1990
January 15, 1990
Robert C. Sloane,
a 20 year marketing veteran, is appointed Vice President of Marketing. He most recently sreved as Director of Worldwide
Marketing at Colgate-Palmolive and was previously President of Shulton Canada Inc.
January 26, 1990
The league announces
the opening of it's London office, which will be directed by Billy Hicks, newly named European-Coordinator.
February 6, 1990
WLAF announces
2 year TV deal with ABC. It will broadcast regular season games as well as post-season games beginning in the spring
of 1991. ABC will televise exclusively 10 regular season games on Sunday afternoons and a package of playoff games.
February 13, 1990
Bob Rose, former
Public Relations Director with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, is named Vice President of Communications for the League.
March
10, 1990
The World League announces a four-year, primetime cable television
agreement with USA Network, beginning in the inaugural 1991 season. The contract guarantees that USA Network
will provide two years of Saturday and Monday night prime-time games in 1991 and 1992 and two additional years of either Saturday
night or Monday night games in 1993 and 1994. In addition, in 1991 and 1992, USA Network will carry six European Specials
from Europe for Saturday afternoon viewing in the U.S., plus another 14 games cablecast regionally in prime-time.
March 14, 1990
At the league's Board of Director's Meeting in Orlando,
FL, the World League announces that Carmen Policy of the San Francisco 49ers will replace Al Davis on the board effective
immediately. In addition, the Board is expanded from seven to eight members with the addition of World League President,
Tex Schramm.
March 15, 1990
Orlando, FL., is awarded the first franchise in the 12 team
World League of American Football.
March 18, 1990
The World League announces the addition of it's second charter franchise, Birmingham, AL., one of the nation's
richest cities in football tradition.
March 26, 1990
Montreal, Canada, long regarded as one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, is awarded a World
League franchise.
April
26, 1990
San
Antonio, TX., one of the top growth markets in the U.S., joins the World League as the fourth charter member.
May 2, 1990
Brent Musburger joins ABC Sports and it is announced that
he will pair with Dick Vermeil to broadcast World League games.
May 19, 1990
Barcelona, Spain, a world class city with an emerging reptation in international
sports. is awarded Europe's first World League franshise, the fifth overall.
May 22, 1990
Jerry Vainisi, a well respected and popular NFL executive
with the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears for the past 19 years, is named Vice President of Football Management for the
World League.
May
24, 1990
The
World League announces the use of electronic radio communication in the player's helmets for the new international league's
first season.
June
8, 1990
Sacramento, CA. a burgeoning Top 20 television market and capitol of the nation's
most populous state, becomes the sixth city to be officially awarded a World League team.
June 18,
1990
Frankfurt, West-Germany, an internationaly respected city and one of Western
Europe's leaders in business, culture and sports, is awarded the seventh World League franchise.
June 21,
1990
World League, under Vice President of Marketing, Bob Sloane, kicks off a four
city tour of marketers to present League's Sponsorship Program. Citites to be visited - New York, Chicago, Detroit and Los
Angeles.
August 3, 1990
London, England is officially
awarded the eighth World League franchise. Wembley Stadium, one of the world's most revered sports stadiums, will be
the franchise site of home games.
August 16, 1990
Dan Rambo,
assistant general manager of the CFL Saskatchawan Roughriders, is named College Scouting Coordinator of the World League.
August
17, 1990
Chet Franklin, a 19 year veteran of the NFL coaching and player personnel, is
appointed the League's Pro Player Scouting Coordinator.
August 21, 1990
First
two corporate sponsors of the World League are announced, Wilson Sporting Goods Co. and Riddell, Inc. enter into three year
sponsorship agreements. Wilson will supply the official World League football and Riddell will make the league's helmets,
shoulder pads and other equipment.
September 6, 1990
Andrew
D. Brandt, formerly with Proserv, Inc., an athlete management firm, joins the league as In-House Counsel and Special Assistant
to the President.
September 20, 1990
League
appoints Vince Casey, former public relations director for the New York Rangers (North American Soccer League) and NFL Management
Council, as it's Director of Information.
September 21, 1990
Former
University of Pittsburgh head coach Mike Gottfried is named a competition consultant and will be responsible for the league's
uniform offensive system.
September 24, 1990
Joe Collier,
for 21 years the defensive strategist for the Denver Broncos, is appointed competition consultant, with assignment to develop
overall World League defensive system.
