King Corcoran, former semi-pro and NFL QB
Michael O'Connor
an early 1970's NFL Films program. He got a cup of coffee in the NFL,
and also played for Philadelphia in the WFL. One of the most colorful
characters in Football history, after leaving football he had a lounge
act in Reno. One of a kind.
The King Is Dead–Terrapin Legend King Corcoran Dies of Cardiac Arrest
University of Maryland Legend James King Corcoran has passed away.
Corcoran attended the University of Maryland starting in 1962. He
played as a back-up quarterback behind Dick Shiner andAlan Pastrana.
An injury benched Corcoran for the 1963 season.[1] In 1964, he led the
Terps to a 27-22 victory over Navy in the 1964 Crab Bowl Classic
against Roger Staubach. In 1969, Corcoran signed a 3 year, $125,000
contract with the Pottstown Firebirds. Corcoran would lead the
Firebirds to back to back championships in 1969 and 1970. His last NFL
experience was with the Philadelphia Eagles, which released him in
1971. Tune in to TerpTalk Tursday night for much more on why the King
was the most flamboyant QB ever at College Park.
David Carson
<mpoco...@aol.com> wrote:
>University of Maryland Legend James King Corcoran has passed away.
>Corcoran attended the University of Maryland starting in 1962. He
>played as a back-up quarterback behind Dick Shiner andAlan Pastrana.
>An injury benched Corcoran for the 1963 season.[1] In 1964, he led the
>Terps to a 27-22 victory over Navy in the 1964 Crab Bowl Classic
>against Roger Staubach. In 1969, Corcoran signed a 3 year, $125,000
>contract with the Pottstown Firebirds. Corcoran would lead the
>Firebirds to back to back championships in 1969 and 1970. His last NFL
>experience was with the Philadelphia Eagles, which released him in
>1971. Tune in to TerpTalk Tursday night for much more on why the King
>was the most flamboyant QB ever at College Park.
According to Wikipedia, he died on 19 June of a heart attack.
David Carson
--
Why do you seek the living among the dead? -- Luke 24:5
Who's Alive and Who's Dead
http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com
islanders
esb100
> Does anyone, besides me, remember the WFL?
I not only remember the WFL, but I recall King Corcoran and his team,
the Philadelphia Bell. As a young boy in New Jersey I remember
watching Corcoran and his team on TV, unsure of what this team and
league were -- not NFL and not college. Repeats of the old NFL films
series, which sometimes air on the ESPN family of networks, include a
show on the WFL. While it is enjoyable, there are very few clips.
Apparently not much survives.
Mustafaaaah
> Does anyone, besides me, remember the WFL?
>
Vaguely. I remember how short-lived it was. Jim Nance and Larry Csonka
were the only players I can remember off the top of my head. It seems it
was half has-beens, mixed w/some younger players who later went to the
NFL. And some who didn't.
Michael O'Connor
Larry Csonka played for Memphis for four games until the league
folded, and Ken Stabler had inked a contract to play for the WFL in
1976, but when the league folded it became a moot point. The WFL
fielded a team in NYC, but they couldn't play in Yankee Stadium or
Shea Stadium because of contracts, and were forced to play at a
dilapidated high school field that seated 12,000 people, and after the
first season the team moved to Charlotte.
I think the WFL (like the USFL) could have been successful if they had
followed the plan of the AFL in it's early years, which was to field a
smaller number of teams, and resist throwing millions of dollars at
established stars and instead focus on the college talent and washed
up NFL players, and not expanding until all the teams were financially
solvent. The AFL waited six years to bring Miami into the league, and
by that point they had built up slowly and had become a threat to the
NFL which forced the merger in 1966.
Brad Ferguson
<c7caeab6-2540-4096...@n11g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>,
Michael O'Connor <mpoco...@aol.com> wrote:
> The WFL fielded a team in NYC, but they couldn't play in Yankee Stadium or
> Shea Stadium because of contracts, and were forced to play at a dilapidated
> high school field that seated 12,000 people, and after the first season the
> team moved to Charlotte.
The New York Stars played at Downing Stadium on Randall's Island in the
East River, right off the 59th Street Bridge. Downing was made
entirely of concrete, including the seats. Many of the city's high
schools, including mine, played there; so did some of the colleges.
Downing was hard to get to -- there was a bus line from Manhattan, and
that was it -- and the facility itself was awful. The bus line also
served Rikers Island, which is where the local jail is. That always
made the trip more interesting.
BTW, the Stars couldn't have played at Yankee Stadium in any case
because it was closed for renovations.
islanders
The WFL fielded a team in NYC, but they couldn't play in Yankee
Stadium or
> Shea Stadium because of contracts, and were forced to play at a
> dilapidated high school field that seated 12,000 people, and after the
> first season the team moved to Charlotte.
Incorrect. The New York Stars played in Downing Stadium on Randall's
Island under the Triborough Bridge. Thy moved to Charlotte after 13
games, played one game as the Charlotte Stars and then changed name to
Charlotte Hornets.
Joe Pucillo
> Does anyone, besides me, remember the WFL?
I remember very, very little of the WFL - but I recognized King
Corcoran's name in the header immediately.
When the Bell played in Philadelphia, there was no pro football
in town (despite the Eagles presence.) It was an interesting
game, and he had a great name.
JP
islanders
>
> The New York Stars played at Downing Stadium on Randall's Island in the
> East River, right off the 59th Street Bridge.
Ferguson is, of course, wrong. Randall's Island is under the
Triborough Bridge. Roosevelt Island is under the 59Th Street Bridge.
Michael O'Connor
The Eagles finished 7-7 in 1974, including a MNF win against Dallas,
so there must have been some optimism in Philly that season for
finishing .500 in a division with the likes of St. Louis, Dallas and
Washington.