Formation By April 1961, six cities had been approved for franchises in the Midwest Football League:
Cleveland,
Columbus, and
Toledo, Ohio;
Grand Rapids, Michigan;
Indianapolis; and
Louisville, Kentucky. Players were to be paid $50 salaries per game played, with 30 players on each team's roster. A group of
Des Moines, Iowa, investors applied for a franchise in the league in April 1961. The Lansing All Stars were an independent team in the 1961 season. An application for a franchise from
Dayton, Ohio, was approved on March 11, 1962. The Battle Creek, Dayton, and Toledo franchises did not play in the 1962 season.
1962 season The 1962 season began on September 8, 1962, after beating the Dearborn Vikings 34–20 in the title game. Midwest Football League champions.
1963 season The Spartan Athletic Club received approval to join the league in April 1963, and they initially chose a team name of Dayton Spartans. They were later called the
Cedarville Spartans. The Dayton franchise had previously played in the
American Football Conference as the Dayton Triangles from 1959 to 1961. The Battle Creek Bears (also known as the Cereal City Bears) joined for the 1963 season, after initially being accepted into the league in 1962. Six teams participated in the 1963 season. The Arrows won the league championship for a second year in a row after posting a record of 13–1, including a 9–1 record in league play. The Spartans, who finished second in the league in 1963 after going 6–3–1, played against the
Hudson Bar in a game called the Semi-Pro Bowl on December 14, 1963. The All Stars placed third for the season with a record of 5–4–1. Midwest Football League champions.
1964 season Ed McCracken from Dayton was elected league commissioner in March 1964. The league also added teams in
Toronto, Ohio, and
Van Wert, Ohio. but they did not participate in the 1964 season. The Toronto team was the
Toronto Tigers. The Cedarville Spartans became the
Dayton Colts in 1964, and the Cereal City Bears did not return after the 1963 season. The
Association of Minor Football Leagues was formed in April 1964, with the Midwest Football League joining with five of the other seven minor league football teams in the country. The other leagues to join were the
Atlantic Coast Football League,
Central States Football League,
New England Football Conference,
Southern Football League, and
United Football League. The Lansing All-Stars played against the Central States Football League champion
Racine Raiders in an exhibition game after the season on November 28, 1964. The Toronto team did not show up to a game against Lansing, and were subsequently removed from the league in the middle of the season. The Detroit Rockets were removed from the league after the season after they did not adhere to financial protocols.
1965 season In searching for two new teams to join the league for the 1965 season, following the expulsion of the Detroit and Toronto franchises, commissioner Ed McCracken asked for a $300 new team fee with a security deposit of $200. The Macomb County Arrows became the
Pontiac Arrows and the Dearborn Vikings became the
Milan Vikings for the 1965 season. A
Flint, Michigan, team called the
Flint Blue Devils joined the league. Midwest Football League champions. The Dayton Colts had to cancel and forfeit a game against Milan due to bad weather. Dayton scheduled the game to be played at a local high school football field, but the school would not allow the game to be played, citing a long-standing policy about wet fields. The Pontiac Arrows were named league champions, and they went against players from the other four teams in an
all-star game on November 13, 1965. The Milan franchise was moved to
Ypsilanti, Michigan, to become the
Ypsilanti Vikings. The Detroit Rockets franchise rejoined the league in
River Rouge, Michigan, as the
River Rouge Steelers. Midwest Football League champions. The Pontiac Arrows were named league champions for the second straight season, and they went against players from the other five teams in an all-star game on November 12, 1966. the Flint Blue Devils became the
Flint Wildcats, and the Pontiac Arrows moved back to Mt. Clemens to become the
Michigan Arrows for the 1967 season. The
Pontiac Firebirds joined the league as a new franchise. In October 1967, the NFL agreed to pay MFL teams $1,000 to sign a player off of their rosters. Midwest Football League champions. Record before final game of season.
