|
|
February 1978 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Local businessman A.E.
(Pee Wee) Burgess denies any involvement in a proposed minor league
football organization to be known as the American Football Association.
Burgess was listed as one of eight men attending a meeting
to discuss the AFA's Southern Division.
Burgess says he has no interest in
joining a minor league and will continue to direct his energy toward
securing Birmingham a franchise in the National Football League.
Burgess was a key investor and leader in creating the Birmingham Vulcans of the
World Football League in 1975. "Harry
Lander is the man behind the league. He was involved in the San Antonio
franchise of the WFL, so I suppose that's how he knew my name. Anyway,
when Lander contacted me and John Bassett, I understand, we both told him
we weren't interested," Burgess said. Bassett is currently the
owner of the World Hockey Association's Birmingham
Bulls and the former owner of the WFL's Memphis Southmen.
Possible franchise sites for the league include San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Shreveport, Jackson, Oklahoma
City, Little Rock and Memphis. Lander admitted the league will be aiming
low. "We made the mistake last time (with the WFL) of trying to think too
big too quickly. Hopefully, we'll have batter financial control over our
franchises this time." Lander said.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 1979 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
At a press conference in Jacksonville,
Birmingham is listed as an expansion franchise
in the AFA's upcoming third season. Other cities mentioned are Orlando,
Charlotte, Louisville, Tulsa, Little Rock, San Antonio, Jackson and Shreveport. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Lander announces he is the owner of the AFA franchise that will be located in Birmingham. Lander is a San Antonio
insurance man and financial planner who purchased the rights to the
Birmingham franchise for $25,000. Lander also co-founded the AFA two years
ago and now serves as President of the league. Last year, in addition to
owning the Shreveport franchise, he coached it to the AFA championship. He
owned stock in the San Antonio franchise, but sold it two weeks ago when he
acquired the Birmingham franchise. In the AFA, players get a standard 1% of the gate revenues and the top salary in the league last year didn't
exceed $5,000.
Speaking on the health of the AFA,
Lander said, "We've got credibility. Where those leagues (the WFL, the Indoor Soccer Association and the
Freedom Baseball League) diminished from the day they started, like the WFL dwindling down
to six teams from twelve, we've expanded, going from six to ten. We started out as
a Texas semi-pro league and now we cover the country. I can understand how
the people of Birmingham would be reluctant to lay their hearts back on
the line when they've been broken many times before. But we're going to
give them something for keeps this time."
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
February 1979 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Lander says he may also coach the Birmingham
team. "I've won the league championship the last
two years coaching at San Antonio and
Shreveport. Some of the league's leaders are
taking the approach that I should go in there
with full intent of making Birmingham the
flagship franchise, the league's bell-cow.
Naturally, with my track record, they feel I'm
the guy to take Birmingham to the top. We'll hit
the ground running, I guarantee you," Lander
said. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 1979 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Lander announces the team will be known as the
Alabama Vulcans. Teams in the AFA have a tradition of naming the themselves after their
states instead of their cities in hopes of obtaining a larger
fan base. Lander also announces he will pursue former Auburn
quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan as the
starting quarterback. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
1979 American Football
Association
|
|
| |
Western Division |
|
Eastern Division |
|
| |
Arkansas Champs |
|
Alabama Vulcans |
|
| |
Mississippi Stars |
|
Carolina Chargers |
|
| |
Oklahoma Mustangs |
|
Florida Firebirds |
|
| |
San
Antonio Charros |
|
Kentucky Trackers |
|
| |
Shreveport Steamer |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 1979 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
The Oklahoma Mustangs fold due to financial
difficulties. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Rumors of a player walk-out gain momentum.
Former linebackers coach O'Neal Dozier, who quit
before the Kentucky game last week, is feuding
with Lander over the handling of player
paychecks and how the A.G. Gaston Motel was paid
while several players were living there.
Dozier said, "As soon as about eleven or twelve of the black starters get paid
either today or tomorrow I believe they're splitting - they're quitting the team.
