Sports - Defunct Sports Teams, Retro Leagues

Riverfront Coliseum, today known as Heritage Bank Center, was completed in 1975 and was home to the??Cincinnati Stingers??hockey team of the??World Hockey Association, and later the Tigers who played one season in the Central Hockey League. Its current main tenant is the Cincinnati Cyclones...

It took some convincing, but in 1935 the Cincinnati Reds convinced Major League Baseball to allow night baseball in order to draw more fans.??President??Franklin D. Roosevelt, sitting in the White House in Washington, D.C., threw the switch??that lit up Crosley Field on May 24,...

The Aces were founded in Quebec City in 1928 as an amateur hockey club. They joined the American Hockey League in 1959. In 1967, the became the minor league affiliate of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. In 1971, the Flyers decided to move the team...

The Rafales played in the International Hockey League starting in 1996, the year following the departure of the beloved Quebec Nordiques. From 1992 to 1996, the team was the Atlanta Knights.??? However, fans never warmed to the Rafales and the team folded in 1998.

The Baltimore Clippers played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1962 until 1976 and the Southern Hockey League for one season, 1976-77. Their home was the Baltimore Civic Center.

The San Antonio Rampage began as the the Tidewater Wings, members of the American Hockey League (AHL), in 1971. They changed their name in 1972 to the Virginia Wings. In 1979, they moved to Upstate New York and became the Adirondack Wings. In 2002,...

The Portland Pirates were members of the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1993 to 2016. The team started in Erie, PA as the Blades, members of North American Hockey League and later the Northeastern Hockey League. In 1981 they joined the AHL, then moved...

The Providence Reds (also known as the Rhode Island Reds) started in the Canadian-American Hockey League in 1926. They continued with that circuit when it became the American Hockey League in 1936. In 1976, the became the Rhode Island Reds, before moving to Binghamton,...

They say 60 games is better than one. Sit on your porch and listen to Cincinnati baseball in this great design from Old School Shirts! *A portion of proceeds from the sale of this shirt benefits the Reds Community Fund

They say 60 games is better than one. Sit on your porch and listen to Tribe baseball in this great design from Old School Shirts!

They say 60 games is better than one. Sit on your porch and listen to Cubbies baseball in this great design from Old School Shirts!

The Diplomats joined the old North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1974 as an expansion team. Though successful on the field and at the gate, the team was never profitable. In 1980, the original team folded. That same year, the Detroit Express moved to...

The Hartford Bicentennials joined the old North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1975. After the 1976 season, they became the Connecticut Bicentennials. The team moved to Oakland, CA in 1978 and became the Stompers, then to Edmonton, AB in 1979, where they became the...

The Tea Men played in the old North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. They played one season in the NASL's indoor league (1979-80). Failing to resolve nagging stadium issues, the team moved to Jacksonville in the fall of 1980.

Schmelzer's All Nations was a barnstorming, baseball team established in 1912 in Kansas City. The was sponsored by Schmelzer's Arms, a manufacturer of firearms. At the time the team was formed, there was no major league baseball west of St. Louis. The nickname reflected...

In the 1920s, baseball was starting to become popular in Japan. To take advantage of this new-found interest, several Negro league and barnstorming teams toured the country playing exhibition games to huge crowds. One such team was the Philadelphia Royal Giants, which was actually...

The Denver White Elephants were a barnstorming baseball team comprised of African Americans. A semi-pro squad, they started playing five years before the formation of the Negro National League. In addition to playing games around the West, they participated in??The Denver Post??Tournament, which in...

The Tennessee Rats were a black baseball team formed in 1910 in Holden, MO by W.A. Brown. Primarily a barnstorming team, they played until 1926. They mostly toured Missouri and surrounding states. *Design is officially licensed from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

The St. Paul Gophers were a team of black baseball players that pre-dated the established Negro leagues. Formed in 1907, they barnstormed around the county and played home games at Lexington Park. They disbanded in 1914. *Design is officially licensed from the Negro Leagues...

The New Orleans Black Pelicans were members of the????Louisiana-Texas Colored League in 1930 and 1931. Their ace was Robert Pipkin who was also known as the Black Diamond. *Design is officially licensed from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Formed in Lincoln, NE in 1911, and later based in New York City, the Giants were a barnstorming, Negro baseball team. From 1923 to 1928, they were members of the Eastern Colored League. In 1929, they joined the American Negro League for one season,...

They say 60 games is better than one. Sit on your porch and listen to Houston baseball in this great design from Old School Shirts!

The Cleveland Jaybirds were a men's professional softball team that played in the American Professional Softball League (APSL) starting in 1977. After two seasons, the team was sold to local ad man Ted Stepian, who renamed them the Cleveland Competitors. After one more season...

The Pittsburgh Pisces were the fictional basketball team featured in the 1979 film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.?????Filmed on location in the Steel City, the movie starred real-life basketball legends Julius "Dr. J." Erving (then of the Philadelphia 76ers), Meadowlark Lemon (of the Harlem...

The Cincinnati Tigers were a Negro baseball team founded in 1934. They played as an independent team for three years before joining the Negro American League in 1937. They played in that circuit for only one season before disbanding. The team used uniforms donated...

Los??Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo??was a??Dominican??dream team??formed in 1937 under the direction of then-dictator??Rafael Trujillo.??The team was essentially a merger of??Tigres del Licey??and??Leones del Escogido.??The team represented??Santo Domingo??in the championship series that lasted from March 28 to July 11 of that year, resulting in the...

The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team based in Paterson, NJ that played from 1931 to 1950. The team was unique in that it occasionally had Hispanic players, who were also restricted from Major League Baseball, on it roster. In 1947,...

The Columbus Magic played in the old American Soccer league in 1979 and 1980. Their home pitch was Franklin County Stadium which was also used by the Clippers at that time.

The Columbus Checkers joined the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1966, and played four seasons before halting operations. In 1971, the teams territorial rights were acquired by the NHL's California Golden Seals. Renamed the Columbus Golden Seals, they became a farm team of the...

Established in Buffalo in 1999, the Destroyers were an Arena League Football team that moved to Columbus in 2004. In 2008, the team ceased operations but was revived in the winter of 2019. However, six months later, the entire league went out of business.