1991 Birmingham Fire season

1991 Birmingham Fire season
Owner	Gavin Maloof
General manager	Michael Huyghue
Head coach	Chan Gailey
Home field	Legion Field
Results
Record	5–6
Division place	1st North America West
Playoff finish	Lost to Barcelona Dragons in semifinals

The 1991 Birmingham Fire season was the first for the franchise in the inaugural season for the World League of American Football (WLAF). The team was led by head coach Chan Gailey, and played their home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with an overall record of five wins and six losses (5–6), as the North America West division champions and with a loss against the Barcelona Dragons in the WLAF semifinals.

The Fire franchise was established in April 1990, and by November 1990 league officials announced play to begin in March 1991. With former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Chan Gailey selected as head coach, the league held its inaugural draft in February 1991. Birmingham opened the season with a home loss to Montreal followed by a win over Sacramento. The Fire then alternated pairs of wins and losses for the remainder of the season in which the three European team dominated. Although they finished with a record of only 5–5, the Fire qualified for the playoffs as the better of the two mediocre North America division champions, having beaten the 5-5 Knights who had to face the mighty 9-1 London Monarchs. In their WLAF semifinal, Birmingham lost 10-3 to wild card winner Barcelona Dragons; their 8-2 record was only good enough for 2nd in Europe behind London even after having beaten the Monarchs at Wembley.

Offseason

On April 18, 1990, Birmingham became the second U.S. city that was awarded a franchise after the Orlando Thunder to compete in the inaugural WLAF season.[1][2] At the time of the announcement, league president Tex Schramm said that past support for professional football in Birmingham was a major reason for its selection for a franchise.[2] In November, officials announced the league would begin play in March 1991 with ten teams.[3] At that time it was also revealed that Birmingham would compete as a member of the North American West division with the Sacramento Surge and the San Antonio Riders.[3] On December 21, 1990, Chan Gailey was introduced as the first head coach of the Fire.[4]

Draft

In February 1991, the first WLAF Draft was held in Orlando, Florida.[5] Unlike the NFL Draft, the WLAF version was carried out with individual positions being drafted over a period of several days.[5] Offensive linemen were drafted on February 14; running backs, punters and placekickers on February 16; quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends on February 18; defensive linemen on February 20; linebackers on February 22; and defensive backs on February 24.[5] In addition to those players drafted, each team had four European-born players assigned to their squad in a program called Operation Discovery.[5] Players assigned through this program to the Fire were Pepe Moscatelli and Sergio Vissa from Italy and Andreas Motzkus and Hans-Ulrich Riecke from Germany.[6]

Offensive linemen[7] Position Selection Player College Offensive linemen 2 Bill Anderson Iowa 19 R. C. Mullin Southwestern Louisiana 22 Jason Kuipers Florida State 39 Buddy King Southern Miss 42 Michael Pavik Virginia Tech 59 Paul Yniguez Kansas State 62 Charles Odorne Texas Tech 79 Rich Schonewolf Penn State 82 Michael Tanks Florida State 99 Bill Doyen West Virginia Tech 102 Stu Milberg Connecticut

Running backs, placekickers and punters[8] Position Selection Player College Running backs 9 Joe Henderson Iowa State 12 David Clark Dartmouth 29 Steve Avery Northern Michigan 32 Harvey Reed Howard 49 Charles Sanders Slippery Rock 52 Byron Sanders Northwestern State Placekickers 4 Win Lyle Auburn 17 James Campbell Eastern Kentucky Punters 7 Kent Elmore Chattanooga 14 Kirk Maggio UCLA

Quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends[9] Position Selection Player College Quarterbacks 1 Brent Pease Montana 20 Joe Pizzo Mars Hill 21 Eric Jones Vanderbilt 40 Gene Benhart Western Illinois Tight ends 10 Phil Ross Oregon State 11 Mark Hopkins Central Michigan 30 Curt Jones Utah Wide receivers 8 Willie Bouyer Michigan State 13 Gary Cooper Clemson 28 William MacKall Tennessee–Martin 33 Tyrone Watson Tennessee State 48 Melvin Patterson Stephen F. Austin 53 Harry Mehre William & Mary 68 Gerald Mitchell Vanderbilt 73 Dale Amos Franklin & Marshall

