prior to the 1981-82 season.
Pacific Hockey League (1977-1979) Born: 1977 – PHL founding franchise Folded: January 3, 1979 First Game: Last Game: PHL Champions: 1978 The Cow Palace Opened:1941 Team Colors: Owners: Jerry
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