Cities that Never Got a Team back

[The Gipper]

Discussion had about the Chargers/Raiders/Rams on here. So, lets look at those cities that once had a NFL team that never got one back:

 

Right now we are looking at 3 recent cities that lost teams:

 

Oakland....though the Raiders are still there for a while, apparently

St. Louis

San Diego

 

But, historically there are also these cities:

 

Decatur, Ill

Portsmouth Oh.

Akron, Oh. #

Brooklyn NY #

Canton, Oh #

Columbus, Oh.

Duluth, Minn.

Evansville Ind.

Hammond Ind.

Hartford Conn.

Kenosha, Wisc.#

Louisville Ky.

Milwaukee, Wisc.

Muncie, Ind.

Newark NJ #

Mansfield, Oh.

Providence RI @

Racine, Wisc.#

Rochester NY

Rock Island, Ill.

Staten Island NY #

Toledo Oh. #

Tonawanda, NY#

 

Lets look at the ones marked with #. These currently are towns that are part of a larger Metro area that does have a team, even if it isn't named as such. Akron/Canton/Mansfield are part of the Cleveland market (75 mile radius). Brooklyn, Staten Island and Newark are part of the NYC market. (In fact, the teams there play in New Jersey, practically in Newark)

Pottsville is part of the Philadelphia market. Tonawanda is a suburb of Buffalo, and the Bills play now in a nearby other suburb of Buffalo Toledo is within 50 miles of Detroit.

Kenosh and Racine Wisc. are both within 75 miles of Chicago, though actually they are Packer towns.

(Racine is Packers for football, but Cubs for baseball)

 

@ Providence. The New England Patriots, while they play in Massachusetts, are actually much closer to downtown Providence than they are to Downtown Boston

21 miles vs. 30 miles. And since they have the "New England" name, Boston can't claim them over Providence.

 

Most of the rest are small towns that are not in a major metro area, but are no longer viable major league cities: Decatur, Portsmouth, Evansville, Duluth, Hammond, Muncie, Rock Island.

 

So, that means there are only 4 cities left:

Hartford, Columbus, Louisville and Milwaukee.

 

ALL of these cities are bigger than NFL markets in Buffalo and New Orleans, and all but Louisville is bigger than Jacksonville AND Las Vegas...and Green Bay, of course, which is the only holdover city with an NFL team in a smaller like city.

But, none of them are likely ever to get an NFL team, unless they come up with a real stadium deal and try to make a push to steal a team.

Milwaukee is unlikely to do that, as the Packers are ensconced in the local mindset there.

Hartford is unlikely to compete with the Big Boys in the neighborhood, NYC/Boston...and besides, Hartford has as good a claim to the "New England team" as Boston or any one else.

Columbus will not make a move, because they are stuck in the middle with Jokers to the left (Cincy Bengals) and Clowns to the right (Browns). Besides, they have their "pro" team in the Ohio State Buckeyes.

 

Louisville seems to be the only potential city that once had a team that could for some reason feel that it must become a big boy, major league town....but, at currently only the 49th largest market, it is doubtful that the NFL (or NBA or NHL) will listen hard, unless it comes with a HUGE pile of cash, like Las Vegas had.

 

Of course, a few other towns that have never had a team could potentially try to come on the scene to steal an NFL team:

But these are essentially one horse basketball towns: Portland, San Antonio/Austin, Sacramento, Salt Lake, Oklahoma City

Would any of them want to break out of the one horse town category and go for real big time?

 

The largest markets that do not have a team in any of the major sports?:

1. Hartford...as noted above.

2. Greenville/Spartanburg SC...which has grown exponentially...one of the fastest growing areas in the country (bue between ATL and Charlotte)

3. Norfolk/Va. Beach

4. Birmingham Ala.

5. Albequerque

[The Gipper]

Of course, perhaps if these major sports leagues look at major trends, they would look at the fastest growing cities in the country. While some of the fastest growing cities are smaller towns. (after all, if your population is 100...and 10 people move in,that is an astronomical growth spurt, relatively). These are the fastest growing major towns, a couple of which could make a push for an NFL team (if they don't have one already):

 

Top 5:

Austin

Orlando

Raleigh

Houston

Salt Lake/Provo

 

By the way.....the towns losing the most population? They are as much in the south as they are in the north, perhaps even more so:

Farmington New Mex.

Pine Bluff Ark.

Sierra Vista Ariz.

Albany Ga.

 

Yes, there are towns in the east and midwest: West Virginia is hit bad, but it is not dominated at all by midwest cities.

[D Bone]

...... after a 1-15 season, some might say Cleveland.

[The Gipper]

...... after a 1-15 season, some might say Cleveland.

We have a team that will be good soon.

[Tour2ma]

Lotta small markets in the OP list.

 

Hartford once had the WHA Whalers who, IIRC, merged into the NHL.

[mjp28]

Lotta small markets in the OP list.

