Jacksonville Sharks (1974)
January 20, 2013
The Jacksonville Sharks were a high profile flop in the World Football League. The poorly financed club is remembered primarily for going out of business in the middle of the league’s first season in October 1974. The Sharks debut on July 11, 1974 seemed promising. A huge announced crowd of 59,112 showed up at the Gator Bowl to watch the Sharks defeat the New York Stars 14-7. The next Sharks home game on July 24th drew over 46,000. But word soon got out that many of the tickets were freebies. By September, crowds dwindled to fewer than 20,000 per game.
