Birmingham Is World League ‘Clear Choice’

Commissioner Tex Schramm of the World League of American Football said today that Birmingham was a “clear choice” to be one of the 12 cities in the intercontinental league, scheduled to begin play in March, 1991.

Schramm also said the league, contrary to the old World Football League and United States Football League, is projected for “the long range because of its association with the National Football League.”

He said the league will hold its first draft next February and begin play the weekend of March 23.

Mayor Richard Arrington welcomed Schramm and said he was excited about having a WLAF team coming to 75,000-seat Legion Field.

The WLAF, with 12 teams, is scheduled to start play with teams in six American cities, four European cities and in Montreal and Mexico City.

The last pro team in Birmingham was the Birmingham Stallions in the United States Football League, from 1983-85. Earlier, the World Football League had the Birmingham Americans, in 1974-75.

The WLAF is awarding franchises first to cities, with the NFL owning a part of each team and its local ownership handling the rest. The Birmingham owners are reported to be Larry Lemak, an orthopedic surgeon who was involved with the Stallions; Bill Harbert, an industrialist, and Wayne Rogers, an actor who is a native of Birmingham.

The only American city named prior to today was Orlando, Fla., but the prospective list is believed to include Nashville, Tenn.; San Antonio, Texas; New York, and either Sacramento or San Jose, Calif.

The international cities include Barcelona, Milan, Frankfurt, Mexico City, Montreal and London.