1991 WLAF season

The 1991 WLAF season was the inaugural season of the World League of American Football and was the first transatlantic sports league. The regular season began on March 23, and concluded on May 27. The postseason ran from June 1 until June 9, when the London Monarchs defeated the Barcelona Dragons 21–0 in World Bowl '91 at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

1991 WLAF season
Regular season
DurationMarch 23, 1991 – May 27, 1991
Playoffs
Start dateJune 1, 1991
World Bowl '91
DateJune 9, 1991
SiteWembley Stadium, London
ChampionsLondon Monarchs
WLAF seasons

Attendances

Average game attendance was 25,361.[1] At London, Barcelona, Frankfurt and Montreal, attendances surpassed early expectations.[2] The Monarchs' home attendance led the league, with an average of 40,481 in the regular season.[3] The dress rehearsal for the World Bowl, London v Barcelona at Wembley in week 10, attracted 50,835 fans,[4] while the same week Frankfurt v Sacramento received a bigger crowd, 51,653,[4][3] with around 10,000 more fans turned away.[3] The World Bowl was attended by 61,108.[4]

Regular season

Week 1

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, March 23 London Monarchs 24–11 Frankfurt Galaxy
Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks 3–9 Sacramento Surge
Montreal Machine 20–5 Birmingham Fire
Sunday, March 24 New York/New Jersey Knights 7–19 Barcelona Dragons
Monday, March 25 San Antonio Riders 34–35 Orlando Thunder

Week 2

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, March 30 Sacramento Surge 10–17 Birmingham Fire
Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks 20–58 Orlando Thunder
Sunday, March 31 New York/New Jersey Knights 18–22 London Monarchs
Monday, April 1 Frankfurt Galaxy 10–3 San Antonio Riders
Barcelona Dragons 34–10 Montreal Machine

Week 3

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, April 6 Orlando Thunder 12–35 London Monarchs
Barcelona Dragons 26–14 Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks
Frankfurt Galaxy 27–17 New York/New Jersey Knights
Sunday, April 7 Sacramento Surge 3–10 San Antonio Riders
Monday, April 8 Birmingham Fire 10–23 Montreal Machine

Week 4

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, April 13 Frankfurt Galaxy 10–16 Sacramento Surge
New York/New Jersey Knights 44–0 Montreal Machine
Sunday, April 14 Orlando Thunder 13–33 Barcelona Dragons
Monday, April 15 San Antonio Riders 37–15 Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks
London Monarchs 27–0 Birmingham Fire

Week 5

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, April 20 Montreal Machine 7–45 London Monarchs
Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks 28–30 Frankfurt Galaxy
Barcelona Dragons 14–22 San Antonio Riders
Sunday, April 21 Birmingham Fire 31–6 Orlando Thunder
Monday, April 22 Sacramento Surge 20–28 New York/New Jersey Knights

Week 6

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, April 27 Montreal Machine 7–17 Frankfurt Galaxy
Barcelona Dragons 29–20 Sacramento Surge
Orlando Thunder 6–42 New York/New Jersey Knights
Sunday, April 28 Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks 10–35 London Monarchs
Monday, April 29 San Antonio Riders 12–16 Birmingham Fire

Week 7

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, May 4 Birmingham Fire 6–11 Barcelona Dragons
Frankfurt Galaxy 17–14 Orlando Thunder
Montreal Machine 26–23 Sacramento Surge
Sunday, May 5 New York/New Jersey Knights 42–6 Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks
Monday, May 6 London Monarchs 38–15 San Antonio Riders

Week 8

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, May 11 San Antonio Riders 7–17 Barcelona Dragons
London Monarchs 22–7 New York/New Jersey Knights
Sacramento Surge 33–45 Orlando Thunder
Sunday, May 12 Birmingham Fire 3–10 Frankfurt Galaxy
Monday, May 13 Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks 6–15 Montreal Machine

Week 9

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, May 18 Montreal Machine 10–27 San Antonio Riders
London Monarchs 45–21 Sacramento Surge
Sunday, May 19 Frankfurt Galaxy 10–3 Barcelona Dragons
Monday, May 20 Orlando Thunder 20–14 Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks
New York/New Jersey Knights 14–24 Birmingham Fire

