WHAT IF: The World Football League Survived!

[WideRight]

DETROIT WHEELS (1974-PRESENT)

Detroit plays in the Central Division with Chicago, Houston, St. Louis and San Antonio.

 

Original Logo/Look:

 

The Detroit Wheels have defied the odds and made a real success of hard times in the Motor City.  When the city was at its lowest, the Wheels seemed to thrive.  Perhaps it was the high cost of Lions tickets, or the sense that the Wheels were a blue collar team for a blue collar town, but the Wheels have all-but overtaken their NFL rivals in fandom in Motown.  It does not hurt that for over a decade (1997-2009) the team had one of the WFL's biggest stars on its roster.  QB Kurt Warner, a player plucked from Northern Iowa and the Arena League became a star in Detroit.  Leading the Wheels to 4 championships in his 12 season career, Warner was a regular All-World player.  His presence in Detroit helped the team fill the SilverDome and later Ford Field, while other WFL teams were lucky to average 25k a year.  Now, as the voice of the Wheels on local broadcasts (TV and Radio), Warner continues to keep the Wheels fandome alive and strong. 

 

The Wheels look made a major shift in the mid-80's when they ditched the very 1970's mustard yellow, added a metallic gold, and prioritized black and red as the lead colors for the team.  A new logo came in 1984, replacing the lower case D with a bold upper case D.  Their current uniform, designed in 2011, features subtle tire-tread elements on the shoulders and pants, while using a retro feel with its numbers.  The wrap around striping in the helmet logo depict speed and acceleration, two themes the Wheels emphasize on the field and with their marketing each year.   Detroit has not returned to the World Bowl since 2008, but have been regular playoff contenders and their merch still makes Top 5 sales lists thanks to their rabid fanbase. 

 

Notes:  If you click on the image and then magnify, it is easier to see the tire tracks.  These are similar to the glossy/matte elements of recent college teams and the Jags (in their dual-tone helmet period).  And, if you were wondering, yes, I tried to draw some parallels between the Wheels and the Arena League's Iowa Barnstormers as a bit of a nod towards Kurt Warner. 

[Tygers09]

Detroit- I would've preferred the mustard yellow, but these uniforms are awesome!

[Brian in Boston]

On 6/3/2020 at 6:23 AM, WideRight said:

i

Terrific idea for a series.

I absolutely love the addition of  the anvil element to the Vulcans' logo. A simple idea, incorporated seamlessly, that lifts the identity package to new heights. BRILLIANT!!!

My initial reaction was to consider the use of the sublimation as a bit too heavy. To my mind, it's least effective on the white jersey. That said, it is evocative of a "fiery glow" on the helmet, blue jersey, and - to some extent - in the pants stripe. What can I say, but that I'm "warming" to it.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of this series has too offer!       
  

[BengalErnst]

2 hours ago, WideRight said:

DETROIT WHEELS (1974-PRESENT)

Detroit plays in the Central Division with Chicago, Columbus, Houston and San Antonio.

 

The Detroit Wheels have defied the odds and made a real success of hard times in the Motor City.  When the city was at its lowest, the Wheels seemed to thrive.  Perhaps it was the high cost of Lions tickets, or the sense that the Wheels were a blue collar team for a blue collar town, but the Wheels have all-but overtaken their NFL rivals in fandom in Motown.  It does not hurt that for over a decade (1997-2009) the team had one of the WFL's biggest stars on its roster.  QB Kurt Warner, a player plucked from Northern Iowa and the Arena League became a star in Detroit.  Leading the Wheels to 4 championships in his 12 season career, Warner was a regular All-World player.  His presence in Detroit helped the team fill the SilverDome and later Ford Field, while other WFL teams were lucky to average 25k a year.  Now, as the voice of the Wheels on local broadcasts (TV and Radio), Warner continues to keep the Wheels fandome alive and strong. 