September 27, 1990
Delta
Airlines becomes the first charter corporate sponsor and the official U.S. airline of the World League, with current/projected
flight schedules in all the league's cities.
October 2, 1990
Kentucky Fried Chicken, the world's largest chicken restaurant chain, becomes
the exclusive fast food restaurant of the World League.
October 9, 1990
The League names it's college scouting staff under the direction of Dan Rambo:
Bryan Broaddus - Assistant to the College Scouting Coordinator, Jeff Beathard, Derrick Jensen, Kenny King, Mike Maccagnan,
Terry McDonough and Lionel Vital.
October 11, 1990
Larry Wansley, an executive with over 25 years experience in the security and professional football fields,
is selected as Coordinator of Security and Counseling Services. League also appoints Les Miller as it's Coordinator,
Scouting Combine and Draft and Mike Wade as it's Assistant Director of Information.
October 12, 1990
The World League announces that its forst owners/administrative
meetings and players' scouting combine and allocation draft will be held in Orlando, FL. from February 8-24, 1991.
October 18, 1990
A nine-city North American player evaluation tour, beginning
November 3 and ending December 2, is announced by the League. Players signed at these sessions will participate in the
World League scouting combine and player allocation draft in February, 1991.
November 8, 1990
World League reaches two year agreement with TV 3 Catalunya,
the premier broadcaster in the Catalunya region of Spain, to provide live or delayed coverage of Barcelona's 10 World League
games.
November
14, 1990
World
League announces that it will kick off its inaugural season in 1991 with 10 charter franchises in a three divisional setup:
Europe - Barcelona, London and Frankfurt, North America East: Montreal, New York,
Orlando and Raleigh-Durham, and North American West: Birmingham,
Sacramento, and San Antonio. The League also announces that it has approved ownership commitments in eight of the 10
cities.
November
15, 1990
An
investor group headed by Gavin Maloof, former President and Owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets, acquires ownership of the
Birmingham franchise. Maloff, Vice Chairman of the Maloof Companies and President of Quality Import Company of Albuquerque,
N.M. will be the majority owner and managing partner.
November 15, 1990
A local investment group headed by attorney Larry J. Benson and legendary Hall
of Fame coach Tom Landry purchases ownership of the San Antonio franchise. Benson, a practicing attorney in San Antonio
and Chairman of the Board of Kelly Bank, previously held a minority partnership in the New Orleans Saints form 1985-1989.
Landry, the third winningist coach (as of 1990) in NFL history, posted a 150-162-6 record during 29 years as head coach of
the Dallas Cowboys.
November
19, 1990
Fred
Anderson of Pacific Coast Building Products, Inc., founder and owner of one of Amercia's largest privately owned companies,
acquires majority ownership of the Sacramento franchise. In his first personnel decision, Anderson names former NFL
and USFL executive Mike Keller as the team's general manager.
November 28, 1990
Raj Bhathal, owner of one of the largest swimwear companies in the United States
- Raj Manufacturing - becomes owner of the Orlando franchise and names the team the "Thunder," the first WLAF team
to recieve a nickname.
November
29, 1990
George
Shinn, owner and chief architect behind the Charlotte Hornets' NBA expansion success story, acquires ownership rights to the
Raleigh-Durham franchise and proceeds to name Roman Gabriel, former Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback,
as the club's General Manager.
December 3, 1990
WLAF signs two year agreement with British Sky Broadcasting's Eurosport to provide live or delayed TV coverage
of its games to 21 nations, with a potential 52 million viewers in Europe.
December 4, 1990
Sacramento announces its team name - the "Surge"
December 5, 1990
Josep M. Figueras, prominent real estate entrepeneur and
President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, is named owner of the Barcelona franchise and announces its team's nickname
- "Dragons"
December
6, 1990
A
consortium headed by restauranteur and hotel owner Bob Payton is announced as operator of the London franchise. Named
London's President, Payton, founder of My Kinda Town restaurant chain, announces that the team's nickname will be the "Monarchs"
and the Billy Hicks, European Coordinator of the WLAF, will become General Manager.
December 6, 1990
The Birmingham franchise announces it will be called the
"Fire" and appoints Michael Huyghue, Labor Relations Counsel for four years for the NFL Management Coucil, as General
Manager.
