United States All-American Football League (aka USNFL)

Connecticut Rockets

The Connecticut Sports Association (fic) was founded in 1902 for the purpose of creating athletic organizations for troubled youth. Several additional teams emerged during the same year that began merging as they found it difficult to find support and maintain sponsorship. By 1912, some of these youth formed a team of their own called the New Haven Torpedoes * (slang for hired guns) followed by the Hartford Iron * (slang for motorcycle) who merged in 1919 as the Connecticut Jazz*. Sports promoter George Mulligan created the Waterbury Blues in 1924 and joined the NFL in 1926 as the Hartford Blues before folding a year later as the independent Hartford Giants .

George Mulligan purchased the Jazz and merged them with the Giants to bring them into the USA-AFL as the Hartford Elks* to honor the Hartford Elks Lodge and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks for the good they did to help humanity. Some members of the team were members of the Elks who owned their own club playing jazz/blues music to inspire fan support. The team supplemented its income by participating in motordromes and staying fit by racing bicycles. This was also a team known for violence and the most violent was a player named Jack Fury (fic) who survived an explosion in WWI that burned the left side of his body taking part of his left leg, left arm, and left eye.

Fury was described as being as mean as a grizzly bear with a broken tooth because where lesser men crumbled, he just became meaner and stronger. Becoming Head Coach, Fury oversaw the merger of the Jazz with a new team called the Connecticut Yankees in 1933 and joined the USA-AFL as the new Connecticut Yankees who became known as the Connecticut Bluejackets the following season. Finally, they restored their Hartford Blues franchise name in 1935 based on a US Revolutionary War theme retaining all their connections to the past including supporting their players racing motorcycles and automobiles at the West Haven Motordrome .

Illinois businessman John L. "Jack" Keeshin had made his fortunes with Keeshin Transcontinental Freight Lines and shuttling people from one train station to another . His love for sports led to his becoming President of the American National Jockey Club and, in turn, owned Sportsman's Park Race Track in Cicero, Illinois . Keeshin pursued new investment opportunities and tried unsuccessfully to purchase the Chicago White Sox baseball team. Instead, he purchased a team in the foundling AAFC in 1946 called the Chicago Rockets where he failed to find success and filed for bankruptcy in 1950 after he was denied entry into the NFL when the leagues merged.

The Colt Manufacturing Company bought majority ownership of the team after failing to purchase the original Baltimore Colts when Abraham "Shorty" Watner and Zanvyl Krieger (who owned the Colts) instead joined the NFL for one final season. The newly merged Jazz and Hornets would be called the New Haven Hornets* for its first season because the Rockets had changed their identity to the Chicago Hornets for their final AAFC season. They made a permanent name change as the Connecticut Rockets in 1952 and began absorbing other teams like the Ansonia Black Knights in 1963 from the ACFL and their ACFL successors in 1967, the Hartford Charter Oaks .

They next absorbed the Bucks County Steelers in 1973, Bridgeport Jets (1974) and Hartford Knights (1974) from the Seaboard Football League . Connecticut next sought to buy the Alabama Hawks only to have the Birmingham Grizzlies intervene in the purchase keeping them in Huntsville as a USA-AFL AFF franchise until it went on to become the Des Moines Blackhawks. The team's championship drought finally ended in 1981 with an Ultra Bowl win over the Utah Raptors and lost to them in the following year's Ultra Bowl Classic. In 2011, the Rockets purchased what survived of the Hartford Colonials from the failed United Football League and won a Division Championship to end the year off on a positive note.






Team Colors: White Jersey, Black White & Apricot Helmet, Black Pants, and Apricot & White Sidestriping
Alt Colors: Apricot Jersey, Black White & Apricot Helmet, White Pants, and Apricot & White Sidestriping




Mascots:

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Cheerleading Squad:

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Team Nicknames:

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Booster Club:

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Sister City:



USA-AFL Divisional Championships:
USA-AFL Conference Championships:
USA-AFL Ultra Bowl Championships: 1981

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Other Championships

Hartford Knights (1968 ACFL; 1972 SFL)
New England Colonials (1973 ACFL)



Legacy Teams

All-Staffords (1922)
Bridgeport All-Stars (1922)
All-Bridgeport (1922)
All-Hartford (1922)
New Haven Nutmegs (1922)
All-New Britain (1922)
Hartford Colonials (1922)
Waterford Blues (1924; Hartford Blues 1924-26;  Hartford Giants 1927-29 Independent)
Connecticut Yankees (1932)
New Britain Blues (1933)
Danbury Trojans (1935-38)
New London Diesels (1936-43)
Naugatuck Gems (1937)
New Bedford Whalers (1940-47? NEFL/NEFC)
Hartford Blues (1940-47)
Bridgeport Yankees (1947)
Chicago Rockets / Hornets (AAFC 1946-1949)
Stamford Golden Bears 1962 ACFL
Ansonia Black Knights (1962-63 ACFL)
Hartford Charter Oaks (1964 ACFL; 1965-67 CoFL)
Hartford Knights (1968-1971 SFL; 1972-73 ACFL)
Bridgeport Jets (1966-67 Waterbury Orbits ; 1968-71 ACFL, SFL 1972-1974)
Bristol Steelers (1973)
New England Colonials (1973 ACFL)
Hartford Colonials (2009 NY Sentinels; 2010 Colonials United Football League )


 
Hartford Colonials

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Championships









Hartford Blues

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Championships

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Legacy Teams

Connecticut Coyotes (1995-96 AFL)
New Haven Ninjas (2002 AF2)
Manchester Wolves (2001-2009 AF2)




 



Connecticut Sports Inc.,

Connecticut Rockets (USA-AFL; aka USNFL; Pro Football)
Hartford Colonials (AFF)
Connecticut Krakens (WNFL; Women's Pro Football)
Hartford Blues (NMFL; Arena Football)

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(USA-ABL; Pro Baseball)

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(USA-ASL; Pro Soccer; )
(USA-AWSL; Women's Pro Soccer)

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(USA-ARL; Pro Rugby)

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(USA-ABA; Pro Basketball)
(USA-AWBA; Women's Pro Basketball)

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(USA-AHL Pro Hockey)

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(USA-AWVA; Women's Pro Volleyball)

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(USA-AWRL; Women's Rugby)

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Women's Major League Volleyball

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USA-AABA (United States All-American Goldenrod Association) An Association promoting women's tennis, golf, and Olympic-style competitions)

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Legends (USA-ARA; Auto Racing)

New England Nightmares

The history of the New England Nightmares begins with a team called the Syracuse Athletic Association in 1890. It played for twelve years before winning what is considered the first true national championship in 1902 by defeating the Orange Athletic Club in the World Series of Football . Team owner Frank "Buck" O'Neill renamed his team as the All-Syracuse and eventually began play in the NYPFL . By 1920, the team was owned by John Wilkinson who was from one of the citys wealthiest families and sponsored by his partner Herbert H. Franklin of H.H. Franklin Manufacturing Company and the Franklin Automobile Company .

