Moved Topic, Franchise moves

The Gipper

So as not to co-mingle this topic with the Game Day thread, I am moving some posts here into a separate thread:

Regarding Bill's 300th win. Only if you're counting the playoffs. He's already coached more of those than anyone. He has a way to go yet to catch Don Shula.

I'll let Gipper confirm this, but I'm pretty sure Belichick was technically not the coach of the "Cleveland Browns" when Modell fired him. Our Ravens troll should be proud that Artie will go down in history as the only owner to manage to fire two HOF coaches.

I think that is correct. After the settlement agreementwas signed, sealed and delivered and the Baltimore franchise was created thereby (but not yet named)...the ownership of which was bestowed upon Modell, and by which the contracts of employees of the Cleveland Browns were being assigned to the new franchise, they underwent a process of determining who among the people employed by him at that time he would want to continue to work for him.....BBs name was not among them. See this:

Was Bill Belichick (right) really fired by the Cleveland Browns? Some people at ESPN seem to think so.

(Mike Levy, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Tweets from ESPN that irk Browns fans are becoming a weekly thing..... On Wednesday, it was a Tweet commemorating the anniversary of the Browns firing Bill Belichick.

The Tweet, sent through the NFL on ESPN account, read: "21 years ago, Bill Belichick was fired as HC of the Browns. Since then, Belichick has 5 Super Bowl (now 6) wins as a head coach."

It was also posted on the SportsCenter Instagram account.

But the Browns never fired Belichick. Art Modell's yet-to-be named Baltimore franchise fired him.

Here's a quick recap of events from late 1995 and early 1996:

Nov. 6, 1995: Browns owner Art Modell announces he is moving the team to Baltimore.

Feb. 9, 1996: NFL owners approve a move to Baltimore and the creation of a new Baltimore NFL franchise. Also, the NFL announces an agreement with Cleveland that will keep the Browns' name and history in the city for a new team to begin play by 1999.

Feb. 15, 1996: Modell fires Belichick and hires Ted Marchibroda as the head coach of his new Baltimore franchise.

The first paragraph of the Associated Press' story on Belichick's firing went like this: "The search for a new nickname can wait. First, Art Modell needs to find a new coach."

Now, did every Browns fan want Belichick fired at some point during his tenure in Cleveland? Probably. But that's a history lesson for another day.

The Gipper

The Browns/Baltimore model was used again in the Hornets/Pelicans situation in the NBA:

2002: Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans. The NBA granted Charlotte a new expansion franchise, known as the Bobcats, in 2004. The Bobcats reclaimed the Hornets name before the start of the 2014–15 season.
- At the same time that the name change to Hornets was announced, it was also revealed that the Hornets, the league, and the franchise now known as the New Orleans Pelicans had reached an agreement that the history of the original Charlotte Hornets would belong exclusively to the current Hornets.^[5]^[6] As a result, the NBA now considers the Charlotte Hornets to have begun play in the 1988–89 season, suspended operations following the 2001–02 season, returned as the Bobcats beginning with the 2004–05 season, and renamed the Hornets beginning with the 2014–15 season, while the New Orleans Pelicans kept their history as the Hornets from moving in 2002.
2005: New Orleans Hornets moved temporarily to Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina and became the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
Further information: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets
2007: New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets returned to New Orleans full-time. The team was renamed as the Pelicans in 2013.

The Gipper

Hereiwith are some wikipedia info on other franchise moves in the 4 major sports:

First, the NFL:

The history of the NFL fully incorporates that of the fourth American Football League, which began operation in 1960 with eight teams and became by far the most successful rival to the NFL. In 1966, the two leagues agreed to a merger that took full effect in 1970. All teams from the 1960–1969 AFL were brought intact to the NFL, and the current NFL recognizes all AFL records and statistics as its own.

