San Antonio Texans: 10 Years after entry in the CFL and disappearing into thin air after a season of existance.
I think the greatest pro football ever to play in the Alamo City besides the NFL Saints were the San Antonio Texans. They were part of the Canadian-based Canadian Football League for one season(1995). They folded after one season because of the fans lack of interests of the game, rules, and its star players. To this day, I still have faith in the Texans, their players, and the Canadian Game.
In 1993, CFL Commish Larry Smith expanded into the USA in need of a more fans. Sacramento entered the league in 1993. A year later, Baltimore, Shreveport and Las Vegas entered the league in 1994. Las Vegas folded, then came Birmingham and Memphis. Sacramento's franchise moved........to San Antonio. When I heard the news that the Gold Miners were moving to San Antonio, I said to myself, " YES, CFL is here to stay, forget the NFL, this CFL is a Major League too, better than any previous SA football teams which I thought were Minor League".
Attendence was low in most home games and I was mad. OK, so the rules of the CFL were funny, that's no reason for most fans to avoid the 2 year old Alamodome, SA deserved a team, they got one. I like the CFL no matter what because it was a Major League. If most of San Antonio had a chance to attend the games, that would have been a problem, the League wouldn't have lost money nor it's American franchises.
It's been 10 years since the Texans folded, and most of San Antonio still think is another team. It was never another team, it was the Major League that NEVER DESERVED to fold.
After I heard the Saints were coming to San Antonio after the Katrina disater, I read a piece of an article saying........
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"Anthony Jaramillo, a USAA employee, claimed to be the Saints’ first Alamodome tailgater. He showed up with a Radio Flyer ago. In the wagon was a boom box and an ice chest. In the ice chest were two cases of beer.
“Rock and roll, San Antonio Saints, baby!” he yelled. “If I can’t get tickets, I’m still going to have a party.” Jaramillo said his dream is to see NFL football permanently in the Alamo City. “Now we have a chance,” he said. “None of this CFL stuff..” " Source: Express News Sports: "Hundreds gather for Saints tickets" 9/14/05 writers Tom Orsborn and Tim Griffin
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I was really mad reading the article, to me it offended the CFL.
To this day since the Texans folded, I still keep in touch with the CFL(a league in which attendance is on the rise), I created a website dedicated to the Texans, I search for Texans memorablia on EBay, I visit other CFL related blogs/forums, just tonight I listen to the Grey Cup game on internet radio since the games don't air here in the San Antonio area. The Edmonton Eskimos beat the Montreal Alouettes in OT, and i think it was the best game I've ever heard/seen because a Grey Cup game hasn't gone into OT since 1961. ex-Texans back Malcolm Frank played in tonight's Grey Cup currently playing for the Eskimos.
Word has it that a CFL may return to the States after reading an article about the Gliebermans putting a team in Michigan.......
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/News/2005/03/04/950054.html
Could this mean the return of the CFL to San Antonio? If so, I'll be jumping for joy again.