Detroit Drive
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The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional
arena football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...
team that was based in
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
. They were a member of the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
(AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
in 1988, as the Detroit Drive and was a member of the AFL in and in all subsequent years through . The club then moved to
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, in and played in that city through the end of the 1994 season. The franchise has four AFL championships, all while it was based in Detroit. The first three occurred in back-to-back-to-back fashion from
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
to
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, and the final one occurred in
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
.


History


Detroit Drive (1988–1993)


Expansion (1988)

In 1987,
Mike Ilitch Michael Ilitch Sr. (July 20, 1929 – February 10, 2017) was an American entrepreneur, founder and owner of the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. He owned the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and Detroit Tig ...
began negotiations with the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
(AFL), to join for the 1988 season. The Drive began play in as a member of the AFL. Under head coach Tim Marcum, the Drive finished the regular season 9–3 after starting the season 2–3. Two of the Drive's losses came at the hands of the
Chicago Bruisers The Chicago Bruisers were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They were founded in 1987 as a charter member of the Arena Football League (AFL). They played their home games at Rosemont Horizon. History Founding (1987) ...
, who finished the season with one loss. The Drive would get a chance at revenge when they advanced to
ArenaBowl II Arena Bowl '88 (or Arena Bowl II) was the Arena Football League's second championship game. The game featured the number 2 Detroit Drive (9–3) against the number 1 Chicago Bruisers (10–1–1). With 37 combined points it is the lowest-scoring A ...
against the Bruisers, and they were able to defeat the Bruisers 24–13.


Back-to-back (1989)

With the AFL suspending operations prior to the 1989 season, the league was revived and decided to play a short season, but that forced the Drive to begin the 1989 season by replacing quarterback
Rich Ingold Richard Ingold (May 15, 1963 – February 15, 2017) was an Arena Football League (AFL) quarterback who played with the Washington Commandos and the Detroit Drive. He holds the all-time record for most career head coaching wins in af2 history, c ...
, who didn't want to take the pay cut of the short season. The Drive won
ArenaBowl III Arena Bowl '89 (or Arena Bowl III) was the Arena Football League's third Arena Bowl. The game featured the #2 Pittsburgh Gladiators against the #1 Detroit Drive. Both teams finished their seasons at 3-1, yet the Drive greatly led in points aga ...
39–26 over the Pittsburgh Gladiators.


3-peat (1990)

Head Coach Tim Marcum stepped away from the Drive in 1990 to join the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
's football staff, and was replaced by
Perry Moss Perry Lee Moss (August 4, 1926 – August 7, 2014) was an American football player, coach, and executive. Moss played tailback at the University of Tulsa and quarterback at Illinois during the 1940s. As a Tulsa tailback, he was on the Orange Bo ...
. The Drive bolstered their offense by signing quarterback
Art Schlichter Arthur Ernest Schlichter (, born April 25, 1960) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the Colts franchise. He also played one Canadian Football League (CFL) season wit ...
(Who would become the AFL's MVP in 1990). Moss lead the Drive to a 6–2 regular season record and they remained a dominant force, leading the going to
ArenaBowl IV Arena Bowl '90 (or Arena Bowl IV) was the Arena Football League's fourth Arena Bowl. The game featured the #2 Dallas Texans against the #1 Detroit Drive. Both teams finished their seasons at 6-2, yet the Drive led in points for (326-299) and point ...
, where they defeated the
Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs * Dallas Texans (arena), 1990–1993 Arena Football League team ...
51–27.


The return of Marcum (1991)

Marcum returned to coach the Drive in 1991. The Drive traded Schlichter to the expansion
Cincinnati Rockers The Cincinnati Rockers were an arena football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They began play in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League and competed through the 1993 season before they suspended operations due to low attendance. ...
, partly because the league believed that since he'd grown up in the area and starred at
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
, he'd lend the new franchise needed credibility. However, another factor was the
compulsive gambling Problem gambling or ludomania is repetitive gambling behavior despite harm and negative consequences. Problem gambling may be diagnosed as a mental disorder according to ''DSM-5'' if certain diagnostic criteria are met. Pathological gambling is ...
that had derailed his NFL career almost a decade earlier. Despite Ilitch's efforts to keep Schlichter on the straight and narrow, by the end of 1991 it was no longer safe for Schlichter to stay in Detroit. The Drive didn't miss a beat, finishing with the best record in the league for the fourth season in a row. However, despite hosting ArenaBowl '91, they were defeated by the
Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The f ...
, ending their three-year reign as league champions.


A fourth title (1992)

In 1992, the Drive played in the Northern Division. The Drive won
ArenaBowl VI ArenaBowl '92 (or ArenaBowl VI) was the Arena Football League's sixth Arena Bowl. The game featured the #2 Detroit Drive (8–2) against the #1 Orlando Predators (9–1). Earlier in the regular season, these two teams met with the Predators winning ...
, claiming their fourth title in five seasons.


Final season in Detroit (1993)

Following the 1992 season, Ilitch purchased the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
and Vitto was transferred to the Tigers front office. Marcum assumed GM duties for 1993 and led the team to its final Arena Bowl. Ilitch sold the Drive so that they would not compete with the Tigers for attendance. Ilitch still claims that he only kept the Drive because they were constant contenders. The Drive had, arguably, the best management team in the league. Owner
Mike Ilitch Michael Ilitch Sr. (July 20, 1929 – February 10, 2017) was an American entrepreneur, founder and owner of the international fast food franchise Little Caesars Pizza. He owned the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and Detroit Tig ...
, General Manager Gary Vitto, and Head Coach Tim Marcum are all in the AFL Hall of Fame.


