The two teams featured here in previous articles on worst Lingerie/Legends Football league teams, have been the worst team of the 2009-2010 LFL’s inaugural season (the New York Majesty) and the worst all-time LFL team (the Denver Dream). However, there is another team that should not be glossed over when the subject of worst LFL teams arises (in fact, if you Google “worst lfl team” this team is at the top of the results) and that is the short-lived Toronto Triumph. Above are the ladies all pumped up and ready to take the field against the Regina Rage on September 8, 2012. The final score of that game was Rage 40, Triumph 32.
A big part of the reason the Triumph was the worst team in the US LFL during the 2011-2012 season was, besides being an expansion team with many inexperienced players, they lost the majority of their players when they quit after the first game, which was a 48-14 loss to the seasoned Tampa Breeze. The Triumph players who quit cited improper and unsafe equipment and poor coaching as their major grievances. New players were brought aboard to replace most of the ones who quit, only to see the team to three more losses, including a 74-0 blowout by the then-powerhouse Philadelphia Passion, to end the Triumph’s one and only season in the US LFL 0-4.
The Triumph played their second and final season in 2012 in the newly-founded Canadian LFL, which was also the only season for LFL Canada. Even though the Triumph did go 0-4 in LFL USA, joining the ranks of the Majesty and the Dream of winless LFL USA teams, they did manage to pull off a victory over the BC Angels in their final game in LFL Canada to go 1-3. So, with an overall record of 1-7, the Triumph avoided a winless existence, unlike the other two aforementioned teams.
Left: Original Triumph team captain Krista Ford (now Krista Haynes) at the April 30, 2011 Triumph tryouts at Soccer World in Toronto. Krista only played in the Triumph’s debut game against the Tampa Breeze, as she was among the 16 players who quit the team after that one game. Right: This Triumph hopeful, also photographed at the tryouts, was actually Toronto-based Naked News anchor Misha Highstead, whose Naked News persona has always been “Eila Adams.” Misha/Elia probably didn’t have what it took to make the cut for the Triumph’s squad, but that didn’t matter because she did have the right stuff to make it as a nude newscaster and she was really there to cover the tryouts for a feature on Naked News, but that’s another story.
Left: Former Triumph players Jennifer Mancini, Krista Ford, Sandra Dalla Giustina and Michelle-Crispe pose for a photo to accompany
an article on the walkout by 16 members of the team after their first US LFL game. Monica Bonczak (right) was also among
the players from the original Triumph squad who quit after the first game.
At left: Donna Paul, Sylvie Manaigre, Andrea Critch, and Marife Villagonzalo at a 2012 promotional event in downtown Toronto. Right: Running
back Jenny Butler in action against the BC Angels on October 27, 2012, which was to be the Triumph’s last game and only victory.
Above left is one of the Triumph’s standout players, quarterback Donna Paul, taking a snap from center during the September 17, 2011
game against the Tampa Breeze. At right, Crystal Hall, Paul, and Jaleesa McCrary, in their visiting white uniforms,
stand for the Canadian national anthem before a game.
(Linked names go to a current site)
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Above are the lowest and highest points during the Toronto Triumph’s existence, both games in their entirety. Left: The December 9, 2011 74-0 route they suffered at the hands of The Philadelphia Passion. An end zone brawl breaks out just after the 39-minute mark. Right: The Triumph’s sole victory against the BC Angels on October 27, 2012, which was also the Triumph’s final game ever.
2011–12 LFL USA Season
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17 | Tampa Breeze | Ricoh Coliseum | Lost, 14–48 | 0–1 |
| October 28 | Baltimore Charm | Ricoh Coliseum | Lost, 6–42 | 0–2 |
| December 9 | at Philadelphia Passion | Sun National Bank Center | Lost, 0–74 | 0–3 |
| January 13 | at Orlando Fantasy | Citrus Bowl | Lost, 18–49 | 0–4 |
2012 LFL Canada Season
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 8 | at Regina Rage | Brandt Centre | Lost, 32–40 | 0–1 |
| September 15 | Saskatoon Sirens | Hershey Centre | Lost, 22–44 | 0–2 |
| September 29 | at BC Angels | Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre | Lost, 27–31 | 0–3 |
| October 27 | BC Angels | Hershey Centre | Won, 22–8 | 1–3 |
2011-2012 LFL USA Final Standings
(The only season the Triumph was in the league)
Eastern Conference
| Team | Wins | Loss | Ties | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | TD’s | Home Record | Road Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Passion | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 206 | 30 | 176 | 28 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Tampa Breeze | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.750 | 99 | 109 | -10 | 13 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| Orlando Fantasy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.750 | 171 | 58 | 113 | 25 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| Baltimore Charm | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | 86 | 85 | 1 | 13 | 0-2 | 2-0 |
| Cleveland Crush | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.000 | 74 | 179 | -105 | 11 | 0-2 | 0-2 |
| Toronto Triumph | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.000 | 38 | 213 | -175 | 6 | 0-2 | 0-2 |
Western Conference
| Team | Wins | Loss | Ties | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | TD’s | Home Record | Road Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Sin | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 108 | 64 | 54 | 18 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Los Angeles Temptation | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.750 | 117 | 85 | 32 | 18 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| Seattle Mist | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | 122 | 87 | 35 | 18 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Chicago Bliss | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 120 | 143 | -23 | 18 | 0-2 | 1-1 |
| Minnesota Valkyrie | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 82 | 125 | -43 | 11 | 0-2 | 1-1 |
| Green Bay Chill | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 69 | 134 | -65 | 10 | 0-2 | 1-1 |
2012 LFL Canada Final Standings
(The only season of LFL Canada’s short existence)
| Team | Wins | Loss | Ties | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | TD’s | Home Record | Road Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saskatoon Sirens | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | 121 | 99 | 22 | 17 | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| BC Angels | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 98 | 89 | 9 | 15 | 2-0 | 0-2 |
| Regina Rage | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 117 | 128 | -11 | 18 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Toronto Triumph | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | 103 | 133 | -30 | 14 | 1-1 | 0-2 |
I was there for the Triumph’s last game against the BC Angels, which was their one and only victory. The Triumph looked like they finally got their act together and lived up to their name. They could have been a contender if the Canadian LFL would have continued on. I doubt they would have become permanent cellar-dwellers like the Denver Dream was.
#10 Alicia Bell’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TrainItRight
The Triumph didn’t suck, they just didn’t get a chance to develop. Here’s an article on when four members of the team did an anti-fur campaign for PETA. Looks like the numbers they wore for the protest differ from the numbers they wore on the field, except for #10 Alicia Bell.
https://www.ibtimes.com/lingerie-football-players-strip-down-petas-anti-fur-campaign-photos-video-382306
No way was Misha Highstead a serious candidate for the team. She was just allowed to get a taste of what the tryouts were like as part of her story for Naked News.