World League of American Football (1991-1992)
Tombstone
Born: April 26, 1990 – WLAF founding franchise11991 Sacramento Surge Media Guide
Folded: September 1992
First Game: March 23, 1991 (W 20-5 @ Birmingham Fire)
Last Game: May 23, 1992 (L 41-21 @ New York-New Jersey Knights)
World Bowl Championships: None
Stadium
Olympic Stadium (56,384)
Opened: 1976
Marketing
Team Colors: Maroon, Silver & Navy
Ownership
Owner: Roger Dore
Attendance
Tap (mobile) or mouse over chart for figures. Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.
Source: Kenn.com Attendance Project
WLAF WEAR
Montreal Machine Replica Jersey
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Background
The Montreal Machine were a popular pro football franchise in the NFL-sponsored World League of American Football (WLAF) from 1991 to 1992. The WLAF was a springtime league that included three European teams (Barcelona, Frankfurt, London), the Machine, and six U.S.-based clubs (Birmingham, New York-New Jersey, Orlando, Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, San Antonio).
The Machine were never particularly competitive on the field. The club posted losing records of 4-6 and 2-8 in their two seasons of existence. But at the turnstiles, the team was a hit. The Machine defied both the lackluster box office of the other North American WLAF clubs and the checkered history of pro football in Montreal. The Machine’s home debut on April 1st, 1991 against the Barcelona Dragons pulled a league record crowd of 53,238 at Olympic Stadium.
Francophone Appeal
For the 1991 season, the Machine averaged 31,882 fans, third in the WLAF behind London and New York-New Jersey. League officials and media observers attributed the Machine’s success to its embrace of French language and culture. Team President Roger Dore, a former Labatt’s executive, GM Gordon Cahill and Head Coach Jacques Dussault were all French-speaking Quebec natives and were able to market the team to sponsors, media and fans in French.
Crowd composition reflected the “French Connection” marketing approach. According to a 1991 Chicago Tribune article Machine officials estimated that 80-90% of the Machine’s fan were young (18-35) and French-speaking. The Associated Press reported that Montreal fans at the 1991 home opener booed the Canadian National Anthem.
Attendance sagged in 1992 as the novelty wore off and the Machine continued to play poorly on the field (2-8). The Machine were selected as the neutral site hosts of the 1992 World Bowl at Olympic Stadium. 43,789 showed up on June 6, 1992 for the title game to see the Sacramento Surge defeated the Orlando Thunder 21-17. The game was broadcast back to the United States on the USA cable network.
Key Players
Notable players included punter Chris Mohr, who used his 1991 stint in the WLAF to launch a 14-year NFL career. Tight end Keith Jennings had a seven-year career in the NFL after playing for the Machine in 1991.
The club also featured several NFL veterans finishing out their careers in the WLAF. This short list included former Cincinnati Bengals 1st round draft bust Emanuel King, long-time Detroit Lions wide receiver Pete Mandley, ex-Kansas City Chiefs tight end K.D. Dunn, quarterback Anthony Dilweg who never panned out with the Green Bay Packers, and former Dallas Cowboys backup QB Kevin Sweeney.
Former Los Angeles Raiders linebacker Reggie McKenzie (1985-1988) made a comeback with the Machine in 1992. After his playing days, McKenzie went into administration. He was named General Manager of the Oakland Raiders in January 2012.
Demise
World Bowl ’92 turned out to be the final hurrah for the WLAF. The league’s NFL financiers pulled the plug in September 1992 after two seasons. The league was re-constituted three years later as NFL Europe. The reboot brought back the Barcelona, Frankfurt and London franchises, but abandoned the North American market.
Pro Football – of the three-down, 110-yard Canadian variety – returned to Montreal in 1996 with yet another re-boot of the Montreal Alouettes brand in the Canadian Football League. This time it took and the new Alouettes embarked on their 20th season of play in the summer of 2015.
Montreal Machine Shop
Global Fashion
WLAF Logo T-Shirt
Hope springs eternal, it seems, that someone will make professional spring football work in the United States. But even the NFL itself couldn’t make it happen with its own short-lived developmental league of the early ’90’s. Still, there’s never been another league that gave us rivalries like Birmingham versus Barcelona…
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Machine Merch
Montreal Machine Logo T-Shirt
The Montreal Machine of NFL-sponsored World League of American Football was the first Canadian pro football team to play by U.S. rules since the short-lived Toronto Rifles of the 1960’s.
The Machine helped fill the void for Quebecois football fans for a portion of the Canadian Football League’s decade-long absence from Montreal between 1986 and 1996.
This shirt is available today in Heather or Maroon from Royal Retros and in sizes S thru 5XL!
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Montreal Machine Video
The Machine visit the San Antonio Riders. ABC Sports full game broadcast from May 19th, 1991.
Links
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One Response
La Machine! I love the WLAF. Even though I’m from PA, I was a HUGE Expos fan, so I usually rooted for Montreal (except for hockey). My favorite WLAF team was Sacramento (I have a COMPLETE Surge uniform – jersey, helmet, pants, socks) and they played Orlando in the World Bowl in Montreal – so it was the perfect storm for me (I even have one of the World Bowl game balls and hosted a big party for people to watch the game). Years later in Montreal I picked up a cool, brand new, Machine t-shirt for like $3 Canadian (that’s when your US dollar went further). Another pieces of Machine memorbilia I own is kicker Björn Nittmo’s 1992 home AND road jerseys with the Montreal 250 patch on both of them! I don’t truly think the NFL realized what a great league they had. If teams weren’t drawing 50K a game, then the league was a flop. Spring/Summer football will return one day…and maybe I might just own one of those teams 😉