Huntsville Rockets

The Rockets were founded as members of the Dixie Professional Football League in 1962. The team played under the direction of head coach Tommy Lewis and line coach Dave Sington. They earned a 17–1 record in their debut season.

In 1963, the team moved to the new Southern Professional Football League, and Al "Monk" Romine took over as head coach. The SPFL faltered in 1965, and the Rockets moved to the North American Football League (NAFL). The Rockets played in the NAFL Southern Division from 1965 to 1966. The other NAFL teams in 1965 were: Pennsylvania Mustangs, Annapolis Sailors, Wilmington Comets, Baltimore Broncos, Florida Brahmans, Mobile Tarpons, and Dayton Colts. The team struggled on the field, and at the gate. With five games left in the 1966 season, the Rockets' NAFL franchise was revoked in October 1966 for failure to pay money owed to the league.

The NAFL became the Professional Football League of America (PFLA) in 1967.{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Markus |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, IL |title=The Strange Life of a Gal Football Head |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1968/11/10/page/383/article/chicago-hoots-for-the-owls-whoooooo |page=3-3 |date=August 31, 1967 |access-date=March 8, 2015}} What remained of the defunct Huntsville Rockets team formed the foundation for the formation of a new PFLA franchise, the Huntsville Hawks, for the 1967 season. The PFLA merged with the larger Continental Football League in February 1968, and the team continued as the Alabama Hawks.

In 2012, a semi-professional Gridiron Developmental Football League team took their name as an homage to the original Huntsville Rockets.

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{{cite news |first=Hap |last=Halbrooks |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title=Test Begins Tonight For Bucs To Show Strength |page=II-5 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qRAsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s8YEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1073,6122933&dq=professional-football-league+huntsville&hl=en |date=April 24, 1962 |access-date=May 10, 2010}}

{{cite news |first=Hap |last=Halbrooks |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title=Rockets Open Campaign Against Birmingham 11 |page=VIII-2 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19620801&id=eh8sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rsYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1041,3435841 |date=August 1, 1962 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |first=Hap |last=Halbrooks |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title=Rockets Game Could Be Preview Of Shoals Club |page=II-4 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19620823&id=eR8sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rsYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2222,5953831 |date=August 23, 1962 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title=Rockets And Daytona To Vie In Rematch Saturday |page=II-3 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19621211&id=_hosAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nMYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2439,4662783 |date=December 11, 1962 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title='Test Tube' For League: Rockets, Cherokees To Give All-Out Effort |page=10 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19630722&id=rBMsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mMYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2896,2612476 |date=July 22, 1963 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |first=Hap |last=Halbrooks |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title=Rockets Must Improve To Rate With Elite This Campaign |page=8 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19630728&id=rxMsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mMYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=970,3311707 |date=July 28, 1963 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |agency=United Press International |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |location=St. Petersburg, FL |title=Southern Pro Grid League Starts Tonight |page=1-C |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19630803&id=mOUlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MVIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5879,1404672 |date=August 3, 1963 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |first=Hap |last=Halbrooks |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title=Rockets Open Grid Drills In Huntsville |page=16 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9QYsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=m8YEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1718,4022097&dq=professional-football-league+huntsville&hl=en |date=June 4, 1964 |access-date=May 10, 2010}}

{{cite news |first=Hap |last=Halbrooks |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title=Draft Threw Honors To Alabama |page=13 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7ScsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vscEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5616,5402627&dq=professional-football-league+huntsville&hl=en |date=June 9, 1965 |access-date=May 10, 2010}}

{{cite news |newspaper=Sarasota Journal |location=Sarasota, FL |title=Minor Pro Football Loops Are Merging |agency=Associated Press |page=33 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zhYfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=A4wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3956,2603480&dq=professional-football-league+huntsville&hl=en |date=February 17, 1966 |access-date=May 10, 2010}}

{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Chick |newspaper=St. Petersburg Independent |location=St. Petersburg, FL |title=Huntsville, Mobile Headed Out Of NAFL |page=16-A |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19661012&id=J8FaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R1cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7284,2057734 |date=October 12, 1966 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Chick |newspaper=St. Petersburg Independent |location=St. Petersburg, FL |title=Huntsville's Dead, Buried |page=14-A |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19661018&id=LMFaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=R1cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6120,3120933 |date=October 18, 1966 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |first=Ronnie |last=Thomas |newspaper=TimesDaily |location=Florence, AL |title=Will Huntsville Back Professional Football? |page=10 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19670324&id=DQUsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HMgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=882,3569393 |date=March 24, 1967 |access-date=October 13, 2014}}

{{cite news |newspaper=The Hartford Courant |agency=Associated Press |title=Charter Oaks in Merged Pro Grid Loop |page=21 |date=February 5, 1968}}

{{cite news |agency=United Press International |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, IL |title=Continental, Professional Leagues Join |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1968/02/05/page/60/article/continental-professional-leagues-join |pages=2–3 |date=February 5, 1968}}

{{cite news |work=Sports Illustrated |title=A Roundup Of The Sports Information Of The Week |url=https://www.si.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1082703/index.htm |date=August 11, 1969 |access-date=January 8, 2011}}

{{cite news |first=Mark |last=McCarter |newspaper=The Huntsville Times |title=Huntsville Rockets hosting national semi-pro football title game Saturday |url=http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/08/huntsville_rockets_hosting_nat.html |date=August 1, 2012 |access-date=October 15, 2014}}

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Category:American football teams in Alabama

Category:Defunct American football teams

Category:American football in Huntsville, Alabama

Category:American football teams established in 1962

Category:American football teams disestablished in 1967

Category:1962 establishments in Alabama

Category:1967 disestablishments in Alabama