Those Ramblin’ Gamblers : OK, They’re Not the Cardinals, but It’s the Best St. Louis Has to Offer for Now

ST. LOUIS —  For these guys, it’s a long, long way from here to the NFL. And it’s all by bus.

Most of them work 9-to-5 jobs, then head for a junior high school practice field that has soccer goals as well as goal posts, not to mention crab grass and splintered benches.

On the weekend they take road trips to exotic places such as Gary, Ind., and Rockford, Ill. Paychecks? No way. Not for the St. Louis Gamblers, a rag-tag group of semi-pros brought together through one man’s effort to fill the void created when the NFL Cardinals moved to Phoenix in January.

Granted, the level of play is below what St. Louis fans are used to--and they were used to some pretty bad stuff with the Cardinals. But at least it’s football, says Ed Watkins, a St. Charles businessman who waged a one-man campaign for three years to try to persuade Cardinals owner William V. Bidwill to “Keep The Birds In Their Nest.”

When the Cardinals left after 28 seasons in St. Louis, Watkins, who was a backup quarterback in high school, couldn’t bear the thought of life without football--even in watered-down form.

“I got so frustrated with Bidwill I thought doggone it, why not start my own team,” Watkins said. “This brings out the little kid in me.”

He’s able to run the team on a shoestrings-and-shoulder-pads budget, compared to the big time. The total investment for Watkins and his group of investors was less than $100,000, including cost of the National Professional Football League franchise, equipment, jerseys and travel expenses.

Watkins has attracted a small but devoted audience. The team has sold 500 season tickets at $30-50 a pop for six games, a pittance compared to the $40 per game the Cardinals will get for their cheapest single-game ticket this season at Sun Devil Stadium.

And when about 1,000 fans showed up for the home opener, Watkins was so grateful that he roamed the stands, shaking hands.

For their trouble, the players get two meals per trip--tips not included--and the chance to crash bodies with fellow enthusiasts while dreaming of the big time.

Most of the Gamblers are in their mid-20s and had better-than-average college careers. A few of them, like Bill “Peidi” Anderson, who concluded his playing career at Missouri a decade ago, are in their 30s.

“There are still a few dinosaurs out there,” said Anderson, 32, who is a pipe-fitter by day and nose guard by night.

None of the names are recognizable to the casual fan. A few of them have had pro tryouts. One, defensive back Teddy Hollingsworth, a computer operator at McDonnell Douglas, even played two games with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the old United States Football League in 1984.

Hollingsworth, 28, is perhaps the team’s best player, with four interceptions in the first three games. He was impressed that the team held a tryout camp, judging prospects in the 40-yard dash, agility drills and other football basics.

But he, maybe more than the others, notices the difference between the stadium game and the sandlot game.

--Competition: “I would say for me it’s easy pickings.”

--Organization: “Some of our players didn’t have their equipment until a week before the season started.”

--Frills: “You don’t have the fringe benefits. If you have a boo-boo, you can’t jump in the whirlpool.”

And the 12-game season, which runs from July to September, isn’t exactly football prime time either.

“That stuff doesn’t really matter,” Hollingsworth said. “Everyone is out here for the love of the game.”

Renell Houston, a 280-pound offensive tackle who went to Memphis State, thought he was onto something even better this spring when he made the final cut for the St. Louis Lightning of the World Indoor Football League. But the team, and the league, folded before a game could be played.

Houston would have been paid $500 a game in that league while hanging on to his goal of a tryout with an NFL team.

“When it folded it was a big drop for me,” Houston said. “I knew this was ‘free’ ball, but I wanted to play regardless. I really want an NFL shot. That’s why I’m out here now.”

While he dreams, Houston will have one foot planted firmly in reality. He makes ends meet by removing asbestos from demolished buildings.

That job, believe it or not, is one of the team’s perks. Several Gamblers players, including quarterback Chris Robin, formerly of Peru State, toil at this most unglamorous job, secured courtesy of one of the investors.

Others on the team are warehouse workers, gas company employees, food brokers, car salesmen. One player, next to the occupation listing on the team’s player profile form, wrote “seeking.”

They may be something of a motley crew, but at their level they can compete, which sets them apart from the Cardinals, who never once were able to treat their fans to a home playoff game.

The Gamblers got off to a 3-1 start in their 12-game schedule. After losing the opener 9-8, they won 6-0, 7-2 and 48-0.

“We’ve got a number of standouts on defense, a lot of talent,” Watkins said. “Outside of the NFL, they could handle some people.”