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G1X
07-19-2009, 10:00 PM
Looking for jerseys from the WFL (1974 and 1975 World Football League) and Atlanta Falcons. Mainly interested in Falcons prior to 1990. Please email me at gixc@verizon.net

Thanks!

Mark Hayne
gixc@verizon.net

Number9
07-21-2009, 12:06 AM
Just saying hello my friend. Hope you are doing great.

Mike

Number9
07-27-2009, 02:23 PM
hey buddy,
You see Rick Bryan died?

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-falcons/former-falcon-bryan-dead-101367.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Mike

sox83cubs84
05-05-2017, 10:02 PM
Bump with a lead:

An autograph auction firm known as sigauctions.com has a WFL game football in their current auction. I'm not sure if it's used or new, but the lot description provides the sourcing for it. You know the WFL better than I do, so you'll know if the story makes sense or not. Check it out...

Dave Miedema

G1X
05-05-2017, 11:06 PM
Bump with a lead:

An autograph auction firm known as sigauctions.com has a WFL game football in their current auction. I'm not sure if it's used or new, but the lot description provides the sourcing for it. You know the WFL better than I do, so you'll know if the story makes sense or not. Check it out...

Dave Miedema

Thanks, Dave! Yes, that's a legit 1974 game ball (switched to a traditional ball in 1975). There are at least 3 variations of the 1974 game ball. All are gold with the orange stripes. In addition to the style seen in the auction, some '74 balls have the commissioner's signature (Gary Davidson) sitting horizontally under the the WFL lettering as opposed to being angled up as seen on the auction ball. There are also 1974 balls without Davidson's signature. The below photo shows the 3 variations plus the 1975 game ball.

The irony of the 1974 footballs is that they are notorious for not holding air. This had nothing to do with age as they weren't holding air back in the 1970s. I always saw it as being very symbolic of the WFL :)

Interestingly, some WFL game programs show Gary Davidson holding a yellow-gold ball with blue stripes. That was a prototype ball that was never actually used. I always thought that it was a better looking football than the style they finally settled on using.

As for the story about the origins of the ball up for auction, I am not sure if the 1974 Sun equipment was repossessed by the local sporting goods supplier, but that definitely occurred with some of the other WFL teams. My hometown team, the Birmingham Americans, had their equipment repossessed by the sheriff's department in the locker room while the Americans were celebrating their World Bowl victory. Being a poor college student at the time, I went down to the local sporting goods supplier the following week and bought a jersey and pair of game pants with the money I had from selling my books at the end of the semester. My Mom chipped in some money a week later so that I could buy a game ball (an early Christmas present). The ball still sits on display in my sports room. That's how I got started in the hobby.

Mark Hayne
gixc@verizon.net

sox83cubs84
05-07-2017, 10:59 PM
Very informative post, Mark, and thanks. This would be worth having the mods duplicate your post and adding it to the Educational Threads section of GUU.

Dave M.

G1X
05-08-2017, 01:02 PM
The below information is another one that I would like to see posted in the Educational Threads section. I posted at some point in another thread.

WORLD FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1974/1975) JERSEY INFORMATION

I wanted to share information about game-used jerseys from the short-lived World Football League that was in existence in 1974 and 1975. This has been my main area of collecting over the past 42 years:

1. The home team wore white and the road team wore colors in most of the games. (There are a few rare exceptions, mainly in 1975.)

2. There were no WFL patches on the jerseys. If you see any jerseys with patches, they are replicas.

3. If the top Sand Knit patch is something other than the "Designed & Tailored Exclusively for the World Football League" patch, it is probably a replica jersey. Note that some of the size tags will denote only the lettered designation such as XLarge and not include the numbered size in parenthesis.

4. The team that seemed to have the most varied replicas and the favorite of forgers is the lime green Portland Storm.

5. Sand Knit did not supply all of the teams as is commonly assumed by some in the hobby. Below is a list of the suppliers by team:
- Birmingham Americans (1974) – Russell
- Birmingham Vulcans (1975) – Russell with a separate Fred Sington Sporting Goods tag. Nameplate font is different from Americans, and much smaller on fishnets.
- Charlotte Hornets (1975) – Russell
- Chicago Fire (1974) – Wilson
- Chicago Wind (1975) – Red Fox
- Detroit Wheels (1974) –Sand Knit
- Florida Blazers (1974) –Sand Knit
- Hawaiians (1974 & 1975) –Sand Knit
- Houston Texans/Shreveport Steamer (1974) – Sand Knit (Moved to Shreveport during the season)
- Jacksonville Sharks (1974) – Russell
- Jacksonville Express (1975) – Russell
- Memphis Southmen (1974) – Rawlings
- Memphis Southmen (1975) – Champion and recycled some of the '74 Rawlings
- New York Stars/Charlotte Stars (1974) – Red Fox
- Philadelphia Bell (1974) – Sand Knit
- Philadelphia Bell (1975) – Mainly Sand Knit, but some Spanjian
- Portland Storm (1974) – Sand Knit
- Portland Thunder (1975) – Rawlings
- San Antonio Wings (1975) – Speedline
- Shreveport Steamer (1974 & 1975) – Sand Knit (Moved from Houston during the 1974 season).
- Southern California Sun (1974 & 1975) – Sand Knit. Sleeve stripes different in 1975 except for a few ’74 jerseys that were recycled.

• There are various minor differences in several of the teams' uniforms from one year to the next such as Birmingham, Memphis, and Southern California, and major differences for Jacksonville and Charlotte in 1975. (I can furnish details of these differences if interested.)

• Birmingham wore fishnets for the first part of each season, Hawaii had a set of white fishnets (for home games) in addition to a set of mesh, and the Chicago Wind had a set of heavy winter jerseys (more of a solid double-knit and not actual durene) in addition to a regular mesh set.

• Finally, and very important, be very wary of any Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick Memphis Southmen jerseys that you see, regardless of the paperwork or anything else that is claimed about the jerseys. I have seen one legitimate game-worn Larry Csonka jersey hit the marketplace (Leland’s Auction of December 2004), and one legitimate game-worn Jim Kiick jersey. The legitimate Kiick jersey can be seen on the WFL Vault website at http://wflvault.com/collection/jerseys/02.html I will gladly discuss these jerseys in detail if you desire.

Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions about the WFL.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net