| YEARS IN
LEAGUE: 1994 |
OWNER:
Nick Mileti |
| STADIUM:
Sam
Boyd Stadium (31,000) |
COLOURS:
Desert Sand, Black & White |
| OVERALL
REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 5-13 |
OVERALL
PLAYOFF RECORD: 0-0 |
1995 STANDINGS:
5-13 Overall (2-6 Home, 3-7 Away)
- Did Not Qualify For Playoffs |
1995 AVERAGE
HOME ATTENDANCE: 8,953 |
Synopsis:
(from
The
CFL in America) |
| The Posse
were the least successful of the American teams, both on and off the field.
A CFL franchise was awarded to Nick Mileti for Las Vegas in 1993. The team
took to the field in 1994, and despite a strong nucleus of young stars,
the Posse were doomed from the start. A stadium far from the central city,
stifling desert heat during the games, unfamiliarity with the Canadian
game, and a general oversupply of entertainment options meant that the
Posse had a long uphill battle to fight. |
| Led by former
UNLV and NFL coach Ron Meyer, the Posse started with a pair of wins over
Sacramento and Saskatchewan, but things quickly went downhill from there.
Dwindling attendance bottomed out during the eighth home game (against
Winnipeg), when less than 3,000 fans showed up, many of them on excursions
from Winnipeg. Players openly complained that teammates and coaches were
apathetic, and no longer cared about the on-field fortunes of the team
in light of the circus that transpired off it. The final game was moved
to Edmonton, and by then, it was clear the team would not be returning
to Las Vegas. |
| While the
Posse as previously mentioned had some notable players, like QB Anthony
Calvillo, KR Tamarick Vanover, RB Jon Volpe, LB Greg Battle and K Carlos
Huerta, and coaches (Jeff Reinebold, the ex-Winnipeg head coach was one
of the assistants), the management of the team was nothing short of a disaster.
Among the many foibles: |
*
A national incident occurred when singer Dennis K.C. Parks mangled the
Canadian national anthem by singing it to the tune of "O Christmas Tree"
at the Posse's first home game.
|
*
The infamous cheerleader stunt where the Posse "Showgirls" cheerleading
squad was asked by coach Ron Meyer to loiter behind the BC Lions' bench
in an bid to distract the players. The Posse lost the game anyway, but
they continued to use their scantily-clad cheerleaders to entice fans out
to games, by staging stunts such as halftime bikini contests.
|
*
The Posse practiced in a smaller-than-regulation field (only 70 yards long)
in a casino parking lot, where a sign read "Field of ImPOSSEable Dreams."
In fact, the end zones at Sam Boyd Stadium themselves were only 15 yards
long, instead of the usual 20 yards.
|
*
When attendance continued to dwindle, all seats were reduced to $9. The
few who bought season tickets in more expensive categories (up to $750
US) were given extra tickets to make up for the price difference.
|
| The Posse
did make CFL history on July 8, 1994 when they defeated Sacramento, 32-26.
It marked the first CFL game between two American teams. |
| After the
season, there was talk a group from Jackson, Mississippi would buy the
team and move it there, but the deal fell through and the CFL held a dispersal
draft for the Posse in 1995. |
| After the
dispersal draft, another group (this one from Miami) made plans to purchase
what was left of the Posse franchise and move it to Miami, where it would
be known as the Manatees and begin play in the 1996 season. There was even
a preseason game played in 1995 at the Orange Bowl, between Baltimore &
Birmingham (Baltimore won, 37-0) to introduce Miami fans to the CFL game.
However nothing much came of the deal, especially after the American teams
(except Baltimore, who moved to Montreal) disbanded after the 1995 season. |
LAS
VEGAS POSSE RECORD VS. OTHER TEAMS:
| OPPONENT: |
GP
|
W
|
L
|
T
|
PF
|
PA
|
Pts
|
Pct.
|
Home
|
Away
|
| BALTIMORE
STALLIONS |
2
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
49
|
60
|
0
|
.000
|
0-1-0
|
0-1-0
|
| BRITISH
COLUMBIA LIONS |
2
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
23
|
84
|
0
|
.000
|
0-1-0
|
0-1-0
|
| CALGARY
STAMPEDERS |
2
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
51
|
80
|
0
|
.500
|
0-1-0
|
0-1-0
|
| EDMONTON
ESKIMOS |
2
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
27
|
95
|
0
|
.000
|
-----
|
0-2-0
|
| HAMILTON
TIGER-CATS |
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
25
|
21
|
2
|
1.000
|
1-0-0
|
-----
|
| MEMPHIS
MAD
DOGS |
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
19
|
28
|
0
|
.000
|
-----
|
0-1-0
|
| OTTAWA
ROUGH
RIDERS |
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
50
|
54
|
0
|
.000
|
-----
|
0-1-0
|
| SACRAMENTO
GOLDMINERS |
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
54
|
46
|
2
|
.500
|
0-1-0
|
1-0-0
|
| SAN
ANTONIO TEXANS |
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
80
|
76
|
2
|
.500
|
1-0-0
|
0-1-0
|
| SASKATCHEWAN
ROUGHRIDERS |
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
50
|
59
|
2
|
.500
|
-----
|
1-1-0
|
| SHREVEPORT
PIRATES |
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
83
|
34
|
4
|
1.000
|
1-0-0
|
1-0-0
|
| TORONTO
ARGONAUTS |
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
20
|
39
|
0
|
.000
|
-----
|
0-1-0
|
| WINNIPEG
BLUE
BOMBERS |
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
22
|
38
|
0
|
.000
|
0-1-0
|
-----
|
| TOTALS: |
18
|
5
|
13
|
0
|
447
|
622
|
10
|
.278
|
2-5-0
|
3-8-0
|
1994
LAS VEGAS POSSE RESULTS
(Attendance figures in brackets)
| PRE-SEASON: |
SCORE: |
| vs.
Edmonton
Eskimos
(6,000) |
W 22-11 |
| REGULAR
SEASON: |
SCORE: |
| Week 1 - At
SACRAMENTO GOLDMINERS |
W 32-26 |
| Week 2 - At
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS |
W 32-22 |
| Week 3 - Vs.
Sacramento Goldminers (12,213) |
L 20-22 |
| Week 4 - At
Toronto Argonauts |
L 20-39 |
| Week 5 - Vs.
Baltimore Stallions(10,740) |
L 33-38 |
| Week 6 - At
SHREVEPORT PIRATES |
W 49-13 |
| Week 7 - Vs.
British Columbia Lions (14,432) |
L 16-39 |
| Week 8 - At
Edmonton Eskimos |
L 17-44 |
| Week 9 - At
Ottawa Rough Riders |
L 50-54
(OT) |
| Week 10 -
Vs. SHREVEPORT PIRATES (9,467) |
W 34-21 |
| Week 11 -
At Calgary Stampeders |
L 25-35 |
| Week 12 -
Vs. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (4,761) |
W 25-21 |
| Week 13 -
Vs. Calgary Stampeders (7,438) |
L 26-45 |
| Week 14 -
At Baltimore Stallions |
L 16-22 |
| Week 15 -
Vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2,350) |
L 22-38 |
| Week 16 -
At Saskatchewan Roughriders |
L 18-37 |
| Week 17 -
At British Columbia Lions |
L 7-45 |
| Week 18 -
At Edmonton Eskimos (14,228) * |
L 10-51 |
* Originally a Las Vegas home game. Moved to Edmonton because of poor attendance.
|
