The Central Texas Stampede were a minor professional hockey team out of Belton that played four full seasons and part of a fifth between 1996 and 2001. Consistently strong on the ice, the Stampede never had a losing season or failed to make the Western Professional Hockey League during their four full seasons of competition. But the team was undone by ownership instability and disbanded in midway through its fifth season of play in January 2001.
The Santa Barbara Spikers were a co-ed professional volleyball promotion that won the championship of the International Volleyball Association (IVA) during the summer of 1978. The Spikers were the only IVA franchise to compete in all six seasons of the league’s existence from the league’s debut in 1975 until its collapse in 1980.
The Trenton Lightning were an indoor football team that managed to play just six games during April and May of 2001. The team, coached by former Denver Broncos running back Vaughn Hebron, lost all six of its contests before financial scandals caused the team to disband. Later investigations revealed that Lightning founder Philip Subhan, an American Express Financial Advisor, funded the team with money embezzled from his clients. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2004.
Florida International League (1946-1954) Born: 1946 – Florida International League founding franchise Re-Branded: February 15, 1947 (Miami Tourists) Re-Branded (Again): January 1949 (Miami Sun Sox)
The Long Beach Barracuda were one of eight founding members of the independent Western Baseball League during the summer of 1995. The Barracuda, who played at Blair Field, were Long Beach’s first professional team since the Beachcombers of 1913. The club was strong on the field under the direction of former American League Most Valuable Player and a circus behind the scenes. By the end of the summer, the Barracuda had declared bankruptcy, fought off a takeover bid from actress Heather Locklear, changed their name and won the league championship.
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