1968 season A franchise from
Lackawanna, New York, joined the league in April 1968, as the
Lackawanna Lancers. The Detroit Steelers moved to
Hamtramck, Michigan, to become the
Hamtramck Chargers for the 1968 season. The Lansing All Stars team folded before the 1968 due to financial reasons. The Dayton Colts were sold to Recreation Projects, Inc. in April 1968. The Michigan Arrows were purchased by a group from
Fort Wayne, Indiana, and subsequently relocated to the city to become the
Fort Wayne Tigers. Midwest Football League champions. Record after eighth or ninth game of season. In the all-star game on November 16, 1968, the Dayton Colts beat the team of league all-stars, 43–0. They were the first team in league history to go undefeated in a season after posting a 12–0 record. The Fort Wayne Tigers became the
Grand Rapids Chiefs, The Hamtramck Chargers became the
Detroit Cowboys for the 1969 season. The Ypsilanti Vikings left the league before the season. A two-division structure of the league began in the 1969 season, with Dayton, Lackawanna, Grand Rapids, and Southwestern Michigan making up the Lakes division, Midwest Football League champions. Won division. The All Stars received a championship bonus of $500 after the game.
1970 season John Abel, the commissioner for the league, died in March 1970. Keith Bacon became the new commissioner by July 1970. Playoff team. Tie in standings between Michiana and Lackawanna broken by a coin toss to determine playoff opponents. Michiana won and chose to face Pontiac in the first round of the playoffs.
1970 playoffs The Lansing All Stars defeated the Lackawanna Lancers, 60–0, and the Pontiac Firebirds beat the Michiana Hawks, 35–14, in the first round of the playoffs on October 24, 1970. Lansing won over Pontiac in the championship game, 28–6, on October 31, 1970, for their second straight championship win. Lansing later scheduled two games against the champions of the
Midwest Professional Football League, the
Joliet Chargers, one on each team's field, following their MWL championship win. The first game was called the "Champions Bowl". Lansing won the first matchup on November 14, 1970, with a score of 33–7. Joliet won the second game on November 21, 1970, going up 21–3.
1971 season The Lackawanna Lancers moved to
Niagara Falls, New York, as the
Niagara Falls Lancers, and the Detroit Cowboys moved back to Hamtramck to become the Hamtramck Chargers again. The Flint Wildcats returned for the 1971 season. The Dayton Colts returned to the league in 1971, moved to
Columbus, Ohio, in April, and became the
Columbus Bucks. The teams were divided into two divisions again for the season.
Bill Byrne, president of the Bucks, was elected vice president of the league in September 1971. Midwest Football League champions. Playoff team.
1971 playoffs The Lansing All Stars won the Central Division and the Columbus Bucks won the Lakes Division. The Barons were made up of players from the Flint and Pontiac rosters. In the divisional round of the playoffs, Lansing defeated the Niagara Falls Lancers, 17–0, while Columbus beat the Barons, 34–0, on November 6, 1971. On November 13, 1971, Columbus won the league championship with a win over Lansing, by a score of 20–17. After the championship game, Lansing and Columbus played against the
Pennsylvania Bruins of the
Interstate League. The Columbus–Pennsylvania game was called the "Ohio Mini
Super Bowl", with Columbus winning 44–13 in the November 20 game. Lansing won the November 26 game, 32–14.
1972 season In September 1971, the league announced franchises in
Indianapolis;
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Dayton, Ohio; and
Massillon, Ohio. The Indianapolis franchise was called the
Indiana Caps, which competed in the
Atlantic Coast Football League in 1970 as the
Indianapolis Capitols. A team from
Joliet, Illinois, was expected to join the league in 1972. Franchises in
Youngstown, Ohio; Indianapolis; and
Warren, Michigan, were accepted into the league in December 1971. The Youngstown franchise was called the
Youngstown Hardhats. Dayton and Louisville were prospective cities for new franchises in January 1972. The Wyoming Cowboys and Pontiac Firebirds left the league, and the Hamtrmack Chargers moved back to Detroit before the season The Niagara Falls Lancers also left the league before the season. The Flint Wildcats became the
Flint Sabres. Youngstown had an agreement with the Cleveland Browns to act as their
farm team for the 1972 season. In March 1972, the MFL joined the Independent Professional Football Leagues of America, which included the
Midwest Professional Football League,
Central States Football League,
Southwestern Football League,
Seaboard Football League, and Texas League. The 1972 season began on July 8, 1972. Players earned between $50 and $200 per game in 1972. On September 1, 1972, the Lansing All Stars were purchased by Ed Dubaj, Joe Cox, and three other buyers, from Gene Howard for a sale price of $18,500. Midwest Football League champions. Playoff team. The Indiana Caps and Youngstown Hardhats each finished with 8–2 records during the regular season, and played each other in a playoff for the championship on October 14, 1972. Indiana won, 26–14.