Now known as the Syracuse Stars , because they played their games at Star Park Stadium , they tentatively agreed to join the American Professional Football Conference but played only one game in 1920 and only three in the following 1921 APFA season as the Syracuse Pros . The team would revert to its identity as All-Syracuse as an Independent for the 1922 season and played as Independents until 1936 when they joined the second AFL as the Syracuse Braves before moving to Rochester. Unfortunately, their move to Rochester resulted in their folding after one game being purchased by the USA-AFL and being replaced by the Brooklyn Tigers who would also fold and be purchased by the USA-AFL in 1937.

These two teams merged and then merged with the Brooklyn Horsemen who had begun in the AFL of and who had merged with the NFL's Brooklyn Lions who were owned by Edmund Butler . The Horsemen were owned by a man named Humbert J. Fugazy who inherited wealth from businessman/banker Luigi V. Fugazzi and was himself a renowned boxing promoter. The Lions were owned by the NFL and a money-losing venture so they were glad to see the two teams merge and just as willing to cut it loose when the AFL folded at the end of the season. The NFL cut 12 underperforming, weaker teams which then became part of the USA-AFL with the Horsemen being replaced by their AFL rival New York Yankees .

Fugazy and Butler retained the Brooklyn Horsemen identity as a road team in 1927 before buying the Rochester Jeffersons whose owner, Leo Lyons , sold the team to the USA-AFL after losing all his money investing it in the team to keep it going. The "Jeffs" formed in 1898 and gained their unique name from Jefferson Avenue where they originally played as a sandlot club. While playing mostly as Independents, the Rochester Jeffersons joined the NYPFL winning the New York championships in 1915 and 1916. They would use their notoriety to become part of the NYPFL's merger with the Ohio League to found the second incarnation of the NFL until 1928 with three suspended seasons.

Philanthropist Richard Archbold brought the team to Syracuse merging them with the Tigers in 1937 but keeping their identity as the Syracuse Horsemen (fic). Archbolds grandfather, John D. Archbold , was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York so the team played up the Headless Horseman angle for support. Majority ownership of the team was sold to Central Vermont Railways in 1946 resulting in the team eventually relocating to Burlington, VT becoming the Vermont Horsemen. They became one of three teams in the USA-AFL named for the region they played in calling themselves the New England Horsemen* before becoming the New England Nightmares.

They adopted several logos for the team based on an H. P. Lovecraft inspired design based on a pumpkin within which was either a demon's face or a skull. One such logo was designed to represent thorns and the legendary pumpkin blasted out in the face of a demon and another was based on a cephalopod looking like a kraken . They would return to a horseman idea after purchasing the Dayton Colts which began play in 1946 surviving in different cities and under several identities. This team folded in 1975 and was eagerly purchased by the nightmares to lay claim to the teams' many championship pedigrees and winning the Ultra Bowl in 1979.






Team Colors: White Jersey, Black & Blood Red Helmet, Blood Red Pants, and Black & White Sidestriping
Alt Colors: Orange Jersey, Black & Blood red Helmet, White Pants, and Black & Blood red Sidestriping



Mascots:

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Cheerleading Squad:

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Team Nicknames: Horsemen of the Apocalypse

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Booster Club:

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Sister City:



USA-AFL Divisional Championships:
USA-AFL Conference Championships:
USA-AFL Ultra Bowl Championships: 1979

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Other Championships

Syracuse Athletic Associated (1902 World Series of Football)
Dayton Rockets (1946 Ind, Dayton Semipro City Champions; 1947 Inter-State Semipro Football League, DSCC}
John Stanko Barons (1948 Ind, DSCC)
Wiedemann Buds (1949 Ind, DSCC)
Dayton Triangles (1957 Ohio Semi-Pro Football League)
Cedarville Spartans (1963 Midwest Football League , DSCC)
Dayton Colts (1964 DSCC; 1968 MFL)
Bellbrook Colts (1974 Ohio–Pennsylvania Football League)





Legacy Teams

All-Syracuse   1890 - 1922
(Originally the Syracuse Athletic Club until 1918?)
Syracuse Braves 1936 - 1937
Syracuse Pros 1921
Syracuse YMHA Stars 1920
Brooklyn Horsemen 1926 AFL
Columbus Colts (1960 AFC , 1961 1962 Columbus Capitols UFL )
Cumberland Colts (1964-70 IFL
Pennsylvania Mustangs (1965 NAFL)
Western Massachusetts Pioneers (1973 ACFL)
Dayton Colts (1946-1976 Many leagues and names)


 

Vermont Horsemen

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Championships









Vermont Bucks (2017 Can-American Football League ; 2019 New England Arena League; 2020 Elite Indoor Football)

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Championships

Can-Am 2017

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Legacy Teams





   



Vermont Sports Inc.,

New England Nightmares (USA-AFL; aka USNFL; Pro Football)
Vermont Horsemen (AFF)
New England Nightmares (WNFL; Women's Pro Football)
Vermont Bucks (NMFL; Arena Football)

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(USA-ABL; Pro Baseball)

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(USA-ASL; Pro Soccer; )
(USA-AWSL; Women's Pro Soccer)

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(USA-ARL; Pro Rugby)

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(USA-ABA; Pro Basketball)
(USA-AWBA; Women's Pro Basketball)

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(USA-AHL Pro Hockey)

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(USA-AWVA; Women's Pro Volleyball)

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(USA-AWRL; Women's Rugby)

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Women's Major League Volleyball

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USA-AABA (United States All-American Red Clover Association) An Association promoting women's tennis, golf, and Olympic-style competitions)

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Legends (USA-ARA; Auto Racing)

Portland Breakers

Beginning in the Pittsburgh area, the McKeesport Olympics of 1896 played on Saturdays due to the states blue laws preventing them from playing on Sundays. Playing many of the top teams in the nation at this time, including many future NFL clubs, their results would often be mixed but they won most of their games at home. The Pitcairn Quakers formed in 1904 and were named for Robert Pitcairn , an official for the Pennsylvania Railroad. They became the primary rivals of the Olympics until 1920 when they took many players from the Union Club of Phoenixville and played one final season as the Union Quakers of Philadelphia .

