Philadelphia Bell

Philadelphia Bell
Established 1974
Folded October 1975
Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Home field JFK Stadium (1974)
Franklin Field (1975)
Head coach Ron Waller (1974)
Willie Wood (1975)
Owner(s) John B. Kelly Jr.
John Bosacco
League World Football League
Division Eastern
Colours Blue and gold          

The Philadelphia Bell was a franchise in the World Football League, which operated in 1974 and a portion of a season in 1975. The Bell played their home games in 1974 at JFK Stadium in South Philadelphia. The team logo was a representation of the Liberty Bell. In 1975 the team decided to stop playing at JFK and moved its games to Franklin Field.[1]

The Bell was one of just two WFL teams that maintained the same ownership in both 1974 and 1975. The group was headed by John B. Kelly Jr., a respected business and sportsman in Philadelphia and part of the well-known Kelly family, which included his sister Grace Kelly, movie star turned Princess of Monaco. The major money contributor behind the ownership group was John Bosacco, who came forward during the first season and took over the operations of the franchise. Bosacco believed that the WFL could survive as a league and he was instrumental in the removal of Gary Davidson as commissioner following the 1974 season. Ron Waller was hired as head coach in 1974. Waller was fired during training camp at Glassboro State University (now called Rowan University) in 1975. He was replaced by NFL Hall of Famer Willie Wood for the entirety of the 1975 season.[2]

At first the team seemed to be one of the WFL's most popular teams. They announced a crowd of 55,534 for the home opener, and 64,719 for the second home game. However, when the Bell paid city taxes on the attendance figures two weeks later, it emerged that they had inflated the gate on a scale almost unprecedented in professional sports. It was later revealed that the Bell sold block tickets to several area businesses at a discount, and the tax revenue was not reported. In turn, many of these businesses gave away the tickets for free. The actual paid attendance for the home opener was only 13,855, while the paid attendance for the second game was only 6,200. In many cases, several of those paid tickets were sold well below face value. It was presumed that the Bell had sold the so-called "freebies" to pique interest. Nonetheless, the "Papergate" scandal, as it was dubbed by the press, made the Bell and the WFL look foolish, and proved to be a humiliation from which neither recovered. By the end of the 1974 season, at least one Bell game drew a mere 750 fans to the stadium.

During the 1974 season, the Bell finished with a losing season, finishing 911, one game behind the Charlotte Hornets for the final playoff spot. However, advance ticket sales for the Hornets' first-round game against the Florida Blazers in Orlando were so meager that the financially troubled Hornets (who had moved from New York City in mid-season) would not have come close to meeting their travel expenses. At the request of league officials, the Bell advanced in their place and lost to the Blazers, 18-3.

Despite the Papergate fiasco, the Bell were reckoned as one of the WFL's stronger franchises, and at least had the potential to have been successful had the WFL been better run. Bosacco was one of only three owners, along with the Memphis Southmen's John F. Bassett and The Hawaiians' Sam Battisone, thought to be capable of fielding a team in 1975. Those three teams had also been the only ones to meet payroll every week of the season.[3]

The Bell had a record of 47 in 1975 at the time of the league's dissolution. Attendance remained anemic, with the team's best-attended game only drawing slightly over 5,000 fans.

Vince Papale, the inspiration for the 2006 film Invincible, played wide receiver for the Bell for two seasons prior to his three years with the Philadelphia Eagles.[4][5] The Bell's starting quarterback was King Corcoran, who spent most of his career in the minor leagues due to his refusal to accept a backup quarterback position. Both Papale and Corcoran had recently played in the Seaboard Football League, the minor league that was active at the time in the area.

Schedule and results

Key: Win Loss Bye

1974 regular season [6]

Week Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 Wednesday July 10, 1974 Portland Storm W 33–8 55,534
2 Wednesday July 17, 1974 at Houston Texans L 0–11 26,227
3 Thursday July 25, 1974 New York Stars L 15–17 64,719
4 Wednesday July 31, 1974 at Portland Storm W 25–7 13,757
5 Wednesday August 7, 1974 Memphis Southmen W 46–15 12,396
6 Wednesday August 14, 1974 at Chicago Fire L 29–32 27,607
7 Wednesday August 21, 1974 Southern California Sun L 28–31 14,600
8 Wednesday August 28, 1974 Detroit Wheels W 27–23 15,100
9 Monday September 2, 1974 at New York Stars L 16–24 6,132
10 Thursday September 5, 1974 at Jacksonville Sharks L 30–34 17,851
11 Wednesday September 11, 1974 Jacksonville Sharks W 41–22 N/A
12 Wednesday September 18, 1974 at Florida Blazers L 21–24 10,417
13 Wednesday September 25, 1974 at Hawaiians W 21–16 14,497
14 Wednesday October 2, 1974 Florida Blazers L 7–30 7,150
15 Wednesday October 9, 1974 Hawaiians L 22–25 4,900
16 Wednesday October 16, 1974 Shreveport Steamer L 25–30 750
17 Wednesday October 23, 1974 at Southern California Sun W 45–7 N/A
18 Wednesday October 30, 1974 Chicago Fire W 37–31 12,500
19 Wednesday November 6, 1974 at Birmingham Americans L 23–26 22,963
20 Wednesday November 13, 1974 Chicago Fire W 2–0 (forfeit) cancelled

Playoffs

Game Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
Quarter-finals Thursday November 21, 1974 at Florida Blazers L 3–18 9,712

1975 regular season [7]

Week Day Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 Sunday August 2, 1975 Hawaiians W 21–15 3,266
2 Sunday August 9, 1975 at Birmingham Vulcans L 17–23 21,000
3 Sunday August 16, 1975 at Shreveport Steamer L 3–10 12,016
4 Sunday August 23, 1975 Memphis Southmen W 22–18 5,051
5 Saturday August 29, 1975 at Southern California Sun L 39–58 17,811
6 Saturday September 6, 1975 at Charlotte Hornets L 0–10 10,564
7 Saturday September 13, 1975 Portland Thunder L 10–25 4,710
8 Saturday September 20, 1975 at Jacksonville Express L 10–16 10,296
9 Saturday October 4, 1975 San Antonio Wings W 42–38 2,357
10 Saturday October 11, 1975 at Hawaiians L 13–14 10,789
11 Saturday October 18, 1975 Charlotte Hornets W 18–10 1,293

References

  1. Goodtimes, Johnny (July 23, 2015). "The Philadelphia Bell, Papergate, and Possibly the Most Disastrous Pro League Ever". Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  2. "WFL Head Coach", Football Digest, August 1974 issue
  3. Marshall, Joe. World Bowl in crisis. Sports Illustrated, 1974-12-16.
  4. Vince Papale website
  5. # 83 Vince Papale of the Bell grabs a pass
  6. "1974 World Football League Game Results". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  7. "1975 World Football League Results". Retrieved 2015-11-11.
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