Texas Football League
| Sport | American football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966 |
| Ceased | 1971 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Countries | United States Mexico |
| Last champion(s) | San Antonio Toros |
| Most titles | San Antonio Toros (4) |
The Texas Football League (TFL) was a semi-professional American football minor league that operated in primarily in the United States from 1966 through 1971. The league, which initially comprised six franchises from Texas and Oklahoma, was formally announced in May 1966.[1] The league was supposed to begin with eight teams, but entries from Hammond, Louisiana and New Orleans were not accepted. With the addition of two franchises in 1967, the TFL expanded to two four-team divisions.
During the 1967-68 offseason the Continental Football League offered a merger of operations with the TFL, but was turned down by TFL commissioner George Schepps. He additionally challenged the CFL to pit its champion against the TFL's champion for the 1968 campaign.[2]
On January 25, 1969 it was announced that the Continental Football League was adding the entirety of the eight-team TFL 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 TFL teams were mostly scheduled to play against each other but did also play interleague contests.[3] Joining the Texas division was the Mexico Golden Aztecs, the first American football franchise based in Mexico. The TFL's San Antonio Toros defeated the Indianapolis Capitols, 44-38 in overtime, to capture the last Continental League championship. (The Toros would ultimately win five straight league titles from 1967-71.)
With the dissolution of the CoFL in early 1970, the Toros announced the formation of the Trans-American Football League, hoping to add teams in a number of major markets; the TAFL planned teams in Birmingham, Tampa, Hershey, Pennsylvania, and even Chicago and Los Angeles, in addition to San Antonio and existing Continental teams in Dallas-Fort Worth and Memphis (relocated from Las Vegas).[4] By the time the league played its 1970 season, it was once again mainly based in Texas, with two other Continental teams, the Omaha Mustangs and Texarkana Titans, joining the loop. The TAFL folded after its summer 1971 season.
Season standings
1966
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
y = Division Champion
| Texas Football League | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa Oilers | 7 | 2 | 1 | .778 | 246 | 161 | Skelly Stadium | Floyd Harrawood |
| Sherman-Denison Jets | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 254 | 161 | Bearcat Stadium | Duncan McCauley |
| Pasadena Pistols | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 284 | 149 | Memorial Stadium | Donnie Caraway |
| Burkburnett Kings | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 152 | 298 | Burkburnett High School Stadium | E.J. Webb |
| Dallas County Rockets | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 127 | 181 | Eagle Stadium | Bill Crow/Joe Verret |
| Odessa-Midland Comets | 1 | 8 | 1 | .111 | 83 | 196 | W.T. Barrett Stadium | Byron Townsend |
1967
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
y = Division Champion
| Eastern Division | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Toros | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 538 | 137 | North East Stadium | Duncan McCauley |
| Pasadena Pistols | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 417 | 383 | Auxiliary Stadium | Donnie Caraway |
| Dallas Rockets | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 285 | 324 | Jesuit High School Stadium | Joe Verret |
| Sherman-Denison Jets | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 360 | 424 | n/a | Gene Babb |
| Western Division | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | Coach |
| Tulsa Thunderbirds | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 320 | 276 | Skelly Stadium | Art Ramage |
| Fort Worth Texans | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 346 | 364 | Turnpike Stadium | John Hatley |
| Odessa-Midland Comets | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 247 | 411 | W.T. Barrett Stadium | Jim Daniel |
| Wichita Falls Kings | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 255 | 449 | Midwestern University Stadium | E.J. Webb |
1968
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
y = Division Champion
| Eastern Division | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texarkana Titans | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 273 | 277 | Grim Stadium | Tom Collins |
| Tulsa Thunderbirds | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 171 | 156 | Auxiliary Stadium | Art Ramage |
| Dallas Rockets | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 249 | 354 | Jesuit High School Stadium | Joe Verret |
| Beaumont Golden Vikings | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 165 | 365 | Greenie Stadium | Roy Davidson |
| Western Division | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | Coach |
| San Antonio Toros | 11 | 1 | 0 | .917 | 447 | 121 | Alamo Stadium | Duncan McCauley/Hoover Evans |
| Fort Worth Braves | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 377 | 154 | Farrington Field | John Hatley |
| Odessa Comets/West Texas Rufneks | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 235 | 338 | W.T. Barrett Stadium | Jim Daniel/Ted Dawson |
| El Paso Jets | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 197 | 349 | Dudley Field | Harold Stephens |
1970
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
y = Division Champion
| Texas Football League | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Toros | 7 | 2 | 0 | .800 | 288 | 158 | Harlandale Memorial Stadium | George Pasterchick |
| Texarkana Titans | 7 | 3 | 0 | .700 | 323 | 175 | Grim Stadium | Durwood Merrill |
| Fort Worth Braves | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 365 | 266 | Farrington Field | Duncan McCauley |
| Omaha Mustangs | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 228 | 240 | Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium | Don Fleming |
| Bartlesville Quickicks | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 185 | 289 | Custer Field | Art Ramage |
| Dallas Rockets | 1 | 9 | 0 | .100 | 97 | 358 | Roffino Stadium | Joe Verret |
1971
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
y = Division Champion
| Trans-American Football League | ||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Stadium | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texarkana Titans | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 171 | 71 | n/a | n/a |
| San Antonio Toros | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 174 | 76 | n/a | George Pasterchick |
| Fort Worth Braves | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 89 | 171 | n/a | n/a |
| Dallas Rockets | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 56 | 172 | n/a | n/a |
Championship games
| Season | Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | MVP | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | December 3, 1966 | Tulsa Oilers | 30-27 | Sherman-Denison Jets | n/a | Skelly Stadium | n/a |
| 1967 | December 2, 1967 | San Antonio Toros | 27-7 | Tulsa Thunderbirds | n/a | North East Stadium | 4,000 |
| 1968 | December 7, 1968 | San Antonio Toros | 21-16 | Texarkana Titans | n/a | Alamo Stadium | 4.661 |
| 1970 | November 21, 1970 | San Antonio Toros | 21-17 | Fort Worth Braves | n/a | Harlandale Memorial Stadium | 5,523 |
| 1971 | June 19, 1971 | San Antonio Toros | 20-19 | Texarkana Titans | n/a | North East Stadium | 4,500[5] |
See also
References
- ^ "Semipro Football League Organized". The Corpus Christi Times. Associated Press. May 30, 1966.
- ^ "Texas Loop Challenges Continental". The Abilene Reporter-News. Associated Press. March 4, 1968.
- ^ "TFL Aligns With Huge Continental". The Odessa American. Associated Press. January 26, 1969.
- ^ "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ Clemens, Gus (June 20, 1971). "Toros Get 20-19 Victory, Title". San Antonio Express.