In 1922, they joined the USA-AFL as the Union Quakers and adopted a rhino logo representing how their thunderous feet make the ground quake as they crush their adversaries. They then relocated to become the Scranton Rhinos* in 1933 before being sold to the Reading Company bought them out in 1937 and merged them with their existing Independent team called the Reading Keys . They then purchased the McKeesport Olympics in 1940 changing their name to the Reading Railrunners* as it began to grow with stronger financing. The railroad used a logo for the team with a rhino pulling a train but now the USA-AFL had four teams in Pennsylvania with teams from other leagues competing against them.

Also known as the Reading Rhinos,* the team was the smallest in the league and adopted the Greater Portland, Maine area as a secondary market. Being the smallest team, it was reasoned that they had the best chances to survive in a smaller market like Portland and have the entire state's fanbase to themselves. This changed in 1960 when the New England Semi-Pro Football League established the Portland Sea Hawks who then played in the ACFL often to sold-out crowds. The Rhinos were then sold (fic) to wealthy shoe outlet businessman Harold Alfond in 1965. In 1973, Alfond sought to bring them into the WFL but their stadium options were far too limited.

The ill-fated United States Football League of 1983 created a team that played in three separate cities representing each year of the leagues existence. The Boston Breakers was founded by Boston businessmen George J Matthews and Randy Vataha who could not get a stadium deal much better than what the Rhino's had to offer. The team was then sold to Joseph C. Canizaro who relocated the team to New Orleans to play in the Superdome . At the end of the 1984 season, Canizaro moved his team to Portland, Oregon to play at the Civic Stadium before folding the team after its second consecutive losing season.

The USA-AFL purchased the assets of the Breakers and relocated them to be merged with the Rhinos. They would play in the new Joshua L. Chamberlain Memorial Stadium (fic) gaining support from the Portland Metropolitan Area . They would retain the Breakers name and team colors but they kept the Rhinos logo believing it to be a powerful motivator envisioning the powerful beast trampling over their opponents. The team was then purchased by L.L.Bean in 1995 when assurances were provided to them that the USA-AFL would supplement the team's operation costs with the league's profit-sharing program for teams in weaker markets.





Team Colors: White Jersey, Azure Blue & Royal Blue Helmet, Silver Pants, and Royal Blue & White Sidestriping
Alt Colors: Orange Jersey, Black & Blood red Helmet, White Pants, and Black & Blood red Sidestriping



Mascots:

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Cheerleading Squad: The Heartbreakers

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Team Nicknames:

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Booster Club:

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Sister City:



USA-AFL Divisional Championships:
USA-AFL Conference Championships:
USA-AFL Ultra Bowl Championships:

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Other Championships






Legacy Teams

McKeesport Olympics Independent 1896-1940
Portland Sagamores (1933-47? NEFL; Ind)
Lewiston Witches (1936)
Lowell Pros (1936)
Reading Keys Independent 1934-1937
Portland Sea Hawks (1959-61 New England Semi-Pro Football League: 1962-65 ACFL; 1966 Portland Griffins, New England Professional Football Conference)
Holyoke Bombers (1965 ACFL)
Boston Breakers (1983 Boston Breakers, 1984 New Orleans Breakers, 1986 Portland Breakers)



Portland Griffins

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Championships









Maine Mammoths (2018 NAL )

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Championships

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Legacy Teams



   



Maine Sports Inc.,

Portland Breakers (USA-AFL; aka USNFL; Pro Football)
Portland Griffins (AFF)
Maine Cheetahs (WNFL; Women's Pro Football)
Maine Mammoths (NMFL; Arena Football)

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(USA-ABL; Pro Baseball)

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(USA-ASL; Pro Soccer; )
(USA-AWSL; Women's Pro Soccer)

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(USA-ARL; Pro Rugby)

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(USA-ABA; Pro Basketball)
(USA-AWBA; Women's Pro Basketball)

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(USA-AHL Pro Hockey)

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(USA-AWVA; Women's Pro Volleyball)

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(USA-AWRL; Women's Rugby)

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Women's Major League Volleyball

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USA-AABA (United States All-American White Pine Association) An Association promoting women's tennis, golf, and Olympic-style competitions)

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Legends (USA-ARA; Auto Racing)

Manchester Revolution

The Manchester Revolution began as a team called the Pottsville Eleven on the Independent circuit in Pennsylvania with players mostly coming from the local Yorkville Hose Company fire department. In 1922, the team would be sponsored by Harold Kingsbury, Irvin Heinz and Frank Schoeneman who then sold the team to local surgeon John G. "Doc" Striegel in 1924. Legend says that the team changed it's name to the Pottsville Maroons when Striegel ordered new uniforms from local sporting goods supplier Joe Zacko and was told the color didn't matter. Zacko sent maroon jerseys and that led to them becoming known as the Maroons.

Striegel then made the Maroons charter members of the Anthracite League in 1924 and won the league championship. That league collapsed after one season due to poor ownership structure and the Maroons jumped to the second NFL. When not playing or doing their day-to-day jobs, the players hung out at the fire department drinking Yuengling Beer , playing cards, and tossing footballs in the street keeping them a close group of players unlike many of their opponents. This explained their success when they joined the NFL in 1925 and had the best record giving them the right to play a team of Notre Dame college all-stars which generally guaranteed better turnout.

However, the Maroons played in a high school stadium and leased the stadium where the Frankford Yellow Jackets played to gain a larger purse to which league commissioner Joseph Carr warned them if they played the game they would be banned from the league. Striegel played the game and true to his word, Carr banned the team from playing the rest of their schedule giving the title to the Chicago Cardinals at the end of the season which Cardinals owner Chris O'Brien refused to accept viewing it as tainted by the Maroons removal from the league. The NFL did not have a champion that season until years later when new Cardinals owner Charles Bidwell accepted it.

