Sports - Defunct Sports Teams, Retro Leagues

The New York Raiders were a charter franchise of the World Hockey Association and first hit the ice with the rest of the league in 1972. The team, however, could not compete for fans with the established New York Rangers of the National Hockey...

Initially awarded to the province of Ontario in 1972 for the first season of the World Hockey Association (WHA), the team originally planned to play in Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens, and when that fell through, nearby Hamilton. When the season began, they were...

The Birmingham Bulls first hit the ice in 1976 as members of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The team had spent the previous three seasons as the Toronto Toros before heading to Alabama. The Bulls drew 8,400 fans a game in their first season,...

After only one season, the Ottawa Nationals relocated to Toronto in 1973 for the??second season of the??World Hockey Association (WHA). As the Toronto Toros they found success on the ice and at the gate, making the playofffs in their first two seasons in their...

Founded in 1972, the Los Angeles Sharks were charter members of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The team was originally going to be called the Aces, but when the San Francisco Sharks were transferred to Quebec to become the Nordiques before the start of...

Charter members of the World Hockey Association (WHA), the New York franchise began as the Raiders. Before the start of their second season, they became the Golden Blades. After only 20 games, they were taken over by the league and moved to Cherry Hill,...

Vanguard debuted in video arcades in 1981 and later became available as home video game on the Atari 2600 and later Atari 5200 platforms.

The All-America Football Conference, or AAFC, was founded in 1945 by Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward in 1944 to challenge the established National Football League. Ward's new circuit debuted in 1946 with eight teams and played for three seasons before the NFL absorbed...

??The Cleveland Crusaders were charter members of the??World Hockey Association??in 1972. The team played first at the old Cleveland Arena before moving to the??Coliseum??in 1974. In 1976, the team moved to Minnesota to become the second incarnation of the Fighting Saints.??

Members of the original North American Soccer League, the Dynamos played two seasons in Denver, 1974 and 1975. In 1976, they moved to Minnesota to become the Kicks.

??The Boston Minutemen played in the original North American Soccer League from 1974 through 1976. After a season with out an outdoor soccer team, the region welcomed the Tea Men in 1978.??

The Montreal Manic were members of the old North American Soccer League from 1981 to 1983. Their home field was Olympic Stadium. The team had previously been based in Philadelphia where they were known as the Fury.??

??Founded as the Washington Darts in 1967, this outdoor soccer team was a originally a member of the original American Soccer League. In 1969 they joined the North American Soccer League. In 1972 they moved to Miami and became the Gatos. The following year...

Originally an expansion team in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), the Sidekicks went on to play in four different leagues, including the Continental Indoor Soccer League, before folding in 2004. One of the most successful indoor soccer tams in history, their legacy is...

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers joined the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1977. Their home was Lockhart Stadium which is considered to be America's first-ever soccer-specific stadium. In 1984, the team moved to Minnesota. Two subsequent, but unrelated, soccer teams have used the Strikers...

The Tea Men were established in New England in 1978 as an expansion team in the old North American Soccer League (NASL). Stadium issues forced the team to relocate to Northern Florida in 1980. In 1983, they left the for the American Soccer League,...

The Rochester Lancers played in the American Soccer League from 1967 until 1969 and the North American Soccer League from 1970 to 1980. Though they played in a small market, they were one of the league's most popular teams.

The??Los Angeles Aztecs??were a North American Soccer League??from 1974 to 1981 and were co-owned by??Elton John.

The Toronto Blizzard joined the North American Soccer League in 1971 as the Metros, before becoming Metros-Croatia in 1975. They became the Blizzard in 1979 and kept that name until they folded in 1984. In 1983, they played in the Soccer Bowl but lost...

The Grand Prix of Cleveland was an Indy car event first held on July 4, 1982 as the "Budweiser Cleveland 500." The race was held annually at Burke Lakefront Airport through 2007.

Held on July 12, 1979, Disco Demolition Night was a between-games promotion held during doubleheader featuring the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park. Radio station WLUP, The Loop, promoted the invent that involved a crate filled with disco records being blown...

Riverfront Stadium, later Cinergy Field, was the home of the Reds from 1970 until 2002. The team captured three World Series titles (1975, 1976, and 1990) while playing there.

The New Orleans Buccaneers were founded in 1967 and were charter members of the American Basketball Association. The spent three years in the Big Easy before moving to Memphis in 1970.

Along with several other clubs from the defunct West Coast Hockey League, the Fresno Falcons joined the East Coast Hockey League in 2003. New league, new logo.

In 1992, the NFL suspended the operation of the its developmental World League of American Football. One of that league's clubs, the Sacramento Surge, applied for, and was granted, admission to the Canadian Football League. In 1995 they moved to San Antonio to become...

The Sacramento Surge were charter members of the NFL-run World League of American Football (WLAF). The Surge won the World Bowl in 1992, but after the WLAF ended its American presence at the end of the 1992 season, they moved to the Canadian Football...

The original Minnesota Fighting Saints were charter members of the World Hockey Association in 1972. The team played its home games in St. Paul, while the rival NHL Minnesota North Stars played in suburban Bloomington. The Fighting Saints folded halfway through the 1975-76 season....

The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) debuted in 1978 with six teams. Playing on a astroturf-covered hockey rinks, the league quickly grew in popularity through the 1980s. Interest began to wane toward the end of the decade. Teams included the very popular St. Louis...

The Orange Army was the Wichita Wings fan-base of fans the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League. A rabid group of supporters, they packed the 9,600-seat Kansas Coliseum for several seasons in the mid-1980's.

The Minneapolis Millers baseball team traces its roots back to 1884 and a minor league circuit called the Northwest League. After playing in several other leagues, the team settled into the AA American Association in 1902. They stayed there until 1960 when the Washington...