Along with the Class B Portsmouth Cubs baseball team making a home here at Frank
D. Lawrence Stadium (then still Portsmouth Stadium)... another professional "Portsmouth
Cubs" team would call this home as well. The Dixie Football League (DFL)
would make good use of the football grandstand in the outfield of the new stadium
starting in 1941. These DFL football based Portsmouth Cubs had also been
playing in the Sewanee Baseball Stadium which wasn't very conducive to their sport. They were thrilled to have a proper
"football grandstand" to play in on "their side of the field" (the baseball outfield).
Other teams in the league included the Norfolk Shamrocks, the Charlotte
Clippers, the Newport News Builders, the Richmond Arrows and the Roanoke
Travelers. After a break from the war, the Portsmouth team returned to become
the Portsmouth Pirates. The Dixie Football League lasted until 1947 before meeting
its demise. The Portsmouth Pirates and the Norfolk Shamrocks continued
to play against each other professionally in an independent manner after the
DFL came to an end. |