Shreveport Steamer
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- "Shreveport Steamers" redirects here. For the 1979–81 team, see American Football Association (1978–83).
The Shreveport Steamer were a professional American football team in the World Football League. The franchise began the 1974 season in Houston, Texas, as the Houston Texans, who are in no way related to the current NFL team of the same name, playing their home games at the Houston Astrodome.[1] Toward the end of the season the team relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, and became the Shreveport Steamer. They played at the 30,000-seat State Fair Stadium, now named Independence Stadium.[2]
Larry King, of CNN fame, was one of their broadcasters.
The Steamer showcased a number of veterans and a few rookies. Among them were ambidextrous quarterback and former University of Houston star D.C. Nobles and several American Football League veterans: quarterbacks Mike Taliaferro and Don Trull, fullback Jim Nance, wide receivers Don Maynard and Rick Eber, tight end Willie Frazier, former Houston Oiler and All-AFL tackle Glen Ray Hines, linebacker Garland Boyette, defensive end Al Dotson, defensive backs Daryl Johnson, Richmond Flowers, Jr., John Mallory and Art McMahon, and rookie linebacker John Villapiano, brother of Oakland Raiders defender Phil Villapiano.
History
1974 season
The Texans played in Houston for 11 games, going 3-7-1. The team relocated to Shreveport on September 18, 1974. On September 23, 1974, they were rechristened the Shreveport Steamer. The franchise, according to the WFL, was operated on a "play now, pay later" basis. The team was coached by Marshall Taylor, a former star player at Tennessee Tech. The Steamer made their home debut on September 25 against the Memphis Southmen. They played in front of just over 22,000 fans, and lost 17-3. They had a 4-5 record after the move, finishing 7-12-1 overall in 1974.
1975 season
The Steamer returned for the 1975 WFL season. Right from the start both the "Boats" and the resurrected league struggled. The second Chicago franchise ceased operations on September 2, after five games. After a mediocre 5-7 record and with the franchise almost out of money, the Steamer and the WFL sank permanently on October 22, 1975. The second WFL ceased operations little more than halfway through the 1975 season.
An apparently unrelated "Shreveport Steamer," also known as the plural "Steamers," played in the American Football Association from 1979 to 1981, renaming itself the "Steamers-Americans" after merging with the Orlando Americans in 1982. Billy Kilmer served as the team's coach in its first season.
Sources
- Houston Texans 1974 WFL Media Guide
- Shreveport Steamer 1975 WFL Media Guide
References
- ^ Sachare, Alex (September 20, 1974). "Texans, Wheels could be moving". The Free Lance–Star. Associated Press. p. 9. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
- ^ "WFL's Houston Texans shifted to Shreveport". Columbia Missourian. United Press International. September 19, 1974. p. 7. Retrieved April 10, 2010.