(UFL)United Football Leauge Team in Memphis (Portland, Hunter: 2009, tenants)

[jonescl]

I was informed that Memphis may get a team in UFL. they are schedule to debut in August, but will begin play in 2009. The Vice President of Google is behind this as well as other deep pocket investors. This is outdoor football similar to the NFL style of play. Any ideas where this team could play its games in Memphis? I would love to see Memphis get a pro football team, in response to what happened in Nashville with the Titans. You can check them out at: ufl2008.com

[Robert_J]

The Oilers/Titans never drew much of a crowd in Memphis. The CFL team flopped. The USFL team flopped. The XFL team flopped. The AFL team flopped. The AFL2 team flopped. Based on that, I don't give them much of a chance. Outside of the Memphis Tigers, football isn't that popular.

On the other hand, Little Rock's AFL2 team has been thriving for years and they will have a UFL this coming season which will probably be successful.

-Robert

[mzloolue]

The "Nashville Titans" never drew much of a crowd in Memphis because they made it clear to everyone that they did not want to be in Memphis.
They came in and quickly alienated most people.
I know that I want nothing to do with them.

And I believe that the Memphis Grizzlies football franchise was successful, but it was the league that failed.

[Kabluey]

USFL team flopped? Attendance wise? That's news to me, lol.

And I hear that Memphis won't be an inaugural member of UFL. It's on the memphistigers.org board.

[Robert_J]

Correction - Little Rock has an AAFL team. Not UFL.

If Memphis can field a team, I'm there. I went to a lot of Explorer games at the DCC. I can't bring myself to attend a Tigers game though. It would feel like cheating going to a college game where I didn't attend a school or even have a connection to. So it looks like the only college game I will attend this year is when my beloved Boll Weevils play Delta State. If the Hogs get lucky and get a bid to the Liberty Bowl, I'll be there as well.

-Robert

[JoeCartpath]

If Memphis gets a team, it would almost certainly have to play at the Liberty Bowl. There's nothing else here but high school fields.

There are a couple of reasons the Titans didn't receive much of a welcome here. First of all, Memphians have grown tired of the NFL ignoring us for years. The Liberty Bowl (I can't remember it's original name, but I seem to recall it was changed) was built in an effort to attract an NFL team. It was expanded and improved a couple of times (at substantial expense)...also to attract a team. Everytime the NFL talked expansion, Memphis was always one of the cities in the running...and the nod always went to another city. It became obvious that the NFL only claimed to consider Memphs in order to up the ante at the other sites.

They'd have an exhibition game here and we'd fill the stands....then they'd turn their back on us. After that happened over a number of years, I think most Memphians just decided the NFL could go take a hike. I know I did...I quit watching NFL years ago.

The ulitimate slap in the face was the Houston Oilers/Nashville Titans. Nashville didn't have a suitable stadium (at least not a megabuck stadium like the NFL demands). So...when the Oilers left Houston, they made a deal to park the team here for a year. In other words, we were told "you're not good enough for us, but we'll go slumming there for a year since we don't have any other place to play."

In all the previous efforts to launch another league, Memphis had the highest attendance of any of the franchises. If other cities had shown the same support, at least one of those leagues probably would have survived. Maybe not to the extent that they were on the same level as the NFL, but you never know....the AFL was considered a minor league at one time....

[IngleDave]

Very interesting read. Personally, I'd have left off the "even" in front of the mention of Nashville. We're no one's step child nowadays, and that's the way it comes across.

Anyway, Memphis, we send our best.

[Senor Boogie Woogie]

Actually the Oliers/Titans were going to stay in Memphis for two years, but attendence was so low that they moved to Nashville a year early and played at Vanderbilt's field. A previous poster was correct that Memphis was being played as leverage by the NFL.

The AFL team was owned by some trust fund cokehead. The AFL2, is basically a minor leauge of a minor league, and they didn't even play in Memphis, but in DeSoto County, in a small facility.

The CFL came and went because Canadian football is stupid. It was also coached by some goofball named "Pepper" Rodgers, a has been coach who basically hung around in Memphis for several years in hopes of being head coach or in an administrative capacity. Never happened. Several other American cities had CFL teams, but it did not work here, except for the Baltimore team, which itself folded when the Ravens came there.

Memphis supported the USFL, it was the USFL that folded.

The XFL mostly consisted of crappy players who weren't good enough for the AFL or the CFL. I rather liked the XFL, it was an interesting concept, however poorly done.

The old World Football Leauge in the 1970s was another poor concept.

Senor

[Kabluey]

AFL -- Kevin Hunter. I think he was more of a pothead than a cokehead. During the first year, the team was great; the franchise was one of the msot attended and had a great record. Around then, the Rose Garden was built and looking for tenants. He oddly traded the team's best player (qb). I don't believe they won another game over the next season or two. Attendance dropped. The team moved to Portland. (Forest Dragons). They failed there. They were moved/sold again, and the franchise dissolved, I think.

When he was motivated to stay in Memphis, Hunter was very dynamic. Sought to rescue the Chicks, and explore opportunities for the NBA. Everything ended up working the way it should. Although I loved the helmets and name of the Pharaohs.