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ALLENTOWN UNITED
AU began in 1887(one year before the APP's predecessor, the Pigball League 1st Division launched), joining the PL in 1908 as a member of the old 2nd division. It earned it's first promotion to the top level in 1927, since then it has bounced back and forth every few years. That was until 1994 when they won promotion to the APP and haven't been relegated since. Today, the Goal Miners(AU is the periodic symbol for gold, thus the nickname) are a mid-level pack team. Good enough to avoid relegation, but not good enough to place in the top 5. The exception was 2003, where the Miners claimed their only Premiership, edging out New York Scotch who were aiming for a 4th straight title.
Official team name: Allentown United
Nickname: Goal Miners
Founded: 1881
Colors: Gold, Steel Silver, Royal Blue
Uniform Supplier: Majestic
Sponsor: Tony Luke's
Stadium: Riverside Park(28,635)
Radio Flagship: WSAN-AM 1470 and WZZO-FM 95.1
Championships: Premiership, 1(2003); 2nd Division, 2(1955, 1993), 3rd Division, 1(1968)
Biggest season ever: 1968
After being relegated from the 1st Division in 1958, the Goal Miners fell down to the 3rd division in 1961 following a wooden-spoon. For the next five years, the team spent much of it's stay in the 3rds around 8th to 10th. But in 1966, it would finish 5th, only to lose in a promotion playoff. The following year, it missed 2nd place by 1 point, and again was beaten in a promotion playoff. But 1968 saw the arrival of 19-year old wonderkid Steve Bessey to Riverside Park, and it was Bessey who almost singlehandedly delivered a championship to the Goal Miners. Needing a win and a loss by North End United on the last weekend of play, Bessey scored six majors, two minors, and a penalty conversion, to help lift Allentown to a 43-16 win over Mission Athletic. The Polars, despite their homefield advantage, lost 25-20 to Kansas City, allowing the Goal Miners to win the title by one point(65-64).
PC BIRMINGHAM
Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama, has long been considered an afterthought in pigball. Represented mostly in the lower levels of the pyramid, it wasn't until 1978 that PC Birmingham entered the League. Progress has been slow but steady, interrupted by a return, albeit briefly, to the Conference in 1994. Since then, the Crimson Eagles have won two lower division crowns, before finishing second to Hawai'i Alliance in the Championship level in 2013. With a new stadium in the works, to replace the creeky old grounds of Legion Field, the future is bright for Alabama's most successful pigball club.
Official Club Name: PC Birmingham
Nickname: Crimson Eagles
Founded: 1962
Colors: Crimson, Blue, Gold, and Black
Uniform Supplier: Adidas
Sponsor: BBVA Compass
Stadium: Legion Field(41,577)
Radio Flagship: WJOX-FM 94.5
Championships: Premiership, None(2014 will be first year at top level); 2nd Division(Championship), none; 3rd Division, 1(2003); 4th Division, 1(1998)
Biggest Season Ever: 2013
Finishing 15th in the Championship the year previous, most experts regarded the Crimson Eagles as possible relegation bait for League 1, But Birmingham's new management, including former star turned Coach Brandon Edosu, picked up several quality youngsters from the lower levels. Chief amongst them was former University of Alabama lead striker Ja'Quan Douglas, whose 51 majors(40 beyond the 25) were the most in club history(and 2nd in the Championship to the 55 majors of Detroit's Russell Bukara). Though they failed to catch Hawai'i, Birmingham was still well ahead of Detroit for the 2nd promotion spot to the Premiership.
BOSTON ROVERS PC
The Rovers are to pigball what the University of Notre Dame is to college football, a revered institution to anyone who's Irish, a rather hated annoyance to those who are not. The Rovers came into existence in 1880, and went professional in 1888, being a founding member of the league. And one of the most successful too. Although the Rovers have had their spells of time in the 2nd division, it has not been relegated since 1984. Even then, they promptly won the 2nd division in 1985 and haven't been lower than 15th since. These days, the South End Grounds in Roxbury have rock 'n rolled to the likes of Hennessey, Smith, Evans, and Laronoshov, almost always a contender for Premiership honors.
