| |
| Founded | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 1992 |
| Based in | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Home field | Olympic Stadium |
| League | World League of American Football |
| Colors | Maroon, Silver, Navy, Red, White |
| Franchise record | Regular Season: 6–14 |
The Montreal Machine were the sole Canadian (and non-U.S.-based North American) team in the World League of American Football (WLAF), a springtime developmental professional league set up by the National Football League (NFL) that played in 1991 and 1992. There were also three European teams and six United States–based teams. Like all WLAF teams, the Machine played American rules football, 11 players per side on a 100-yard-long/53+1⁄3-yard-wide field, rather than Canadian rules football of 12 players per side on a 110-yard-long/65-yard-wide field.
The Machine filled a void created by the folding of the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes in 1987. It was the first American football team in Canada since the Montreal Beavers, Toronto Rifles and Victoria Steelers, which all played in the Continental Football League in 1967. The NFL had also played two international preseason games in Montreal in 1988 and 1990 during the Alouettes' absence.
After two years, the Machine, and the entire WLAF, were put on "hiatus" by the NFL. In 1995, the three European-based franchises (and three more) were reconstituted as the World League (later known as NFL Europe); the North American teams were folded, thus becoming a purely European league. The Machine played their home games at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, which also hosted what would be the WLAF's last game in its original incarnation, World Bowl '92. A crowd of 43,789 watched the Sacramento Surge defeat the Orlando Thunder, 21–17.
The Machine's average game attendance was 31,888 in their first year of play, well above the league average and above expectations. It dropped to 25,254 in their second (and final) year, still in line with league average.
The end of the WLAF's North American operations was soon followed by the CFL commencing its own U.S. expansion experiment, which lasted for three seasons. The subsequent demise of the CFL's U.S. teams coincided with pro football's return to Montreal in 1996 when the third and current incarnation of the Montreal Alouettes commenced play. The Alouettes had been revived by the owners of the Baltimore Stallions, the most successful of the CFL's American franchises, who upon shuttering their U.S.-based team relocated their football organization to Montreal.
Season-by-season
| Season | League | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| 1991 | WLAF | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 3rd (North American East) | – | – | — | — |
| 1992 | WLAF | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | 3rd (North American East) | – | – | — | — |
| Total | 6 | 14 | 0 | .300 | – | – | — | |||
1991 season
| 1991 Montreal Machine season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Roger Dore |
| General manager | Gordon Cahill |
| Head coach | Jacques Dussault |
| Home field | Olympic Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–6 |
| Division place | 3rd (North American) |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| |
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
| |||||
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Operation Discovery
| ||||||
Results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 23 | at Birmingham Fire | W 20–5 | 1–0 | Legion Field | 52,942 |
| 2 | April 1 | Barcelona Dragons | L 10–34 | 1–1 | Olympic Stadium | 53,238 |
| 3 | April 8 | Birmingham Fire | W 23–10 | 2–1 | Olympic Stadium | 27,766 |
| 4 | April 13 | New York/New Jersey Knights | L 0–44 | 2–2 | Olympic Stadium | 34,821 |
| 5 | April 20 | at London Monarchs | L 7–45 | 2–3 | Wembley Stadium | 35,294 |
| 6 | April 27 | at Frankfurt Galaxy | L 7–17 | 2–4 | Waldstadion | 25,269 |
| 7 | May 4 | at Sacramento Surge | W 26–23 (OT) | 3–4 | Charles C. Hughes Stadium | 17,326 |
| 8 | May 13 | Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks | W 15–6 | 4–4 | Olympic Stadium | 20,123 |
| 9 | May 19 | at San Antonio Riders | L 10–27 | 4–5 | Alamo Stadium | 20,234 |
| 10 | May 27 | Orlando Thunder | L 27–33 (OT) | 4–6 | Olympic Stadium | 23,493 |
1992 season
| 1992 Montreal Machine season | |
|---|---|
| Home field | Olympic Stadium |
| Local radio | CKAC |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–8 |
| Division place | 3rd (North American) |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| |
Personnel
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Operation Discovery
| ||||||
Results
- Week 1: San Antonio Riders 17, Montreal 16
- Week 2: Montreal 31, Orlando Thunder 29
- Week 3: Sacramento Surge 14, Montreal 7
- Week 4: Montreal 31, Ohio Glory 20
- Week 5: Orlando Thunder 16, Montreal 8
- Week 6: New York/New Jersey Knights 34, Montreal 11
- Week 7: Sacramento Surge 35, Montreal 21
- Week 8: Birmingham Fire 23, Montreal 16 (OT)
- Week 9: London Monarchs 45, Montreal 13
- Week 10: New York/New Jersey Knights 41, Montreal 21
References
- "Team Colors – WLAF". ColorWerx.us. Archived from the original on November 15, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
- The Official 1991 World League of American Football Media Guide.
- John Vellante (May 5, 1991). "Pawlak enjoying life with WLAF". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
- Tom Boggie (March 30, 1991). "Tricario enjoying life with WLAF club". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
| World League of American Football / NFL Europe / NFL Europa | |
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| Teams |
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| Seasons | |
| See also | |