They just don't feel like they've gotten a fair shake out of Harry. I was one of the
first people he brought into this area. He told me right off that we needed the support
of the black community in Birmingham. To do this, we went to WENN Radio and
they more than went out of their way to help us. In the end, Harry made
the station mad at the players, the team and the coaches. And it wasn't
just the radio station he alienated." Dozier claims that WENN Station
Manager Kirkwood Balton agreed to help the Vulcans by setting them up in
the Gaston Motel. However, Dozier claims that only black players were
moved into the Gaston Motel while white players were rented apartments in
the more-affluent suburb of Hoover and their rent was being paid by Lander.
Lander said that before Dozier quit and moved to Atlanta, they shared an
apartment together in Hoover and "he still owed rent to me on the
apartment." Lander feels Dozier is "a very frustrated
player-coach, who could never make the team physically. I'm sorry he feels
he must carry out some sort of vendetta against this team. I helped O'Neal
get started in the AFA. I don't understand why he would make all those
false statements against me."
As for the rumored walk-out, defensive back Willie Smith said, "I really
haven't heard anything about a walk-out. All I know is that we considered
having a team meeting for tonight. But all I knew about it was that it was
going to be more of a clear-the-air session. I didn't know some of the
players were thinking about a walk-out."
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 1979 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Lander is growing more upset each week with
dwindling attendance. "I must be doing something
wrong. We just aren't drawing people to our
games. I'll be darn sure embarrassed if we only
have this many (5,500) at Saturday’s game
against Shreveport. What makes that game so
important is they're televising it back to
Shreveport. I don't want Birmingham to look bad
in front of all those people in Louisiana, but
if we don't draw better Saturday than we did
tonight, I think it will be embarrassing,"
Lander said. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
August 1979 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Lander announced that Joe Gilliam, former
quarterback of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers,
has signed with the Vulcans. Gilliam was with
the Steelers from 1972 through 1975 and as of
last week, was playing for the Baltimore Eagles
of the Mid-Atlantic Conference. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Gilliam does not show up in Birmingham, claiming
he has a few loose ends to tie up in Baltimore. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Gilliam arrives in Birmingham, but has not
signed a contract as was previously reported.
Gilliam had only given Lander his word he would
show up. "I've just been following my nose and
this is where it is leading me. It is hard to
leave an undefeated team. That was the delay,"
Gilliam said. Lander promised Gilliam that he will be a buffer for him at all media
interviews to sift through questions so Gilliam doesn't have to talk about
his drug-involved past. "My past has been written about too many
times," Gilliam said. Gilliam's prior problems include a 1976 arrest
and probation for possession of heroin and marijuana.
Lander plans to play
Gilliam in Saturday's game.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Attorneys representing the Baltimore Eagles met
with Eagle owner Jim Sears to discuss a possible
lawsuit against the Alabama Vulcans and Joe
Gilliam for breech of contract. Sears claims
Gilliam left Baltimore without telling anyone he
was going Birmingham to play for the Vulcans.
"His contract with us certainly is binding,"
Sears said. Sears is considering filing an
injunction against the Vulcans and Gilliam so he
will not be able to play while under contract
with the Eagles. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Lander says that he doesn't know the whereabouts
of Gilliam after loaning him his own Cadillac to
go to Atlanta for an overnight trip to see a
friend's new baby. "I've not heard from him
since he left Friday afternoon. He still has my
car. If he had come into town, I am positive he
would have gone to the stadium and I would have
seen him. I don't know where he is," Lander
said. Gilliam has yet to sign a contract with the Vulcans.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Arkansas Champs General Manager Herschel
Strickland had to resort to borrowing six
Vulcans players for their game against the
Vulcans. "We just didn't have enough players,"
Strickland said. It was the fourth straight week
the Champs have had to borrow players from the
opposing team. To make matters worse, half of
the Champs uniforms were stolen before they
arrived in Birmingham. The Champs borrowed the
Vulcans white road uniforms and spray-painted
the Vulcans helmets white to blend in with their
own. Gilliam is still missing.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Lander receives a call from Gilliam, who is back
in Baltimore, and is told his car is at the
Birmingham airport's remote parking lot. Gilliam
claims a friend "doped my drink and the next
time I knew the world it was Sunday morning."