Official Club Name: Boston Rovers PC
Nickname: Rovers
Founded: 1880
Colors: Green and Orange
Uniform Supplier: Reebok
Sponsor: Dunkin' Donuts
Stadium: South End Grounds(58, 200)
Radio Flagship: WBZ-FM 98.5(The Sports Hub)
Championships: Premiership-9; 2nd Division-1(1985)
Best season ever: 1934
For 9 years, Washington City dominated the 1st division, and to some it was time to pull out of pigball completely. But then, the Rovers got an idea, sign the Columbians' best player and see what happens. To be fair, Lead Striker James Jewell was uneasy in the nation's capitol, and when the chance to move back to Boston came up, Jewell took it. Revitalizing a team that was slowly losing touch with the top, Jewell and the Rovers suddenly took off. In the clubs' first encounter at Anacosta Park, the Rovers won with a last-minute major by rookie Chris Jeffries. In the return match, WU jumped in front early, and cruised to a win, yet in the 3 matches that followed, the Rovers scored 3 convincing wins. With 8 matches to go, the Rovers lead Washington City by 11 points, needing just 3 points to clinch the first premiership since 1911. But the Rovers stumbled, getting just 1 point in the last 8 matches, but the Columbians couldn't make up enough ground, and missed out by 3 points at the end. In Boston, as in the rest of the country, Jewell, coach Steven McDonald and the rest of Rovers were celebrated as heroes.
BOSTON UNION
Just as the Rovers represent South Boston and the Irish, Boston Union represents Beacon Hill and the Brahmins. The Old Guard, despite it's nickname, are true innovators in pigball. Their founders helped create the game at Yale, introduced professionalism to it, put numbers on the backs of uniforms to help follow it, and helped open the Pigball Association Cup to pro teams. Given their history, it's surprising to see the Old Guard almost always at the bottom of Premiership, often fighting hard to stay at the top level. In fact, the team will remain in the Premiership for 2 consecutive years for only the 2nd time in 47 years.
Official Club Name: Boston Union
Nickname: The Old Guard
Founded: 1879
Colors: Revolution Red, Union Blue, White
Uniform Supplier: Under Armour
Sponsor: Sam Adams
Stadium: Alumni Stadium(44,000)
Radio Flagship: WEEI-FM 93.7
Championships:
Best season ever: 1953
To be added later.
BROOKLYN CITY
Brooklyn, the largest borough in New York, is well represented in pigball lore. Coney Island, Borough and United have each had a spell in the League, but now find themselves in the Conference, leaving a team called Brooklyn City to be represented in the League. But why City? It's simple really, the club were founded in 1880 when Brooklyn was still a city. The Kings are a founding member of the 1st division and has had some success over the years. Never relegated in the Premier League years, the team bring it on with one of the most exciting styles in the sport, fueled almost exclusively with homegrown Brooklynites. This style, however, has produced just one Premiership since the Premier League began(2008).
Official Club Name: Brooklyn City
Nickname: Kings
Founded: 1880
Colors: Orange, Gold, Black, Sky Blue
Uniform Supplier: Kappa
Sponsor: Nathan's Famous
Stadium: Ebbets Field(44,892)
Radio Flagship: WBBR-AM 1130
Championships: Premiership-5(1987, 2008)
Best season ever: 2008
CHICAGO WEST END
The Cubs have the North Side, the White Sox the South Side, the Wildcats the West Side. Only these Wildcats play pigball, and have done so since 1888. One of the first 2nd division teams, they were also one of the first promoted sides in the League's history. Since 1974, the Wildcats have been 1st division members, though in one case, it was due to media pressure. In 1982, the Westenders were last in the 1st division, but due to language in the television contracts with CBS and NBC, the League had to have teams from New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago in the 1st division. Otherwise, the contract would be annulled. Because of this shenanigan, Mission Athletic of San Francisco, the 19th place finisher, got demoted. Since that close call, the Wildcats have been a near top tier team, with occasional runs at 1st.