The Maroons would be reinstated in 1926 in an effort to keep them from joining the new American Football League but their best days were behind them and the team was sold to a New England ownership group that included star Maroons player George Kenneally . They relocated the team and renamed them as the Boston Bulldogs after the 1926 AFL team known Boston Bulldogs owned by Robert McKirby. Like the 1926 team, the 1929 team wouldn't last beyond the season but joining the USA-AFL in 1930 in New Hampshire as the Manchester Bulldogs* of the USA-AFL. Now owned by Frank D. Yuengling , the team returned to its winning ways becoming USA-AFL champions in 1936.

They remained a successful team buying the Dixie Football League teams called the Greensboro Patriots and the Charlotte Clippers in 1947 after the Clippers 1946 championship season. They next purchased the Frankfort Falcons (who were the 1961 New York State "Independent" champions) before joining the ACFL in 1962 as the Mohawk Valley Falcons and the Pittsburgh Valley Ironmen all from the Atlantic Coast Football League . Playing most of their games on the road, they participated in the Bulldog Bowl where four USA-AFL teams with the Bulldogs name played leading Manchester to become the Minutemen in 1975 before becoming the Manchester Revolution in 1976.

Still owned by the Yuengling Brewery , the team adopted a variation of their logo into an American Eagle for the team giving it nine stars representing the state of New Hampshire being the ninth state to join the new nation. Plans for a new stadium (fic) representing the Manchester-Nashua metro area named after city founder Samuel Blodgett were finalized in 2006 and their first home game was held in 2009. Although a smaller market, the Revolution represents the entire state of New Hampshire so that they attract support from across the state and the metro area has over half a million people who have possessed majority ownership of the team since the 2019 pandemic led the owners to sell them the team.





Team Colors: White Jersey, Red White & Blue Helmet, Red Pants, and Blue & White Sidestriping
Alt Colors: Blue Jersey, Red White & Blue Helmet, White Pants, and Red & Blue Sidestriping



Mascots:

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Cheerleading Squad: The Heartbreakers

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Team Nicknames:

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Booster Club:

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Sister City:



USA-AFL Divisional Championships:
USA-AFL Conference Championships:
USA-AFL Ultra Bowl Championships: 1936

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Other Championships

Pottsville Maroons (1924 Anthracite League )
Charlotte Clippers (1946 Dixie Football league )




Legacy Teams

Pottsville Maroons
New Haven Hilltops (1922 CT)
New Haven Williams   (1919-22 CT)
Waterbury South Ends (1922 CT)
Bridgeport Pro's (1933 CT)
Bristol West Ends (1933 CT)
Hartford Pro's (1933 CT)
New Britain Pawnees (1933 CT)
Niagara Falls Chiefs (1962)
Pittsburgh Valley Ironmen (1962-65 ACFL)
Frankfort Falcons (1961 Ind; 1962 ACFL; Mohawk Valley Falcons 1963-65 ACFL)
Greensboro Patriots and the Charlotte Clippers



Manchester Maroons

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Championships









Manchester Wolves

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Championships

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Legacy Teams




   





New Hampshire Sports Inc.,

Manchester Revolution (USA-AFL; aka USNFL; Pro Football)
Manchester Maroons (AFF)
Mew Hampshire Heartbreakers (WNFL; Women's Pro Football)
Manchester Wolves (NMFL; Arena Football)

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(USA-ABL; Pro Baseball)

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(USA-ASL; Pro Soccer; )
(USA-AWSL; Women's Pro Soccer)

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(USA-ARL; Pro Rugby)

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(USA-ABA; Pro Basketball)
(USA-AWBA; Women's Pro Basketball)

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(USA-AHL Pro Hockey)

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(USA-AWVA; Women's Pro Volleyball)

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(USA-AWRL; Women's Rugby)

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Women's Major League Volleyball

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USA-AABA (United States All-American Purple Lilac Association) An Association promoting women's tennis, golf, and Olympic-style competitions)

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Legends (USA-ARA; Auto Racing)

The Rhode Island Reds

The Greensburg Athletic Association was founded in 1890 in a Pennsylvania city named for Revolutionary war hero Major General Nathanael Greene . Nathanael Greene won fame as one of the most capable and trusted leaders of the Continental Army under General George Washington. But the team did poorly and relocated to Rhode Island in 1901 being purchased by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad and its subsidiary the New England Steamship Company renaming them the Providence Steamworkers* to gain a stronger fanbase. They even purchased an ornate beer stein once owned by Nathanael Greene whose owner drank from it after every victory of which there weren't many.

Morris L. Painter became owner of the team with a group of poultry farmers (fic) who renamed the team after the state bird calling them the Rhode Island Reds . The bird was bred in the state and they hoped the team would win the breed greater recognition and profits in the world poultry industry. In 1909, the Haffenreffer Family purchased majority ownership of the team as a business venture and, in 1911, they paid the necessary fees to become members of the USA-AFL. But, they were more interested in using the team to promote their industrial investments so that winning wasn't foremost on their minds.

The USA-AFL Board of Governors moved to acquire another team called the Rhode Island Patriots which were put together from the remnants of the Cranston Pawtexet AC and Warwick Apponaug AA owned by J. Gordon Bennett Jr who owned the Providence Sports Club Association* to complement his other sports investments. When Bennett died two years later, the Haffenreffers' bought the team merging it with the Reds and giving them their nickname of the "Fighting Gamecocks" . Identifying with the bloodsport of cockfighting, the team would still face ridicule as chickens but they learned to turn this to their advantage often leaving rival teams beaten and bloodied even in a losing cause.

But, they were not the only team representing the city. The Providence Steamrollers started play as an Independent in 1916
as an athletic club called the Providence Pro's . Owned by Peter Laudati (the primary owner of the Steamrollers), Pearce Johnson , Judge James Dooley and Charles Coppen , the team changed its name during the fourth game against New Haven when Coppen heard someone call his team a "steam roller" while buying a hotdog. The Steam Roller became a regional powerhouse winning the "mythical" Northeastern Championship of 1924. Having played and beaten NFL teams during this season, the Steamrollers joined the National Football League in 1925 and became the NFL champion in 1928.

