WFL Newspaper Archives

Chicago Tribune, January 31, 1975

WFL Schedules Conference Here

By Leo Zainea

The fate of the World Football League and the role Chicago might play in it may be disclosed at a news conference scheduled here Friday.

Representatives of the WFL and interested Chicagoans met for hours here behind closed doors, but nobody in authority seems to know what is going on -" not unusual for the league.

Their briefing session is set for 4 p.m. Friday in the KLM Room of the Hyatt Regency-O'Hare Hotel.

In town discussing the future -" if any -" of a Chicago franchise and the WFL is league President Chris Hemmeter, WFL Counsel Donald Regan, Memphis owner John Bassett, and Philadelphia owner John Bosacco. Joining them were Al Lange, former executive vice-president of the Chicago Fire, and Bill Byrne, the club's ex-personnel director.

Hemmeter and Regan have been traveling around the country lately in search of new investors, and arrived here from Orlando, Florida, one of many WFL disaster sites.

Tom Origer has divorced himself from the league -""No way it's going to make it now," he says -"and he has sold most of the Fire's uniforms and equipment and released all of his employees.

Origer has also told Fire players they are free to negotiate with the National Football League. Wide receiver James Scott has been drafted by the New York Jets and tiny receiver Jack Dolbin has been negotiating with the Denver Broncos.

Lange, 30, has been authorized by the league to help find investors for a franchise in Chicago. So far he's been apparently unsuccessful.