I've been wanting to make this card for a while now. If you're of a certain age, you might remember the short lived World Football League. It existed in only 1974 and 1975. In 1974 Chicago fielded a team called the Fire. The Fire started out hot (sorry) but after QB Virgil Carter's injury, lost the final 10 games of it's only season.
In 1975 there was a new team, the Chicago Winds. The owner pursued Joe Namath who was without a contract. He offered $4 million for 4 years. They even changed their colors from red to green to appeal to Namath. Ultimately, the deal broke down and Namath remained on the Jets. The ill fated Winds didn't even last the whole 1975 season. Two different investors pulled out and the league dissolved the team mid-season and distributed their players to other teams via a special draft,
This is a card of what could have been. Could Broadway Joe have saved the league?
Ah, yes, "of a certain age" . . . that describes me, because as a youngster I scrupulously followed the Fire and the WFL, a league full of young standouts that seemed far more exciting than the NFL. Carter was indeed a star for the first half of the season, but everything fell apart after his injury. By the time the league's Chicago franchise had become the Wind, a good deal of the luster had been lost, and like most new sports leagues of the era, the expense of competing with existing leagues grew too great to bear. But the thought of Namath calling plays in Chicago is certainly intriguing. Nice realization of his fantasy WFL card!
ReplyDeleteI still have a Chicago Fire poster. I need to check eBay to see what comps are!
ReplyDeleteDo you ever make these into actual cards?
ReplyDeleteIs this a card I could purchase?
ReplyDelete