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Memphis Southmen

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Memphis Southmen
Team logo
Established1974
Folded1975
Based inMemphis, Tennessee
Home fieldLiberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Head coachJohn McVay
General managerLeo Cahill
Owner(s)John F. Bassett
LeagueWorld Football League
DivisionCentral (1974)
Eastern (1975)
ColoursBurnt Orange and Brown    
Nickname(s)Grizzlies

The Memphis Southmen, also known as the Memphis Grizzlies, were an American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. They played in the World Football League (WFL), which operated in 1974 and 1975. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

From North to South

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The team was originally slated to be based in Toronto, Canada, with the nickname of the Northmen. However, when Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced that no U.S.-based professional football league would be allowed in Canada in competition with the Canadian Football League under the Canadian Football Act, a change in venue and nickname was announced.[1][2][3] From the beginning, Memphians disliked "Southmen" and the team was informally known as the Memphis Grizzlies. The name appeared to come from the logo, a representation of a bear backed by the sun.

The "Grizzlies" were owned by John F. Bassett. A multi-millionaire, Bassett gave the league instant credibility by signing three stars from the National Football League's Miami Dolphins for the 1975 season: running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick, and wide receiver Paul Warfield. A Grizzlies quarterback was Danny White, who later became a quarterback and punter with the Dallas Cowboys from 1976 to 1988. John McVay was introduced as the head coach of the Grizzlies before the 1974 season. After his tenure with the Grizzlies, McVay would later serve as Vice-President and General Manager of the San Francisco 49ers for nineteen years, from 1980 to 1999. During this period, McVay presided over five Super Bowl-winning seasons and was named NFL Executive of the Year in 1989.

The Southmen's home opener against the Detroit Wheels drew 30,122 fans, including Elvis Presley, a professed football fanatic. Country superstar Charlie Rich sang the national anthem. After Rich took his seat next to Elvis afterward, Presley commented, "That's a tough song to sing, ain't it?" Rich replied, "It ain't no Behind Closed Doors."

Even before the Miami Trio arrived, the 1974 Southmen found two durable running backs in J. J. Jennings and John Harvey, and they finished with the league's best record at 17–3. They lost in the semifinals to the Orlando-based Florida Blazers, 18–15.

In 1975, Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield finally came to Memphis (now officially dubbed the Grizzlies), but even they couldn't save the league, which folded during the middle of its second season. The 1975 Grizzlies finished 7–4; in their last WFL game, they were shut out by the Birmingham Vulcans, 21–0.

Memphis eventually not only received another professional sports team via a relocation from Canada, but one that was officially called the Grizzlies – the Vancouver Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association would move to Memphis in 2001. The NBA Grizzlies are the only major professional sports team to keep its nickname after moving from Canada to the United States.

In 2004, Mississippi's Johnny Wofford produced a DVD honouring the 1974–75 Southmen/Grizzlies. It included pictures from the 2004 30-year reunion conference.

The Grizzlies were supported by a large local fan base that included Memphis-resident Elvis Presley

Memphis and the NFL

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The Southmen were one of the stronger and better-supported WFL franchises. With the wealth of Bassett, by far the richest owner in the WFL, behind them, the Southmen would have almost certainly been a viable venture had the WFL's overall management been more financially sound. After the WFL folded, Bassett applied for membership in the NFL as an expansion team. Over 40,000 deposits for season tickets were collected in this effort, which included a December 1975 telethon dubbed the "NFL-a-Thon" on Memphis television station WMC-TV Channel 5. To their dismay, the NFL refused to accept the team. McVay and many of the Southmen moved on to join the New York Giants, where in what has been described as "the closest approximation to a meeting between the champions of the WFL and the NFL", the Southmen reinforcements helped the Giants defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers 17–0 in a 1976 preseason matchup.[4]

Still, there were fans who would not quit. A lawsuit, Mid-South Grizzlies v. NFL, tried to force the league to accept the Grizzlies. It was not settled until 1984, by which time Bassett owned the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League and the case was rendered moot.

