Folding Of The League
The Travesty Of The League Folding:
The biggest travesty of the pro league folding was that a generation of Canadian and American box stars were lost and the American sports fan never got to see some of the greatest players to ever play the game. For ten years there was always talk of reviving the 74/75 pro league. It wasn't until 1985 that a group of American investors out of Kansas City who had promoted tractor pulls decided to barnstorm markets in the United States that had already been created from the pro league of 74/75 using the format of Canada's best box players against America's best field players to see which areas would be best suited for a new pro league (The Eagle Pro League of 1987) and (The MILL) from 1988 to 1998. A number of players who played in the barn storming "Super Series" of 1985 were former players of the original 1974-75 NLL, most notably John Grant Sr. The idea was that these owners would control/own all the franchises hopefully to boost their market value (like owning Macdonald franchises) and then sell them off at gigantic franchise fees, make their millions and get out. Their idea was to make it a WWF attraction with lots of hoopla and a hybrid type of officiating. The officiating would be a cross between NCAA officiating and some box rules. To the box purist and lacrosse followers in general, it was an insult to their intelligence. To the credible players from the OLA and WLA box leagues in Canada couldn't believe the bastardization of the legitimate box game they were playing and neither could the American players who were participating as well. But it was show business and the WWF tractor pull hitch was working all to the chagrin of the players and fans alike.
Reasons Given to the Players For The Folding Of The League:
On Friday February 13th, 1976 Gerry Patterson, league Commissioner called a meeting of the board of governors and acted as chairman of the meeting. All six member clubs in Boston, Long Island, Maryland, Montreal Quebec City and Philadelphia received notice by telex of the meeting held at the Airport, Hilton Inn, Montreal. The meeting was duly constituted for the transaction of business. Upon motion by Maryland, seconded by Philadelphia, the minutes of the previous meeting were adopted and approved. Then Tristam C. Colket, Jr. the chairman of the board, addressed the chair and made his motion:
That the National Lacrosse League has concluded that there is no prospect of having the minimum number of teams required to operate the league during the 1976 season; the members hereby decide that there shall be no 1976 season; and that the officers are hereby directed to proceed to accomplish a prompt, orderly and economical dissolution of the National Lacrosse League.
The motion was seconded by Quebec City, and approved unanimously. That was it. The 1974-75 National Lacrosse League was dead.
A fax was sent to all players announcing that the league had folded. The announcement shocked all the players in that they had never seen it coming. For many players it was a total shock and one that without doubt has had a profound effect on every player who ever played in the league. Without question the lasting effect the league left on the players was hand in hand with the same effect it left on the fans who were so passionate and loyal as well. To this day many followers of the 74-75 NLL have kept in touch with many of the former players from the original 1974-75 National Lacrosse League.
A fax was sent to all players announcing that the league had folded. The announcement shocked all the players in that they had never seen it coming. For many players it was a total shock and one that without doubt has had a profound effect on every player who ever played in the league. Without question the lasting effect the league left on the players was hand in hand with the same effect it left on the fans who were so passionate and loyal as well. To this day many followers of the 74-75 NLL have kept in touch with many of the former players from the original 1974-75 National Lacrosse League.
It was like winning the million dollar lottery, then losing the ticket.
Two reasons were given to the players at the time were there weren't enough millionaire owners with deep pockets to carry each franchise and the Olympics were coming to Montreal and they would not be able to use the Montreal Forum for that season. The league was left with two owners, Fitz Dixon with Philadelphia and was one of the ten richest men in the United States at the time and Tris Colket who was heir to the Campbell soup empire who owned the Maryland Arrows. Fitz Dixon, when the league folded the following year turned around and bought the Phildelphia 76ers for three million and paid another three million to get Dr. J (Julius Irving). The two were going to carry the entire league by themselves but a change in tax laws in the USA where you couldn't write off your sports franchises on other businesses their accountants told them to get out of the lacrosse business. " John Grant probably summed up the league folding as succinctly as any one has ever stated it. "It was like winning the million dollar lottery, then losing the ticket."
Who knows where pro lacrosse would be today if that league was able to survive. If it was able to survive the league would have been in it's 41st year of existence and the game and the league would probably have the TV contract with a major network and mainstream media attention that it so desperately needs.
Who knows where pro lacrosse would be today if that league was able to survive. If it was able to survive the league would have been in it's 41st year of existence and the game and the league would probably have the TV contract with a major network and mainstream media attention that it so desperately needs.
