Founded 1974
World Football League
Davidson's most audacious gamble — the league that shook the NFL to its foundation before collapsing under the weight of its own ambition.
"I thought he was incredibly charismatic. He was the kind of guy who you became drawn to."— Howard Baldwin, WFL team owner
The $3 Million Gamble
The Story
By 1974, Gary L. Davidson had already founded two major sports leagues and forced two established monopolies to the negotiating table. His third venture — the World Football League — was his most ambitious. By signing Miami Dolphins stars Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Paul Warfield away from the defending Super Bowl champions in a single $3.5 million deal, Davidson announced that no franchise, not even the NFL's most dominant dynasty, was safe. The WFL lasted less than two seasons. But the tremors it sent through professional football were felt for decades.
January 14, 1974
The Founding
Davidson spent the summer of 1973 running his ass off to nail the heavy investors. By October 2, he had enough to announce the league publicly from a dais in the Sheraton-Chicago Hotel. The first board of governors meeting was convened on January 14, 1974, in the ballroom of the Marriott Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport. Davidson opened the meeting with a warning: 'There's no way to keep secrets from the press. Don't leave documents around — they may be snatched up by anyone.' Among those who answered the roll call: Howard Baldwin (Boston/New York), John Bassett Jr. (Toronto), Bill Putnam (Birmingham), Tom Origer (Chicago), Louis Lee (Detroit), Larry Hatfield (Southern California), and Danny Rogers (Hawaii). Davidson held the Philadelphia franchise himself.
12
Founding Franchises
$3.5M
Csonka–Kiick–Warfield Deal
$1.5M
TVS Network Guarantee
85%
U.S. TV Coverage
Sports Illustrated — 60 Iconic Stories
WFL Launch Announcement, 1974
March 31, 1974
The Signing That Shook the NFL
Davidson had been urging WFL owner John Bassett to target the Miami Dolphins — the NFL's reigning dynasty. Bassett flew Csonka, Kiick, and Warfield to Toronto for the weekend, put them up at the fashionable Sutton Place Hotel, drove them around in limousines, and fed them at the best restaurants. On Saturday morning, agent Ed Keating told the players to go to Hy's Restaurant while he negotiated. When they arrived for lunch, Keating, Bassett, and the Northmen's lawyers were already seated — laughing, drinking beer, and saying nothing about contracts. Finally Keating rolled his eyes at Csonka, excused himself, and Csonka followed him to the men's room. 'We got everything. Everything and more.' Csonka looped his arms around Keating and they let out loud whoops.
Csonka received a $500,000 signing bonus on the spot, a $1 million salary over three years, a luxury automobile, and a rent-free three-bedroom apartment in Toronto — with an ironbound clause insuring his money if the franchise folded. Kiick received $700,000. Warfield received $900,000. The total package: $3.5 million. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle called it 'the most significant player signing in pro football history.' Don Shula said he was 'disappointed, shocked, sick.' Owner Joe Robbie claimed, 'We were torpedoed.' Dick Anderson of the Dolphins said: 'There isn't a player in professional football who wouldn't jump to the new league for that kind of money.'
Broadcasting
The TV Deal
Rather than face certain rejection from the major networks — all locked into multiyear NFL deals — Davidson let two independent syndicators bid for WFL rights. TVS Sports Network won. Eddie Einhorn and his crew of 30, six cameras, and two slow-motion taping machines would televise WFL games in prime time. The WFL received a guarantee of $1.5 million. More than 80 stations were cleared for the 22 weekly telecasts; 85 percent of the nation would be covered by the July 11 opener. Games were scheduled for Wednesday evenings, with one game each week on Thursday nights. 'On Thursdays,' said Einhorn, 'people will have stopped talking about last weekend's NFL games and won't have started talking about the games for next weekend.' Davidson also negotiated a 10 percent share of all television revenues for the next 10 years. 'We have the best first-year TV contract any league ever had,' he said.
Gary Davidson — WFL Commissioner
Firsts
Firsts in Pro Football
First Black President of a Major Pro Sports Team
Louis R. Lee
Lee was 28 years old when he became president of the Detroit Wheels. He had played in the 1965 Rose Bowl for the University of Michigan and earned his law degree from Michigan Law School. He assembled a group of 31 Detroit professionals — doctors, lawyers, minor industrialists — to fund the franchise. 'Without a track record in sports management, without real or abstract wealth,' he had come to Los Angeles and made history.
First Female General Manager in Pro Football
Dusty Rhodes
A six-foot former Penn State athlete who had played field hockey, basketball, and run track, Rhodes had worked for the Boston Patriots and Bob Woolf's player agency before Howard Baldwin hired her as assistant to the president of the Boston Bulls — and later GM of the Charlotte Hornets. She prepared the WFL's first college draft in 36 straight hours of work, then caught the last train to New York to deliver the picks.
First Black Owner in Pro Football
Rommie Loudd
Loudd owned the Florida Blazers — the team that reached the 1974 World Bowl as runners-up. The Blazers were the only WFL franchise that never missed a payroll.
