The Bridgeport Jets were a minor league American football team based in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

. They began play in the Atlantic Coast Football League in 1966 as the Waterbury Orbits. The Orbits, already officially affiliated with the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

, became the Bridgeport Jets in 1968. After relocating from Waterbury, the Jets played their homes games in John F. Kennedy Stadium.

History

The Jets were founded in 1966 and owned by Fiore Francis “Hi-Ho” D’Addario. The “Hi-Ho” commonly used on Jets program covers alludes to D’Addario’s nickname. In the 1980’s after the folding of the Jets, D’Addario became the primary sponsor of the

Connecticut Brakettes The Connecticut Brakettes is a women's fastpitch softball team based in Stratford, Connecticut. The team has won many state, regional, national, and international tournaments (28 ). History The team was founded in 1947 by William S. Simpson a ...

, a women’s softball team who were known as the Hi-Ho Brakettes during his time as sponsor. The ACFL suspended operations for the 1972 season after losing several franchises. While the Jets did not dissolve they were inactive for the year. They returned as part of a six-team ACFL in 1973 and enjoyed their most successful season. They finished atop their division with an 11–1 record and faced the New England Colonials in the league championship game, which they lost 41–17. It turned out to be the final game for the ACFL, which folded soon after. The Jets moved to the Seaboard Football League in 1974, and advanced to their second league title game in a row. Once again they lost, this time 20–9 to the Wilkes-Barre Bullets. Both the Jets and Bullets were the only teams in the league to complete their seasons. With the cessation of the Seaboard Football League, the Jets' franchise ended.

Season-by-season

References

Atlantic Coast Football League teams American football teams in Connecticut Sports in Bridgeport, Connecticut 1966 establishments in Connecticut 1974 disestablishments in Connecticut American football teams established in 1966 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1974 {{amfoot-team-stub