1. 1974 season
    Final standings^[1]  1974 Playoffs  Quarterfinals  Semifinals  World Bowl  1974 All-WFL Team 

2. See also

3. References

The 1974 World Football League season was the first season of the World Football League.

Twelve teams began the inaugural 1974 season, which launched July 10 and lasted 19 weeks with no bye week. The league doubled up the week of Labor Day by playing four games over the course of three weeks on a Wednesday, Monday (Labor Day), Friday, Wednesday schedule, giving the WFL teams 20 games each. Two teams, the Detroit Wheels and Jacksonville Sharks dropped out and folded after fourteen weeks, with the New York Stars and Houston Texans relocating to other markets (Charlotte and Shreveport respectively) during the season. Portland and Detroit played a week 9 regular season game in London, Ontario at Little Stadium.

The season culminated in World Bowl 1 on December 5, 1974, won by the Birmingham Americans.

1974 season

Final standings^[1]

Notes:

(a) Jacksonville and Detroit folded after 14 games; each week thereafter, the teams that had games scheduled against those teams played each other.

(b) Shreveport Steamer began the season as Houston Texans.

(c) Charlotte Hornets began season as New York Stars; upon announcing move to Charlotte, played one away game as Charlotte Stars, and remaining games as Hornets.

(d) Chicago forfeited its 20th game to Philadelphia 2-0.

1974 Playoffs

The original WFL schedule had the three division champions plus one wild-card qualify, culminating in a "World Bowl" on the evening after Thanksgiving at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville.

With financial problems mounting, various formats were bandied about:

• The playoffs would be scratched and the team with the best record would be declared champion.
• Three teams (Memphis, Birmingham, and Florida) would qualify for the playoff, with West champ Southern California left out.
• The best eight of the remaining 10 teams would qualify.
• The top two teams in each division would qualify, seeded entirely by won-lost record.

Eventually, the playoffs were set with the opening rounds consisting of two teams from each division, with the two qualifying teams from the Central Division (Memphis and Birmingham), who ranked first and second in overall record, given byes to the next round. The Hawaiians faced Southern California in the West, but in the East, Florida instead faced Philadelphia, even though, at 8–11 (they would be granted a walkover win over Chicago when the Fire dropped out before their final game), the Bell were 1½ games behind 10–10 Charlotte in the standings. League offices ordered Philadelphia into the game believing they were financially robust enough to cover their own expenses since Florida could not afford their opponent's travel costs on their meager ticket sales; Charlotte, on the other hand, was believed to be too financially distressed to afford the trip.

Quarterfinals

Hawaiians defeated the Southern California Sun, 32–14 (@ Anaheim, California on Wednesday, November 20, 1974)

Florida Blazers defeated Philadelphia Bell, 18–3 (@ Orlando, Florida on Thursday, November 21, 1974)

Semifinals

Birmingham Americans defeated The Hawaiians, 22–19 (@ Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday, November 27, 1974)

Florida Blazers defeated Memphis Southmen, 18–15 (@ Memphis, Tennessee on Friday, November 29, 1974)

World Bowl

Birmingham Americans 22, Florida Blazers 21 (@ Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday, December 5, 1974)

1974 All-WFL Team

WR–Tim Delaney, Hawaiians (TSN, P&C)

WR–Alfred Jenkins, Birmingham Americans (TSN, P&C)

TE–Ed Marshall, Memphis Southmen (TSN)

TE–Greg Latta, Florida Blazers (P&C)

OT–Bob Wolfe, Birmingham Americans (TSN)

OT–Wally Highsmith, Memphis Southmen (P&C)

OT–Ron Mikolajczyk, Memphis Southmen (P&C)

OG–Rick Anthony, Florida Blazers P&C (P&C)

OG–Dave Bradley, Chicago Fire (TSN)

OG–Buddy Brown, Birmingham Americans (TSN, P&C)

C–Bob Kuziel, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets (TSN)

C–Ralph Hill, Memphis Southmen (P&C)

QB–Tony Adams, Southern California Sun (TSN)

QB–Randy Johnson, Hawaiians (P&C)

RB–Tommy Reamon, Florida Blazers (TSN, P&C)

RB–J.J. Jennings, Memphis Southmen (TSN, P&C)

K–Grant Guthrie, Jacksonville Sharks/Birmingham Americans (TSN, P&C)

DE–Gerry Philbin, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets (TSN, P&C)

DE–Louis Ross, Florida Blazers (TSN)

DE–John Ricca, Florida Blazers (P&C)

DT–Mike McBath, Florida Blazers (TSN, P&C)

DT–John Elliott, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets (TSN)

DT–Dave Roller, Southern California Sun (TSN, P&C)

LB–Ross Brupbacher, Birmingham Americans (TSN, P&C)

LB–Rudy Kuechenberg, Chicago Fire (TSN, P&C)

LB–John Villapiano, Houston Texans/Shreveport (TSN, P&C)

CB–Miller Farr, Florida Blazers (TSN, P&C)

CB–Ron Mabra, Philadelphia Bell (TSN, P&C)

S–Dave Thomas, Memphis Southmen (TSN, P&C)

S–Jeff Woodcock, New York Stars/Charlotte Hornets (TSN, P&C)

P–Ken Clark, Portland Storm (TSN, P&C)

Head Coach: Jack Pardee, Florida Blazers (TSN, P&C)

Tri-MVPs: Tony Adams, Southern California, J.J. Jennings, Memphis, and Tommy Reamon, Florida.^[2]

See also

• 1975 World Football League season

References

• Toppserien 2005
• Toppserien 2006
• Toppserien 2007
• Toppserien 2010
• Toppserien 2011
• Toppserien 2012
• TOPPS (research group)
• Topp Stemning Pa Lokal Bar
• Topp XX FC
• Toppy Vann
• Top Qualifier
• Top Racer (arcade game)
• Top Racer (video game)
• Toprakli, Karaisali
• Toprakli, Karatas
• Topraklı, Karaisalı
• Topraklı, Karataş
• Toprak Razgatlıoğlu
• Top Rap Albums
• Topraqlu
• Top-Rated Programs of 1950-51
• Top-Rated Programs of 1951-52
• Top-Rated Programs of 1952-53
• Top-Rated Programs of 1953-54
• Top-Rated Programs of 1954-55