| Chicago Owls | |
| Founded | 1968 |
|---|---|
| League | Continental Football League |
| Team history | Chicago Owls 1968-1969 |
| Arena | Soldier Field |
| Based in | Chicago, Illinois |
| Team colors | Navy, Brown and White |
| Owner | Marty O'Connor |
| Head coach | Don Branby, Bob Webb |
| Championships | none |
| Division titles | none |
The Chicago Owls were a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They were members of the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) in 1967 and, after the leagues merged, the Continental Football League (CFL) during the league's last two years (1968–1969).[1] The club was owned by Marty O'Connor and initially coached by Don Branby.[2][3]
1968 season[]
After spending three seasons with the Montreal Allouettes of the Canadian Football League, former Arlington High School and Northern Illinois University Huskies star George Bork returned to Chicagoland as the Owls' starting quarterback for their inaugural season in 1968.[3] The new club raised some eyebrows when they announced they would play in Soldier Field, which had been unused by pro football since the Cardinals moved out in 1959 (the Owls' tenancy on the lakefront preceded the NFL's Bears by three years). Offensive lineman Bob Kuechenberg, younger brother of Bears linebacker Rudy Kuechenberg, began his professional career with the Owls; the younger Kuechenberg would go on to a 14-year career with the Miami Dolphins.
Chicago Owls ticket envelope
After dropping four of their first five games, the Owls fired Branby and replaced him with Bob Webb, who was also the Owls' back-up quarterback. Webb led Chicago to a 5-2 record the rest of the year, enough to even up the Owls' record at 6-6, third place in the Central Division. Playing primarily on Saturdays, the club drew only 35,835 fans to cavernous Soldier Field all season, or less than 6,000 a game.
1969 season[]
Things did not improve for the Owls in 1969, as their record slipped to 5-7 and continued to draw small crowds: just 21,403 (about a third of the stadium's capacity) paid their way to their games this season, barely 3,500 a contest. Practically invisible amid the crowded Windy City sports scene, the club folded along with the rest of the Continental Football League at season's end.