January 15, 1991—San Jose Mercury News
“Bay Area Gets a Glimpse of the New Sharks”
 
With the announcement this past fall that the Oakland Sharks were leaving the confines of the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum and would play their games in 3 different stadiums in Berkely, San Francisco, and right here at SJSU’s Spartan Stadium, they declared the Sharks to be a team for the entire Bay Area, changing the name of the franchise to the Golden Bay Sharks.  Well, today we get to see just how widespread the transformation is, as the team held a press conference to reveal their new logos and unifoms.  It is clear this is not Oakland’s team anymore.  Gone are the Black & Silver the team first took on in hopes of garnering the disenchanted Raider fans, and in its place are a bright Californian palette of Teal, Navy and Sunshine Gold. 
 
The logo itself is not very different from the ones the Sharks have been using in Oakland since 1988, with just a shift in colors and the addition of a bright sun to the look, but the uniforms are a far cry from the dark look of the earlier Sharks.  Sharks QB Andre Ware, wideout Don Beebe and LB Hardy Nickerson were on hand to model the uniforms which feature a white helmet, an emphasis on teal, with gold and navy piping.  The home jersey will be teal with white pants, while the colors are reversed for the away uniform.  Don Beebe also modeled an all white look which we assume is used for hot weather games in LA or Florida.  These are the last of the Champion-sponsored uniforms, as next year NIKE is expected to take over the look for the Sharks as they have for several other clubs in the league. It is a clean, crisp look, but one which is likely not to please the already upset Oakland fans who are seeing yet another team leave their fair city.

QCS wrote:

These all look great! I'm kinda surprised Dallas doesn't use the horns as the helmet decal, like the Rams.

Hard not to look like the Vikings when you do that. 

August 3, 1990—New York
“AAFL Owner’s Meeting Brings Big News”
 
The All-American Football League’s annual Summer Owners’ Meeting wrapped up today, and it was an eventful one.  The league made major announcements about the next few years, about player representation and rules changes which will impact the way the game is played each spring.  Here are the key revelations from the meeting.

--The League announced a two year plan to move from 12 franchises to 16 by adding two new franchises for 1991 and for 1992.  In 1991 they will retain a 3-division structure, with 2 divisions having a 5th team.  In 1992, with the addition of a 15th and 16th franchise, the league will move to 4 divisions of 4 teams each, set into an Eastern and Western Conference. 

--With the expanded league, the AAFL will also expand the playoffs from 5 teams to 6 teams, beginning in 1991.  This will eventually lead to 4 Division winners, 2 additional playoff teams (one in in each conference) and 2 Play-In games, where the two “wildcard” playoff teams will face the lower of the two division winners for a chance to face the top division winner in the conference in the Conference Championship. 

--The league agreed to assist players in the formation of a player union, to be called the All-American Football Player’s Union (AAFPU).  Each team will have 3 representatives on the Union’s executive senate, with elections held for an executive team.   The league announcd that they hope to have a comprehensive AAFL – AAFPU Collective Bargaining Agreement in place by the 1992 season. 

--The League also announced an enhanced agreement with ESPN and ABC Sports.  The league will see more games now on ABC, with weekly Sunday games on the flagship network, while ESPN will cover a weekly Friday Night and Monday Night game.  With 2 more franchises in the league for next year, moving the league to 7 weekly games while retaining their 14 game season, ABC will carry 2 games per week

March 10, 1990—USA Today
“AAFL Preview”
 
It has been a wild offseason in the AAFL, and with some of the league’s biggest stars defecting for the NFL, the upstart spring league is at a crossroads.  Will they be able to keep up the same enthusiasm and fan support without names like Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Thurman Thomas, MarK Clayton,  Brian Bosworth, Ironhead Heyward and Darryl Talley on the field?  League Commissioner David Dixon thinks so, stating “We have some amazing young talent in this league, and some names people have gotten really excited about.” 

With the NFL defections, we are likely to see a power shift, as last year’s playoff teams were hard hit by the transfers.  Orlando and Colorado had some big losses at QB and HB, but so too did Atlanta, losing starting QB Neil Lomax to what appears to be a career –ending hip injury, as well as WR Hassan Jones and DT Michael Dean Perry.  League runner ups, St. Louis, also lost some key contributors in Bosworth, CB McMillian and WR Clayton.   The teams that look to gain ground are those that either had minimal losses or who did their best to replace lost players either through the rookie draft or by raiding NFL benches.   As we look ahead to the AAFL season, kicking off next week, here are some storylines to follow:

        New Faces to Watch:  While the AAFL did not fare well in replacing lost QB’s with new NFL signings, with backup Steve Beurlein (CO) embattled Patriots QB Doug Flutie (NY), and former Bear Jim Mcmahon (CHI), being the biggest names, in other positions there are several players to look out for.  At the WR spot, Bill Brooks (SEA), speedsters JoJoTownsell (OAK) and Brett Perriman (STL) and “TD Machine” Cris Carter (WSH) could all make some noise this season.  At RB look out for former Jet Johnny Hector (DET) and former Bengal & Bill Larry Kinnebrew (COL).  But, perhaps the biggest impact will be felt on defense, where some solid talent ca

July 2, 1989—Rocky Mountain News
“Denver Prepares to Host All-American Bowl”
 
Despite the shocking loss last week by the home squad, Denver is abuzz about hosting the 2nd All-American Bowl on July 4th.  The game has already sold more than 62,000 seats as fans from across the country come to see the Atlanta Legion take on the St. Louis Rampage.  Many from Colorado bought tickets before the Rangers’ shocking loss to Atlanta last Sunday, but those we spoke with still plan to attend the game and enjoy one more game before the July-August lull.  “Yeah, I wish the Rangers were here, but I am still stoked to watch this game and then start prepping for the Broncos” said one fan at a local watering hole.  
 
The matchup between two underdog squads, the #3 and #4 seeds, is an intriguing one, but not one lacking in star power.  Atlanta brings former Heisman winner Herschel Walker as its main man, but they also benefit from having former Cardinals QB Neil Lomax on the field, as last week’s victory over the Rangers demonstrated.  For St. Louis, the emphasis on offense will be former USFL MVP Kelvin Bryant, also at RB, and the speedy young wideout Haywood Jeffires.  On defense, St. Louis brings a hardnose approach to the game with big hitters Steve Atwater and “The Boz”, former OU standout Brian Bosworth.  It should be a good game, as both teams have proven to be tough, smashmouth clubs.  Let’s take a look at how they got here.
 
Play-in Playoff:  Atlanta 26  Dallas 21
The Legion hosted this slobberknocker against the Dallas Rawhides two weeks ago.  Led by 134 yards and 2 TDs from Walker, the Legion built up a 17-7 lead midway into the third quarter, when Dallas mounted a furious comeback, inspired by a 63 yard TD run form another former Heisman winner, Mike Rozier.  Dallas took the lead with 11 minutes left in the game when Cody Carlson escaped a Michael Dean Perry sack and found WR-RB Eric Metcalf on a swing route for a 17 yard TD pa