 

The Wheels look made a major shift in the mid-80's when they ditched the very 1970's mustard yellow, added a metallic gold, and prioritized black and red as the lead colors for the team.  A new logo came in 1984, replacing the lower case D with a bold upper case D.  Their current uniform, designed in 2011, features subtle tire-tread elements on the shoulders and pants, while using a retro feel with its numbers.  The wrap around striping in the helmet logo depict speed and acceleration, two themes the Wheels emphasize on the field and with their marketing each year.   Detroit has not returned to the World Bowl since 2008, but have been regular playoff contenders and their merch still makes Top 5 sales lists thanks to their rabid fanbase. 

 

Notes:  If you click on the image and then magnify, it is easier to see the tire tracks.  These are similar to the glossy/matte elements of recent college teams and the Jags (in their dual-tone helmet period).  And, if you were wondering, yes, I tried to draw some parallels between the Wheels and the Arena League's Iowa Barnstormers as a bit of a nod towards Kurt Warner. 

Definitely got the barnstormer vibe from them instantly.. I like the fact that Kurt Warner made the smooth transition over 

[Tygers09]

Detroit- I always thought either black and silver or if you're going with a traffic theme, red, gold & green (color on a traffic light) would be fit. Just saying!

[WideRight]

One last team for today.

 

FLORIDA BLAZERS (1974-Present)

Play in Southern Division with Birmingham, Houston, Jacksonville and San Antonio.

 

Original Look/Logo:

 

Florida has been one of the strongest teams in the WFL since their first season in 1974.  Playing in football-crazed central Florida (Orlando), the Blazers have been regular playoff contenders, and have 3 World Bowl cups to their name, including the 2017 trophy, when they were led by the one-two punch of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and RB C.J. Anderson.  Despite having some chaos in their initial years, including the arrest of their first owner/president Rommie Loud for, of all things, cocaine smuggling (How Florida can you get?), the Blazers have been a stalwart in the Florida sports scene and remain one of the more profitable teams in the league.  Relying heavily on players from the region, the Blazers have built up a fervent fan base and have been able to ward off attempts by the NFL's Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to encroach into the region.  The team was actually so popular in central Florida that a Blazers jersey was worn by astronaut Michael Coats on the first flight of the Discovery space shuttle in 1984.

 

The Blazers, with early success, have been reluctant to change their identity from its original 1970's design.  The logo has only undergone a minor change when the team added orange to their blue & red early uniforms.  The main innovation in their design over the years has been the interplay of red and orange.  In recent years this has manifest as a bleedover effect between the two colors.  They now sport a sublimated jersey that fades from orange to red with blue sleeves.  A similar effect is used on the socks, helmet stripe and pant stripe.  

 

Next up:  Wax those boards, and get ready for some spam sushi, we are headed to Hawai'i. 

 

[raz]

8 hours ago, WideRight said:

DETROIT WHEELS (1974-PRESENT)

Detroit plays in the Central Division with Chicago, Columbus, Houston and San Antonio.

Love what you're doing here, it's a lot of fun. I think I found a glitch, though. 

 

The Wheels writeup reveals a Columbus team in the Central, but the Fire writeup instead had St. Louis. 

[WideRight]

5 hours ago, rjrrzube said:

Love what you're doing here, it's a lot of fun. I think I found a glitch, though. 

 

The Wheels writeup reveals a Columbus team in the Central, but the Fire writeup instead had St. Louis. 

Thanks, I fixed it, but I guess I gave something away there. Yes, St. Louis and Columbus are going to end up with WFL franchises.  But when, and what WFL identity will they each use?

[stratonascar]

And what about the LA Rams are they still be going to Los Angeles?

[WideRight]

THE HAWAIIANS (1974-Present)

The Hawaiians play in the Western Division with Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Utah

 

Original Look/Logo:

 

The Hawaiians have developed a unique football culture in Honolulu over the past 40 years.  It has not always been easy as the team's distance from most markets has made it difficult to attract top talent, but every once in a while the team has been able to put together strong squads and compete for championships.  Their lone title came in 1982 when, led by all-time fan favorite Jack Thompson, the Throwin' Samoan, the Hawaiians upset the Detroit Wheels to win Wold Bowl '82.  The team has consistently gotten the most of local, U. of Hawaii, and Samoan talent, including such standouts as Mosi Tatupu, Marques Tuiasosopo, Vai Sikahema, and UH alum Colt Brennan.