Week 10

Date Visiting team Final score Home team
Saturday, May 25 Sacramento Surge 24–13 Frankfurt Galaxy
Birmingham Fire 28–7 Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks
San Antonio Riders 9–38 New York/New Jersey Knights
Monday, May 27 Barcelona Dragons 20–17 London Monarchs
Orlando Thunder 33–27 Montreal Machine

Standings

European Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA DIV
London Monarchs [*] 9 1 0 .900 310 121 1–1
Barcelona Dragons [†] 8 2 0 .800 206 126 1–1
Frankfurt Galaxy 7 3 0 .700 155 139 1–1
North American East Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA DIV
New York/New Jersey Knights [*][‡] 5 5 0 .500 257 155 3–0
Orlando Thunder 5 5 0 .500 242 286 3–1
Montreal Machine 4 6 0 .400 145 244 1–2
Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks 0 10 0 .000 123 300 0–4
North American West Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA DIV
Birmingham Fire [*] 5 5 0 .500 140 140 2–0
San Antonio Riders 4 6 0 .400 176 196 1–1
Sacramento Surge 3 7 0 .300 179 226 0–2
  • * Division winners.
  • Wild card qualifier for playoffs.
  • New York/New Jersey won North American East title based on head-to-head record (1–0) versus Orlando.

[5] [6]

Postseason

Bracket

Semifinals World Bowl '91
      
1 London Monarchs 42
4 New York/New Jersey Knights 26
London Monarchs 21
Barcelona Dragons 0
3 Barcelona Dragons 10
2 Birmingham Fire 3

All-World League team

Offense

Position First team Second team
Wide receiver Jon Horton, London
Gene Taylor, Barcelona
Byron Williams, Orlando
Dana Brinson, London
Monty Gilbreath, NY/NJ
Carl Parker, Sacramento
Tackle Steve Gabbard, London
Mike Withycombe, Orlando
Scott Adams, Barcelona
Theo Adams, London
Guard Paul Berardelli, London
Gary Frank, Frankfurt
John Guerrero, Orlando
Barry Voorhees, Barcelona
Center Doug Marrone, London Curtis Wilson, Sacramento
Quarterback Stan Gelbaugh, London Scott Erney, Barcelona
Running back Tony Baker, Frankfurt
Ricky Blake, San Antonio
Judd Garrett, London
Eric Mitchell, Orlando
Eric Wilkerson, NY/NJ

[7]

Defense

Position First team Second team
Defensive end Bruce Clark, Barcelona
Mark Mraz, Frankfurt
Donnie Gardner, San Antonio
Shawn Knight, Sacramento
Nose tackle Roy Hart, London Darrell Phillips, Birmingham
Mike Teeter, Frankfurt
Outside linebacker Danny Lockett, London
Tracy Simien, Montreal
Marlon Brown, London
Ron Sancho, NY/NJ
Inside linebacker John Brantley, Birmingham
Tim Walton, San Antonio
Ron Goetz, Barcelona
Pete Najarian, Sacramento
Ken Sale, London
Cornerback Anthony Parker, NY/NJ
Corris Ervin, London
John Holland, Birmingham
Richard Shelton, Montreal
Strong safety Greg Coauette, Sacramento Tim Broady, Frankfurt
Free safety John Miller, Birmingham Dedrick Dodge, London

[7]

Specialists

Position First team Second team
Kicker Phil Alexander, London Björn Nittmo, Montreal
Punter Chris Mohr, Montreal Kirk Maggio, Birmingham
Special teams Erroll Tucker, Orlando (PR) Richard Shelton, Montreal (PR)
Operation Discovery Phil Alexander, London Victor Ebubedike, London

[7]

References

  1. "League History". WLAF. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  2. Stellino, Vito (April 7, 1991). "WLAF attendance surpassing early hopes in Europe and Canada". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  3. Eichel, Larry (June 8, 1991). "In Europe, WLAF's Game Was More Than Football". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  4. "WLAF History: 1991". WLAF. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  5. Associated Press (May 28, 1991). "WLAF standings". The Item. Sumter, South Carolina. p. 4B. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  6. "1991 WLAF Standings". The Football Database. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  7. "1991 All-World League Team". The News. Boca Raton, Florida. May 25, 1991. p. 5D. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
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