A period of decline followed for the Steam Roller where they didn't even field teams in 1931 and 1932 before a man named Sam Rushton rebuilt the team as the Providence Huskies . This team played an undefeated 10-0 season not allowing a single point against them but the team could not find commercial success on the field. In 1934 and 35 they were Independent before joining the New England Football League in 1936 and then going Independent for 1937 and '38 then joining the American Association from 1938-1941. Their final season was as the Springfield Steamroller in 1942 before joining the USA-AFL in 1943.

Rudolf F. Haffenreffer Jr. had purchased the NFL's Cincinnati Reds during the 1934 season and they continued to play in the USA-AFL on a separate schedule that never coincided with the Rhode Island Reds. The Rhode Island Reds merged with the Providence Steamroller and Cincinnati Reds in 1943 helping the Rhode Island Reds win back-to-back USA-AFL championships in 1943 and '44. The team remained strong and would weather another Providence Steamrollers team in the Atlantic Coast Football league who played from 1962-64 and then they purchased the Rhode Island Indians of the Continental League in '65 and the Rhode island Steelers of the 1966 ACFL.




Team Colors: White Jersey, Deep Mahogany Red Helmet, Mahogany Pants, and Black & Yellow-Orange Sidestriping
Alt Colors: Mahogany Jersey, Deep Mahogany Red Helmet, White Pants, and Black & Yellow-Orange Sidestriping



Mascots: The first mascot of this team was a Rhode Island Red rooster called Homer* who was a prize-winning rooster used to sell the breed to markets far and near. Since then, there has been a single bloodline of roosters descended from Homer and all of these rooster mascots have been buried... not fried when they die.

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Cheerleading Squad:

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Team Nicknames: The Pro's, The Steamrollers

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Booster Club: The Providence Sports Club Association* maintains ownership of The Fighting Gamecock, a fan organization preserving the teams' museum and promotions. They also retain the teams' trophies and Hall of Fame including the Royal Gamecock,* the trophy created in 1906 to celebrate their first championship season.

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Sister City:



USA-AFL Divisional Championships:
USA-AFL Conference Championships:
USA-AFL Ultra Bowl Championships: 1912, 1943, 1944

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Other Championships

1906 Rhode Island State Championship Rhode Island Reds
1928 NFL Championship; Providence Steam Roller




Legacy Teams

Greenburg Athletic Association 1890 - 1900 (Pennsylvania)
Cranston Pawtexet AC  (1914 - 1916)
Warwick Apponaug A (1916)
Rhode Island Patriots* (1916 - 1918)
Providence Steam Roller (1916-24, 34, 35, 37, 38 Ind; 1925-33 NFL; 1936 NEFL; 1938-1941 American Association ; 1942 Springfield Steamroller
Framingham Lion Tamers
Providence Huskies (1933)
Providence Steamrollers (1962-64 Atlantic Coast Football league )
Rhode Island Indians (1965 Continental League )
Rhode Island Steelers (1966 ACFL)



A steamroller is a machine used for flattening surfaces and was the inspiration for the name of the Providence Steam Roller professional football team. The name would be revived by the Providence Steam Roller of the Atlantic Coast Football League in 1962 before becoming the Rhode Island Indians of the Continental Football League . The name was also used by the Providence Steamrollers of the Basketball Association of America (From 1946-1949) and the New England Steamrollers of the Arena Football league for a lone season in 1988. Rather than adopt the name of this team, both the men's and women's teams play at least one game a year as the Providence Steamrollers to honor this originating franchise.

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Championships












Rhode Island Terrors

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Championships

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Legacy Teams




 




New Hampshire Sports Inc.,

Rhode Island Reds (USA-AFL; aka USNFL; Pro Football)
Providence Steamrollers (AFF)
Providence Huskies (WNFL; Women's Pro Football)
(NMFL; Arena Football)

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(USA-ABL; Pro Baseball)

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(USA-ASL; Pro Soccer; )
(USA-AWSL; Women's Pro Soccer)

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(USA-ARL; Pro Rugby)

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(USA-ABA; Pro Basketball)
(USA-AWBA; Women's Pro Basketball)

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(USA-AHL Pro Hockey)

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(USA-AWVA; Women's Pro Volleyball)

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(USA-AWRL; Women's Rugby)

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Women's Major League Volleyball

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USA-AABA (United States All-American Blue Violets Association) An Association promoting women's tennis, golf, and Olympic-style competitions)

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Legends (USA-ARA; Auto Racing)

Boston Celts

Boston Massachusetts is the birthplace of American Rules Football , the distinctly American version of Mob Rules Football from which both Rugby and Association Football also evolved. Nicknamed "the Boston Game , the beginnings of pro football start with the Oneida Football Club formed in 1861 by a man named Gerrit Smith "Gat" Miller who named them after Oneida Lake that put this game on the map. The "Boston Boys" would play their games at Boston Common until 1865 when the team dissolved and reformed as an independent team called the BC Riders (aka Midnight Riders) in honor of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere .

The BC Riders were sponsored by the Boston Beer Company and officially became owned by Lawrence J. Logan when they joined the USA-AFL in 1915. Their primary rivals, at this time, would be the North End Athletic Club and when they folded in 1922, their assets were purchased to be joined with the BC Riders. The traveling NFL's Cincinnati Celts football team were absorbed in 1924 becoming the Boston Celts and gaining the nickname of being the "Fighting Irishmen". They would weather the arrival of two different Boston Bulldogs franchises and the arrival of the Boston Redskins in 1932 by relocating to nearby Cambridge .

Then, the second incarnation of the American Football League formed in 1936 bringing the Boston Shamrocks to town and proved so popular that they forced the Redskins to relocate to Washington DC. In 1944, the next challenge arrived in the form of an NFL expansion team called the Boston Yanks . The Boston Brawlers* were an independent team that began play in 1931 as the Boston Fittons and grew more powerful by absorbing teams like the Quincy Trojans , the New Bedford Murphys and the New Bedford Whalers . They purchased the Brawlers in 1947 and they took the nickname Boston Brawlers from them because it sounded more fearsome but kept the Celts identity for the team.