1921: Decatur Staleys moved to Chicago and became the Bears one year later.
1934: Portsmouth Spartans moved to Detroit and became the Lions.
1937: Boston Redskins moved to Washington, D.C.
1946: Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles.
1960: Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis.
1961: The AFL's Los Angeles Chargers moved to San Diego after spending only their inaugural season in Los Angeles.
1963: The AFL Dallas Texans (not to be confused with the short-lived NFL franchise of the same name) moved to Kansas City, Missouri and became the Kansas City Chiefs.
1982: Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles. Although the NFL refused permission for the move, the team won the right to relocate (as well as the right to remain as a franchise in its conference and in the league) through a court case.
1984: Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis and became the Indianapolis Colts. The team's offices were slipped out of Baltimore in the middle of the night to avoid a proposed eminent domain seizure by the state of Maryland.
Further information: Baltimore Colts relocation to Indianapolis
1988: St. Louis Cardinals moved to the Phoenix area, playing games in nearby Tempe and became the Phoenix Cardinals. The team was renamed the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. The team now plays in another Phoenix suburb, Glendale.
1995: Los Angeles Raiders moved back to Oakland after 13 seasons.
1995: Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis.
Further information: History of the National Football League in Los Angeles
1996: Cleveland Browns players and coaching staff moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. The move was one of the most controversial in major professional sports history. In response to a fan revolt and legal threats, the NFL awarded a new franchise to Cleveland in 1999, which for historical purposes is considered a continuation of the original Browns franchise.
Further information: Cleveland Browns relocation controversy
1997: Houston Oilers moved to Memphis and became the Tennessee Oilers. The team originally planned to play the 1997 and 1998 seasons in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis before moving to Nashville. However, due to poor attendance, the team moved to Nashville in 1998, playing in Vanderbilt University's stadium. The team was renamed the Titans in 1999, when their new stadium was opened. The NFL granted Houston a newexpansion franchise in 2002.
2016: St. Louis Rams moved back to Los Angeles after 21 seasons in St. Louis. The team is to move to a new stadium in nearby Inglewood in 2020.
2017: San Diego Chargers returned to their original home of Los Angeles after 56 seasons in San Diego. The team is playing in the suburb of Carson before joining the Rams at their new stadium in 2020.
2020: Oakland Raiders were approved to move to a new stadium in the Las Vegas area in 2020.^[7] The team played in Oakland for the 2018 season and, due to being thwarted in its plans to play in San Francisco by their regional rivals the 49ers, were forced to play in Oakland in 2019 as well before completing the move to Las Vegas in 2020.^[8]^[9]
Further information: Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas
Just a note, per this: 10 of the current 32 NFL franchises have moved at some point or other...NOT including the Browns! Some multiple times: Cards, Chargers, Raiders, Rams (not including Oilers move from Memphis to Nashville). Of 16 franchise moves that have taken place....those 4 franchises account for 9 of them.

The Gipper

Here is the list of Major League Baseball moves:

Major League Baseball[edit]

See also: Major League Baseball relocation of 1950s–60s and List of defunct and relocated Major League Baseball teams

1902: Original Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis and became the St. Louis Browns.
1903: Original Baltimore Orioles moved to New York City and became the Highlanders. The team was renamed the Yankees in 1913. As this situation may be considered a case of the American League dissolving the Baltimore franchise and issuing a new franchise in New York, Yankees history information usually begins in 1903.
1953: Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. This was the first move in 50 years. During those 50 years, there had also been no expansions or contractions – Major League Baseball had consisted of the same 16 teams, 8 in each league, playing in the same 10 cities without interruption for half a century.
1954: St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles.
1955: Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City.
1958: Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco. These were the first major league teams to be based in the U.S. West Coast; the teams moved simultaneously to facilitate travel for other National League (NL) teams. The NL granted New York City a new expansion franchise, the New York Mets, in 1962.
1961: Washington Senators moved to the Twin Cities area and became the Minnesota Twins. Not wishing to alienate Washington, D.C., the American League (AL) granted the city a new expansion franchise, also called theSenators.
1966: Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta.
1968: Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland. Because Charles O. Finley broke a recently signed lease and public bonds were already issued for the building of what is now known as Kauffman Stadium, Major League Baseball was in danger of anti-trust legislation from Stuart Symington, U.S. Senator from Missouri. As a result, the AL granted Kansas City a new expansion franchise, the Kansas City Royals, in 1969.
1970: Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers. The AL granted Seattle a new expansion franchise, the Seattle Mariners, in 1977.
1972: Washington Senators moved to Arlington and became the Texas Rangers.
2005: Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. The Expos had split time between Montreal and San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2003 and 2004. This was the first move in 33 years.^[4]
^{Teams that have played in 3 or more cities:}
^{Current Orioles: Milwaukee, St. Louis Baltimore}
^{Current As: Philly, KC, Oakland}
^{Braves: Boston, Milwaukee, Atlanta}

The Gipper

National Basketball Association[edit]