Official Club Name: Chicago West End
Nickname: Wildcats
Founded: 1888
Colors: Light Blue, Fire Red, White
Uniform Supplier: Adidas
Sponsor: Jewel/Osco
Stadium: West End Park(52,000)
Radio Flagship: WBBM-AM 780 and WCKG-FM 105.9
Championships:
Best season ever 1966
PC DENVER
As travel became far easier, the League saw significant growth in Western teams trying to break into the league. PC Denver was one of the first, joining in 1949 in the 4th division. Within 20 years, the Rockies made their debut in the 1st division and, to the surprise of the experts, missed the Premiership title by one point to Washington City(who else?). Fortunately for Rockie faithfuls, Denver won their first Premiership in 1992, the last year of the old 1st division. It also has 3 U.S. Open crowns to their cachet.
Official Club Name: Pigball Club of Denver
Nickname: Rockies
Founded: 1923
Colors: American Blue, Powder Blue, Orange, Red
Uniform Supplier: Reebok
Sponsor: Frontier Airlines
Stadium: Cherry Creek(44.000)
Radio Flagship: KOA-AM 850
Championships: Premiership-1(1992); 2nd Division 1-(1981)
Best season ever: 1969
GEORGETOWN UNITED
Added as the 2nd club for the District of Columbia in 1892, Georgetown United is less successful than it's crosstown counterpart, Washington City, or as the Hoya followers like to call them, the Spoiled Brats. But if you consider 3 Premiership crowns since joining(including the first in the Hoya's first year) a failure in the nation's capitol, you maybe surprised to know that the Hoyas have held their own vs. the Columbians. Every year, regardless of their standing, these two teams play for the annual George Washington Cup, and often two more games in the Premiership. Unlike WC, who's never been relegated, GU has bounced around divisions. But the Hoyas have become somewhat of a glamour side recently, meaning the meetings between the two have become more thrilling recently.
Official Club Name: Georgetown United
Nickname: Hoyas
Founded: 1880
Colors: Blue and Gray
Uniform Supplier: Nike
Sponsor: Five Guys
Stadium: Hilltop Field(48,300)
Radio Flagship: WJFK-FM 106.7
Championships: Premiership-3(1892,1907, 1985)
Best season ever: 1892
GREEN BAY LEGENDS PC
Born out of a meat packing factory team, the Green Bay Legends remain an anachronism in the Pigball League; a team owned by the community, for the community, since financial troubles in 1921 threatened to bankrupt the club. Founded in 1919 by Earl "Curly" Lambeau, the team played regionally until 1923, when it was chosen to be one of 24 teams to join the new 3rd division. Seeing that there was another team with the name Packers(the team's first nickname), Lambeau, the team's star striker, coach, and president, adopted the name Legends. The team made it to the top level in 1962, finally making the name Legends, somewhat remarkable. Recently, the team is more oriented towards the bottom of the table, than it is the top, but they've had some top-ten finishes in the 9 straight years they've been in the Premiership.
Official Club Name: Green Bay Legends Pigball Club
Nickname: Legends
Founded: 1919
Colors: Green and Gold
Uniform Supplier: Under Armour
Sponsor: Piggly Wiggly
Stadium: Lambeau Field at City Stadium (60,890)
Radio Flagship: WNFL-AM 1440
Championships:
Best season ever: 1978
HAWAI'I ALLIANCE
2014 will mark an exciting new chapter in Premiership history. For the first time, the state of Hawai'i will house a Premiership team. It marks the end of a long, sometime arduous road which started in 1974, when the Hawai'ian State League entered a composite team in the Pigball Conference. In 1997, Aliilance graduated to league status, taking 16 years to finally win promotion to the Premiership for 2014, after a stirring finish to claim the Championship. Because of it's location in the Pacific Ocean, and due to the limits imposed by television contracts, Alliance will play all home games at either 10 AM or 1 PM Hawai'ian time, rather than the 7 PM HST the Islanders preferred to use as members of the lower division.