Defensive linemen[10] Position Selection Player College Defensive linemen 5 Darrell Phillips LSU 16 Tony Bowick Chattanooga 25 Otis Moore Clemson 36 Arthur Walker Colorado 45 Pellom McDaniels Oregon State 56 Okland Salave'a Colorado 65 Chris Parker West Virginia 76 Flint Fleming North Dakota State 85 Ted Hennings Northern Illinois

Linebackers[11] Position Selection Player College Linebackers 6 Paul McGowan Florida State 15 John Brantley Georgia 26 Maurice Oliver Southern Miss 35 Steve Hyche Livingston 46 Steve Thompson UC Davis 55 Chad Thorson Wheaton 66 James DuBose Wake Forest 75 Randy Cockrell Virginia Tech

Defensive backs[12] Position Selection Player College Defensive backs 3 Anthony Newsom Stephen F. Austin 18 Tracy Sanders Florida State 23 Alex Armenteros Bethune-Cookman 38 John Holland Sacramento State 43 John Miller Michigan State 58 Patrick Williams Arkansas 63 Derrick Richey Texas A&M 78 James Henry Southern Miss 83 Mark Fogle Angelo State 98 Arthur Hunter Central State 103 Kevin Dent Jackson State 118 Albert Burks Kentucky

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Time	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	March 23	7:00 p.m.	Montreal Machine	L 5–20	0–1	Legion Field	52,942
2	March 30	7:00 p.m.	Sacramento Surge	W 17–10	1–1	Legion Field	16,432
3	April 8	7:00 p.m.	at Montreal Machine	L 10–23	1–2	Olympic Stadium	27,766
4	April 15	7:00 p.m.	London Monarchs	L 0–27	1–3	Legion Field	18,512
5	April 21	12:00 p.m.	at Orlando Thunder	W 31–6	2–3	Florida Citrus Bowl	21,249
6	April 29	7:00 p.m.	San Antonio Riders	W 16–12	3–3	Legion Field	8,114
7	May 4	1:00 p.m.	at Barcelona Dragons	L 6–11	3–4	Montjuic Stadium	31,490
8	May 12	12:00 p.m.	at Frankfurt Galaxy	L 3–10	3–5	Waldstadion	28,127
9	May 20	7:00 p.m.	New York/New Jersey Knights	W 24–14	4–5	Legion Field	31,211
10	May 25	2:00 p.m.	at Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks	W 28–7	5–5	Carter–Finley Stadium	16,335

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Montreal Machine

1 2 3 4 Total • Machine 3 7 3 7 20 Fire 0 0 0 5 5 Date: March 23 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 52,942 Television network: USA

Scoring summary 1 Montreal Björn Nittmo 22-yard field goal Montreal 3–0 2 Montreal Keith Jennings 2-yard pass from Kevin Sweeney (Björn Nittmo kick) Montreal 10–0 3 Montreal Björn Nittmo 36-yard field goal Montreal 13–0 4 Birmingham Win Lyle 35-yard field goal Montreal 13–3 4 Birmingham Kevin Sweeney called for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety Montreal 13–5 4 Montreal Elroy Harris 1-yard run (Björn Nittmo kick) Montreal 20–5

In what was their first all-time game, the Fire were defeated by the Montreal Machine before 52,942 fans at Legion Field.[13][14] Late in the first quarter, Birmingham's James Henry fumbled a punt that Montreal recovered at the 11-yard line of the Fire.[14] Four plays later, the Machine took an early 3–0 lead after Björn Nittmo connected on a 22-yard field goal.[13][14] Just as their first scoring drive started with a Birmingham special teams mistake, their second did as well. In the second quarter, a bad snap that went over the head of Fire punter Kirk Maggio gave the Machine possession at the Birmingham 17-yard line.[14] Keith Jennings then scored the first touchdown of the game on a two-yard pass from Kevin Sweeney to give Montreal a 10–0 halftime lead.[13][14] The Machine extended their lead to 13–0 after a 36-yard Nittmo field goal in the third before the Fire scored their first points in the fourth quarter.[13][14] In the fourth, Birmingham scored first on a 35-yard field goal by Win Lyle and then were later awarded a safety after Montreal's Kevin Sweeney called for intentional grounding in the end zone to cut the lead to 13–5.[13][14] However, Elroy Harris scored on a one-yard touchdown run with only 1:42 left in the game to seal the 20–5 Montreal victory.[13][14]

In the loss, the Birmingham defense only allowed 179 yards of total offense, with only 33 yards coming through the air.[13] On offense, the Fire gained 231 yards of total offense, with only 79 yards coming on the ground.[13] Due to the larger than expected crowd, the start of the game was delayed 21 minutes to allow fans into the stadium as only two gates were open at Legion Field.[15] With the loss, the Fire began their season at 0–1.

