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Regional Football League

Summary

The Regional Football League (RFL) was an American football minor league formed to be the self-styled "major league of spring football." Established in 1997, the league played a single season, 1999, and then ceased operations.

Regional Football League
Most recent season or competition:
1999
SportAmerican football
Founded1997[1]
First season1999
Ceased1999
CommissionerJohn "Gus" Bell[1]
Ron Floridia[2]
No. of teams6
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersFramingham, MA[3]
Mobile, AL[2]
Last
champion(s)		Mobile Admirals
(1999)
TV partner(s)none

History edit

The RFL season was designed for spring-summer play with teams based primarily in the Southern United States. The debut season was originally slated to begin in March 1998,[4] however this was delayed by a year.[5] The league adopted rules consistent with professional football of the era, with some exceptions:[6][7]

  • running clock until the last two minutes of each half
  • one offensive player allowed to be in motion towards the line of scrimmage at the snap
  • ball placed at the 20-yard-line for extra point attempts
  • receivers only need one foot in bounds to complete a catch

The league's inaugural (and only) season was 1999, where each of its six teams was scheduled to have training camp and two preseason games in early April, followed by 12 regular season games; a postseason would follow in July. The league held its first regular season games on April 17, 1999.[8] Financial constraints forced the league to reduce player salaries at the end of April, due to low attendance at games.[9] In late May, the league announced that the regular season would be shortened by three games, with the championship game held in late June.[10] Ultimately, the league only played an eight-week regular season. Near the end of the shortened season, the league cancelled a contest between New Orleans and Ohio, and Shreveport forfeited a game, both due to financial concerns.[11] Four teams qualified for the playoffs,[12] and on June 20, 1999, the Mobile Admirals defeated the Houston Outlaws, 14–12, in the championship game, RFL Bowl I, which was played at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.[13]

RFL rosters were limited to 37 active players and five practice squad members with salaries in the range of $30,000 to $65,000 per player and team salary caps of $1,500,000.[3] The league held a draft where each team could only draft from their respective region in hopes that fans would turn out to see players they'd followed in college. Players who had been with college football programs in the south such as Jason Martin (Louisiana Tech), Stewart Patridge (Ole Miss), Raymond Philyaw (Northeast Louisiana), Marquette Smith (Central Florida) and Sherman Williams (Alabama) were signed to southern RFL teams, while players like Ricky Powers (Michigan), Corey Croom (Ball State), and Skip Tramontana (Miami University) were assigned to the Ohio franchise based in Toledo. Patridge, playing for Mississippi, was the all-RFL quarterback,[14] while running back Williams was the league MVP with Mobile.[15] This regional approach worked at the outset of play, as evidenced fan interest in the league at the start of the season.

The first commissioner of the league was John "Gus" Bell, who was succeeded by Ron Floridia in May 1999.[2] The league did not secure a television contract, and only one game was ever televised—the May 8, 1999, New Orleans Thunder at Mobile Admirals contest on WHNO,[citation needed] a mainly-religious television station in New Orleans.

Despite some efforts made to resume play for a second season, the league folded after its shortened 1999 season. The announced beginning of the XFL for 2001 precluded any realistic chance of the league resuming operations.

Teams edit

The league's six charter members were announced on November 12, 1998.[16] They participated in the league's only season, which ran from April to June 1999.

