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The Pottstown Firebirds were a professional American football minor league team and member of the Atlantic Coast Football League from 1968 to 1970. The Pottstown Firebirds were former NFL football players, former college football players, and former high school football players that loved to play the game of football. The Firebirds were originally a "farm club" of the Philadelphia Eagles and were provided with equipment/helmets already emblazoned with Eagle wings. Only a few Firebirds ever moved up to NFL teams. The Firebirds affiliation with the Philadelphia Eagles was short-lived and was withdrawn in 1970. The Pottstown Firebirds played their home games at Pottstown High School stadium. In their final two seasons of existence in Pottstown (1969 and 1970), the Firebirds won the league championship. In 1971, the Firebirds merged with the Norfolk Neptunes and left Pottstown. (That year, the Seaboard Football League established the Schuylkill County Coal Crackers as a replacement team; the Coal Crackers moved to Reading after one season, bringing an end to professional football in Pottstown.) After the collapse of the ACFL a couple of years later, the World Football League sprang up. Many of the Pottstown Firebirds went on to play for the Philadelphia Bell as described in Vince Papale's book ''Invincible''. Ron Waller, former Head Offensive Coach of the Firebirds, moved on to become Head Coach of the Philadelphia Bell in 1974. The Firebirds were perhaps best remembered as the subject of a 1970 NFL Films documentary ''Pro Football, Pottstown, Pa.'' which documented the ties between the minor league club, its players, and their hometown of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Of particular note was the portrayal of the Firebirds' star quarterback, King Corcoran. "The King" was considered the "Poor Man's Joe Namath" and had stints on the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles before landing in Pottstown. In 2000 NFL Films returned to Pottstown for an episode of their ''Lost Treasures'' series. ''Pottstown Revisited'' covered some surviving players reminiscing about their days on the team, remembered the town's relationship with the long-gone /football team, and filmed a 30-year player reunion. == Funding == Bob "Chuz" Calvario and Al Cavallo were credited with founding the Firebirds minor league football franchise in Pottstown. To raise funds, Calvario and Cavallo assembled a group of local investors that all put up a few hundred dollars each and they also sold public stock. In order to secure a franchise, $10,000 was needed to post a performance bond with the ACFL. The franchise was secured but the group fell short of meeting their financial goals to fund an entire team until the entry of local millionaire Ed Gruber. The Pottstown Firebirds financial short-comings were over as Gruber put up the cash to attract the best minor league players money could buy. Ultimately, Gruber became the team owner and called all the shots. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pottstown Firebirds」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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