Orlando Panthers
| Founded | 1958 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1971 |
| League |
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| Team history |
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| Based in | Orlando, Florida |
| Arena | Tangerine Bowl |
| Championships |
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| Division titles | none |
The Orlando Panthers were a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. Founded in 1958 as the Franklin Miners, the team spent its first four years in the Eastern Football Conference, then three further years in the Atlantic Coast Football League before moving to the Continental Football League in 1965. The franchise moved from Newark, New Jersey to Orlando in 1966 and found success on the field as the Panthers. But while the team won the CFL championship twice they were plagued by financial difficulties. The team jumped back to the ACFL in 1970 but were suspended by the league after the season.
The Franklin Miners were originally established in 1958 as a member of the Eastern Football Conference; their head coach was eventual Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren. The Miners were charter members of the Atlantic Coast Football League upon its founding in 1962, relocating to Paterson, New Jersey in the process. In their first season in Paterson, the Miners won the ACFL championship against the Providence Steam Roller in front of 2,000 spectators at the indoor Atlantic City Convention Hall. The following summer the Miners moved to nearby Newark, New Jersey and were renamed as the Newark Bears. The Bears took their name from a team in the American Association football league in the late 1930s through 1941, itself a direct descendant from the Orange/Newark Tornadoes, a football club with roots dating to the 19th century and that had played two seasons in the NFL. (The ACFL had several ties to the old AA, including teams in Paterson and Newark, and the same President, Joe Rosentover.)
The Bears won the Southern Division and claimed the 1963 ACFL title by defeating the Springfield Acorns, 23-6. A few months later the team announced its interest in joining the American Football League; at the time, the New York metro area's existing AFL franchise, recently rechristened the Jets, was still on uncertain financial footing, but the Jets survived and the AFL ultimately rejected the Newark bid. Newark had another strong season in 1964, advancing to their third straight league championship. This time, however, they were defeated by the Boston Sweepers, 14-10.
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