San Antonio Riders

San Antonio Riders
San Antonio Riders logo
Logo
General information
Founded1991
Folded1992
StadiumAlamo Stadium (1991)
Bobcat Stadium (1992)
HeadquarteredSan Antonio, Texas, U.S. (1991)
San Marcos, Texas, U.S. (1992)
ColorsBrown, Metallic Gold, Burnt Orange, White, Scarlet, Blue, Vegas Gold [1]
             
Personnel
Head coachMike Riley
League / conference affiliations
World League of American Football (NFL Europe)

The San Antonio Riders were a professional American football team that played in the World League of American Football in 1991 and 1992. The team played at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio in 1991 and then were forced to move to Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcos, Texas, 45 miles (72 km) northeast of San Antonio, for the 1992 season after the San Antonio Independent School District refused to allow the sale of beer at WLAF games or the display of beer advertising at Alamo Stadium. In return, Riders ownership scrapped plans to fund $235,000 in renovations to the Stadium. In June 1991, SAISD officials announced plans for a rent increase on the Riders for the 1992 season. The relationship would last for only one season.

The team was owned by Larry Benson, the brother of Tom Benson (former owner of the New Orleans Saints of the NFL). The general managers were Tom Landry (Pro Football Hall of Fame coach) and Tom Landry, Jr. The head coach for both seasons was Mike Riley.

The team's record in 1991 was 4–6. San Antonio turned things around in 1992 with a mark of 7–3. The Riders were not able to compete in the highly competitive North American West Division during the 1992 season, and like the Frankfurt Galaxy of 1991, they did not make the playoffs despite a 7–3 record.

Former players include professional wrestler John "Bradshaw" Layfield, better known as JBL of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Jason Garrett who went on to play for and later serve as head coach for the Dallas Cowboys, and head coach Mike Riley, who went on to coach the San Diego Chargers of the NFL, as well as Oregon State and Nebraska at the collegiate level.

After the 1992 season saw the suspension of the WLAF (and ultimately the abandonment of North American teams), Benson applied to the Canadian Football League to have the Riders join that league instead for the 1993 season. The CFL accepted, and admitted the Riders and the Sacramento Surge/Gold Miners to the CFL. The Riders were to change names to the San Antonio Texans (there was already a Rough Riders and a Roughriders, both of whom were known as the "Riders" for short), but the team folded abruptly prior to the 1993 season. The San Antonio Texans name would later be used for the aforementioned Gold Miners when they moved to San Antonio in 1995.

Season-by-season

Season League Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
1991 WLAF 4 6 0 .400 2nd (North American West) – – — —
1992 WLAF 7 3 0 .700 3rd (North American West) – – — —
Total 11 9 0 .550 – – —

1991 season

1991 San Antonio Riders season
OwnerLarry Benson
General managerJohn Peterson
Head coachMike Riley
Home stadiumAlamo Stadium
Results
Record4–6
Division place3rd
Playoffsdid not qualify

Personnel

Staff

1991 San Antonio Riders staff
Front office
  • Owner/president – Larry J. Benson
  • Vice president/general manager – John Peterson
  • Assistant director of football operations – Billy Schott
  • Business manager – Greg Korn

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Mike Riley

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks/wide receivers – Tommy Lee
  • Running backs/tight ends – Paul Chryst
  • Offensive line – Jim Gilstrap
 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Greg Newhouse
  • Defensive line/special teams – Don Wnek
  • Defensive backs – Bill Bradley


[2]

Roster

1991 San Antonio Riders roster

Quarterbacks

  •  3 Jason Garrett
  •  7 Mickey Guidry
  • 10 Mike Johnson
  • 11 Lee Saltz

Running backs

  • 23 Ricky Blake
  • 32 Broderick Graves
  • 27 Undra Johnson
  • 33 Freddie Whittingham

Wide receivers

  • 88 John Garrett
  • 83 Bill Hess
  • 86 Lee Morris
  • 84 Dwight Pickens
  • 80 Elliott Searcy

Tight ends

  • 87 Charlie Darrington
  • 82 Ronnie Williams

Offensive linemen

  • 65 Eddie Grant - C/G
  • 77 James Harper - G
  • 73 John Husby - T
  • 71 Mike Kiselak - G
  • 61 John Layfield - T
  • 79 Brian Smider - T
  • 67 John Vitale - C

