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 weeks (in fact, the league doubled up the week of Labor Day by playing four games over the course of three weeks on a Wednesday, Monday (Labor Day), Friday, Wednesday schedule, giving the WFL teams 20 games each). Of those teams, two (the Detroit Wheels and Jacksonville Sharks folded fourteen weeks into the season; two others, the New York Stars and Houston Texans, relocated to other markets (Charlotte and Shreveport respectively) midway through 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

Eastern Division
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Florida Blazers	14	6	0	.700	416	280
Charlotte Hornets	10	10	0	.500	467	350
Philadelphia Bell	9	11	0	.450	493	413
Jacksonville Sharks	4	10	0	.286	258	357
Central Division
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Memphis Southmen	17	3	0	.850	629	365
Birmingham Americans	15	5	0	.750	500	394
Chicago Fire	7	13	0	.350	446	599
Detroit Wheels	1	13	0	.071	209	358
Western Division
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Southern California Sun	13	7	0	.650	485	441
The Hawaiians	9	11	0	.450	411	422
Portland Storm	7	12	1	.375	264	424
Shreveport Steamer	7	12	1	.375	240	415

Notes:

(a) Jacksonville and Detroit folded after 14 games; each week thereafter, the teams that had games scheduled against those teams played each other.

(b) Shreveport Steamer began the season as Houston Texans.

(c) Charlotte Hornets began season as New York Stars; upon announcing move to Charlotte, played one away game as Charlotte Stars, and remaining games as Hornets.

(d) Chicago forfeited its 20th game to Philadelphia 2-0.

1974 Playoffs

In the original WFL schedule, the three division champions plus one wild-card were to 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: (1) the playoffs would simply be canceled, and the team with the best record would be declared the champion; (2) three teams (Memphis, Birmingham, and Florida) would qualify for the playoffs (thus leaving West champ Southern California out); (3) eight of the remaining 10 teams would qualify; and, finally, (4) the top two teams in each division would qualify, seeded entirely by won-lost record.

This last format was followed, with Birmingham and Memphis getting first-round byes. Charlotte was due to play Florida and the Hawaiians due to play Southern California in wild-card games. The wild-card winners would advance to the semifinals, and the semifinal winners would play in the World Bowl. However, Charlotte was forced to drop out due to sluggish advance ticket sales; the Hornets' cut of the gate would have been too meager for the financially strapped team to meet its expenses. Philadelphia replaced Charlotte as the East's second qualifier.

Quarterfinals

Hawaiians defeated the Southern California Sun, 32-14 (@ Anaheim, California on Wednesday, November 20, 1974)

Florida Blazers defeated Philadelphia Bell, 18-3 (@ Orlando, Florida on Thursday, November 21, 1974)

Semifinals

Birmingham Americans defeated The Hawaiians, 22-19 (@ Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday, November 27, 1974)

Florida Blazers defeated Memphis Southmen, 18-15 (@ Memphis, Tennessee on Friday, November 29, 1974)

World Bowl

Main article: World Bowl (WFL)

Birmingham Americans 22, Florida Blazers 21 (@ Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday, December 5, 1974)

1974 All-WFL Team

Offense
WR–Tim Delaney, Hawaiians (TSN, P&C)
WR–Alfred Jenkins, Birmingham Americans (TSN, P&C)
TE–Ed Marshall, Memphis Southmen (TSN)
TE–Greg Latta, Florida Blazers (P&C)
OT–Bob Wolfe, Birmingham Americans (TSN)
OT–Wally Highsmith, Memphis Southmen (P&C)
OT–Ron Mikolajczyk, Memphis Southmen (P&C)
OG–Rick Anthony, Florida Blazers P&C (P&C)
OG–Dave Bradley, Chicago Fire (TSN)
OG–Buddy Brown, Birmingham Americans (TSN, P&C)
C–Bob Kuziel, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets (TSN)
C–Ralph Hill, Memphis Southmen (P&C)
QB–Tony Adams, Southern California Sun (TSN)
QB–Randy Johnson, Hawaiians (P&C)
RB–Tommy Reamon, Florida Blazers (TSN, P&C)
RB–J.J. Jennings, Memphis Southmen (TSN, P&C)
K–Grant Guthrie, Jacksonville Sharks/Birmingham Americans (TSN, P&C)

Defense
DE–Gerry Philbin, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets (TSN, P&C)
DE–Louis Ross, Florida Blazers (TSN)
DE–John Ricca, Florida Blazers (P&C)
DT–Mike McBath, Florida Blazers (TSN, P&C)
DT–John Elliott, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets (TSN)
DT–Dave Roller, Southern California Sun (TSN, P&C)
LB–Ross Brupbacher, Birmingham Americans (TSN, P&C)
LB–Rudy Kuechenberg, Chicago Fire (TSN, P&C)
LB–John Villapiano, Houston Texans/Shreveport (TSN, P&C)
CB–Miller Farr, Florida Blazers (TSN, P&C)
CB–Ron Mabra, Philadelphia Bell (TSN, P&C)
S–Dave Thomas, Memphis Southmen (TSN, P&C)
S–Jeff Woodcock, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets (TSN, P&C)
P–Ken Clark, Portland Storm (TSN, P&C)

Head Coach: Jack Pardee, Florida Blazers (TSN, P&C)
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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See also

• 1975 World Football League season