San Antonio is one of the more ideal locations for a UFL football team because it is about 200 miles away from the nearest NFL franchise and a top 40 television market. San Antonio is known for its cultural diversity, the Battle of the Alamo, and a lack of NCAA football. The University of Texas at San Antonio is one of the largest Universities in the United States not to have NCAA football but they have established a program that will kick off for the 2011 NCAA season. Here is a breakdown of data on the San Antonio market:
San Antonio
Population (including greater metropolitan area): 2,031,445
Television Market Ranking: 37
Stadium: Alamodome (capacity: 65,000, expandable to 72,000)
Other Major Pro Sports Team(s): San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
Former Outdoor Pro Football Team(s): San Antonio Texans (CFL); San Antonio Riders (WLAF); San Antonio Gunslingers (USFL); San Antonio Wings (WFL)
San Antonio has a long history of alternative outdoor professional football. In 1975, the financially troubled Florida Blazers of the World Football League moved to San Antonio and became the Wings (despite a winning record in Florida and a World Bowl appearance during the inaugural 1974 season). The Wings were well-received by San Antonio fans averaging an adequate 13,376 spectators at Alamo Stadium. The team had the top rated quarterback in the league in Johnnie Walton and a number of other WFL first team players. Unfortunately for San Antonio, the WFL was a sinking ship that folded before it concluded its 1975 season. The initial excitement and enthusiasm among a core group of San Antonio fans likely would have grown in years that followed had the WFL been a better managed venture with more lucrative ownership.
In 1984, the United States Football League granted San Antonio one of six expansion teams for the league’s second season. The result was the San Antonio Gunslingers who averaged 15,444 fans at Alamo Stadium. The Gunslingers garnered considerably strong support despite a losing record and having only one recognizable player in quarterback Rick Neuheisel, who had been a standout at UCLA. The Gunslingers were a poorly managed and underfunded franchise that had a propensity for bounced checks and unhappy employees. The franchise would eventually suffer the same fate as all other USFL franchises, which experienced a significant decline in interest during the 1985 season after the USFL announced that the 1986 season would be played in the Fall alongside the NFL. As a result of overspending and massive debt, the USFL would never see a 1986 season, but San Antonio had once again proven it could produce a respectable fan base.
In 1991, the World League of American Football granted one of its inaugural franchises to San Antonio, which had already been twice burned by up-start football leagues. The San Antonio Riders of the WLAF averaged close to 15,000 in attendance during their inaugural 1991 season in a league that was, by design, strictly a developmental league for the NFL. San Antonio again proved that it had a solid base of football fans. WLAF franchises based in America suffered a decline in interest during the 1992 season. The league temporarily ceased operations at the close of the 1992 season and permanently closed the American based franchises (including San Antonio). The league did not resume operations until 1995 when it became NFL Europe and had only European franchises.
In 1993, the Canadian Football League absorbed the San Antonio Riders of the WLAF as part of a larger expansion into the United States. The team played two seasons as the Sacramento Gold Miners before relocating back to San Antonio in 1995 as the San Antonio Texans. The Texans averaged a solid 15,855 in attendance and made a playoff appearance against the eventual 1995 Grey Cup champion Baltimore Stallions.
In 2010, the United Football league will have chosen one of the better potential football markets in San Antonio. Give the city a chance to support a professional football team with some longevity, and a consistent, past support for alternative professional football indicates that San Antonio will not disappoint the UFL.
Forgot the San Antonio Toros of the Continental Football League, ca. 1969. The Toros were one of the better-supported teams of the ContFL, and even made it to the 1969 championship game. No history of alternative football in SA could be complete without the Toros.
I agree that San Antonio should get a UFLfanchise also SALT lake City
Well done, Ron! San Antonio also had an Arena Football team for a year (the Force in 1992). It wasn’t a good team – it suffered the first shutout loss in AFL history.
Nice work, but I do have a quibble with the idea that the Gunslingers were well-supported.
Of their 18 home games, six of them had four-figure attendance numbers. In ‘84, they were 14th of the 18 USFL teams in announced attendance. In ‘85, they were 13th of 14. And that’s with the announced attendance figures being padded by more than 40%, at least in the first season.
Don’t get me wrong: I think San Antonio is a pretty solid market for the UFL. It was a good market for the CFL, there aren’t a bunch of major league sports to compete with, and the city is desperate for a tenant in the Alamodome. If the UFL is ever going to work anywhere, San Antonio is as good a situation as any.
I just (respectfully) strongly disagree with the idea that San Antonio ever got behind the Slingers.
Thanks, Dusty.
I did not include any Arena Football teams because the standards are different. And I did not include the Continental Football League because it was decidedly a minor league and in a very different era. I just didn’t see it worthy of mention. Sorry.
thejamootz,
I know that the Gun Slingers had some games with low attendance, but the numbers currently being circulated show an average of 15,444 in ‘84, and it is not clear in your link that the 6000+ additional attendees was included in that figure. I know ‘85 was considerably worse. I would imagine that some people would have wised up after they saw how poorly managed the franchise was, and the league as a whole lacked consumer support in ‘85.
Plus, the “considerably strong support” I referenced was relative to an upstart football league. We speak in these terms all the time here since it is obviously a different standard, and 15,000 fans clearly does not equal 60,000 fans.
If San Antonio get good ownership, there will be great. I hope that Hartford will be running by good managment.
Gunslingers averaged 15K in 1984.
While opening at 18K ; attendance dropped but then picked up with 20K games towards the end.
Year two was a disaster whith checks bouncing and other antics by the owner of the team; they got very bad publicity.Attendance went down to 11,000 in 1985 which was exaggerated.
It must be remembered that the Gunslingers did almost zero marketing the operation ran on a shoestring budget; I bought tickets out of a trailer which housed their offices.
Their participation in the USFL team was their only reason they were known.
Attendance was low in comparison to most other teams ; but considering the situation it wasn’t bad.