Gridiron America Radio

The flamboyant James "King" Corcoran had a long and successful career as a minor league pro quarterback, achieving a near-legendary status due to his performance on the field and eccentric behavior off of it. He spent the better part of his first six seasons in the Atlantic Coast Football League. With Wilmington in 1966, he led the ACFL in pass attempts (247) and with Waterbury in 1967 topped the circuit in attempts (309), completions (141), yards (2065), and TD passes (19). Corcoran was cut by the AFL’s Denver Broncos during both the 1966 and ’67 preseasons and was signed to the New York Jets’ taxi squad.  He started the 1968 season with Bridgeport, which acted as a minor league team for the Jets, and after he was sold to another AFL club, the Boston Patriots, continued in the ACFL with Lowell, Boston’s minor league affiliate. Corcoran again led the league in pass attempts (333), completions (166), yards (2158), and TD passes (20). He also played in two games for the Patriots, throwing seven passes, two of which were intercepted. In 1969, after failing to catch on with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, Corcoran joined the Pottstown Firebirds for two seasons and led them to an 11-1 record in ’70, a year in which he topped the ACFL in pass attempts (297), completions (164), completion percentage (55.2), yards (2129), and TD passes (24), although an injury caused him to miss the league championship game, which the Firebirds won. He was named to the ACFL All-Star team.  After another failed trial with the Eagles in 1971, Corcoran returned to the ACFL and the Norfolk Neptunes, leading the league in completion percentage (52.6) and TD passes (17) as the club won the championship. He joined the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL for 1972 but quit rather than be a third-string quarterback and moved on to Chambersburg of the Seaboard Football League, but was injured midway through the season. He spent the ’73 season with Flint of the Midwest Football League. Corcoran joined the Bell of the new WFL for 1974, reuniting with Head Coach Ron Waller, who had been an assistant with Pottstown and head coach at Norfolk, as well as a number of other players who had been teammates with both of those clubs.

Minor league football is – and always has been – so far off the radar in this country that it’s impossible to speak of there being any iconic teams. The sport offers nothing like the Hershey Bears hockey team or Rochester Red Wings baseball club that have entertained locals for upwards of a century. To the extent that minor and semi-pro football at least has a cult favorite team – the sport’s answer to the Durham Bulls – it’s likely the short-lived Pottstown Firebirds of the defunct Atlantic Coast Football League. The Firebirds were a colorful and talented bunch. They played at the local high school football stadium in Pottstown, 40 miles north of Philadelphia. The team was backed by a local underwear manufacturer named Ed Gruber and took their name and team color from a loose affiliation with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. Though the club lasted only three seasons, they won two minor league titles. The team’s 15 minutes of fame came thanks to Steve Sabol’s NFL Films. The young company documented the Firebirds’ final championship season in 1970. More than a year after the team’s demise, the documentary Pro Football Pottstown PA aired prior to the national broadcast of Super Bowl VI in January 1972. The following year, the author Jay Acton published The Forgettables, a book that chronicled the Firebirds behind the scenes during that same 1970 season. (Acton later became a serial minor league baseball investor himself).

Founded in 1968, the Pottstown Firebirds (also known as the Pennsylvania Firebirds in their final season) came into existence at a time when minor league football was enjoying some measure of popularity in North America, particularly in the Midwest and Atlantic states. Members of the Atlantic Coast Football League, the Firebirds were owned by underwear magnate Ed Gruber. The team became a farm club of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL)  and played its home games at Pottstown High School’s Grigg Memorial stadium. The roster, like that of a minor league team in any sport, was a mixture of players at the end of their careers, a few who still hoped to move up, and those who just wanted to play the game and had no real prospect of playing in the National or American Football Leagues.  On the field, the Firebirds were led by quarterback Jim “King” Corcoran who had played college football at Maryland before landing on the roster of the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 1966. His only NFL action came with the Boston Patriots during the 1968 season in which he appeared in two games. An adequate signal caller, his off-field antics and larger-than-life personality (he used to congratulate himself out loud after throwing a touchdown pass, dressed flamboyantly, and was a bit of a womanizer), likely kept him from returning to the NFL.

And the people watched in wonder, how they'd laugh and how they'd cheer! And there used to be a ballpark right here.  Now the children try to find it, and they can't believe their eyes. 'Cause the old team just isn't playing, and the new team hardly tries. And the sky has got so cloudy when it used to be so clear, and the summer went so quickly this year.  Yes, there used to be a ballpark right here...