Week 2: vs. Sacramento Surge

1 2 3 4 Total Surge 0 10 0 0 10 • Fire 0 10 7 0 17 Date: March 30 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 16,432 Television network: USA

Scoring summary 2 Birmingham Win Lyle 35-yard field goal Birmingham 3–0 2 Birmingham Joe Henderson 35-yard run (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 10–0 2 Sacramento Sam Archer 20-yard pass from Mike Elkins (Kendall Trainor kick) Birmingham 10–7 2 Sacramento Kendall Trainor 25-yard field goal 10–10 3 Birmingham John Miller 99-yard interception return (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 17–10

Against the Sacramento Surge, the Fire recorded their first all-time victory with their 17–10 win in near freezing conditions before 16,432 fans at Legion Field.[16][17] After a scoreless first quarter, the Fire took a 10–0 lead in the second only to have the Surge tie the game 10–10 at halftime. Birmingham scored on a 35-yard Win Lyle field goal and a 35-yard Joe Henderson touchdown run; Sacramento scored on a 20-yard Mike Elkins touchdown pass to Sam Archer and on a 25-yard Kendall Trainor field goal.[16][17] Birmingham then scored the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter when John Miller intercepted an Elkins pass and returned it 99-yards for a touchdown and a 17–10 Fire lead.[16][17] Sacramento did have a chance late in the fourth quarter to tie up the game. With a first-and-goal from the Fire two-yard line, Elkins threw four incomplete passes to turn the ball over on downs with 1:13 left in the game.[16] With the win, the Fire evened their season record at 1–1.

Week 3: at Montreal Machine

1 2 3 4 Total Fire 0 10 0 0 10 • Machine 13 3 7 0 23 Date: April 8 Location: Olympic Stadium Montreal, Quebec Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 27,766 Television network: USA

Scoring summary 1 Montreal Richard Shelton 26-yard fumble return (Björn Nittmo kick) Montreal 7–0 1 Montreal Richard Shelton 63-yard interception return (Björn Nittmo kick failed) Montreal 13–0 2 Birmingham Stacey Mobley 55-yard pass from Brent Pease (Win Lyle kick) Montreal 13–7 2 Birmingham Win Lyle 20-yard field goal Montreal 13–10 2 Montreal Björn Nittmo 39-yard field goal Montreal 16–10 3 Montreal Elroy Harris 41-yard run (Björn Nittmo kick) Montreal 23–10

In what was their first all-time road game the Fire were defeated by the 23–10 Montreal Machine, for the second time in three weeks, before 27,766 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal on a Monday night.[18][19] The Machine took a 13–0 lead early in the first quarter after Richard Shelton scored a pair of defensive touchdowns. The first came on the first offensive play of the game when Shelton recovered a Joe Henderson fumble caused by Adam Bob and returned it 26-yards for a 7–0 lead.[18][19] About five minutes later, Shelton intercepted a Brent Pease pass and returned it for a touchdown and a 13–0 lead after Björn Nittmo missed the extra point.[18][19]

Birmingham responded in the second quarter with a 55-yard Pease touchdown pass to Stacey Mobley and a 20-yard Win Lyle field goal to cut the Montreal lead to 13–10.[18][19] The Machine then scored late on a 39-yard Nittmo field goal to make the halftime score 16–10 in favor of the home team.[18][19] A 41-yard Elroy Harris touchdown run late in the third was the final points of the game scored in the 23–10 Machine victory.[18][19] In the game Birmingham outgained Montreal 181 to 39 in passing yardage and Montreal outgained Birmingham 154 to 73 in rushing yardage.[20] With the loss, the Fire dropped to 1–2.