1973 season Ted Plascik was named new league commissioner by January 1973. The league filed a lawsuit against its former commissioner Keith Bacon in May 1973 for $15,000 for financial fraud during his time as head of the league. but backed out of the league in August 1972. A team from
Fort Wayne, Indiana, was going to join the league. The Michiana Hawks rejoined the league for the 1973 season. The Columbus Bucks became the Columbus Brewers before the season, and then later the Columbus Barons. The Indiana Caps became the Hoosier Caps in April 1973, but were renamed again in June as the Indy Caps. The Detroit Warriors became the Detroit Giants and left the league. Three teams had agreements with
National Football League (NFL) teams to act as
farm teams: Columbus with the
Cincinnati Bengals, Hoosier with the
Detroit Lions, and Youngstown with the
Cleveland Browns. Lansing negotiated with the Lions to have a similar deal in February 1973, By August 1973, the NFL had sent $11,000 to MFL teams during the season in exchange for being able to sign 11 of their players. Midwest Football League champions. Instead, Indy was named champion after a
coin toss, and they played against the
Fort Wayne Champions the following week and won, 41–0.
1974 season The Pontiac Arrows and the Detroit Warriors franchises returned to the league in 1974. The Columbus Barons left the league before the start of the regular season, The MFL made an agreement with the
World Football League (WFL) that the WFL would send MFL teams $500 for each player it signed away. Midwest Football League champions. Won division. The final game of the season between Detroit and Youngstown was canceled. Flint won the game on September 28, 1974, by a score of 15–2.
1975 season The Lansing All Stars were renamed as the Lansing Professional Football Club under new ownership immediately following the 1974 season, then to the Lansing Capitals in June 1975. The Youngstown Hardhats folded after the 1974 season, the Indy Caps withdrew from the league, and the Detroit Warriors left the league. The Dayton Colts were brought back to the league for the 1975 season. The Pontiac Arrows became the Oakland Arrows for the 1975 season, and the
Michigan Indians and Cleveland Academes joined the league, with the Academes serving as a farm team for the Cleveland Browns. Turf Kauffman was elected league commissioner following the ouster of Ted Piascik by June 1975. Midwest Football League champions. Playoff team. The Flint Sabres and Oakland Arrows won their divisions and played each other in a championship game on November 1, 1975. Flint won its second straight championship in the 35–13 victory.
1976 season In December 1975, a potential merger between the MFL and Central States Football League was discussed, but no agreement was made. Turf Kauffman resigned as league commissioner in April 1976 to become head coach for the Pontiac Arrows, with Steve Graves named acting commissioner. The Oakland Arrows became the Pontiac Arrows again, and the Youngstown Hardhats returned for the 1976 season. The Dayton Colts folded before the 1976 season. The Flint Sabres, after winning their opening game, dropped out of the league due to financial issues and forfeited the rest of their games. Midwest Football League champions. Won division. No championship game was played after the 1976 regular season due to Flint's withdrawal in the middle of the season, and Pontiac was named the champion. The
Columbus Stingers and
Indy Superstars joined the league in 1977. The Cleveland Academes and Pontiac Arrows left the league after the 1976 season, and the Youngstown Hardhats moved to the
Mid-Atlantic Football League. Midwest Football League champions.
1978 season The
Wyoming Cobras and
Kalamazoo All-Stars were new franchises in 1978, while the
Columbus Metros replaced the Stingers on May 9, 1978. The Northern Division was made up of the Lansing Capitals, Michigan Indians, and Wyoming Cobras; the Southern Division comprised Columbus Metros, Indy Kaps, and Kalamazoo All-Stars. The Metros had a budget of $100,000 for the season. In the other semifinal game, the Kalamazoo All-Stars won over the Indy Kaps, 38–28. Columbus defeated Kalamazoo, 38–6, in the championship game. After the season, the Metros played four more exhibition games in an attempt to be named "National Semi-Professional Champions" by
Pro Football Weekly. The Kalamazoo All-Stars and Wyoming Cobras also joined the NSFL by 1980. The Lansing Capitals withdrew from the league in 1979, and opted to join the
Michigan Charity Football League in 1980. The Columbus Metros joined the Mid-Atlantic Football League in 1979. ==Notable players==