SWFL 1972
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| *San Antonio Toros | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 259 | 78 | 1.000 |
| Las Vegas Casinos | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 159 | 94 | .750 |
| Phoenix Blazers | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 240 | 230 | .600 |
| Southern California Razorbacks | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | ||
| Dallas Rockets | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | ||
| Los Angeles Mustangs | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 83 | 150 | .000 |
Reference: [1]
SWFL 1973
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pct | |
| Eastern Division | |||||||
| *Oklahoma City Wranglers | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 442 | 110 | .900 |
| *San Antonio Toros | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 239 | 170 | .750 |
| Albuquerque Thunderbirds | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 212 | 173 | .500 |
| Denver Oilers | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 87 | 372 | .125 |
| Kansas City Steers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 139 | .000 |
| Western Division | |||||||
| *Las Vegas Casinos | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 192 | 129 | .750 |
| Phoenix Blazers | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 217 | 181 | .667 |
| Southern California Razorbacks | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 164 | 147 | .333 |
| Los Angeles Mustangs | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 128 | 221 | .111 |
Reference: [1]
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Semi-Final Playoff | ||||
| 1973 | San Antonio Toros | 45 | Las Vegas Casinos | 3 |
| Championship Game | ||||
| 1973 | Oklahoma City Wranglers | 19 | San Antonio Toros | 16 |
Reference: [1]
Report
The San Antonio Toros won the first Southwestern Football League title, although there was no Championship Game. The League expanded to nine teams from six in 1973 and the Toros had a shot at repeating, beating Western Division Champions Las Vegas Casinos in the Semi-Final Playoff 45-3, before losing to Eastern Division Champions Oklahoma City Wranglers 19-16 in the Championship Game.
About
The Southwestern Football League (1972-1973) was a AA (3rd Level) American Football League based, as its name suggests, in the American Southwest, featuring teams from Texas (San Antonio Toros & Dallas Rockets), Kansas City, Oklahoma (Oklahoma City Wranglers), Colorado (Denver Oilers), New Mexico (Albuquerque Thunderbirds), Arizona (Phoenix Blazers) and California (Southern California Razorbacks, Los Angeles Mustangs).
It was preceded by the Texas Football League (1966-1971) and the Continental Football League – 1965-1969 – AAA – 2nd Level) and was succeeded by the California Football League (1977-1982) and the American Football Association (1977-1983 – Texas and Southern States further east – AAA). The World Football League of 1974-1975 took up a lot of the players of Minor Football Leagues at the time, leaving just one League at AAA & AA level.
Note on Team Names
A lot of the teams in the Southwestern Football League made reference to the “Cowboy & Indian” culture of the region – the Kansas City Steers and San Antonio Toros were both named after Bulls, the Los Angeles Mustangs were named after a Wild Horse found in the West, and the Oklahoma City Wranglers were named after Cowboys. The Albuquerque Thunderbirds were named after a mythical Native American bird. There were also teams named after the Oil Industry – the Denver Oilers; the Space Industry – Dallas Rockets; and the Gambling Industry – Las Vegas Casinos, all of which would employ people in the Southwest. The Phoenix Blazers is also a reference to a mythical bird, this time the one from Ancient Egyptian & Christian mythology, the Phoenix who rose from the flames, after which the city is named.
References
Bibliography
[1] Gill, Bob et al (2010) “Season-by-Season Listings- Other Leagues” Outsiders II – Minor League and Independent Football 1951-1985 pg. 120-121. St. Johann Press, Haworth, NJ (USA), 2010
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Richard Declan Mulcahy & Nora Mulcahy
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 30 November 2019
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.