Week 4: vs. London Monarchs

1 2 3 4 Total • Monarchs 7 3 0 17 27 Fire 0 0 0 0 0 Date: April 15 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 18,512 Television network: USA

Scoring summary 1 London David Smith 6-yard run (Phil Alexander kick) London 7–0 2 London Phil Alexander 27-yard field goal London 10–0 4 London Andre Riley 33-yard pass from Stan Gelbaugh (Phil Alexander kick) London 17–0 4 London Andre Riley 13-yard pass from Stan Gelbaugh (Phil Alexander kick) London 24–0 4 London Phil Alexander 27-yard field goal London 27–0

Against the London Monarchs, the Fire were outgained in total offense 404 to 112 yards and were shut out 27–0 at Legion Field.[21][22] The Monarchs took a 10–0 lead into halftime after David Smith scored on a six-yard touchdown run in the first and Phil Alexander connected on a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter.[21][22] The Fire defense then shut out London in the third quarter, but 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter secured the Monarchs' victory. In a span of 2:43, London quarterback Stan Gelbaugh threw touchdown passes of 33 and 13-yards to Andre Riley in the fourth quarter.[22] Alexander then scored the final points of the game with his second 27-yard field goal of the game.[21][22]

In the fourth quarter, Birmingham starting quarterback Brent Pease was replaced with back-up Eric Jones.[21][22] Pease finished the game having completed 10-of-27 passes for 65 yards and Jones finished having completed 4-of-9 passes for 35 yards.[21] With the loss, the Fire dropped to 1–3.

Week 5: at Orlando Thunder

1 2 3 4 Total • Fire 9 15 7 0 31 Thunder 0 0 6 0 6 Date: April 21 Location: Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida Game start: 12:00 p.m. Game attendance: 21,249 Television network: ABC

Scoring summary 1 Birmingham Myron Jones tackled by Darrell Phillips for a safety Birmingham 2–0 1 Birmingham Brent Pease 15-yard pass from Stacey Mobley (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 9–0 2 Birmingham Willie Bouyer 21-yard pass from Brent Pease (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 16–0 2 Birmingham James Henry 77-yard interception return (Kirk Maggio two-point conversion) Birmingham 24–0 3 Birmingham Willie Bouyer 87-yard pass from Brent Pease (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 31–0 3 Orlando Myron Jones 4-yard run (Charlie Baumann kick failed) Birmingham 31–6

In their second road game of the season, the Fire defeated the Orlando Thunder 31–6 at the Florida Citrus Bowl.[23][24] J. J. Flannigan fumbled the opening kickoff for Orlando, which was recovered by Arthur Hunter for the Fire at the Thunder 13-yard line. The Orlando defense managed to hold the Fire after a goal line stand gave possession back to the Thunder at the Birmingham two-yard line.[24] Three plays later, Myron Jones was tackled by Darrell Phillips for a safety and a 2–0 Birmingham lead.[24] On the drive that ensued, the Fire scored their first touchdown of the game after Stacey Mobley threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Brent Pease on a trick play for a 9–0 lead.[23] Birmingham then extended their lead to 24–0 at halftime with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. The first came on a 21-yard Pease pass to Willie Bouyer and the second when James Henry intercepted a Kerwin Bell pass and returned it 77-yards for a touchdown.[23][24]

Early in the third quarter, Steve Williams had an apparent interception return for a touchdown negated by a false start penalty.[24] On the next play, Pease threw an 87-yard touchdown pass to Willie Bouyer to give Birmingham a 31–0 lead.[23][24] Orlando later scored their only points of the game late in the fourth quarter on a four-yard Myron Jones touchdown run.[23][24] In the game, the Thunder had six turnovers as compared to zero for the Fire.[24] The victory improved the Fire's record to 2–3.

Week 6: vs. San Antonio Riders

1 2 3 4 Total Riders 0 0 0 12 12 • Fire 0 16 0 0 16 Date: April 29 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 8,114 Television network: USA

Scoring summary 2 Birmingham Steve Avery 11-yard pass from Brent Pease (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 7–0 2 Birmingham San Antonio snapped ball out of end zone for a safety Birmingham 9–0 2 Birmingham Steve Avery 32-yard pass from Brent Pease (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 16–0 4 San Antonio Jim Gallery 35-yard field goal Birmingham 16–3 4 San Antonio Lee Morris 73-yard pass from Mike Johnson (Jim Gallery kick) Birmingham 16–10 4 San Antonio Kirk Maggio runs out of the back of the end zone for a safety Birmingham 16–12

