[Dallas Bluebonnets] [Fort Worth Shamrocks] [Houston Herricanes]
- Years played:
circa 1972 to circa 1976
- The Bluebonnets drew 300 for a 1973 game versus the Toledo Troopers.
- 1974 Bluebonnets Head Coach:
Mike Anderson
- The 1974 Dallas Bluebonnets roster consisted of 33 players, including the following:
- Barbara O'Brien, quarterback, 5'9", 140 lbs.
- Judy Scully, tight end
- Pam Boulware, flanker, age 18. (She was still in high school yet as of September 1974.)
- Karen Tumlinson, free safety, 109 lbs. (She was described by a New York Times article as the smallest member of the Bluebonnets.)
- Ida Armstrong, tight end, 6', 230 lbs.
- The Bluebonnets opened both 1973 and 1974 at Los Angeles versus the Dandelions.
NOTE: If you have any further information about the Dallas Bluebonnets, or if you have any game photos or team photos that you can scan in and send as .JPEG files, please e-mail me at either drjackso@suffolk.lib.ny.us or david_j_6@hotmail.com. Thank you very much.
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- Owner:
Stan Matthews (brother of Bob Matthews of the Los Angeles Dandelions and Joe Matthews of the Dallas Bluebonnets)
- Merged with Dallas Bluebonnets after the 1976 season
- Players included fullback Charlotte Humphrey and quarterback Shellie Calloway.
NOTE Dec. 4, 2000: The Handbook of Texas Online has a piece about the Texas teams of the National Women's Football League at the following link: http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/NN/xonky.html.
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- Year founded:
1976. The Herricanes began play in 1977.
- Years played:
1977 to 1979, 1981-?
- Team Colors:
maroon and white
- General Managers:
Robin Massey (1977), Renee Beckham and Gwen Flager (1979-?)
- In 1976, Houston Herricane practice sessions and tryouts took place in Memorial Park. Twenty-three women participated in the three-times-a-week practices and workouts in 1976.
- The Herricanes were officially awarded a National Women's Football League franchise at a league owners' meeting in March 1977.
- The Herricanes' recruiting session meeting took place on April 3, 1977 at the Summerfield Apartments Clubhouse on South Gessner in Houston.
- In February 1978, the Herricanes filed a lawsuit against the Houston Hurricanes of the North American Soccer League for trademark infringement. The Herricanes sought a court order prohibiting the NASL from calling its new Houston team the Hurricanes because the similar sounding team nicknames caused confusion. On March 9, 1978, Texas State District Judge Jack Smith denied the Herricanes' request for that injunction, possibly because the teams with similar nicknames were playing entirely different sports in entirely different leagues.
- 1978 won-loss record:
6-3, 2nd place in NWFL Southern Division.
- Overall record through end of 1978 season:
9 wins and 7 defeats.
- The Herricanes were the only team to defeat the Oklahoma City Dolls in 1979. On September 8, the Herricanes defeated the Dolls 7-6 in what turned out to be the latter team's last ever game.
If anyone has any further information about the Houston Herricanes, including game photos or team photos, please contact me at either drjackso@suffolk.lib.ny.us or david_j_6@hotmail.com. Thank you!
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