Alabama Hawks
| Founded | 1968 |
|---|---|
| League | Continental Football League |
| Team history | Alabama Hawks 1968-1969 |
| Based in | Huntsville, Alabama |
| Arena | Milton Frank Stadium |
| Colors | Columbia Blue & Yellow Gold |
| Head coach | Steve Sucic (1968) David N. Sington (1968-1969) |
The Alabama Hawks were a professional American football team based in Huntsville, Alabama.[1] They were members of the Continental Football League (CFL) during the league's last two years (1968–1969).[2][3][4] The team was in the Eastern Division of the Atlantic Conference.[5] During the 1968 season, the team was also known as the Huntsville Hawks.[6][7]
The Hawks served as the "unofficial" minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Falcons.[8] During the 1969 season, the Atlanta Falcons came to Huntsville to play an exhibition game against the Hawks at Milton Frank Stadium on August 2, 1969.[9] The Falcons played a lot of their rookies and easily beat the Hawks 55-0.[10][11]
The Hawks sent several notable players on to the NFL including Jeff Van Note, Chip Myers, Glen Condren, and Art Strahan, uncle of Michael Strahan. Hawks player Billy "Tootie" Hill went on to coach high school football in the area and, later, the semi-pro Rocket City Titans of the Gridiron Developmental Football League.[12][13] While with the Huntsville Rockets in 1962, Hill set a record for number of touchdowns in a single game with 10.[14]
References
- ^ Pruitt, John (May 5, 1968). "Exhibitions Flunk Test In Huntsville". The Huntsville Times. Huntsville, AL. p. 32.
- ^ "Continental League Issues a Schedule". The New York Times. June 2, 1968. p. S9. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
- ^ "1968 Alabama Hawks". Booster Club of the Continental Football League.
- ^ "Neptunes Top Hawks, 20-7". The New York Times. September 22, 1969. p. 43. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
- ^ "Continental Lists 5 Preseason Games". The New York Times. August 11, 1968. p. S9. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
- ^ "Continental Football League". Professional Football Research Association.
- ^ Haberek, Ben. "Continental League (1965-1969)". Helmets, Helmets, Helmets.
- ^ "Shocks Head for Alabama". The Spokesman-Review. November 1, 1968. p. 26. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
- ^ "Falcon To Miss Another Season". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. July 3, 1969. p. 19. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
- ^ "A Roundup Of The Sports Information Of The Week". Sports Illustrated. August 11, 1969. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
- ^ Ford, Mark L. (2000). "25 Significant "Meaningless" NFL Games" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. Vol. 22, no. 5. Pro Football Researchers Association. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
- ^ Betowt, Yvonne T. (May 23, 2010). "Rocket City Titans are a hit with football fans". The Huntsville Times. Huntsville, AL. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ "Coach Billy 'Tootie' Hill". Rocket City Titans. January 12, 2010.
Coach Billy "Tootie" Hill [...] played football at Coffee, Mississippi State, and then for the Huntsville Rockets and Alabama Hawks of the professional Continental League.
- ^ Brainerd, Steven M. (2014). "Player Passing Records". Semi-Pro Football HQ. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
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