The Pirates were created when Bernard Glieberman and his son Lonnie, owners of the Ottawa Rough Riders, expressed a desire to move the struggling franchise to the United States.

On paper, this should have resulted in attendance severely dropping off once college football started, as was the case with the CFL's other Southern teams, the Memphis Mad Dogs and Birmingham Barracudas.

As such, despite winning only eight games in their history, the Pirates' attendance remained roughly comparable with the established Canadian teams throughout their run.

Notable about the move to Virginia was "the Great Tucker Caper" when the City of Shreveport tried to seize Bernard Glieberman's 1948 Tucker (which was on loan to a classic automobile museum in downtown Shreveport) for defaulting on debts related to the Pirates' lease at Independence Stadium, including payments for the scoreboard.

By the end of 1995, anticipating that the Pirates would not continue beyond that season, a group of investors dubbing itself the "Ark-La-Tex Football Association" proposed purchasing the Barracudas and moving them to Shreveport.

However, owner Art Williams had already decided not to bring the team back to Alabama once it became clear the Barracudas could not successfully compete with the state's well-established college football programs for an audience late in the season.

[2] The Ark-La-Tex Football association bought the 'Cudas from Williams for a significant discount, provided that the league approve the sale.

It would have also matched a team that made a good account of itself on the field with a market that was at least potentially capable of supporting it at the box office.

Some notable players include former New Orleans Saints running back Gill Fenerty and defensive end Dexter Manley.