Defensive linemen

  • 93 David Bailey - DE
  • 97 John Fletcher - DE
  • 96 Donnie Gardner - DE
  • 99 Greg Ross - NT

Linebackers

  • 50 Terrence Cooks OLB
  • 55 Greg Gilbert - ILB
  • 94 Mark Ledbetter - OLB
  • 53 Derrick Little
  • 58 Roderick Manning - OLB
  • 51 Eric Snelson
  • 57 Tim Walton - ILB

Defensive backs

  • 28 Anthony Cooney - S
  • 40 Carlo Cheattom - S
  • 22 Sean Dykes - CB
  • 29 Greg Lee - S
  • 25 Calvin Nicholson - CB
  • 20 Mark Ezell CB
  • 26 Rickey Royal - CB
  • 24 Ken Watson - CB
  • 46 Kennedy Wilson - S

Special teams

  •  6 Jim Gallery K
  •  8 Teddy Garcia K
  •  1 Kent Sullivan - P
 Operation Discovery
  • 72 Stefan Bjorkman - OL
  • 41 John Hyllienmark - DB
  • 78 Stefan Ohrvall - DL
  •  5 Marco Rueda K


  • Italics denote rookies to American football

[2][3][4][5]

Schedule

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Source
1 March 25 8:00 p.m. at Orlando Thunder L 34–35 0–1 Florida Citrus Bowl 21,714 [6]
2 April 1 7:00 p.m. Frankfurt Galaxy L 3–10 0–2 Alamo Stadium 18,432 [7]
3 April 7 12:00 p.m. Sacramento Surge W 10–3 1–2 Alamo Stadium 6,772 [8]
4 April 15 8:00 p.m. at Raleigh–Durham Skyhawks W 37–15 2–2 Carter–Finley Stadium 11,818 [9]
5 April 20 7:00 p.m. Barcelona Dragons W 22–14 3–2 Alamo Stadium 16,500 [10]
6 April 29 7:00 p.m. at Birmingham Fire L 12–16 3–3 Legion Field 8,114 [11]
7 May 6 7:00 p.m. London Monarchs L 15–38 3–4 Alamo Stadium 12,328 [12]
8 May 11 8:00 p.m. at Barcelona Dragons L 7–17 3–5 Montjuic Stadium 23,670 [13]
9 May 19 11:30 a.m. Montreal Machine W 27–10 4–5 Alamo Stadium 20,234 [14]
10 May 25 8:00 p.m. at New York/New Jersey Knights L 9–38 4–6 Giants Stadium 32,857 [15]

[2][16]

1992 season

1992 San Antonio Riders season
OwnerLarry Benson
General managerJohn Peterson
Head coachMike Riley
Home stadiumBobcat Stadium
Results
Record7–3

Personnel

Staff

1992 San Antonio Riders staff
Front office
  • President/Managing Partner – Larry J. Benson
  • Limited partner – Tom Landry
  • Vice president/general manager – John Peterson
  • Business manager – Greg Korn
  • Assistant director of football operations – Billy Schott
  • Scouting assistant – Jeff Beathard

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Mike Riley

Offensive coaches

  • Running backs – Paul Chryst
  • Wide receivers – Tommy Lee
  • Offensive line – Jim Gilstrap
 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Greg Newhouse
  • Defensive line/special teams – Don Wnek
  • Defensive backs – Bill Bradley


Roster

1992 San Antonio Riders roster
Quarterbacks
  •  8 Brad Goebel
  • 10 Mike Johnson
  • 12 Craig Kupp

Running backs

  • 27 Tony Boles
  • 33 Ivory Lee Brown
  • 34 Dewaine Jones
  • 30 Cisco Richard
  • 20 George Searcy

Wide receivers

  • 81 Darrell Colbert
  • 89 Titus Dixon
  • 86 Lee Morris
  • 80 Wayne Walker

Tight ends

  • 85 Danta Whitaker
  • 88 John Ford
  • 82 Ronnie Williams
 Offensive linemen
  • 71 Mike Kiselak G
  • 62 Ben Mitchell G
  • 73 Mike Nord T
  • 52 Erik Norgard G/C
  • 78 Peter Shorts T
  • 67 John Vitale C
  • 75 Doug Williams T

Defensive linemen

  • 95 Dick Chapura NT
  • 93 Willie Fears NT
  • 99 Greg Ross DE
  • 91 Chris Thieneman DE
  • 92 Robb White DE
 Linebackers
  • 50 Terrence Cooks OLB
  • 51 Patrick Hinton ILB
  • 55 Malvin Hunter ILB
  • 94 Mark Ledbetter OLB
  • 57 Tim Walton ILB
  • 54 Albert Williams OLB