Against the San Antonio Riders, the Fire won 16–12 in rainy conditions at Legion Field.[25][26] After a scoreless first quarter, Birmingham scored all 16 of their points during a 3.5 minute span in the second quarter.[26] The first touchdown was scored on an 11-yard pass from Brent Pease to Steve Avery for a 7–0 lead.[25][26] On the San Antonio possession that followed, Riders long snapper Eddie Grant snapped the ball over the head of punter Kent Sullivan out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 9–0 Fire lead.[25] Birmingham then scored their second touchdown on the possession that followed the safety with a 32-yard Pease pass to Avery for a 16–0 lead.[25][26]

After a scoreless third quarter, San Antonio mounted a fourth quarter rally only to fall short and lose the game 16–12. After a 35-yard Jim Gallery field goal, the Riders scored their only touchdown on a 73-yard Mike Johnson pass to Lee Morris.[25][26] With 1:30 remaining in the game, John Holland intercepted a Johnson pass; however, San Antonio held the Fire to force a punt. As they were punting from their own endzone, Kirk Maggio took the safety for Birmingham to set up a better free kick with only 0:22 left in the game.[26] Arthur Hunter then intercepted a Johnson pass at the Fire two-yard line as time expired to preserve the Birmingham victory.[26] The victory improved the Fire's record to 3–3.

Week 7: at Barcelona Dragons

1 2 3 4 Total Fire 0 0 0 6 6 • Dragons 2 6 0 3 11 Date: May 4 Location: Montjuic Stadium Barcelona, Spain Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 31,490 Television network: USA

Scoring summary 1 Barcelona Elroy Harris tackled by Eric Lindstrom in the end zone for a safety Barcelona 2–0 2 Barcelona Lydell Carr 3-yard run (Massimo Manca kick failed) Barcelona 8–0 4 Birmingham Stacey Mobley 42-yard pass from Eric Jones (Win Lyle kick failed) Barcelona 8–6 4 Barcelona Massimo Manca 26-yard field goal Barcelona 11–6

In their first European road game of the season, the Fire lost 11–6 to the Barcelona Dragons at Montjuic Stadium in Spain.[27][28] The Dragons scored their first points on the first offensive play of the game when Eric Lindstrom tackled Elroy Harris in the endzone for a safety and a 2–0 lead.[28] In the second quarter Barcelona extended their lead to 8–0 after Lydell Carr scored on a three-yard touchdown run to complete an 89-yard drive.[28] After a scoreless third quarter, Birmingham cut the Barcelona lead to 8–6 when Eric Jones threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Stacey Mobley.[27][28] Massimo Manca then provided for the final margin with his 26-yard field goal for the Dragons late in the game.[27][28] In the game, Barcelona quarterback Tony Rice completed 20 of 25 passes for 354 yards passing.[28] The loss brought the Fire's record to 3–4.

Week 8: at Frankfurt Galaxy

1 2 3 4 Total Fire 0 3 0 0 3 • Galaxy 0 3 7 0 10 Date: May 12 Location: Waldstadion Frankfurt, Germany Game start: 12:00 p.m. Game attendance: 28,127 Television network: ABC

Scoring summary 2 Birmingham Win Lyle 43-yard field goal Birmingham 3–0 2 Frankfurt Tom Whelihan 32-yard field goal 3–3 3 Frankfurt Tony Baker 2-yard run (Tom Whelihan kick) Frankfurt 10–3

In their second consecutive European road game of the season, the Fire lost 10–3 to the Frankfurt Galaxy at Waldstadion in Germany.[29] After a scoreless first quarter, Win Lyle converted a 43-yard field goal for the Fire and Tom Whelihan converted from 32-yards for the Galaxy for a 3–3 tie at halftime.[29] The game-winning touchdown for Frankfurt was scored in the third quarter on a two-yard Tony Baker run.[29] The loss brought the Fire's record to 3–5.