The Yanks lasted until 1948 and the Celts purchased them for a dollar gaining their team colors and becoming the most penalized team in the USA-AFL. New England Confectionery Company (Necco) bought the team* in 1957 when the BBC went out of business and began playing exhibition games in Dublin, Ireland leading into the 1961 season. They proved instrumental in helping the WFF build the Gaelic Football League of Ireland (the GFL of I). In 1962, the Atlantic Coast Football League introduced the Boston Sweepers to town and attendance again declined for the Celts as the Sweepers won two ACFL championships in 1964 and 1965.

Their success wouldn't last, however, as the team folded in 1966 and the Celts purchased their assets to restore lost fan support. The next incarnation of the American Football League came together in 1959 and fielded a losing franchise called the Boston Patriots who later became the New England Patriots before relocating 23 miles away in Foxborough Massachusetts. They then absorbed the New England Colonials of the Seaboard Football League which folded in 1974 and their assets were purchased by the Celts. Weathering threats from the World Football League and the United States Football League , the Celts began building from within and turned majority ownership over to the city in 1997.







Team Colors: White Jersey, Kelly Green White and Orange Helmet, Kelly Green Pants, and White & Orange Sidestriping
Alt Colors: Kelly Green Jersey, Kelly Green White and Orange Helmet, White Pants, and Black & Orange Sidestriping




Mascots:

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Cheerleading Squad:

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Team Nicknames: The Boston Brawlers

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Booster Club:

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Sister City:



USA-AFL Divisional Championships:
USA-AFL Conference Championships:
USA-AFL Ultra Bowl Championships:

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Other Championships

Pottsville Maroons 1924 Anthracite League Champions 1924
Boston Shamrocks 1936 AFL champions
Boston Sweepers 1964, 1965 ACFL Champions




Legacy Teams

Oneida Football Club 1861 - 1865
BC Riders* (Former OFC) 1866 - 1924
North End AC 1915 - 1922
Cincinnati Celts 1910 - 1924
Boston Celts 1924 - Present
Boston Bulldogs 1926
Boston Bulldogs 1929 (1920 - 1928 Pottsville Maroons)
Boston Fittons 1931 - 1937
Quincy Trojans 1931 - 1932
New Bedford Murphys 1935
Boston Shamrocks   Played 1936 - 1937 AFL 1938 Independent
New Bedford Whalers 1938 - 1947
Boston Bears 1940
Churchill Pros 1940 - 1941
Holyoke Golden Bears   1942
Springfield Steam Roller   1942 (2nd Providence Steam Roller 1934 -1941)
Worcester Panthers 1942
Boston Yanks 1944 - 1948 (the Celts would retain the Yanks team colors)
Boston Sweepers (1962-64 ACFL; 1965-66 New Bedford Sweepers ACFL)
Boston Colonials (1973 ACFL; 1974 SFL)




Boston Brawlers

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Championships







Boston Bulldogs
Boston Shamrocks
New Bedford Whalers
Worcester Panthers
Fall River Lions
Cambridge
Lowell
Springfield Steamrollers
Brockton
Quincy Trojans
Lynn Jets
Newton Steamers
Warwich Hunters
Dorcester Bears
B.C. Riders






Massachusetts Marauders (later absorbed the New England Surge )

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Championships

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Legacy Teams




 




Massachusetts Sports Inc.,

Boston Celts (USA-AFL; aka USNFL; Pro Football)
Boston Brawlers (AFF)
Boston Banshees (WNFL; Women's Pro Football)
Massachusetts Marauders (NMFL; Arena Football)

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(USA-ABL; Pro Baseball)

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(USA-ASL; Pro Soccer; )
(USA-AWSL; Women's Pro Soccer)

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(USA-ARL; Pro Rugby)

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(USA-ABA; Pro Basketball)
(USA-AWBA; Women's Pro Basketball)

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(USA-AHL Pro Hockey)

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(USA-AWVA; Women's Pro Volleyball)

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(USA-AWRL; Women's Rugby)

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Women's Major League Volleyball

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USA-AABA (United States All-American Mayflower Association) An Association promoting women's tennis, golf, and Olympic-style competitions)

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Legends (USA-ARA; Auto Racing)

New Jersey Wrecking Crew

The New Jersey Wrecking Crew has its origins with a team created by the United New Jersey and Canal Company Railroad (UNJ) called the New Jersey Turnpikes* in 1878. The Turnpikes rarely played more than two or three games a year and then, generally only for gambling purposes to claim a potential bonus. Allan James Rikter* offered to sponsor them for twelve games in 1893 and then merged with the Newark Athletic Club in 1896 earning more money than playing against railroad teams. The Newark Turnpikes* then began challenging semi-pro and college teams if there was a potential for a good fan turnout but became better known for violent gameplay.

The Turnpikes players tended to be older and stronger before they moved to Asbury Park in 1903 becoming the Oreos Athletic Club purchased by investors* John Louis Kuser and his twin brother Anthony R. Kuser . Anthonys' father-in-law was John F. Dryden who founded Prudential Insurance and provided insurance for the team. The Kusars became partners in forming the Mercer Automobile Company in 1909 with Ferdinand Roebling of John A. Roebling & Sons Engineering Company . Washington Augustus Roebling II started the company with his wealthy entrepreneur son John A. Roebling who purchased the American Chocolate car company founded by a candy company owned by William Walter.

Unfortunately, Roebling perished on April 15th, 1912 following a tour of Europe aboard the ill-fated  White Star Lines luxury passenger liner RMS Titanic . Benjamin Briscoe and Walter Flanders of Maxwell-Briscoe Company were founders of United States Automobile Company who founded a team called the Briscoes. The consortium fell into receivership in 1913 and the Briscoes were merged with the Turnpikes then renamed the Trenton Mercers* under a Wall Street Syndicate headed up by former Packard exec Emlen Hare in 1919 merging with Crane-Simplex Automotive Company and the Locomobile Company of America into Hare's Motors by 1920.

Hare's Motors President Andrew L. Riker , an early pioneer in electric automobiles, took control but by 1931 the company was bleeding resources and collapsed because of the Great Depression. Other teams like the Coney Island Blue Devils and the Atlantic City Blue Tornadoes in 1925 ( Atlantic City Tornadoes 1926-29) that won eleven out of thirteen games against some of the best teams of that era. Merging with these teams, the Mercers became known as the Passaic Red Devils retaining the name of the Coney Island team before merging with the Bayonne Vikings and Clifton Wessingtons in 1933s Interstate Football League becoming the 1936 USA-AFL champion as the Wessington Red Devils .