Club Name: Hawai'i Alliance PC
Nickname: Islanders
Founded: 1974
Colors: Pink, Green, Silver
Uniform Supplier: Puma
Sponsor: Hawaiian Airlines
Stadium: Alo'ha Stadium(50,000)
Radio Flagship: KGU-AM (760)
Championships: Championship(2nd division); 2013
Best season ever: 2013
HOLLYWOOD TOWN PC
Hollywood is synonymous with glamor, it's presence as the entertainment capital of the world cemented this in the early days of the 20th Century. Hollywood Town PC, represents the Los Angeles neighborhood well, though not well enough to win premierships(the last one being in 1995). Still since it's founding as a Western League team in 1903, the Stars have developed a reputation for high scoring, and a reputation of being choke-artists. In 2009, the Stars led New York Scotch by 14 points with 7 games left. The Stars lost all 7, and Scotch won by a point on the final day. Since they are the only Los Angeles team in the Premiership, they're place is secure, but if another team from LA ever comes up, that protection will be lost, only until a team is relegated.
Club Name: Hollywood Town Pigball Club
Nickname: Stars
Founded: 1903
Colors: Blue and Yellow
Uniform Supplier: New Balance
Sponsor: StubHub
Stadium: Sunset Stadium(56,650)
Radio Flagship: KCBS-FM (93.1) and KNX-AM (1070)
Championships:
Best Season Ever: 1950
PC KANSAS CITY
Popularly known as PC KC, the Steers started life as a merger of two teams in 1919 as Kansas City PC. The club rebranded as PC Kansas City in 1927 and by 1935, found itself in the first division, whereupon they won the Premiership in a shocking upset. From that point, they have bounced between the top 2 flights, only surviving a relegation in 2013 after Seattle collapsed late. The Steers are a tenacious survivor, often near the bottom of the league. Still, they enjoy healthy crowd support at home, and on the road.
Club Name: PC Kansas City
Nickname: Steers
Founded: 1919(ancestor clubs founded in 1890's)
Colors: Brown, Black, Orange, Yellow, Red
Uniform Supplier: Puma
Sponsor: UMB Financial
Stadium: Crown Center Stadium(56,193)
Radio Flagship: KMBZ-AM (980)
Championships: Premiership-1 (1935); second division-2(1934, 2008)
Best Season Ever: 1935
MEMPHIS PC
Memphis PC are the 2nd team from the West Tennessee metropolis to have membership in the league, replacing in 1970 the troubled Memphis United, who folded two years earlier due to racial tensions. The Hound Dogs history dates back to 1908, a founding club of the ill-fated Southern Association, before being absorbed into the Conference in 1957. Once considered ripe for relegation to the lower levels, the club have now spent the last 5 seasons in the top flight and have become prime contenders for the top of the standings.
Club Name: Memphis PC
Nickname: Hound Dogs
Founded: 1908
Colors: Brown, Maroon, Orange
Uniform Supplier: Puma
Sponsor: Alpo
Stadium: Liberty Bowl Stadium(52,144)
Radio Flagship: WHBQ-AM (560)
Championships:
Best Year Ever: 1988
VILLA MIAMI
Named not for the spanish translation for city, but for the English soccer club Aston Villa, Villa Miami still reflects it's city better than anyone but Boston Rovers, it's also the lone representative for Florida in the Premiership level. Located so close to many Caribbean locales, the Pumas' fanbase is largely Hispanic in nature, often featuring players who have a flair for dramatic goals and saves. The team, however, have no Premiership trophies to show for it, though they have a few lower division crowns. Having spent the last several years flirting with relegation, the Pumas have recently moved towards the middle of the table, scoring a seventh-place finish in 2016.