Week 9: vs. New York/New Jersey Knights

1 2 3 4 Total Knights 0 0 0 14 14 • Fire 7 3 7 7 24 Date: May 20 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 31,211 Television network: USA

Scoring summary 1 Birmingham Arthur Hunter 37-yard interception return (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 7–0 2 Birmingham Win Lyle 20-yard field goal Birmingham 10–0 3 Birmingham Kenny Bell 65-yard pass from Kirk Maggio on a fake punt (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 17–0 4 New York Eric Wilkerson 25-yard pass from Jeff Graham (Kendall Trainor kick) Birmingham 17–7 4 New York Mark Moore 20-yard fumble return (Kendall Trainor kick) Birmingham 17–14 4 Birmingham Tony Bowick 35-yard fumble return (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 24–14

In what was their final regular season home game, the Fire defeated the New York/New Jersey Knights 24–14 at Legion Field.[30][31] Birmingham took a 10–0 lead into halftime after Arthur Hunter intercepted a Jeff Graham pass and returned it 37-yards for a touchdown in the first and Win Lyle converted a 20-yard field goal in the second quarter.[30][31] In the third quarter, the Fire extended their lead to 17–0 after a successful fake punt resulted in a touchdown when Kirk Maggio threw a 65-yard pass to Kenny Bell.[30]

The Knights responded in the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns to cut the Fire lead to 17–14. The rally started after New York recovered a Willie Bouyer fumble at the Birmingham 25-yard line. On the next play, Jeff Graham threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Eric Wilkerson.[30] Later in the quarter, Fire quarterback Eric Jones fumbled the ball on a quarterback sack that was returned by Mark Moore 20-yards for a touchdown.[30] However, the comeback was halted late in the fourth after Steve Hyche caused a Jeff Graham fumble that was returned 35-yards for a touchdown by Tony Bowick.[30][31] The victory improved the Fire's record to 4–5.

Week 10: at Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks

1 2 3 4 Total • Fire 7 0 7 14 28 Skyhawks 0 7 0 0 7 Date: May 25 Location: Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, North Carolina Game start: 2:00 p.m. Game attendance: 16,335 Television network: ABC

Scoring summary 1 Birmingham Stacey Mobley 5-yard run (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 7–0 2 Raleigh–Durham John Burch 2-yard run (Wilson Hoyle kick) 7–7 3 Birmingham James Henry 50-yard punt return (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 14–7 4 Birmingham Elroy Harris 13-yard run (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 21–7 4 Birmingham Steve Avery 9-yard run (Win Lyle kick) Birmingham 28–7

In their final regular season game, the Fire defeated the Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks 28–7 at Carter–Finley Stadium to clinch a playoff spot as the North America West division champions.[32][33] Birmingham opened the scoring with a five-yard Stacey Mobley touchdown run in the first, and Raleigh–Durham responded in the second quarter with a two-yard John Burch touchdown run to tie the game at 7–7 at halftime.[32][33] Early in the third, the Fire took a 14–7 lead after James Henry returned a Skyhawks punt 50-yards for a touchdown.[32][33] The third Birmingham touchdown was set up in the fourth quarter after Phil Ross recovered a Marvin Hargrove fumble at Raleigh–Durham 13-yard line. On the next play, Elroy Harris scored on a 13-yard touchdown run.[33] Steve Avery then provided the final points in the 28–7 Fire victory with his nine-yard run.[32][33] The victory improved the Fire's record to 5–5 as they entered the playoffs.

Postseason

Schedule

Round	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Semifinal	Saturday, June 1	7:00 p.m.	Barcelona Dragons	L 3–10	0–1	Legion Field	37,590

Game summary

WLAF Semifinal: vs. Barcelona Dragons

1 2 3 4 Total • Dragons 0 10 0 0 10 Fire 0 0 0 3 3 Date: June 1 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 7:00 p.m. Game attendance: 37,590 Television network: USA

Scoring summary 2 Barcelona Massimo Manca 25-yard field goal Barcelona 3–0 2 Barcelona Thomas Woods 6-yard pass from Scott Erney (Massimo Manca kick) Barcelona 10–0 4 Birmingham Win Lyle 28-yard field goal Barcelona 10–3

Against the Barcelona Dragons in the semifinals of the WLAF playoffs, the Fire lost 10–3 at Legion Field to complete their season.[34][35][36] Although Barcelona defeated the Fire in their regular season matchup and had a better overall record, the game was played in Birmingham as the Fire were division champions and the Dragons entered the playoffs as a wild card since London won their division.[37] After a scoreless first quarter, Barcelona scored all of their points in the second quarter. Massimo Manca converted a successful 25-yard field goal and Scott Erney threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Woods for a 10–0 lead.[34][35][36] The only other points in the game came late in the fourth quarter when Win Lyle connected on a 28-yard field goal to make the final score 10–3.[34][35][36] With their victory, Barcelona advanced to play the London Monarchs in World Bowl I at Wembley Stadium.[36]