Mayor Edward L. Bader of Atlantic City once played for the 1902 Philadelphia Athletics of the original 1902 National Football League before becoming one of the most capable leaders in the city's history founding several businesses and the Miss America Pageant . Bader wanted to make Atlantic City a sports mecca leading to the creation of Bader Field and, with the backing of Benjamin Briscoe, created the Melrose Athletic Club (aka Atlantic City Roses). Playing against teams in the Anthracite League and then the Eastern League of Professional Football from 1926 to 1927 sometimes playing against a team called the Staten Island Stapletons .

Dan Blaine founded the Stapes in 1915 offering fans top quality restaurant level food at Thompson Stadium having become wealthy with a number of restaurants that served as speakeasies during prohibition. The Stapletons were named after the neighborhood they represented proving to be one of the small semi-pro teams destined for bigger things. Winning three New York Metropolitan Championships from 1921-23, they became known for raiding other teams before joining the NFL in 1929 by merging with the Yankees . The team never had a winning season and in 1934 merged with the Jersey Devils with Dan Blaine becoming the principal owner of the USA-AFL team until his death in 1958.

During his time, he also took the final vestiges of the Newark Tornadoes who had absorbed the White Plains Bears of the American Association to become the East Orange Tornadoes (a team put together by players for the original Orange Tornadoes who refused to relocate). This linked them to the 1930 Orange/Newark Tornadoes of the NFL who eventually moved to Kansas City becoming the USA-AFL Kansas City Tornadoes.* This is also where the nickname of the Wrecking Crew began and the team began promoting itself more along the lines of the legendary monster known as the Jersey Devil rather than the Red Devil of Coney Islands Hell Gate .

Players for the Stapletons would reform the team in the following years until 1950 when the final incarnation of the Staten Island Stapes also merged with the Jersey Devils. Not much positive happened for the Devils over the next two decades except they remained violent and proved to be spoilers defeating undefeated teams and knocking better teams out of postseason play. Joe Rosentover had former the Passaic Red Devils and been President of the American Association in 1936 which survived until 1950 and then ACFL in 1963. He oversaw the takeover of the Paterson Panthers and merged them with the Devils when Blaine died in 1958 leaving him as the owner of the team.

After absorbing ACFL teams from the ACFL, they became known as the New Jersey Wrecking Crew where the Wrecking Crew came into their own and won the 1974 Ultra Bowl Championship. The Wrecking Crew became an exceptional road team even during bad seasons and their record against New England teams has always been a better win/loss ratio. Even in the 1983 season when they lost every game outside of New England, they still had more wins than losses to their New England rivals. Then came their 2012 championship season defeating every championship-caliber team and former champion they played.













Team Colors: White Jersey, Red & Black Helmet, Red Pants, and White & Black Sidestriping
Alt Colors: RedJersey, Red & Black Helmet, Red Pants, and White & Black Sidestriping



Mascots: The Wrecker

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Cheerleading Squad: The Home Wreckers

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Team Nicknames: Team Nicknames: Brick City Bombers, The Black Red & Gray

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Booster Club: The Wrecking Balls

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Sister City:



USA-AFL Divisional Championships:
USA-AFL Conference Championships:
USA-AFL Ultra Bowl Championships: 1936, 2012

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Other Championships

Staten Island Champs 1921, 1922, 1923
American Association
1937 Newark Tornadoes Co-Champions Paterson Panthers
1938 Jersey City Giants
1939 Newark Tornadoes
1940 Jersey City Giants
1946 Jersey City Giants




Legacy Teams

Bayonne Vikings (1897-30 / Bayonne Viking-Bulldogs 1931-33  Black & Grey)
Coney Island Blue Devils (1924 Coney Island Red Devils; 1925-28 Blue Devils, Brooklyn 1929-33)
Millville Big Blue (1921-28)
Atlantic City Roses (1921-27 Team Colors Red, White)
Atlantic City Blue Tornadoes (1925-29)
Tacony Pros (1929 Atlantic City)
Newark Bears (1929-30)
Brooklyn Bay Parkways (1930-38)
Wessington Red Devils (Passaic 1931-33, 37-44; Wessington 1934-36)
Clifton Wessingtons (1932-38)
Paterson Panthers (1934-50 (Paterson Night Hawks 1932-33, Paterson Giants 1933)
Manhattan Trojans (1935)
Staten Island Stapletons (1915-1935)
Stapleton Buffaloes (1935-36 American Association Jersey City Giants (1940-41, 1946 - 1950 AA Former Stapleton Buffaloes)
Union City Rams (1938 AA)
Long Island Clippers (1942)
Long Island Gophers (1942)
Long Island Bears (1950-51)
Jersey Giants (1963-64 ACFL)
Jersey Jets (1965-1966 ACFL)
Atlantic City Senators (1966)
Long Island Bulls (1969-70 Continental League)
Jersey Jays (1969 Newark Jays CoFL; 1970 Jersey City Jays ACFL)
Jersey Tigers (1970-71 ACFL)





New Jersey Devils

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Championships






Newark Bears



New Jersey Jackals





New Jersey Maneaters (based on the 1916 great white shark attacks in NJ New Jersey shark attacks of 1916


Trenton Lightning
Trenton Freedom
Trenton Steel

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Championships

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Legacy Teams



 



New Jersey Sports Inc.,

New Jersey Wrecking Crew (USA-AFL; aka USNFL; Pro Football)
Newark Bears (AFF)
New Jersey Devils (WNFL; Women's Pro Football)
New Jersey Maneaters (NMFL; Arena Football)

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(USA-ABL; Pro Baseball)

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(USA-ASL; Pro Soccer; )
(USA-AWSL; Women's Pro Soccer)

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(USA-ARL; Pro Rugby)

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(USA-ABA; Pro Basketball)
(USA-AWBA; Women's Pro Basketball)

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(USA-AHL Pro Hockey)

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(USA-AWVA; Women's Pro Volleyball)

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(USA-AWRL; Women's Rugby)

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Women's Major League Volleyball

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USA-AABA (United States All-American Mayflower Association) An Association promoting women's tennis, golf, and Olympic-style competitions)

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Legends (USA-ARA; Auto Racing)

Washington Generals

The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club formed in 1895 and quickly became a powerhouse team paying for the best players and winning the Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit championship in 1895, 1898 and 1899. In 1898, the team was taken over by businessman William Chase Temple as sole owner ultimately signaling the end of the Duquesnes when almost the entire team roster was purchased by the Carnegie Library of Homestead leading Temple to invest in that team instead winning championships in 1900 and 1901 sometimes being called the Pirates (fic) because Temple had been part owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates which he had sold in 1894 in disgust after a cheating scandal.