And there used to be a ballpark where the field was warm and green. And the people played their crazy game with a joy I'd never seen. And the air was such a wonder from the hot-dogs and the beer. Yes, there used to be a ballpark right here. And there used to be rock candy, and a great big 4th of July with the fireworks exploding all across the summer sky...

In America football has a unique sound to each fan. For many, it is these voices that elevate the sport to a higher level; however, among them all, there is only one true Voice of God.

After the Jets' victory in Super Bowl III, a contentious debate over realignment erupts; Joe Namath considers retirement; the Chiefs score another victory for the AFL in Super Bowl IV; the dawn of Monday Night Football boosts the popularity of the NFL after the final merger.

The AFL's credibility suffers after the Raiders are soundly beaten in Super Bowl II. The following year, the Jets' Joe Namath delivers an unforgettable upset in Super Bowl III after guaranteeing a win over the Baltimore Colts.

The AFL begins to lure top college prospects away from the NFL; the Jets are revived by the arrival of Joe Namath; and the ongoing battles over signing top players lead to a merger between the leagues, leading ultimately to the birth of the Super Bowl.

The impact of JFK's assassination and the Civil Rights Movement; San Diego's high-powered offense under Sid Gillman; back-to-back titles in Buffalo; an African-American boycott of the All-Star game.

The history of the American Football League is recalled. The series opener looks at the birth of the league after founder Lamar Hunt's attempt to buy an NFL franchise was rejected. Included: comments from players and owners; footage of early games played in mostly empty stadiums; and the landmark 1962 title game, which went into double overtime.

A graduate of Wittenburg College, Ron Lancaster started his career with the Ottawa Rough Riders. The eastern Riders were blessed with another outstanding QB in Canadian Russ Jackson and the two split the pivot duties for three years with Lancaster also seeing some action as a defensive back during that period.  In his rookie season in 1960, Lancaster threw 201 passes and had three interceptions as a defensive back.  Lancaster was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and became their starting QB for the next sixteen years. Teamed with fullback George Reed, Lancaster made the green Riders a force to be reckoned with year in and year out. Lancaster's greatest accomplishment might be the 1966 Grey Cup when he led the Riders to their first ever Grey Cup victory.  At the time of his retirement, he was the leading passer in CFL history for total yards thrown. Lancaster was a seven time West All-Star (1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976), a four time All-Canadian (1970, 1973, 1975 and 1976), and was named the Outstanding Player in the CFL in 1970.  After his retirement as a player, Lancaster has remained active in the CFL as a coach and GM.  He was best known for being a smart quarterback with great vision on the field.  No lead was ever safe from Lancaster as long as there was time on the clock.  The "Little General" died from cancer on September 17, 2008.

Although Warren Moon was overlooked time and again throughout his career, his perseverance led to an unusually long and extremely successful stint as a quarterback in the NFL. In addition to having to fight against the perception that he didn't have what it takes to lead an NFL team, he also had to fight against prejudice in a league that had few black quarterbacks. After being passed over by the NFL, Moon went to Canada and led his Edmonton Eskimos to five Grey Cups before being the subject of a bidding war among NFL teams. He would play professional football for 23 years and become the first quarterback to pass for over 60,000 yards in his career. Moon was the first 40-year-old to throw five touchdowns in a game and pass for 400 yards. He is also the only player in both the American and Canadian football halls of fame. 

On July 7th, 1993, the first regular season game of an American CFL franchise was played at Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa, between the now defunct Sacramento Gold Miners and Ottawa Rough Riders. 

Known for the famous "Hail Mary" pass against University of Miami while at Boston College, Doug Flutie went on to play first in the United States Football League before heading to the NFL to play with the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots. He then left the NFL for the Canadian Football League for eight years, where he was a marquee attraction, being named the league's Most Outstanding Player an unprecedented six times and winning three Grey Cup Championships. Flutie went on to sign with the National Football League's Buffalo Bills in 1998 where he was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl, carried the Bills to the Playoffs and was honored as "NFL Comeback Player of the Year." At the age of 38, he signed a contract with the San Diego Chargers to become their starting quarterback. After four seasons with the Chargers, Flutie had the opportunity to finish his career with his hometown team, the New England Patriots where he played one season (with his last play being a score of a drop kick) before retiring in 2006.