Club Name: Villa Miami
Nickname: Pumas
Founded: 1948
Colors: Pink and Silver
Uniform Supplier: Diadora
Sponsor: Pollo Campero
Stadium: Sunrise Park(49,329)
Radio Flagship: WINZ-AM (940)
Championships:
Best Year Ever: 1982
NEW YORK SCOTCH
Three teams from what would become New York City helped form the Pigball League in 1888. New York United, one of the founders, folded after the panic of 1893 resulted in the team liquidating it's assets. Brooklyn City is another. New York Scotch is the third, and without question, the most successful of the three. Most of it's 16 titles have occurred since 1975. but it has had a series of successes over time. Though founded to represent the Scottish community of the area, the Terriers soon attracted a more diverse base of talent and fans, which have made the club more cosmopolitan than others.
Club Name: New York Scotch PC
Nickname: Terriers
Founded: 1877
Colors: Red, Green, Black, Silver
Uniform Supplier: Under Armour
Sponsor: Sobieski
Stadium: Manhattan Field(68,224)
Radio Flagship: WFAN-AM (660) and WFAN-FM(101.9)
Championships: Premiership-16
Best Year Ever: 2009
PHILADELPHIA 1776
When the Pigball League began in 1888, Philadelphia City and Spring Garden District represented the Cradle of Democracy in the new circuit. City was immediately successful, winning the first title(and won two more after that), while SGD struggled to find a footing, both athletically and financially. But in 1931, with both clubs on the verge of folding, they merged to form a new club, and took the name Philadelphia 1776, in honor of the year the United States split from Britain. Let's just say that Philadelphia 1776 serves as the most average club in the whole Premiership, neither a success story, nor a team that constantly goes into the relegation zone.
Club Name: Philadelphia 1776
Nickname: Revolutionaires
Founded: 1931(ancestor clubs founded in 1878 and 1880 respectively)
Colors: Blue, Buff, Dark Red
Uniform Supplier: Adidas
Sponsor: Xfinity
Stadium: Broad Street Grounds(57,300)
Radio Flagship: WPEN-FM (97.5)
Championships: Premiership-2(1976)
Best Year Ever: 1976
ST. PAUL CITY
In 1906, St. Paul, Minnesota's capitol city, entered the Pigball League with St. Paul United, intending to continue it's long-standing feud with cross-city rival, Minneapolis PC. Then in 1923, after a move, the club renamed itself North End United. Those on the East Side who resented the move to North End Grounds, soon created St. Paul CITY, intending to hurt the Polars in the long run. Over the next 90 years, the Polars became less and less successful, while the Loons have built up a championship case of 4 first division crowns, the last of which is described below.
Club Name: St. Paul City PC
Nickname: Loons
Founded: 1923
Colors: Black and White
Uniform Supplier: Westwood
Sponsor: Summit Brewing
Stadium: The Bluff(48,600)
Radio Flagship: WCCO-AM (830) and KZJK-FM(104.1)
Championships: Premiership-4(1958, 1962, 1977, 2013)
Best year ever: 2013
For the first time since 1988, the Premiership would be decided on the last day of the season by the top 2 teams in the standings. And it would be held at a separate time than the rest of the results. The Loons led New York Scotch by 3 points heading into the last week of play, but the Terriers had won earlier that season in New York, and if they won at the Bluff, they would win the premiership by way of tie-breakers. Of course both teams had traded the top spot on the ladder for the last 23 rounds. The Terriers' biggest lead was only 6 points, the Loons', 13. So with no one else even close, the league deicided to move their final round match on October 20th to Sunday Night. A great decision as it turned out to be.
Early in the 1st, the Loons scored two six-point majors to take a 12-0 lead, but Scotch replied with two of their own. Then the Terriers got a three-point major to take a 15-13 lead after 20 minutes. In the 2nd, Cliff Sebarai of the Loons, got roughed up attempting to score an early three. An awarded six enraged Scotch coach James Phelmore, who naturally got ejected. But it also allowed the Loons to build much needed momentum. At halftime, St. Paul was up 39-22. As ever, New York got back in the thick of the matter, aided by two quick-sixes by star forward Niquero Jobrata. With 20 to play, the Scotch were up 44-43.