Defensive backs

  • 28 Anthony Cooney S
  • 26 Greg Eaglin CB
  • 48 Bobby Humphery CB
  • 29 Greg Lee S
  • 24 Chris Oldham S
  • 44 Gary Richard CB
  • -- Kip Texada CB

Special teams

  • 6 Jim Gallery K
  • 1 Kent Sullivan P
 Operation Discovery
  • Vacant


Rookies in italics

Results

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Source
1 March 22 Montreal Machine W 17–16 1–0 Bobcat Stadium 10,698 [17]
2 March 29 at Birmingham Fire L 10–17 1–1 Legion Field 16,250 [18]
3 April 4 at New York/New Jersey Knights W 9–3 2–1 Giants Stadium 33,659 [19]
4 April 11 at Sacramento Surge W 23–20 OT 3–1 Hornet Stadium 20,625 [20]
5 April 19 Ohio Glory W 17–0 4–1 Bobcat Stadium 10,422 [21]
6 April 25 Birmingham Fire W 17–14 5–1 Bobcat Stadium 13,590 [22]
7 May 3 Orlando Thunder L 21–39 5–2 Bobcat Stadium 12,555 [23]
8 May 10 at Barcelona Dragons W 17–0 6–2 Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc 41,220 [24]
9 May 17 at Frankfurt Galaxy W 43–14 7–2 Waldstadion 31,641 [25]
10 May 23 Sacramento Surge L 21–27 7–3 Bobcat Stadium 19,273 [26]

References

  1. ^ "Team Colors – WLAF". SSUR.org. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c The Official 1991 World League of American Football Media Guide.
  3. ^ 1992 San Antonio Riders Media Guide.
  4. ^ "Freddie Whittingham Bio". University of Utah Athletics. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  5. ^ "Utah Utes football: Program hires Fred Whittingham Jr., Pablo Cano to help recruiting operations". Deseret News. January 17, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  6. ^ Banks, Don (March 26, 1991). "Thunder has lightning start in winning WLAF opener". St. Petersburg Times. p. 5C. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Dixon, Schuyler (April 2, 1991). "Riders fall in home opener". San Angelo Standard-Times. p. B1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Coburn, James (April 8, 1991). "Bigger crowd seen for next Riders game". San Antonio Express-News. p. A1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Miller, Craig (April 16, 1991). "Struggling Skyhawks stay grounded". The High Point Enterprise. p. 3B. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Whitley, David (April 21, 1991). "Riders stun undefeated Barcelona". San Antonio Light. p. C1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Fire downs Riders in WLAF". The Orange Leader. Associated Press. April 30, 1991. p. 6A. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Griffin, Tim (May 7, 1991). "Monarchs maul Riders, 38–15". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1-B. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Cress, Doug (May 12, 1991). "Rough times abroad". San Antonio Light. p. C1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Griffin, Tim (May 20, 1991). "Riders mess up Machine". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1-B. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Sullivan, Bill (May 26, 1991). "Knights rock Riders, 38–9". Poughkeepsie Journal. p. 8E. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ The Official 1992 World League Fact Book.
  17. ^ Owens, Brad (March 23, 1992). "Defense saves day as Riders grab win". Austin American-Statesman. p. D1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Sims, Neal (March 30, 1992). "Fire defense hits San Antonio". The Birmingham News. p. D1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Mattura, Greg (April 5, 1992). "Knights looking flat". The Record. p. S16. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Griffin, Tim (April 13, 1992). "Offensive fireworks, win leave Riley happy man". San Antonio Express-News. p. 9B. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Owens, Brad (April 20, 1992). "Richard's interception keys Riders' romp over Glory". Austin American-Statesman. p. D2. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Sims, Neal (April 26, 1992). "Fire close, but Riders get the win". The Birmingham News. p. B1. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Thunder capitalize against Riders 39–21". The Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. May 4, 1992. p. 8C. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Riders skunk Dragons, 17–0". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Associated Press. May 11, 1992. p. C5. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Griffin, Tim (May 18, 1992). "Riders orbit through Galaxy". San Antonio Express-News. p. 9B. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Archer sparks Surge, 27–21". The Star-Ledger. Associated Press. May 24, 1992. p. 5-7. Retrieved February 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
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