After their success, the Homestead team dissolved into three competing teams of the first National Football League owned by Major League Baseball owners John Rogers of the Philadelphia Phillies , Ben Shibe of the Philadelphia Athletics and a team made up by sports promoter Dave Berry . This team formed from the Philadelphia Stars which began the year before then becoming the Pittsburgh Stars for the 1902 season. Berry's experience with football led the Stars to the league championship before merging with the American Football Union with Berry remaining as league President (fic). The Pittsburgh Stars continued where Homestead left off rebuilding that roster of players in the AFU winning its championship in 1904 before the AFU became the USA-AFL in 1907.

The AFU became the USA-AFL in 1907 with Berry continuing as league President and William temple taking over as owner of the Stars (fic) who would win league championships in 1912 and 1916 before Temples death in 1917. The Washington Professional Athletic Club* was formed in 1901 using as its inspiration the story of Old Abe to promote themselves as the Eagles. The Washington Eagles* joined the USA-AFL in 1907 having gained an injured eaglet from Wisconsin they named "Old Abe" after the Wisconsin story they had named their team after. They renamed themselves after the Mohawks in 1913 as the Washington Mohawks * retaining their mascot and played until 1917 when they merged with the Washington Vigilants .

The Vigilants began in 1907 as an Independent but they were far from a financial success and lasted until 1916 when they merged with the Mohawks which is when they became the Washington Generals to honor George Washington. In the following years they would merge with the Washington Rex AC and the Washington Glee Club to name but a few. But the future of this team actually begins with a team called the Washington Senators who began to play in 1921 as part of the APFA but left to play on the Independent circuit as the Washington Presidents. The Generals bought a team called the Washington Apaches in 1929 changing their name to the Washington Admirals the following year and a second incarnation of the Washington Mohawks in 1933.

Absorbing a team called the Washington Federals in 1935, the Generals soon found themselves underdogs when the Washington Pros merged with the Maryland Athletic Club becoming charter members of the new Dixie League where they became the new leagues first championship team. The Washington Pro's became the Washington Presidents in 1937, the Washington Patriots in 1938, and back to the Washington Presidents in 1939 / 1940 before collapsing the following season when the Washington Redskins from the second incarnation of the NFL arrived. The Generals purchased what survived of the Presidents and then merged with the Senators in 1942 leading to their only league championship in 1945.

The Washington Generals had also absorbed teams like the Washington Yellow Jackets and Washington Willow Trees merging them with a team called the Washington Lions forming an all-black team. The reformed Lions would be a much more successful team and became part of the USA-AFL owned USNFL in 1947 winning five championships. Banking executive Norman Hecht led an effort to win an AFL expansion team for Washington in 1965 ultimately leading to the purchase of the Generals (fic) and merging them with the Lions in 1970. They played for one season as the Washington Lions before purchasing the Washington Generals of Pennsylvania in the Seaboard Football League's leading to them changing their name back to the Generals.





Team Colors: White Jersey, Red & Navy Blue Helmet, Navy Blue Pants, and Red White & Navy Blue Sidestriping
Alt Colors: Navy Blue Jersey, Red & Navy Blue Helmet, Red Pants, and Red White & Navy Blue Sidestriping



Mascots:

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Cheerleading Squad:

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Team Nicknames:

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Booster Club:

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Sister City:



USA-AFL Divisional Championships:
USA-AFL Conference Championships:
USA-AFL Ultra Bowl Championships: 1945

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Other Championships

Washington Lions 1949, 1958 and 1963





Legacy Teams

Washington Vigilants 1907 - 1916
Washington Mohawks   1915 - 1921
Washington Rex AC 1919, 1920
Washington Glee Club 1920
Washington Senators 1921  Washington Pros 1922 - 1941
Washington Apaches 1929
Washington Mohawks 1929 - 1933
Washington Passers 1933
1933 Washington Marion A.C 1935
1933 Washington Palace A.C. 1934 - 1935
1933 Washington Mercury A.C.
Washington Nationals 1934
Washington Meridians 1934 -37
Washington Federals 1934 , 1935
Washington Lions 1941 - 1943
Washington Yellow Jackets 1941
Washington Willow Trees 1941, 1942
Richmond Roadrunners 1968-1969 Virginia
Richmond Saints 1970 Virginia
Harrisburg Capitols (1963-67 ACFL; 1968-69 Capitol Colts ACFL Pennsylvania)
Washington Generals (Pennsylvania) Seaboard Football League 1971





Washington Lions

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Championships
















DC Valor


Washington Commandos
DC Armor
Washington Valor

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Championships

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Legacy Teams


   


New England Sports Inc.,

Washington Generals (USA-AFL; aka USNFL; Pro Football)
Washington Lions (AFF)
D.C. Screaming Eagles (WNFL; Women's Pro Football)
DC Valor (NMFL; Arena Football)

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(USA-ABL; Pro Baseball)

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(USA-ASL; Pro Soccer; )
(USA-AWSL; Women's Pro Soccer)

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(USA-ARL; Pro Rugby)

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(USA-ABA; Pro Basketball)
(USA-AWBA; Women's Pro Basketball)

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(USA-AHL Pro Hockey)

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(USA-AWVA; Women's Pro Volleyball)

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(USA-AWRL; Women's Rugby)

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Women's Major League Volleyball

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USA-AABA (United States All-American Asian Beauty Rose Association) An Association promoting women's tennis, golf, and Olympic-style competitions)

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Legends (USA-ARA; Auto Racing)

Delaware Diamondbacks

Baltimore Tigers

Philadelphia Steam

West Virginia Coal Miners

Colorado Gunslingers

St Louis Arsenal

Des Moines Blackhawks