Birmingham Bulls (ACHL)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Birmingham Bulls (ACHL)

The Birmingham Bulls were a short‑lived professional ice hockey team based in Birmingham, Alabama. They briefly played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) in October 1983, using the Birmingham Bulls name after losing the rights to the South Stars name. Their home arena was the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC).

Key facts
- City: Birmingham, Alabama
- League: Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL)
- Founded: 1983
- Operated: 1983–84
- Home arena: Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC)
- Owner: Mike McClure
- General manager: Jim Troy
- Head coach: David Hanson

History and issues
- The team was announced on July 28, 1983, and joined the ACHL. They initially considered using the South Stars name but kept the Birmingham Bulls name after rights to South Stars were lost.
- Before playing, owner Mike McClure said the team’s fate depended on the rental contract with the BJCC, which was expensive to operate.
- Coach Dave Hanson, who had played for the Bulls in earlier leagues, was announced as head coach on September 12, 1983. Hanson later resumed playing after the Bulls folded.
- On October 14, 1983, the Bulls were evicted from the BJCC for failing to pay a $50,000 rental fee. An anonymous donor briefly pledged to cover the debt, but that money was withdrawn on October 25.
- Efforts to secure funding from notable figures, including Marvin Warner and Paul Newman, did not succeed.
- The ACHL suspended the Bulls’ operations on October 28, 1983. The team’s final regular-season record was 2 wins and 1 loss. Hanson returned to playing with the Toledo Goaldiggers after the folding.

Season and players
- Preseason (friendly/early games): October 14 at Nashville South Stars, 5–4 win; October 18 at Nashville South Stars, 7–2 win.
- Regular season: October 22 at Nashville South Stars, 2–5 loss; October 25 vs Mohawk Valley Stars, 8–0 win; October 27 vs Mohawk Valley Stars, 7–3 win.
- The Bulls’ roster included players with prior NHL or WHA experience, such as Paul O’Neil, Gilles Bilodeau, Paul Evans, Jim Turkiewicz, and coach/player Dave Hanson.

Aftermath
- The Birmingham Bulls name would briefly return in 1992 with a new franchise in the East Coast Hockey League (now the ECHL).
- The 1983–84 ACHL season proved short‑lived for Birmingham, ending with the franchise folding before the full season could be completed.