Legacy
What the WFL Brought to Football
Thursday Night Football
Davidson was perplexed why pro football wasn't played on Thursdays and vowed the WFL would own that night — a concept the NFL eventually adopted and turned into one of its most valuable broadcast properties.
Goalposts Behind the End Zone
Davidson moved the WFL's goalposts behind the end zone — a safety innovation the NFL later adopted permanently.
The Action Point
Instead of a kicked extra point, the WFL required teams to run or pass from the 2½-yard line for a one-point conversion — a rule the NFL would not adopt for decades. In World Bowl I, Birmingham's single Action Point proved to be the decisive margin of victory.
No Preseason
Davidson thought the NFL's scheduling was ridiculous — six preseason games and 14 regular-season games. The WFL played 20 games with no preseason, a concept the NFL has debated for decades.
Diversity in Ownership
Davidson brought in pro football's first Black team president — Louis Lee of the Detroit Wheels, a University of Michigan Rose Bowl player and Michigan Law School graduate. He also hired the first female GM in pro football history: Dusty Rhodes, a six-foot former Penn State athlete who had worked for the Boston Patriots and Bob Woolf's player agency.
Player Empowerment
As with the ABA and WHA, the WFL's bidding war forced the NFL to raise salaries. Davidson was 50 years ahead of his time on player empowerment — aggressively paying players and broadcasting how the entrenched leagues used and abused their talent.
The Players
The Players Who Defined the WFL
Zonk
Larry Csonka
Memphis Southmen
The most powerful running back of his era and the centerpiece of the $3.5 million signing that defined the WFL. His deal included a $500,000 signing bonus, $1 million over three years, a luxury car, and a rent-free Toronto apartment. He returned to the Dolphins after the WFL folded, but the dynasty was over.
The Elegant One
Paul Warfield
Memphis Southmen
One of the most graceful wide receivers in football history, Warfield's $900,000 deal gave the WFL instant credibility. 'The football was respectable — comparable to the NFL,' said Warfield, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. 'I'm proud to have been a part of it.'
Butch Cassidy
Jim Kiick
Memphis Southmen
The third member of the landmark Miami trio, Kiick received $700,000. He and Csonka had co-authored a book together and appeared on the cover of Esquire — one of the NFL's most celebrated backfield combinations.
The Tooz
John Matuszak
Houston Texans
The No. 1 pick in the 1973 NFL Draft went AWOL from the NFL Houston Oilers and signed with the WFL's Houston Texans. Federal Marshals arrived at the stadium and served him a restraining order on the sideline after just seven plays. He waved the document to the crowd and sat on the bench. He later won two Super Bowls with the Raiders and appeared in The Goonies.
The Mad Bomber
Daryle Lamonica
Southern California Sun
The Raiders quarterback signed a high six-figure multiyear pact with the Southern California Sun on April 15, 1974 — the same week teammate Kenny Stabler signed with Birmingham. Both deals illustrated the WFL's ability to raid even the NFL's most successful franchises.
The Quarterback
Danny White
Memphis Southmen
Before his long career as Roger Staubach's successor with the Dallas Cowboys, White played for the Memphis Southmen — one of many future NFL starters who got their start in the WFL.
Franchises
The Franchises
1974 Season Teams
Memphis Southmen
Memphis, TN
Florida Blazers
Orlando, FL
Birmingham Americans
Birmingham, AL
Southern California Sun
Anaheim, CA
Other Franchises
Chicago Fire
Chicago, IL
Hawaii Hawaiians
Honolulu, HI
Portland Storm
Portland, OR
New York Stars / Charlotte Hornets
New York, NY / Charlotte, NC
1975
The Collapse
Davidson Announces Resignation — with Tom Origer & John Bassett
Opening night, July 10, 1974, five WFL openers attracted over 188,000 fans — more than anyone expected. Elvis Presley was among the 30,122 who greeted the Memphis Southmen. Jacksonville drew 59,112. The Bell outdrew the baseball Phillies. But by August, the truth emerged: Philadelphia had given away over 100,000 of its 120,000 tickets for free or at deep discounts. Actual paid attendance at the first game was just 13,800. Jacksonville had distributed 44,000 free tickets. 'Papergate' gave the new league its first taste of bad publicity — and it never recovered. By October, Detroit and Jacksonville had folded. A showdown between Chicago Fire owner Tom Origer and Davidson ended with Davidson quietly resigning. 'I thought everybody involved deserved a fresh start,' he said. The league elected a new commissioner — Hawaiians co-owner Christopher Hemmeter — and tried to relaunch in 1975. It didn't work. On October 22, 1975, the 10 general managers voted 6-to-4 to fold.
The WFL lost an estimated $20 million in 1974 alone. Davidson ended up $4 million in debt personally. Portland players went unpaid for six weeks; local citizens donated food to keep them fed. And yet: the Thursday night football concept, the goalposts behind the end zone, the push for a longer regular season, the first Black owner and first female GM in pro football — all of it came from the WFL. Tim Grandi, former WFL associate general counsel, said in Sports Illustrated: 'Whether Gary intended it or not, players acquired new freedoms and prosperity that didn't previously exist. He wasn't Moses, but he did take control of professional sports away from a clique of owners and opened it up to more people and cities.'