 

Even with their regular success on the field, the Hawaiians were not always strong draws at the ticket office.  In the early 1990's there was even talk of moving the team to California, Oakland in particular, but with the NFL's Raiders opting to return to Oakland in 1995, the team was motivated to develop another option.  They chose community ownership, in the style of the Green Bay Packers, to keep the team in Honolulu.  Working with city and state authorities, along with the U. of Hawaii, the team was able to arrange for upgrades to Aloha Stadium, and a PSL/Stock IPO led to a strong local buy-in on the franchise.  Since that time the Hawaiians have become a point of civic pride for the island state.

 

In their uniform and logo design, the Hawaiians have gone through several major changes over the years, but have always kept the image of the Koa warrior at the center of their identity.  The warrior has undergone multiple iterations since 1974, but perhaps the biggest change was during the tumultuous early 1990's when, after public purchase of the team, it was decided to drop the brown, red and mustard color scheme and bring in the colors of the islands.  As one would expect in the mid-90's, that color scheme included teal and purple.  The new purple, teal and orange color scheme quickly became emblematic of the team, and over the years other Polynesian elements have also become key design features.  This includes the now-iconic zig-zag stripe pattern found on the helmet, jersey and pants.  The Hawaiians, taking another cue from the U of H have also adopted a horizontal pant stripe designed to imitate traditional native tattoo patterns.  All in all the look of the Hawaiians has become a distinctive element of the team and one embraced by the people of the Aloha State. 

 

 

Notes:  The warrior logo borrows from several preexisting concepts, including the original WFL logo, Primo Brewing's logo, Aloha HS, and a design by Brian Bollig on Behance. 

 

Next Up:  Deep in the heart of Texas. 

[heavybass]

Next Up: The Original Texans

[WideRight]

1 hour ago, heavybass said:

Next Up: The Original Texans

I hate to contradict you, but the original Texans were the Dallas Texans (KC Chiefs) in the early 60's, then the Houston Texans in the WFL, then the San Antonio Texans in the CFL, and now the NFL Houston Texans.  Man, folks in Texas sure like to remind everyone who they are.  I cannot imagine that working in most states.  

[heavybass]

1 minute ago, WideRight said:

I hate to contradict you, but the original Texans were the Dallas Texans (KC Chiefs) in the early 60's, then the Houston Texans in the WFL, then the San Antonio Texans in the CFL, and now the NFL Houston Texans.  Man, folks in Texas sure like to remind everyone who they are.  I cannot imagine that working in most states.  

Well I was close

[JerseyJimmy]

these last three are some of the best concepts you've ever posted. florida in particular has what's probably the best gradient I've ever seen on a uniform.

[WideRight]

HOUSTON TEXANS (1974-Present)

Houston plays in the Central Division with Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and San Antonio.

 

Original Logo/Look:

 

Houston has been a stalwart of the league, and one of its most successful franchises for over 40 years.  It took them a couple of years to catch on, but they have built a steady fanbase even when the NFL Oilers were in their heyday.  When the Oilers relocated to Las Vegas in the mid-90's, the Texans spent several years as the city's only pro football team.  With a solid pool of talent from the state of Texas as a big part of their appeal, the Texans have done well representing their state, with 5 World Bowl Championships under their belts.  Eschewing the oversized and underwhelming AstroDome, the Texans played most of their seasons at Rice Stadium, but when the NFL actually came calling, hoping to get Texans support for a new stadium for an expansion team in the city.  The Texans now share the state-of-the-art NRG Stadium with the NFL's Houston Roughnecks, an arrangement which allows the Texans a more modern and high-tech environment, but which has caused some scheduling difficulties for the weeks when the NFL and WFL schedules overlap. 

