1969 Continental Football League season

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1969 Continental Football League season
DurationAugust 23 – November 23, 1969
Eastern champions championsIndianapolis Capitols
Western champions championsSan Antonio Toros
DateDecember 13, 1969
Finals venueBush Stadium, Indianapolis
Finals championsIndianapolis Capitols
COFL seasons seasons
← 1968

The 1969 COFL season was the fifth and final season of the Continental Football League (COFL). Following the season, nine of the league's remaining teams split from the league, with five forming the Trans-American Football League and four joining the Atlantic Coast Football League.

Franchise changes[edit]

  • The Michigan Arrows moved to Midland, Michigan and became the Tri-City Apollos.[1] They were an informal farm team of the NFL's Detroit Lions.[2]
  • The Hawaii Warriors were announced as a new league franchise in January 1969,[3] but were unable to raise the necessary money to keep the team alive. Their spot in the league was instead given to Portland, Oregon.[4]
  • A franchise was awarded to Newark, New Jersey, which was subsequently named the Jersey Jays.[5] The Jays were later announced to be a farm team of the NFL's Cleveland Browns.[6]
  • The Orange County Ramblers announced a relocation to San Bernardino, California[7] but had their franchise revoked several weeks later for failing to confirm conditional approval.[8] Their player contracts were later assumed by the Portland Loggers.
  • On September 21, 1969 the Mexico Golden Aztecs ceased operations and forfeited the remainder of their 1969 schedule.[9]
  • The Spokane Shockers became a farm team of the AFL's Oakland Raiders.[10]
  • The TFL's El Paso Jets franchise was revoked for failure to comply with league regulations regarding several issues.[11]

General news[edit]

  • James Dunn was named commissioner of the league.
  • On January 25, 1969 it was announced that the COFL was adding the entirety of the eight-team Texas Football League to its ranks. The TFL joined as a separate entity and was placed into the new Texas Division (itself split into East and West). The new teams were mostly scheduled to play against each other but did also play interleague contests.[12]
  • The league office moved from San Jose to Indianapolis.[13]
  • As a result of the addition of the eight TFL franchises, the league was split into four divisions.
  • The league established the Glen Hepburn Memorial Award for Community Service, named for an Omaha Mustangs player who died from an injury sustained during a game the previous September.[14]

Regular season[edit]

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

 y  = Division Champion

Atlantic Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
Orlando Panthers 10 2 0 .833 330 160 Tangerine Bowl Dick Pesonen
Norfolk Neptunes 8 4 0 .667 366 224 Foreman Field Gary Glick/George Hughes
Jersey Jays 7 5 0 .583 265 254 Newark Schools Stadium Nick Cutro
Alabama Hawks 6 6 0 .500 221 246 Milton Frank Stadium Dave Sington
Arkansas Diamonds 5 7 0 .417 236 298 War Memorial Stadium Fred Williams
Central Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
Indianapolis Capitols 8 4 0 .667 276 202 Bush Stadium Ken Carpenter
Ohio Valley Ironmen 6 6 0 .500 245 313 Wheeling Island Stadium Lou Blumling
Omaha Mustangs 6 6 0 .500 265 246 Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Don Fleming
Chicago Owls 5 7 0 .417 208 247 Soldier Field Bob Webb
Tri-City Apollos 2 10 0 .167 148 270 Midland Stadium Chuck Cherundolo
Texas Division West
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
San Antonio Toros 7 4 0 .636 279 180 Harlandale Memorial Stadium Hoover Evans
West Texas Rufneks 7 4 0 .636 244 212 Memorial Stadium Lou Rymkus
Mexico Golden Aztecs 2 6 0 .250 72 108 Estadio Universitario Duncan McCauley
Texas Division East
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
Texarkana Titans 7 5 0 .583 245 248 Grim Stadium Tom Collins/Jimmy Cobb
Oklahoma Thunderbirds 5 6 0 .455 306 334 Custer Stadium Art Ramage
Fort Worth Braves 5 7 0 .417 262 259 Farrington Field John Hatley
Dallas Rockets 1 10 0 .091 129 318 Roffino Stadium Joe Verret
Pacific Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA Stadium Coach
Las Vegas Cowboys 8 4 0 .667 249 181 Cashman Field Paul Massey
Sacramento Capitols 8 4 0 .667 192 163 Hughes Stadium George Porter
Seattle Rangers 7 5 0 .583 221 185 Memorial Stadium Don White
Spokane Shockers 5 7 0 .417 253 243 Joe Albi Stadium Hugh Taylor
Portland Loggers 3 9 0 .250 219 348 Multnomah Stadium Chuck Fenenbock

Playoffs[edit]

Home team in CAPITALS

Divisional playoffs, round 1 (November 29, 1969)

  • San Antonio 20, TEXARKANA 7
  • Las Vegas 31, SACRAMENTO 0
  • INDIANAPOLIS 27, Orlando 7

Divisional playoffs, round 2 (December 7, 1969)

  • SAN ANTONIO 21, Las Vegas 17

League Championship (December 13, 1969)

  • INDIANAPOLIS 44, San Antonio 38 (OT)

Awards[edit]

  • MVP: Johnnie Walton, QB, Indianapolis
  • Coach of the Year: Ken Carpenter, Indianapolis

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Arrows Shift Site". The Holland Evening Sentinel. UPI. January 15, 1969.
  2. ^ "Farm for Lions". Detroit Free Press. June 3, 1969.
  3. ^ "Hawaii Enters Continental Loop". The Indianapolis Star. Associated Press. January 23, 1969.
  4. ^ "Portland Obtains Football Ramblers". Tucson Daily Citizen. UPI. August 7, 1969.
  5. ^ "Newark Gains CFL Franchise". The Arizona Republic. Associated Press. February 2, 1969.
  6. ^ "Jays Join Browns". San Antonio Express. Associated Press. April 13, 1969.
  7. ^ "Orange County Gridders Move". The Times. San Mateo, California. UPI. April 8, 1969.
  8. ^ "CFL Team Inactive". Northwest Arkansas Times. Associated Press. May 19, 1969.
  9. ^ Guys, Carl (September 23, 1969). "Inflation Deflates". Del Rio (Texas) News-Herald.
  10. ^ "Raiders Make Ties with Spokane Club". The Daily Herald. UPI. June 10, 1969.
  11. ^ "El Paso Is Retired For Season". The Galveston Daily News. Associated Press. August 5, 1969.
  12. ^ "TFL Aligns With Huge Continental". The Odessa American. Associated Press. January 26, 1969.
  13. ^ "Moves to Indiana". The Terre Haute Tribune. Associated Press. February 3, 1969.
  14. ^ "Award Set Up in Memory of Player". Ironwood Daily Globe. Associated Press. May 21, 1969.
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