When I first started following CFL football in the early 1990s, two issues dominated the league: struggling Canadian franchises and U.S. expansion. They kind of went hand in hand, the idea being that an injection of American money and new markets would help stabilize the existing Canadian teams. The ultimate goal was for the CFL to grow in popularity and take its rightful place as a major North American sports league.
Of course, things don’t always go according to plan. As we kick off a new year here at Canadian Football History, we’re going to look back at the CFL’s brief foray south of the border. It’s been 30 years since the so-called CFL USA experiment ended.
Whatever your views on the idea of American teams playing in the Canadian Football League are, one thing is certain. U.S. expansion at the time did breathe some new life into an 8-team league that was otherwise in dire straits. New teams. New colours. New players. And some expansion fees to boot. I still have a Sacramento Gold Miners t-shirt I bought. They were my favourite U.S.-based CFL team and had a great name and logo, in my opinion.
So, let’s set the stage for this endeavour, shall we?
Talk of CFL expansion to the United States was nothing new. The subject came up frequently over the years. The CFL staged an exhibition game in Portland, Oregon in June 1992 to test the waters. By most accounts the game was a success. But the expansion idea really picked up steam following the demise of the World League of American Football in 1992. Cities that had teams in that league were front and centre when it came to potential CFL markets.
Larry Smith, the newly appointed CFL commissioner in 1992, became the face of CFL expansion to the U.S. He had the untenable job of selling expansion to would-be American investors, nervous Canadian team governors, and sceptical players and fans. And there was plenty of sceptism.
An initial focus on cities close to the Canada-U.S. border (e.g., Portland, Detroit, etc.) was soon abandoned. Late in 1992, Smith presented a map showing prospective CFL expansion sites. While Montreal and Halifax were included, the rest of the map showed mid-sized U.S. markets such as Sacramento, San Antonio, and Orlando. Honolulu, Hawaii was even on the map. Ironically, several of the eventual U.S.-based teams were never on this map, including the most successful franchise in Baltimore.
While the i’s still had to be dotted and the t’s crossed, plans were afoot for four new teams to join the CFL for the 1993 season. These included Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Montreal. The league’s twelve teams were be divided into a new three division alignment. I’m not sure if it was ever explained how the playoffs would work under this structure.
However, shortly after CFL’s plans were made public the backtracking began. Portland, which was always considered the frontrunner for U.S. expansion, backed out. As did Montreal. It would come down to just the Sacramento Gold Miners and the San Antonio Texans joining the CFL for 1993. They were formally welcomed into the CFL on January 12, 1993.
The Gold Miners were owned by Fred Anderson and in many ways were a reincarnation of the Sacramento Surge of the WLAF. Fred Anderson was a genuinely seen as a nice guy who truly believed in the CFL’s potential in California. He seemed to have the capital and the commitment as well as local fan and media support. His biggest obstacle was a suitable stadium. The Gold Miners would play at Hornet Field on the campus of Sacramento State university, a stadium comprising mostly temporary bleachers and portable washrooms. Not an ideal facility for a fledging professional football team by any stretch of the imagination.
On the other hand, San Antonio was to play in the brand new 65,000-seat Alamodome, a state-of-the-art indoor stadium that was one of the few American stadiums that could accommodate the larger Canadian football field. The Texans were owned by Larry Benson who, like Fred Anderson, had previously owned the city’s former WLAF franchise. Fun fact. The WLAF team in San Antonio was called the Riders. Now, imagine a scenario where the San Antonio Riders, along with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa Rough Riders (Ottawa’s team at the time), played together. That could’ve been quite fun to watch.
Alas, Benson pulled out two weeks later. Was it cold feet or lack of money or something else? Whatever the case, there would be no CFL football in Texas in 1993.
In the end, it was only Sacramento left standing from the original four expansion teams. The Gold Miners played in the West Division and kicked off their season with a two-game road trip in Ottawa and Hamilton. The Gold Miners home opener at Hornet Field was played on July 17, 1993, against the Calgary Stampeders.
Amongst the uncertainty and despite the hiccups, CFL expansion to the United States was here at last.
Sources:
The Calgary Herald, 3 October 1992
The Calgary Herald, 28 January 1993
The Montreal Gazette , 13 November 1992
The Toronto Star, 13 November 1992