 

Two major design decisions have helped to boost the popularity of the Texans, and both were really no-brainers, when you look at them.  After playing 3 seasons in their inaugural green & gold uniforms, the Texans realized that there is not a heck of a lot about those colors which make Houstonians proud, so they ditched the Packers/Baylor look for a tried and true favorite, pulling both dark blue and vibrant red from the Texas state flag.  This Navy/Royal and Red combo boosted the connection with the state and the team nickname, and stayed in place until the NFL's Oilers bolted town.  It took Texans ownership no time at all to reclaim "Luv' Ya" Blue and add the sky blue tone to the uniform. 

 

Other changes in their look moved them from a lowercase h to the uppercase H now in use, and the addition of a star on the map of Texas for Houston's location.  Other than that the team's look has stayed quite solid over the years.  Mixing the state flag colors with the old Oilers' blue has made it possible for all kinds of fan homages to the city and the state, and has become a popular look across the state, even after the NFL moved back in to town with the black, orange and metal grey Roughnecks look. 

 

 

Next up:  Da dum, Da dum, da dum da dum DADUM!!!!!   Sharks!!! Sharks in the water!!!

 

[raz]

4 hours ago, WideRight said:

I hate to contradict you, but the original Texans were the Dallas Texans (KC Chiefs) in the early 60's, then the Houston Texans in the WFL, then the San Antonio Texans in the CFL, and now the NFL Houston Texans.  Man, folks in Texas sure like to remind everyone who they are.  I cannot imagine that working in most states.  

 

I hate to contradict you, but don't forget the 1952 Dallas Texans in the NFL.

 

 

That's them in the helmets with the extra-wide stripe.

 

[Raptorman415]

6 hours ago, WideRight said:

I hate to contradict you, but the original Texans were the Dallas Texans (KC Chiefs) in the early 60's, then the Houston Texans in the WFL, then the San Antonio Texans in the CFL, and now the NFL Houston Texans.  Man, folks in Texas sure like to remind everyone who they are.  I cannot imagine that working in most states.  

Perhaps the Miami Floridians of the ABA as an example of another state stating their state as their state. (I think that makes sense.)

[heavybass]

9 hours ago, WideRight said:

Oilers relocated to Las Vegas

Boy that would be an interesting story and concept to tell.

[WideRight]

JACKSONVILLE SHARKS (1974-Present)

Play in Southern Division with Florida, Birmingham, Memphis and Charlotte.

 

Original Look/Logo:

 

The Jacksonville Sharks have been the city's only pro sports team for over 40 years.  Playing in the Gator Bowl (renamed many times since), the Sharks started off emulating the Raiders in Black and Silver.  They fell victim to the 1990's color craze and added teal to their look in 1995, but have still maintained their enigma as a team of misfits, outlaws and vagabonds.  Their highlight came in the late 1980's when they brought together a team with some solid talent which the NFL had overlooked, including QB Bobby Hebert, LB Sam Mills, and former Sooner RB Marcus Dupree.  They won back to back World Bowl Championships under head coach Steve Spurrier before he headed off to the U. of Florida.  Since then, the team has been up and down, but always entertaining.  They returned to the World Bowl in 2011, led by former Viking QB Duante Culpepper, but lost in the final minute to a late field goal. 

 

The Sharks uniform still maintains a heavy dose of Black & Silver, with teal appearing only in small ways, though the color does feature more prominently in the depiction of the shark in the logo.  In 1996 the team, working at the time with NIKE, developed the first angled helmet stripes in pro football, the 3 stripe taper which they still use.  They also introduced, 2 years later, the "wave stripe" which now adorns their pants.  In 2015 they updated their jerseys with the shark-fin sleeve stripe, which replaced a very unpopular look involving the team name written vertically across the sleeves & shoulders like a yoke.  The new look has been generally well-received by Shark fans, as not perfect, but a big improvement over their prior look, which also featured chrome facemasks. 

 

Notes:  In 1995, with Jacksonville and Charlotte already WFL cities, the NFL did not expand there.  They expanded to Nashville (Tennessee Titans) and St. Louis (Stallions) instead. 

 

Next Up:  Pat's vs. Geno's,  with whiz, peppers, onions, no mushrooms please. 

 

[Tygers09]

Keep it up!! Love both Hawaii and Jacksonville, decision on Houston is in question.