Staff

1991 Birmingham Fire staff[38]
Head coaches Head coach – Chan Gailey Offensive coaches Running backs – Michael O'Toole Wide receivers – Steve Marks Offensive line – Joe D'Alessandris			Defensive coaches Defensive line – Pete Hurt Linebackers – Gene Smith Defensive secondary – Stanley King

Final roster

1991 Birmingham Fire roster[38]
Quarterbacks  5 Gene Benhart  7 Eric Jones  10 Brent Pease Running backs  26 Steve Avery  41 Kenny Bell  21 David Clark  31 Elroy Harris  20 Joe Henderson  31 Charles Sanders Wide receivers  80 Willie Bouyer  83 Stacey Mobley  85 Melvin Patterson  89 Ted Wilson Tight ends  87 Mark Hopkins  82 Phil Ross  67 Sergio Vissa		Offensive linemen  50 Bill Anderson C  73 Buddy King T  60 Jason Kuipers G  79 R. C. Mullin T  61 Michael Pavik G  63 Rich Schonewolf G  59 Michael Tanks C  52 Paul Yniguez C  96 Arthur Walker T Defensive linemen  70 Tony Bowick NT  98 Pellom McDaniels DE  71 Otis Moore NT  62 Darrell Phillips NT  72 Okland Salave'a DE		Linebackers  54 John Brantley  99 Randy Cockrell  56 Steve Hyche  75 Junior Jackson  53 Paul McGowan  59 Maurice Oliver  57 Steve Thompson Defensive backs  28 Alex Armenteros SS  45 James Henry CB  21 John Holland CB  24 Arthur Hunter SS  44 John Miller FS  24 Anthony Newsom CB  44 Derrick Richey CB  6 Hans Riecke SS  27 Tracy Sanders CB Special teams  1 Win Lyle K  8 Kirk Maggio P

Awards

After the completion of the regular season, the All-World League Team was selected by the league's ten head coaches.[39] Overall, Birmingham had five players selected, with two on the first team and three on the second team.[39] The five selections were:

• John Brantley, Linebacker, 1st Team
• John Miller, Free safety, 1st Team
• Darrell Phillips, Nose tackle, 2nd Team
• John Holland, Cornerback, 2nd Team
• Kirk Maggio, Punter, 2nd Team

Standings

North American West Division
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	DIV	STK
Birmingham Fire	5	5	0	.500	140	140	2–0	W2
San Antonio Riders	4	6	0	.400	176	196	1–1	L1
Sacramento Surge	3	7	0	.300	179	226	0–2	W1

References

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5. Brown, Ben (February 12, 1991). "WLAF ready to hire players". USA Today. McLean, Virginia: Lexis Nexis. p. 1B.
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9. "Football: WLAF Draft, Quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends". USA Today. McLean, Virginia: Lexis Nexis. February 19, 1991. p. 11C.
10. "Football: WLAF Draft, Defensive linemen". USA Today. McLean, Virginia: Lexis Nexis. February 21, 1991. p. 11C.
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13. Felts, Jerry (March 24, 1991). "Montreal extinguishes Fire". TimesDaily. Florence, Alabama: Google News. p. 6C. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
14. Southern, Michael (March 24, 1991). "Birmingham Fire fizzles in WLAF debut". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Google News. p. 2C. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
15. "WLAF gets big greeting in Birmingham". Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky: Google News. Associated Press. March 25, 1991. p. 9. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
16. "Miller's return gives Birmingham first win". TimesDaily. Florence, Alabama: Google News. Associated Press. March 31, 1991. p. 3C. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
17. "Fire's small crowd not disappointing". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Google News. Associated Press. April 1, 1991. p. 7B. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
18. "Former NFL player burns Fire". The Gadsden Times. Gadsden, Alabama: Google News. Associated Press. April 9, 1991. p. B1. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
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21. Mason, Bret (April 16, 1991). "Monarchs put out the Fire". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Google News. p. 1B. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
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