Lynn’s Vision of New League Was More in Step With NFL

MINNEAPOLIS —  When the Minnesota Vikings fell on hard times this season, many Minneapolis sports fans were surprised to learn that the NFL happened to have a job opening for the Vikings’ man on the spot, General Manager Mike Lynn.

In a sudden move, the NFL shook up its proposed new spring league, the World League of American Football (WAFL). It fired Tex Schramm, it said, and hired Lynn to replace him as president.

Those involved in the action, including Schramm and the president of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney, who is also chairman of the NFL committee that supervises the WAFL, agree that the move wasn’t as sudden as it seemed.

“We’ve had differences (with Schramm) from the start,” said Rooney, meaning the start of WAFL planning more than a year ago.

Said Schramm, now retired and living in Dallas: “Our goals were different. (The committee) envisioned one kind of league, I envisioned another.”

There were apparently two major differences:

--NFL club owners wanted a developmental league with few foreign franchises that could be launched and operated inexpensively.

Schramm recommended a higher-budget league that would be perceived eventually as a major league, capitalizing on the expanding European interest in the American game.

--Most NFL owners saw the WAFL as an NFL-controlled, profit-making arm of their league. For example, they wished to charge up to $25 million for franchises even though WAFL headquarters will own or control all players and coaches.

Schramm favored a charge of less than $5 million for a franchise. He also favored giving WAFL owners more authority and control than the NFL prefers.

Lynn, who settled for a franchise price of $11 million, said the WAFL office will operate the teams for which no buyers appear.

The NFL announced last week that the opening of of the WAFL might be delayed a year from its scheduled opening in March.