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| Established | January 1975 |
|---|---|
| Folded | October 1975 |
| Based in | San Antonio,Texas |
| Home field | Alamo Stadium (25,000) |
| League | World Football League |
| Division | Western |
| Colours | Sky Blue & Cloud Silver |
| Personnel | |
| Head coach | Perry Moss |
| General manager | Duncan McCauley |
| Owner | Norman Bevan |
TheSan Antonio Wings were an American football team who played a single season in theWorld Football League in 1975. The team started as theFlorida Blazers in 1974, then moved toSan Antonio, Texas in 1975, becoming the San Antonio Wings.
The Florida Blazers never drew well, leading team ownerRommie Loudd to openly discuss moving the team toAtlanta in the middle of the 1974 season. The players and coaches were not paid for three months. Shortly after the Blazers' defeat in theWorld Bowl, Loudd was arrested on tax evasion[1] and cocaine trafficking charges.[2] He was convicted on the latter charge and served three years in prison.[3] He was also sentenced to two years in prison for possession and distribution of cocaine.[4]
The Blazers were one of two teams, the other being theDetroit Wheels, to outright fold after 1974 with no direct replacement in their markets in 1975 (not counting teams that moved midseason). Only oneexpansion team would be added, with Norman Bevan buying the franchise rights and establishing a team in San Antonio.
The new Wings were restocked with anexpansion draft but retained 16 former Blazers, including running backJim Strong and tight end Luther Palmer.Larry Grantham, a linebacker on the 1974 Blazers, retired but joined the Wings' coaching staff. The team's head coach wasPerry Moss, a former head coach atMarshall and a former NFL assistant coach; Blazers coach Jack Pardee, who wanted nothing more to do with the WFL, returned to the NFL during the offseason.
QuarterbackJohnnie Walton, a relic from the oldContinental Football League who had spent most of the early 1970s bouncing around NFLpractice squads, led theWFL in passing in 1975. The Wings held their home games atAlamo Stadium, which seated 25,000. San Antonio finished with a 7–6 record (winning all seven home games and losing all six road games) before the league folded on October 22, 1975.
| Key: | Win | Loss | Bye |
| Week[5] | Day | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday | July 26, 1975 | Charlotte Hornets | W 27–10 | 12,375 |
| 2 | Saturday | August 2, 1975 | Shreveport Steamer | W 19–3 | 10,411 |
| 3 | Saturday | August 9, 1975 | Southern California Sun | W 54–22 | 21,000 |
| 4 | Saturday | August 16, 1975 | atCharlotte Hornets | L 20–27 | 8,447 |
| 5 | Saturday | August 23, 1975 | atJacksonville Express | L 19–26 | 16,133 |
| 6 | Saturday | August 30, 1975 | Portland Thunder | W 22–0 | 12,197 |
| 7 | Saturday | September 6, 1975 | Southern California Sun | W 30–8 | 10,470 |
| 8 | Saturday | September 13, 1975 | atBirmingham Vulcans | L 24–33 | 12,500 |
| 9 | Sunday | September 21, 1975 | Hawaiians | W 30–11 | 10,871 |
| 10 | Sunday | September 28, 1975 | Memphis Grizzlies | W 25–17 | 16,283 |
| 11 | Saturday | October 4, 1975 | atPhiladelphia Bell | L 38–42 | 2,357 |
| 12 | Sunday | October 12, 1975 | atPortland Thunder | L 25–28 | 3,818 |
| 13 | Sunday | October 19, 1975 | atShreveport Steamer | L 31–41 | 8,500 |