Lander had considered filing an all-points
police bulletin and auto theft charges against
Gilliam. "He called me, he said, from the
Nashville airport. It was a brief conversation -
the operator broke in and said she needed more
money for the pay phone if he intended to talk
any longer. I did everything humanly possible to
help the guy, but as far as I'm concerned, he is
ancient history. I am not embarrassed by the
whole incident. I feel like I walked the extra
mile to give the guy another opportunity,"
Lander said. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Responding to the events of the last six days,
Gilliam says he resented Lander for taking him
to the local television, radio and newspapers
for interviews upon his arrival in Birmingham.
"Lander was dealing with me as a piece of
publicity and not a person. I made a lot of dumb
mistakes, but nobody's perfect. Lander offered
me a lot of money. He assumed a lot of things. I
left his car with more gas in it than it had
when he gave it to me. When I was a senior in
college playing in the Blue-Gray Game (in
Montgomery), George Wallace made me an honorary
lieutenant colonel. I figure I would pull out
that badge on him (if he were arrested). With
the recession and everything, everybody has
their own pressures. But I guess the last couple
of days, I wasn't really myself," Gilliam said. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Reports from Baltimore claim that Gilliam was
beaten with a club by three men near a west-side
park. Gilliam was listed in 'critical but
stable' condition at the University of Maryland
Shock Trauma Unit. One of the men apprehended
was found carrying heroin and marijuana. Earlier in the day, Gilliam's wife
of nine years filed for divorce in Nashville.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
The AFA votes to take over the Arkansas Champs
due to team mismanagement. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 1979 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Four offensive linemen were fired before the
Kentucky game due to complaints in their pay. "I
will not let them back on the team. I give
second chances, but no third chances," Lander
said. The four players contend they walked out
and were not fired. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Local radio station WAPI announces it will not
broadcast any more Vulcans games due to the
station being owed $3,000 by Lander for August
broadcasts. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Vulcans cheerleaders are upset that the Vulcans
organization have spent $625 of their money and
won't return it. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Birmingham Park and Recreation Board Supervisor
Frank Wagner says the latest check from Lander
is no good. "It is the only check of the season
that has bounced. I'll give him until Monday
morning to pay it, or the gates will be locked,"
Wagner said. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
John Waits, the AFA's Commissioner, says the
Vulcans will be back in 1980. Waits also says
that Lander is negotiating with at least five
local investors to sell around half of his share
of the Vulcans. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Wagner announces that he has locked the Vulcans
out of Legion Field for failing to make good on
a bad check. "I've already locked the gates.
I've put all their equipment in the storage
room," Wagner said. Lander, reached in San
Antonio where he is vacationing, said he plans
to pay the rental fee for Legion Field. "Yes, we
will take care of Frank. It is none of your
business when I will do it, though. I don't know
how to tell you this any plainer - all of the
money matters of the AFA are confidential
information. It's none of your business or the
public's business who or where we get our money
from," Lander said. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
February 1980 |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Lander announces that the Vulcans will be back
in business within two weeks under new
management and all debts would be paid. "I have
made arrangements to sell the franchise to a
Birmingham group. I'd love to tell you the
names, I really would, but I have been asked not
to until everything is signed and confirmed. I
won't be back but the Vulcans will. And all the
debts will be paid. They will be assumed in the
deal. I will not realize any of the money from
the sale. The monies involved will be used to
pay any and all bills that the club had from
last season. Players also will be paid," Lander
said. Lander is currently the head coach of the West Virginia Rockets, a new
franchise in the AFA. This time, Lander doesn't own stock in the new team. "I am
being paid for the first time in two years. I took no money, whatsoever, from
the Vulcans. That money belonged to my team," Lander said.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epilogue |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
The Alabama Vulcans went on to die quietly in
the night. While the level of play was good and
the off-the-field entertainment high (see Joe
Gilliam entries above), the franchise could not
overcome mounting bills and the financial
mismanagement rumors to continue. The American
Football Association, however, did make a
comeback in Birmingham in 1982, when the
Alabama Magic joined the league for one
season before folding. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