 

Hartford once had the WHA Whalers who, IIRC, merged into the NHL.

That was a tough loss for Hartford losing an NHL team to a financially better market in the Carolinas. Also losing center Ronnie Francis to the Penguins before the move kind of sealed the deal when I was watching Pittsburgh make history with Lemieux.

 

.... Francis played almost ten seasons with the Whalers, serving as captain for almost six and setting nearly every offensive record in franchise history. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 4, 1991 with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings, in exchange for Jeff Parker, Zarley Zalapski, and John Cullen. The trade became a coup for Pittsburgh, where he centred a formidable second line behind Mario Lemieux, as the Penguins won their first Stanley Cup less than three months later.

 

Francis was indispensable the following year, as Pittsburgh repeated as champions, in leading the team during the absence of Lemieux in the 1992 playoffs – and in scoring the Cup-clinching goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. At the same time, it is considered to be one of the most one-sided trades in NHL history....

[mjp28]

We have a team that will be good soon.

Maybe the best shot in years. And an interesting thread.

[hoorta]

Um, you forgot one Gip. I'll let you look up the city where the very first NFL game was played.

[nickers]

We have a team that will be good soon.

Good at what.. going 1-15?

[ballpeen]

All sports go through a weeding out process when leagues first form.

[The Gipper]

Um, you forgot one Gip. I'll let you look up the city where the very first NFL game was played.

Right, Dayton. Yes, I overlooked it. It is so easy to overlook Dayton and people from there.

[The Gipper]

All sports go through a weeding out process when leagues first form.

Certainly true. Example, there is not a single team in the NFL that is in the same city as the original 1920 lineup. Only the Bears who were in Decatur and the Cardinals who were in Chicago are original 1920 franchises that are still in the league. Now, the Bears moved to Chicago in 1921, and the Green Bay Packers came into the league in 1921...so those two are the longest franchises in the league in their current city. That is 2 out of 32.

 

In the NBA, there are only 2 original teams in their original cities from the first year of the league, which was 1946-47: The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks..

 

In the American League of baseball, the only original teams in their original cities beginning in 1901 are The White Sox (called White Stockings) Cleveland Indians (then called The Blues), Boston Red Sox (then called the Americans) and the Detroit Tigers. Only those Tigers kept the original name...unless you say that White Socks/Stockings are the same.

 

In the National League, beginning in the 1880s only the Cincinnati Reds, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs are original to their town. (and the Cubs were called "The Orphans")

 

In the NHL, that leagues first season was 1917. ONLY the Montreal Canadiennes, and the Toronto Maple Leafs (originally the Arenas) are original to their town.

They talk about the "Original Six", but really it is the Original Two. The other teams that are "original 6" Rangers, RedWings, Blackhawks, Bruins, came later. They call them that because the league was contracted down to 6 teams during WWII...and stayed that way until like the 1960s.

[Tour2ma]

That was a tough loss for Hartford losing an NHL team to a financially better market in the Carolinas. Also losing center Ronnie Francis to the Penguins before the move kind of sealed the deal when I was watching Pittsburgh make history with Lemieux.

 

.... Francis played almost ten seasons with the Whalers, serving as captain for almost six and setting nearly every offensive record in franchise history. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 4, 1991 with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings, in exchange for Jeff Parker, Zarley Zalapski, and John Cullen. The trade became a coup for Pittsburgh, where he centred a formidable second line behind Mario Lemieux, as the Penguins won their first Stanley Cup less than three months later.

 

Francis was indispensable the following year, as Pittsburgh repeated as champions, in leading the team during the absence of Lemieux in the 1992 playoffs – and in scoring the Cup-clinching goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. At the same time, it is considered to be one of the most one-sided trades in NHL history....

 

The only reason I know the Whalers is the Howe family: Gordie, Mark and Marty. Folks often forget that before the Howe's played for Hartford, they played for the WHA, Houston Aeros. The Aeros approached Gordie, who resisted their offer for a while, only relenting when the Aeros extended their offer to include his sons.

 

Seeing a 50-yo man not just skate, but actually play the game at his age was one of the more impressive things I've seen in sport. The old man was still strong and played strong. I saw them play in the old Sam Houston Colosseum in the mid-70's. The Aeros were a WHA powerhouse.

 

Then I followed Mark through his solid NHL career since he went to my NHL team, the Flyers.

 

Also saw the Aeros play the Cleveland Crusaders a couple time... back when Cheevers was one of the best goalies in the game. Loved his "scarface" mask...

[mjp28]

Good at what.. going 1-15?

They have an "opportunity" to be better soon but be careful they don't blow it or risk alienating yet even more future generations of BROWNS fans.....and becoming the answer to more trivia questions.

 

"What ever happened to......"

[hoorta]

Right, Dayton. Yes, I overlooked it. It is so easy to overlook Dayton and people from there.

 

LOL Remember the Triangles!!. We still have a Triangle Park, though there's zero left of any stadium (if there ever was one in the first place).