CBC Sports: CFL 1994- Sacramento Gold Miners @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Short Video

Source:CBC Sports– the Gold Miners and Blue Bombers from 1994.

“CFL 1994 SACRAMENTO GOLDMINERS AT WINNIPEG BLUEBOMBERS”

From CFL Video

David Archer the American pro football quarterback, was the QB for the Sacramento Gold Miners when they were in the CFL and then QB the San Antonio Texans in the CFL in 1995. He had opportunities in the NFL and was even drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1985, the Washington Redskins picked him up in the late 1980s and I believe he believed played for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Other than his brief stint with the Redskins where he was the 3rd string QB, I don’t think you can say he ever had a real shot to make it in the NFL with a good team. When he did play, he was always playing for teams that were struggling. But he did have good size, mobility, and a strong arm, and had success in the CFL playing for good teams like the Gold Miners and Texans.

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ESPN: CFL 1994- Western Final- Vancouver Lions @ Calgary Stampeders: Short Video

Source:ESPN– Stampeders kicker celebrating something in this game.

“CFL 1994 WESTERN FINAL BC-LIONS AT CALGARY STAMPEDERS”

From CFL Video 

At risk of giving away who won this game: the 1994 CFL season was the first season ever in the CFL where they really were a Cam-Am league, as opposed to just a Canadian league. Because the winner of this game would go on to play the Baltimore Stallions in the Grey Cup. And this was also a great championship game between 2/3 best teams in all of the CFL that year, playing for the Western Championship.

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TSN: CFL 1994- Shreveport Pirates @ Ottawa Renegades: Short Video

Source:TSN– the Shreveport Pirates of the CFL.

“CFL 1994 SHREVEPORT PIRATES AT OTTAWA ROUGHRIDERS”

From CFL Video

Perhaps the two worst teams in the CFL playing each other in 1994. The Shreveport Pirates were 3-15 and played like the expansion team that they were. And the Rough Riders were 4-14, but still managed to make the CFL Playoffs, because 4-5 teams in the Eastern Division automatically made the playoffs that year. You don’t have to be good or even be winners to make the CFL Playoffs.

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ESPN: CFL 1994- Las Vegas Posse @ Toronto Argonauts: Short Video

Source:ESPN– the Las Vegas Posse and Toronto Argonauts.

“CFL 1994 LAS VEGAS POSSE AT TORONTO ARGONAUTS”

From CFL Video

Las Vegas Posse QB Anthony Calvallio should’ve gotten a better look by the NFL because he has an NFL arm and intelligence for the game.

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CFL Video: CFL 1994-Las Vegas Posse @ Ottawa Red Blacks: Short Video

Source:CFL Video– the Roughriders and Posse from 1994.

“CFL 1994 LAS VEGAS POSSE AT OTTAWA ROUGHRIDERS”

From CFL Video

Anthony Calvillo playing pro football for an American team. Not sure why he never got more consideration from the NFL and from NFL teams, because he had great size and was a big, strong, mobile QB, who also had a very strong and accurate throwing arm.

The only American team that Calvillo plays for is an American team that was part of the CFL expansion in America in the Las Vegas Posse. That only played two seasons in 1994 and 95.

The Ottawa Rough Riders made CFL Playoffs in 1994, but only because 4-5 teams from each division qualified and were well under 500. Hard to miss the CFL Playoffs when 3-4 or 3-5 teams in each division makes the playoffs. But they were having a down year in 1994.

The Posse were CFL expansion franchise that got their players by drafting castoffs from the CFL and American players that didn’t make the NFL and were looking to simply continue their pro football careers.

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ABC Sports: FBS 1994- Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Los Angeles Bruins: Full Game

Source:ABC Sports– the Bruins and Cornhuskers from 1994.

“Sorry about the quality on this one. This video is a telecast, broadcast, and production of ABC. I claim no ownership of this material, and do not profit from it in any way. This video is intended for historical and educational viewing purposes.”

From BM Boldt

This was a great early season non-conference matchup because you had two teams coming off of previous seasons in which they wanted to accomplish more, but came up short.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers still looking for their first national championship under head coach Tom Osborne, after losing the 1993 National Championship Game to Florida State.

The Los Angeles Bruins (as I call them) looking to bounce back from a mediocre 1993 season and looking to win the Pac-10 ( as it was called back then) and get back to the Rose Bowl if not be in the hunt for the national championship themselves in 1994.

Top FBS football programs that are looking for big seasons like to test themselves early on with a strong non-conference opponent to see where they are and how good they are early on. Which is really what you see here with the Cornhuskers from the Big-12 and the Bruins from the Pac-10. The winner of this game can probably expect a big year.

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Bleacher Report: Matt Eichel- ‘CFL: Expansion a Risky Business’

Source:Bleacher Report– The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Calgary Stampeders in CFL action.

Source:The Daily Times

“Expansion. Sounds like a word that can bring joy, anger, hostility, and a whole host of other emotions to fans in any sports league.

To some, expansion throws tradition and history out the door. To others, it’s a chance to create something new.

In the Canadian Football League, expansion has always seemed to be a hot button subject of debate.

Back at the start of the 1990s, the CFL, in an attempt to compete with the rival National Football League to the south, decided to expand into the United States. In 1993, the first US-based CFL team—the Sacramento Gold Miners—was admitted into the league.”

From Bleacher Report

To put it simply, CFL expansion into America didn’t work because it had bad management, bad marketing, lack of funds, lack of homework. They seemed to have this idea that if the CFL just came to America, it would automatically work especially in markets that didn’t have NFL franchises, because of how much Americans love football and it doesn’t work like that.

The main reason NFL expansion works in America. Is because for a city to be rewarded an NFL franchise, it has to meet certain requirements. The city has to have the right management group of people who can show they not only know how to run a sports franchise, but a business as well. And that’s exactly what sports franchises are, they are business’s, companies even and they must have money up front to succeed.

Perspective NFL franchises also have to show they can make money down the road. And they have to sell a certain amount of tickets up front what are called season tickets to show that their expansion team will have the support they need up front to survive. And only Baltimore showed they had that type of support and management.

The Baltimore Stallions had a major league caliber management team led by Jim Speros, who was their Governor running a CFL franchise. And the CFL all due respect and many ways it’s a great league, but its not major league compared with the NFL where the other American CFL franchises like the Birmingham Barracudas , the Memphis Mad Dogs, and, San Antonio Texans playing in huge 70-80 thousand seat stadiums and drawing 15-20 thousand fans a game.

What these American CFL franchises should’ve been able to do just before being rewarded a CFL franchise, was to show that they could sell 15-20 thousand season tickets per season, come up with local TV and radio deals, be able to market their clubs and promote their players, have the money to spend on quality players and were committed to putting a winning product on the field each season. Again, only the Stallions and maybe the San Antonio Texans showed they could do this.

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