This plain-spoken owner wanted a plain-spoken and down-to-earth coach and he didn’t have to go far to rehire Charlie Tate who had finished the 1974 season as the Sharks head coach. Tate was a member of Bud Asher’s 1974 Sharks staff, an offensive coordinator with a history of success with Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech and as the head coach at the University Of Miami. Tate was also a Florida legend as a former Gator star and the head coach of a Miami High School dynasty that was known nationally. He had less success as an assistant with the New Orleans Saints in 1972 and ’73 but was an able coordinator and head coach with the Sharks. Tate in turn named former Sharks and Buffalo Bills quarterback Kay Stephenson as his Director Of Player Personnel. Former Sharks’ coaches Jim Niblack and Kansas City Chiefs great Johnny Robinson came back for another year in Jacksonville. From the ranks of Sharks’ players, former running back Ronnie Lamb and Ray Greene (who had passed through camp before returning to Iowa State to coach receivers there) were also hired, thus the Express already had a strong Sharks connection. On paper at least, the Express seemed to have a few quality players and a number of them seeking a second go-round with the Jacksonville WFL entry. Starters tight end Dennis Hughes, running backs Rickey Lake and Alfred Haywood, guards Tom Walker and Larry Gagner, center Howard Kindig, defensive tackle Carleton Oats (who had been released by Green Bay in 1974 and played the final nine games with the Sharks), linebackers Fred Abbott and Rich Thomann, strong safety Ron Coppenbarger, and cornerback Fletcher Smith were all members of the Sharks at some point the previous season. Oats had completed a decent NFL career with the Raiders before joining the Sharks in time to start nine games in 1974. Haywood was one of the greats at little Bethune-Cookman College in nearby Daytona Beach and had worked his way into the 1974 lineup as a regular for the final few games. Thus while there was a New League, a new ownership group, and a brand new team, many of those who had suffered through the payless end of the 1974 season were back for more emotional punishment.

The “big names” picked up in the off-season included quarterback George Mira and running back Tommy Reamon. Mira had led the Birmingham Americans to the World Bowl championship and Reamon had sparkled as the little-known running back who ran wild, led his Florida Blazer team to the championship game and was named the league offensive MVP. It was expected that this dynamic duo would also lead the Express to the promised land as the remainder of the roster was bereft of name players other than a few over-the-hill NFL castoffs seeking one more payday. Kindig had been a member of the Chargers mid-1960s AFL teams, spent time with the Bills and had been a mainstay with the Sharks. He was trying to squeeze an eleventh pro football year out of his weight-trained body. Former Hammond (Indiana) High School and Purdue standout Don Brumm who had labored as a first round draft choice in 1963 with the Cardinals for eight of his NFL ten year career had taken a break from driving tractor-trailers in the St. Louis area to spend 1974 playing for the Shreveport Steamer. He had stated  “I played last season with Shreveport and lost money just like everyone else. Coming back this year is just a chance for me to get even.” Mira, Hughes, and Haywood were having good seasons with the 6-5 Express until the October 22^nd announcement that the league was closing its doors. Despite the two-time failure of the WFL, many in Jacksonville believe that the WFL experience laid the groundwork first for the USFL Bulls and ultimately the NFL Jaguars. Despite what is considered to be a small television market, the Jacksonville area fans are considered to be among the most supportive and active in the NFL.