1974 World Football League season


The 1974 World Football League season was the first season of the World Football League.
Twelve teams began the inaugural 1974 season, which launched July 10 and lasted 19 weeks with no bye week. The league doubled up the week of Labor Day by playing four games over the course of three weeks on a Wednesday, Monday, Friday, Wednesday schedule, giving the WFL teams 20 games each. Two teams, the Detroit Wheels and Jacksonville Sharks dropped out and folded after fourteen weeks, with the New York Stars and Houston Texans relocating to other markets during the season. Portland and Detroit played a week 9 regular season game in London, Ontario at Little Stadium.
The season culminated in World Bowl 1 on December 5, 1974, won by the Birmingham Americans.

1974 season

Final standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against

1974 Playoffs

The original WFL schedule had the three division champions plus one wild-card qualify, culminating in a "World Bowl" on the evening after Thanksgiving at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.
With financial problems mounting, various formats were bandied about:
Eventually, the playoffs were set with the opening rounds consisting of two teams from each division, with the two qualifying teams from the Central Division, who ranked first and second in overall record, given byes to the next round. The Hawaiians faced Southern California in the West, but in the East, Florida instead faced Philadelphia, even though, at 8–11, the Bell were 1½ games behind 10–10 Charlotte in the standings. However, when only 1,000 advance tickets were sold for the Blazers-Hornets matchup, league officials replaced the Hornets with the Bell. The Hornets were still reeling from their New York debts, and it was believed that the advance gate would not be nearly enough to justify the trip. The Bell, on the other hand, were on far stronger financial ground, and it was believed they could cover their own expenses.

Quarterfinals

defeated the Southern California Sun, 32–14
Florida Blazers defeated Philadelphia Bell, 18–3

Semifinals

defeated The Hawaiians, 22–19
Florida Blazers defeated Memphis Southmen, 18–15

World Bowl

22, Florida Blazers 21

1974 All-WFL Team

Offense

WR–Tim Delaney, Hawaiians

WR–Alfred Jenkins, Birmingham Americans

TE–Ed Marshall, Memphis Southmen

TE–Greg Latta, Florida Blazers

OT–Bob Wolfe, Birmingham Americans

OT–Wally Highsmith, Memphis Southmen

OT–Ron Mikolajczyk, Memphis Southmen

OG–Rick Anthony, Florida Blazers P&C

OG–Dave Bradley, Chicago Fire

OG–Buddy Brown, Birmingham Americans

C–Bob Kuziel, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets

C–Ralph Hill, Memphis Southmen

QB–Tony Adams, Southern California Sun

QB–Randy Johnson, Hawaiians

RB–Tommy Reamon, Florida Blazers

RB–J.J. Jennings, Memphis Southmen

K–Grant Guthrie, Jacksonville Sharks/Birmingham Americans

Defense

DE–Gerry Philbin, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets

DE–Louis Ross, Florida Blazers

DE–John Ricca, Florida Blazers

DT–Mike McBath, Florida Blazers

DT–John Elliott, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets

DT–Dave Roller, Southern California Sun

LB–Ross Brupbacher, Birmingham Americans

LB–Rudy Kuechenberg, Chicago Fire

LB–John Villapiano, Houston Texans/Shreveport

CB–Miller Farr, Florida Blazers

CB–Ron Mabra, Philadelphia Bell

S–Dave Thomas, Memphis Southmen

S–Jeff Woodcock, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets

P–Ken Clark, Portland Storm

Head Coach: Jack Pardee, Florida Blazers

Tri-MVPs: Tony Adams, Southern California, J.J. Jennings, Memphis, and Tommy Reamon, Florida.

Key: PC = voted on by players and coaches of the WFL; TSN = selection by The Sporting News
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