Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I don't remember the details, but I believe there was a replacement player on the Bears that was a teacher in a school district that was on strike. The irony!

Then, there's that story I used to see in those "Sports fans, betcha didn't know!" columns that insurance agents used to run as an advertisement in their local paper, about a 1955 major college football game (I'm thinking that either Washington or Washington State was involved) where the ...

Okay, you're right, I guess my statement was more of an opinion than fact. But let us keep in mind that the 49ers were a Super Bowl contender and they ended the year a mediocre 8-8, including a loss to the lowly Raiders. Isn't it entirely possible that Harbaugh lost his team?

Thanks for all of the other examples. I'm curious if there has ever been such a situation in the NBA/ABA/NBL.

Major league baseball's decision to close White Sox-Orioles game to the public reminded of two such occurrences in football: 1918, October 26: Illinois 0, Municipal (Navy) Pier 7 - This game was played without an audience due to the Spanish flu pandemic. The gates to the field were locked and only t...

The quality of the video isn't great, but Steve Effler saved a small news clip from the '83 IFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ44D6A0fEM

When the Los Angeles Express played their last home game at a high school stadium in The Valley, it was probably a sign that the USFL was on its last legs. Over 8,000 people attended and it was one of their better home draws of the year. The post-game media interviews were conducted on a dirt hill j...

Ray McLean's tenure with Green Bay was awful. He was an interim co-head coach when the Packers lost their final two games of the '53 season. He remained with the team as an assistant. Then in '58 he was named the head coach again. The team's only win (a 3-point victory at home against the Eagles) wa...

Cardinals vs. Broncos, 2001-02
Cardinals vs. Chargers, 2001-02
Cardinals vs. Chiefs, 2001-02
Cardinals vs. Raiders, 2001-02

The Cardinals were evidently an "honorary" member of the AFC West from 2001 to 2002. With the exception that they didn't play the Seahawks in 2001.

Does anybody remember back in the late '90s when Ted Turner and NBC were going to start a new football league? Based on NBC's ownership of the XFL, I'm guessing it was Turner that backed out of the idea.