The Birmingham Vulcans were a professional American football team located in Birmingham, Alabama. They were members of the five-team Eastern Division of the World Football League (WFL). The Vulcans, founded in March 1975, played in the upstart league's second and final season in 1975. The team was owned by a group of Birmingham businessmen with Ferd Weil as team president.
The Vulcans replaced the Birmingham Americans who had held the WFL franchise for Birmingham in 1974, winning World Bowl I in December 1974 before suffering financial collapse. The Vulcans were the best team in the league in 1975 with a 9–3 record and the best at the box office until the league folded 12 weeks into its second season. After the WFL ceased operations, the Vulcans were declared league champions by virtue of having the best record.
When the league folded, Birmingham and the Memphis Grizzlies attempted to get admitted into the National Football League for the 1976 season, although unlike the similar and more extensive effort in Memphis which involved actual cash deposits toward season tickets, it seemed to consist mainly of getting fans to sign a "statement of support" somewhat similar to a petition. When the Memphis effort failed, Vulcans followers were forced to accept the inevitable as well, and efforts to get the team into the more established league were abandoned.
The Vulcans name would be recycled for the Alabama Vulcans, a member of the American Football Association, in 1979.
, two former Vulcans players have been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Birmingham native Johnny "Italian Stallion" Musso, who placed 4th in Heisman Trophy voting while playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide, was inducted in the Class of 1989. Larry Willingham, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and retired for medical reasons in 1973 but made a comeback in 1974 with the Birmingham Americans, was inducted in the Class of 2003. Willingham was also elected to the Auburn Tigers football "1970s Team of the Decade."
Schedule and results Key: Win Loss Bye
1975 regular season Week Day Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Source1SundayAugust 2, 1975Chicago WindsW 10–0Legion Field31,000 2SundayAugust 9, 1975Philadelphia BellW 23–17Legion Field21,000 3SundayAugust 16, 1975at Jacksonville ExpressL 11–22Gator Bowl Stadium16,049 4SundayAugust 23, 1975Southern California SunL 25–35Legion Field32,000 5SundayAugust 30, 1975Shreveport SteamerW 21–8Legion Field18,700 6SaturdaySeptember 6, 1975 at Portland ThunderW 26–8Civic Stadium6,342 7SaturdaySeptember 13, 1975San Antonio WingsW 33–24Legion Field12,500 8SundaySeptember 21, 1975Charlotte HornetsW 22–16Legion Field18,500 9SaturdaySeptember 27, 1975at Jacksonville ExpressL 18–26Gator Bowl Stadium10,881 10SaturdayOctober 4, 1975at HawaiiansW 29–16Aloha Stadium18,894 11SundayOctober 12, 1975at Memphis GrizzliesW 18–14Memphis Memorial Stadium20,192 12SundayOctober 19, 1975Memphis GrizzliesW 21–0Legion Field35,000
See also Birmingham Americans 1975 World Football League season 1975 in sports
References
External links WFL1974 – a Birmingham Americans & Vulcans history site BirminghamProSports.com