Main article: List of relocated National Basketball Association teams

1951: Tri-Cities Blackhawks, who played their home games in Moline and Rock Island and Davenport, moved to Milwaukee and became the Hawks.
1955: Milwaukee Hawks moved to St. Louis.
1957: Fort Wayne Pistons moved to Detroit.
1957: Rochester Royals moved to Cincinnati.
1960: Minneapolis Lakers moved to Los Angeles.
1962: Philadelphia Warriors moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and became the San Francisco Warriors, then the Golden State Warriors in 1971.
1963: Chicago Zephyrs moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Bullets.
1963: Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers.
1968: St. Louis Hawks moved to Atlanta and became the Atlanta Hawks.
1971: San Diego Rockets moved to Houston and became the Houston Rockets.
1972: Cincinnati Royals moved to a new primary home in Kansas City and a secondary home in Omaha, becoming the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (to avoid confusion with the baseball Royals.) The team ceased playing home games in Omaha in 1975.
1973: Baltimore Bullets moved to Landover, Maryland, outside Washington, D.C., and were renamed as the Capital Bullets. The team was renamed the Washington Bullets in 1974; in conjunction with the opening of their new arena in downtown D.C., the team was renamed the Washington Wizards in 1997.
1978: Buffalo Braves moved to San Diego and became the Clippers.
1979: New Orleans Jazz moved to Salt Lake City and become the Utah Jazz.
1984: San Diego Clippers moved to Los Angeles and became the Los Angeles Clippers.
1985: Kansas City Kings moved to Sacramento and became the Sacramento Kings.
2001: Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis and became the Memphis Grizzlies.
Further information: Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis
2002: Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans. The NBA granted Charlotte a new expansion franchise, known as the Bobcats, in 2004. The Bobcats reclaimed the Hornets name before the start of the 2014–15 season.
- At the same time that the name change to Hornets was announced, it was also revealed that the Hornets, the league, and the franchise now known as the New Orleans Pelicans had reached an agreement that the history of the original Charlotte Hornets would belong exclusively to the current Hornets.^[5]^[6] As a result, the NBA now considers the Charlotte Hornets to have begun play in the 1988–89 season, suspended operations following the 2001–02 season, returned as the Bobcats beginning with the 2004–05 season, and renamed the Hornets beginning with the 2014–15 season, while the New Orleans Pelicans kept their history as the Hornets from moving in 2002.
2005: New Orleans Hornets moved temporarily to Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina and became the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.
Further information: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets
2007: New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets returned to New Orleans full-time. The team was renamed as the Pelicans in 2013.
2008: Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.
Further information: Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City
Two of the above teams have played in 4 different cities:
Hawks: Tri-Cities, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Atlanta
Kings/Royals: Rochester, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Sacramento (5 if you incluse Omaha
The current Wizards have played in 3 places: Chicago/Baltimore/Washington....if you don't count Balt. and Wash. the same market.
Same with Clippers, 3 cities: as Buffalo Braves and San Diego and LA.

The Gipper

National Hockey League[edit]

Main article: List of defunct and relocated National Hockey League teams

Only one NHL team that moved has kept its name: the Calgary Flames.

The Edmonton Oilers nearly moved to Houston in 1998, but the team remained in the city after a limited partnership raised enough money to purchase the franchise before the deadline.^[10]^[11] The then-Phoenix Coyotes were placed into bankruptcy with the intent to circumvent the league's relocation rules, but this was blocked by a judge. Other threats to leave came from two of the 1967 expansion teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins (on multiple occasions) and St. Louis Blues (in 1983), but ultimately stayed in their existing markets.

1976: California Golden Seals, who played their home games in Oakland, moved to Cleveland and became the Barons; the San Francisco Bay Area was awarded the San Jose Sharks in 1991 (further information: 1991 NHL Dispersal and Expansion Drafts).
1976: Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies.
1978: The Cleveland Barons franchise merged with the Minnesota North Stars; Ohio was awarded an expansion team in 2000.
Further information: 1978 NHL Dispersal Draft
1980: Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary; Atlanta was awarded an expansion team in 1999, which moved to Winnipeg in 2011.
1982: Colorado Rockies moved to East Rutherford and became the New Jersey Devils.
1993: Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas and became the Stars; Minnesota was awarded an expansion team in 2000.
1995: Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche.
1996: Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix and became the Phoenix Coyotes. The team changed its geographic name to Arizona prior to the 2014–15 season.
1997: Hartford Whalers moved to Raleigh and became the Carolina Hurricanes. For the 1997 and 1998 seasons, they played home games in Greensboro while their intended home, the venue now known as PNC Arena, was under construction in Raleigh.
2011: Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and became the current version of the Winnipeg Jets.
New Jersey Devils are on their 3rd city: KC/Colorado/NJ
The current Dallas Stars were all over the place: California/Cleveland/Minnesota...now Dallas.

The Gipper

If you all didn't think this thread was of any interest.......just be aware that just this morning....on Golic and Wingo, there was Rex Ryan talking about how "The Browns never should have fired Bill Belichick"......and, as usual, no on at ESPN apparently was informed enough to correct him that BB was not fired by the Browns.

Or that say, if the actual Browns (not Ravens) franchise had kept him on, he would have been the HC of a team that had only a building along with some janitors, and a Trustee.

Nor did they mention that in the 5 years following his dismissal by Modell, no other team thought well enough of him as a coach to give him another opportunity....where then two teams, finally in 2000 wanted him.

I mean, he could have stayed with the Jets....but then they would never have drafted Tom Brady...and while he would have been a good coach, he may not in fact have ever won a single title.