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Will Birmingham join the Canadian Football League?

November 12, 1992
Dr. Larry Lemak, a noted local orthopedic surgeon, announces he is interested in bringing a Canadian Football League team to Birmingham.

     Photograph
  Dr. Larry Lemak
   
The CFL is expected to field teams in the United States for the 1993 season, most likely in Sacramento and San Antonio. Birmingham is on a list of potential cities for future expansion.

"I've talked to them actively for the past three months. I was interested in getting information to judge if this is the proper time to get into the CFL, or wait and watch. I decided to see how it works, and wait until next season if it does work. I'm very interested," Lemak said.

Lemak has been one of Birmingham's biggest boosters for professional sports and has been involved with the World Hockey Association's Birmingham Bulls, the United States Football League's Birmingham Stallions and the World League of American Football's Birmingham Fire. The Fire was recently folded by the league. At the same time, the WLAF voted to suspend league operations for one year to focus more on the European aspect of the league. Lemak was a frontrunner to buy the team from the league before the decision was made to fold the team.

"I think the Canadian League is a good alternative for Birmingham. I'd like to move in this year, but I don't think the city is ready for it." Lemak said.

Lemak is currently head of the Chamber of Commerce's committee on professional sports.

"I'm going up for the Grey Cup this month and meet with them then. I'm going to sit down with commissioner Larry Smith and some of the principal figures in the league and really pursue it. It looks like it may be something worthwhile for us," Lemak said.

June 1993

1993                             
Canadian Football League                            
xxx   xxx   xxx   xxx   xxx   xxx
  British Columbia Lions logo   Calgary Stampeders logo   Edmonton Eskimos logo   Hamilton Tiger-Cats logo   Ottawa Rough Riders logo  
  British Columbia Lions   Calgary Stampeders   Edmonton Eskimos
Champion
  Hamilton Tiger-Cats   Ottawa Rough Riders  
                     
  Sacramento Gold Miners logo   Saskatchewan Roughriders logo   Toronto Argonauts logo   Winnipeg Blue Bombers logo      
  Sacramento Gold Miners   Saskatchewan Roughriders   Toronto Argonauts   Winnipeg Blue Bombers      
                     

Epilogue
The Canadian Football League did expand into the United States in 1993. Joining the league, and earning their place in CFL trivia books, was the Sacramento Gold Miners.

American franchises added in 1994 were the Baltimore Stallions, the Las Vegas Posse, and the Shreveport Pirates.

In 1995, the Birmingham Barracudas and the Memphis Mad Dogs were added, while Sacramento moved to San Antonio and became the Texans. The Las Vegas franchise folded.

In 1996, Baltimore moved to Montreal to become the Alouettes but due to financial hardships, the remaining American franchises folded, thus ending the CFL's expansion into the United States.


Canadian Football League logo Teams of the                        
Canadian Football League                         
xxx   xxx   xxx   xxx   xxx   xxx
  Baltimore Stallions logo   Birmingham Barracudas logo   British Columbia Lions logo   Calgary Stampeders logo   Edmonton Elks logo  
  Baltimore Stallions
1994 to 1995
  Birmingham Barracudas
1995
   British Columbia Lions
1958 to 2024
  Calgary Stampeders
1958 to 2024
  Edmonton Elks
2021 to 2024
 
                     
  Edmonton Eskimos logo   Hamilton Tiger-Cats logo   Las Vegas Posse logo   Memphis Mad Dogs logo   Montreal Alouettes logo  
  Edmonton Eskimos
1958 to 2019
  Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1958 to 2024
  Las Vegas Posse
1994
  Memphis Mad Dogs
1995
  Montreal Alouettes
1958 to 2024
 
                     
  Montreal Concordes logo   Ottawa RedBlacks logo   Ottawa Renegades logo   Ottawa Rough Riders logo   Sacramento Gold Miners logo  
   Montreal Concordes
1982 to 1985
  Ottawa RedBlacks
2014 to 2024
  Ottawa Renegades
2002 to 2005
  Ottawa Rough Riders
1958 to 1996
  Sacramento Gold Miners
1993 to 1994
 
                     
  San Antonio Texans logo   Saskatchewan Roughriders logo   Shreveport Pirates logo   Toronto Argonauts logo   Winnipeg Blue Bombers logo  
  San Antonio Texans
1995
  Saskatchewan Roughriders
1958 to 2024
  Shreveport Pirates
1994 to 1995
  Toronto Argonauts
1958 to 2024
  Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1958 to 2024
 
                     
 
 
Photograph
Canadian Football League ball
 
Program
11/28/1993
Edmonton Eskimos
vs
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
GREY CUP
 
 
 
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Last update: December 25, 2024