Long after Presley's death in 1977, his estate was involved in an attempt to bring the NFL to Memphis; the Memphis Hound Dogs proposal ultimately lost (professional football would eventually come to the city in 1995 in the form of the Canadian Football League's Mad Dogs, which Presley's estate had no involvement with; the team folded after that single season).

The NFL's Tennessee Oilers (newly relocated from Houston) played their 1997 season in Memphis before making their permanent home in Nashville.

Former Grizzlies RB Larry Csonka (shown in 2013) was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987
Former Grizzlies WR Paul Warfield was inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame in 1983
Jim Kiick was a AFL All-Star RB prior to joining the Grizzlies

Schedule and results

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Key: Win Loss Bye

1974 regular season[5]

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Week Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 Wednesday July 10, 1974 Detroit Wheels W 34–15 30,122
2 Thursday July 18, 1974 Portland Storm W 16–8 31,088
3 Wednesday July 24, 1974 at Birmingham Americans L 33–58 61,319
4 Thursday August 1, 1974 Southern California Sun W 25–15 25,175
5 Wednesday August 7, 1974 at Philadelphia Bell L 15–46 12,396
6 Wednesday August 14, 1974 at Detroit Wheels W 37–7 14,424
7 Wednesday August 21, 1974 Hawaiians W 60–8 25,123
8 Wednesday August 28, 1974 at Florida Blazers W 26–18 15,746
9 Monday September 2, 1974 at Jacksonville Sharks W 16–13 22,169
10 Saturday September 7, 1974 Houston Texans W 45–0 15,291
11 Wednesday September 11, 1974 Birmingham Americans W 46–7 30,675
12 Wednesday September 18, 1974 at Chicago Fire W 25–7 26,678
13 Wednesday September 25, 1974 at Shreveport Steamer W 17–3 21,357
14 Wednesday October 2, 1974 Jacksonville Sharks W 47–19 15,016
15 Wednesday October 9, 1974 at Charlotte Hornets W 27–23 25,133
16 Wednesday October 16, 1974 Florida Blazers W 25–15 15,334
17 Thursday October 24, 1974 at Portland Storm L 25–26 13,228
18 Wednesday October 30, 1974 at Hawaiians W 33–31 20,544
19 Thursday November 7, 1974 Chicago Fire W 49–24 14,085
20 Wednesday November 13, 1974 Charlotte Hornets W 28–22 13,339

Playoffs

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Game Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
Quarterfinals BYE
Semifinals Friday November 29, 1974 Florida Blazers L 15–18 9,692

1975 regular season[6]

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Week Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 Sunday August 2, 1975 Jacksonville Express W 27–26 25,166
2 Sunday August 9, 1975 Charlotte Hornets W 23–11 19,729
3 Sunday August 23, 1975 at Philadelphia Bell L 18–22 5,051
4 Sunday August 30, 1975 Chicago Winds W 31–7 21,515
5 Sunday September 7, 1975 Hawaiians W 37–17 15,132
6 Sunday September 14, 1975 Shreveport Steamer W 34–23 18,003
7 Sunday September 21, 1975 at Portland Thunder W 16–3 14,818
8 Sunday September 28, 1975 at San Antonio Wings L 17–25 16,283
9 Sunday October 5, 1975 Southern California Sun W 37–33 18,129
10 Sunday October 12, 1975 Birmingham Vulcans L 14–18 20,192
11 Sunday October 19, 1975 at Birmingham Vulcans L 0–21[7] 35,000

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Basset says Northmen likely to move". The Globe and Mail. 1974-05-04.
  2. ^ "Toronto of W.F.L. Gets Memphis Home". The New York Times. 1974-05-07.
  3. ^ York, Marty (1983-03-22). "Alternative to Tiger-Cats: Bassett sees Hamilton in USFL". The Globe and Mail.
  4. ^ Ford, Mark L. (2000). "25 Significant "Meaningless" NFL Games" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. Vol. 22, no. 5. Pro Football Researchers Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 14, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  5. ^ "1974 World Football League Game Results". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  6. ^ "1975 World Football League Results". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  7. ^ Thomas, Roy (20 Oct 1975). "Vulcs take fire out of Southmen". Montgomery Advertiser. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-10-04 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Head coach", Football Digest August 1974 issue
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