As the cliché goes, great teams aren't always great, they're just great when they have to be. The Loons proved that with a stirring fourth quarter that even the New York Times conceded;
As City's played perked up at the start of the last quarter of the season, so to did it's loyal faithful. Leather-lunged and wild, the Loon's 17th man reminded the Terriers, that a title was not to be for them.
Goalie Curt Ferrier opened the rampage by stopping a sure-fire two-point minor from Jobrata by a tip. Then upfield, Striker Mervin Hollard kicked a six with his back towards the goals. Fellow striker Scott Olsen added a six of his own from an acute angle. Tom Bailey, normally a defensive anchor kicked two sixes from midfield. And rover Johnny "Wild Thing" Galloway completed the run with two sixes and three threes.
As the end approached, the Loons' fans sensed that their first Premiership since 1977 was at hand and started filling the lower level of seats at the Bluff, and when the horns did blare, the fans filled the field with joyful glee. The Loons toppled the Terriers 89-53 and claimed the Premiership by six points. A great achievement for a club, whom most pundits predicted would finish near the bottom of the standings.
SAN JOSE CITY PC
Given the nature of the evolution of the Pigball League, it's rare for one club to abandon one city for another. But that's exactly what happened in 1990 when Oakland United abandoned the 2nd city of the Bay Area for the 3rd, San Jose. The current name was adopted as there was already a San Jose United in existence. And for a few seasons, the two played annually. But not this year, the Penguins are one of the few Pacific Coast outposts in the Premiership. They're also the only team that plays in a wholly-sponsored stadium. Considered a mid-pack team in the Premiership.
Full Name: San Jose City PC
Nickname: Penguins
Founded: 1990(1903 as Oakland United)
Colors: Black, Gold, Silver, Copper
Uniform Supplier: Under Armour
Sponsor: Apple
Stadium: Apple Park(51,822)
Radio Flagship: KUFX-FM (98.5)
Championships:
Best Season Ever: 2000
WASHINGTON CITY PC
Washington, 1st in war, 1st in peace, 1st in pigball. That isn't just a slogan, it's been an undeniable truth. Never relegated from the 1st division, and almost always fighting for the top of it, the Columbians are the most successful club in American sports, winners of 36 Premierships, 38 U. S. Open Cups, 18 World Pigball Club Championships, and the honor of being named "Team of the Century" by no less than the New York Times. Almost every player considered the best pigballer at a given time has donned the Red and White Stripes with Blue numbers, 92 members of the Pigball Hall of Fame have ties to the club, the National Pigball Stadium is the largest in the game, and every U.S. President since William McKinley has been a season ticket holder. If that isn't an impressive legacy, then keep looking for one.
Full Name: Washington City Pigball Club
Nickname: Columbians
Founded: 1881
Colors: Red, White, Blue
Uniform Supplier: Nike
Sponsor: Pepsi
Stadium: National Pigball Stadium (88,000)
Radio Flagship: WHUR-FM (96.3)
Championships:
Best Season Ever: 1930
WINNIPEG PC
The lone Canadian representative in the Premiership, Winnipeg PC is being promoted for the second time(the other being 2008-09). The club is an offshoot of the Young Icelandic Men's Lutheran Church Club which began in 1906(The church club also produced the current club's nickname, the Falcons). Since Winnipeg came on to the league scene in 1951, it has had some success in the lower divisions, but only won the 2nd division once in 2007. The Falcons do, however, have 8 Canadian Pigball Cups in their steed, and even won a World Pigball Club Championship in 1978.
Full Name: Winnipeg PC
Nickname: Falcons
Founded: 1934
Colors: Powder Blue, Royal Blue, Gold
Uniform Supplier: Reebok
Sponsor: Bulk Barn
Stadium: Red River Park(37,500)
Radio Flagship: CJOB-AM (680)Championships:
Best Season Ever: 1978