December
18, 1990
World
League, which operates the Frankfurt franchise, appoints Oliver Luck, former NFL quarterback and attorner who has practiced
in Germany, as General Manager and reveals the team's name - the "Galaxy".
December 20, 1990
League announces that F.X. Sillerman, a communications magnate
whose financial investments include radio stations covering nine U.S. top ten markets, has acquired ownership rights for the
New York franchise. Sillerman announces Reggie Williams, former linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals and a member of
the Cincinnati City Council, will become General Manager of the team to be known as the "Knights".
December 20, 1990
A 50 game regular season schedule that begins on March 23,
1991 and ends on May 27 is announced, with the first ever WLAF game to be played in Frankfurt's Waldstadion, when the London
Monarchs visit the Frankfurt Galaxy at 8 pm European time on March 23.
December 20, 1990
Kay Stephenson, a former NFL quarterback and one time youngest
NFL coach with the Buffalo Bills, is named Head Coach of the Sacramento Surge, thus becoming the first such field appointment
in the WLAF.
December
21, 1990
Roger
Dore, who has served as Promotions Director with La Brasserie Labatt Ltd. for the province of Quebec since 1980, is named
President of the Montreal franchise, which will be known as the "Machine" and will be owned and operated by the
WLAF.
December
21, 1990
Chan
Gailey, the Denver Broncos' Offensive Coordinator since 1989 and NCAA Division II national championship winning coach with Troy
(Ala.) State, is named Head Coach of the Birmingham Fire.
WLAF gets OK from NFL owners to begin play | |
Edition:
THE BATON ROUGE STATE TIMES Section: Sports Page: 2-H |
The
Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.)
Dateline: DALLAS
DALLAS -- Tex Schramm wasn't there, but he had a lot to do with
the World League of American Football getting its final green light from NFL shareholders, "Tex did an excellent
job of getting things rolling," said WLAF president Mike Lynn, who replaced Schramm less than a month
ago. "I was surprised at the progress that had been made when I took over." Schramm was dismissed after a dispute
with the shareholders over how first-class the WLAF should go. He was in Key West, Fla., on his fishing boat
Tuesday when the WLAF announced it will start on schedule next March. Lynn hit the road today for a series
of press conferences to announce everything from ownership to team nicknames. "I'm satisfied everything
will be in place for the opener," Lynn said of the league which will begin a 10-week season on March 23. The WLAF
will have 10 teams in three divisions, including seven North American cities and three European sites. The
Europe division will be made up of London, Barcelona and Frankfurt. North America East includes New York, Montreal, Orlando,
Fla., and the Carolinas, and the North American West has Sacramento, Calif., San Antonio, and Birmingham, Ala. Lynn said that
the team in the Carolinas would be based at either Raleigh or Charlotte, with a decision to be made by Dec.
1. Lynn has approved franchise ownership commitments in eight of the cities. "For businesses reasons, the league will
own and operate the London and Frankfurt franchises and will announce management groups for those franchises," he said.
The league will announce a playing schedule by Dec. 1, including a site for the inaugural World Bowl championship game. The
WLAF will open the regular season on March 23 with semifinal playoffs game scheduled June 1-2 and the World
Bowl on June 9. ABC Sports will televise a national game of the week each Sunday and USA Network will cablecast prime-time
games on Saturday and Monday nights. There also will be six telecasts on Saturday afternoons. The league will have its first
player evaluation combine and draft Feb. 11-24 at Orlando. "We've signed some 100 players and we intend to sign about
1,000 players by February," Lynn said. Lynn said that he received no opposition from the NFL about the league, although
some of the shareholders discussed whether the spring league should have been delayed a year because of the unstable economy.
"It was decided that the time to negotiate is over and that everything is in place and we need to go on with it,"
Lynn said. During the special NFL owners meeting, a committee was formed to study giving commissioner Paul Tagliabue new powers
under a reorganization plan, which included putting some television, NFL Films and NFL Properties under his office. The committee
includes owners Norman Braman of Philadelphia, Art Modell of Cleveland, Mike McCaskey of Chicago and Jerry Jones of Dallas.
Tagliabue said the management council also will be absorbed into the league office at a later date under his own discretion.
Jack Donlan, executive director of the NFL management council, emerged unscathed despite predictions he was on the way out.
Copyright 1990 Capital City Press, Baton Rouge, La.