Team City Stadium Head coach
Houston Outlaws Houston, Texas Pasadena Memorial Stadium[17] Ray Woodard[17]
Mississippi Pride Jackson, Mississippi Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Johnny Plummer
Mobile Admirals Mobile, Alabama Ladd–Peebles Stadium Tom Walsh
New Orleans Thunder New Orleans, Louisiana Tad Gormley Stadium Rex Stevenson / Buford Jordan
Ohio Cannon Toledo, Ohio Glass Bowl Lew Carpenter
Shreveport Knights Shreveport, Louisiana Independence Stadium Fred Akers

Source[18]

Regular season edit

  vs. HOU vs. MISS vs. MOBL vs. N.O. vs. OHIO vs. SHRV Forfeit Overall Win pct.
HOU — 1–0 0–2 1–0 2–0 2–0 — 6–2 .750
MISS 0–1 — 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 — 4–4 .500
MOBL 2–0 1–1 — 2–0 0–1 1–0 — 6–2 .750
N.O. 0–1 1–1 0–2 — 0–1 0–1 — 1–6 .143
OHIO 0–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 — 0–1 W 3–4 .429
SHRV 0–2 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 — L 3–5 .375

Notes:

  • In the seventh week of the regular season, a contest between New Orleans and Ohio was cancelled by the league.[19]
  • In the eighth and final week of the regular season, Shreveport was unable to play in their home stadium.[20] The league rescheduled their intended opponent, New Orleans, to play at Mississippi,[21] and when Shreveport did not travel to play at Ohio, they were assessed a forfeit.[11]

Playoffs edit

Semi-finals
June 12 		RFL Bowl I
June 20
      
1 Mobile 35
4 Ohio 14
1 Mobile 14
2 Houston 12
2 Houston 27
3 Mississippi 3

Games were hosted by the higher-seeded team.

Projected expansion teams edit

Proposed for the 2000 season,[8] which was not played.

Dallas and Monterey, Mexico were originally eyed for expansion, but dropped at the initial stages.

Further reading edit

  • Kantor, Stuart (1999). "Are You Ready for Even More Football?". footballresearch.com. Retrieved January 26, 2019.

External links edit

  • Regional Football League (RFL) 1999
  • Remember the RFL
  • Remembering the RFL
  • RFL 1999 New Orleans Thunder at Mobile Admirals via YouTube

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Transactions: Football". The Des Moines Register. March 4, 1997. p. 12. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c McCloskey, John (May 7, 1999). "Knights stay focused despite RFL changes". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 23. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Rubin, Adam (May 7, 1997). "League considers Shreveport team (cont'd)". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 26. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Rubin, Adam (May 7, 1997). "Pro league considers football in Shreveport". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 21. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Regional Football League pushes start back to '99". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. December 2, 1997. p. 20. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Knights Fact Sheet". Remember the RFL. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  7. ^ Gater, Harold (April 24, 1999). "The Leagues". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 32. Retrieved January 25, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Vernellis, Brian (April 17, 1999). "RFL opens season tonight". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 27. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ McCloskey, John (April 30, 1999). "Knights, league slice salaries to survive". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 1. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Admirals' season cut". Pensacola News Journal. Pensacola, Florida. May 27, 1999. p. 41. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b McCloskey, John (June 7, 1999). "RFL to begin playoffs without Knights". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 15. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Goolsby, Henry (June 9, 1999). "Pride relishes change to apprehend Outlaws". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 23. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Roller coaster ride ends with championship for Admirals". Pensacola News Journal. June 21, 1999. p. 5D. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Eight Pride players make All-RFL team". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. June 25, 1999. p. 31. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Sherman still shakin' it up". June 23, 1995. Retrieved February 19, 2017 – via Google News.
  16. ^ "League". Remember the RFL. Retrieved January 25, 2019 – via Google Sites.
  17. ^ a b Richards, Joey D. (May 27, 1999). "Santa Fe's Wylie finds a football home with the Outlaws". The Daily News. Galveston, Texas. p. 17. Retrieved January 28, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Beginning of the Knights' Reign". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. April 17, 1999. p. 28. Retrieved January 26, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Knights fall to Houston". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. June 1, 1999. p. 14. Retrieved January 23, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Pugh, Jason (June 4, 1999). "Knights cancel Saturday home finale". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 17. Retrieved January 26, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Goolsby, Henry (June 4, 1999). "Pride, RFL try to adjust". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 17. Retrieved January 27, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

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