Massachusetts Marauders (1994)

The new owners moved the team to
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
as the Massachusetts Marauders, playing their home games at the Worcester Centrum, but folded after going 8–4 and making the semifinals in their first and only season. Whereas the Drive averaged over 14,000 fans a game during their six seasons in Detroit, the Marauders averaged less than 7,400 a game. Nearly three years after the Marauders folded,
Dan DeVos Daniel G. DeVos (born ) is an American businessman and sports executive. He is the son of Helen June (Van Wesep) and Amway co-founder Richard DeVos. Business Since 1993, DeVos has served as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of DP Fo ...
won their assets in
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
court and used them to launch the
Grand Rapids Rampage The Grand Rapids Rampage was an arena football team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The team began play in 1998 in the Arena Football League as an expansion team. They were last coached by Steve Thonn. Their home arena was the Van Andel Arena. ...
, who played until 2008.


Later AFL in Detroit

Detroit later received a second Arena Football team, the
Detroit Fury The Detroit Fury were an arena football team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. History The team was a member of the Arena Football League from 2001 to 2004 and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills, also the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. Th ...
. The Fury played from 2001 to 2004 in
The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly referred to as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena built in 1988 and located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shoc ...
and were co-owned by
William Davidson William or Bill Davidson may refer to: Businessmen * Bill Davidson (businessman) (1922–2009), Michigan businessman and sports team owner ** William Davidson Institute, University of Michigan, named in honor of Bill Davidson * William Davidson ...
, owner of the
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...
and William Clay Ford, Jr., son of the owner of the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. The Fury were never as successful as the Drive, compiling a 22–41 record and averaging 8,152 fans per game before they folded in 2004. While the Drive's history was relatively brief, they had an inarguable importance in the history of Arena Football, with ArenaBowl trips every year of their existence, and creating the first
dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
in the Arena Football League.


Notable players


Arena Football League Hall of Famers


Individual awards


All-Arena players

The following Drive/Marauders players were named to All-Arena Teams: *QB
Art Schlichter Arthur Ernest Schlichter (, born April 25, 1960) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the Colts franchise. He also played one Canadian Football League (CFL) season wit ...
(2) *FB/LB Walter Holman (1),
Lynn Bradford Lynn Bradford is a former American football player who played four seasons in the Arena Football League with the Detroit Drive and Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It play ...
(1),
Alvin Rettig Alvin Rettig (born December 6, 1963) is a former Arena football fullback/linebacker in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Rice University. In 1998, Rettig was elected into the Arena Football Hall of Fame The Are ...
(3), Broderick Sargent (1),
Tony Burse Tony Lee Burse (born April 4, 1965) is a former American football running back who played one season with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. ...
(1) *WR/DB
Dwayne Dixon Dwayne Keith Dixon (born August 2, 1962) is an American former college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League. He played college football for the University of F ...
(1),
George LaFrance George Herbert LaFrance III (born September 24, 1965) is a former Arena Football League offensive specialist. In a playing career lasting twelve years, he played for the Detroit Drive (1988- 1993), the Tampa Bay Storm (1994-1999), and the New Je ...
(2), Gary Mullen (2), Michael Clark (1) *WR/LB
Niu Sale Niusuamalie "Niu" Sale (born November 17, 1969) is a former American football player who played three seasons in the Arena Football League with the Sacramento Attack, Miami Hooters and Massachusetts Marauders. He first enrolled at El Camino Colle ...
(1) *OL/DL
Jon Roehlk Jon Michael Roehlk (June 25, 1961 – March 13, 2016) was an Arena football offensive/ defensive lineman in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at the University of Iowa. In 1999, Roehlk was elected into the Arena Footb ...
(2),
Reggie Mathis Reginald Levi Mathis (born March 18, 1956) is a former American football linebacker who played two seasons with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 1979 NFL D ...
(1), Greg Orton (1),
John Corker John B. Corker (born December 29, 1958) is a former American football linebacker who played four seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Houston Oilers, and eight seasons in the Arena Football League. In 2002, Corker was elected i ...
(1), Flint Fleming (2), Danny Lockett (2),
Ralph Jarvis Ralph A. Jarvis (born June 1, 1965) is a former American football defensive end who played one season with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He pla ...
(1) *DS Nate Miller (1), Tate Randle (2), Rod McSwain (1), Riley Ware (1) *OS/KR Gary Mullen (1),
George LaFrance George Herbert LaFrance III (born September 24, 1965) is a former Arena Football League offensive specialist. In a playing career lasting twelve years, he played for the Detroit Drive (1988- 1993), the Tampa Bay Storm (1994-1999), and the New Je ...
(1) *K
Novo Bojovic Novo Bojovic (born November 2, 1959) is a Yugoslav-born American former placekicker. Bojovic played college football at Central Michigan before embarking on a career in professional football which lasted nine years. Bojovic graduated from Cen ...
(2)


Head coaches


Video games

The Drive and Marauders both appeared on the game ''
EA Sports Arena Football ''Arena Football'' is an Arena Football League video game developed by Electronic Arts (under their EA Sports brand) for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was released on February 7, 2006. The cover features quarterback John Dutton of the Colorad ...
'' as hidden bonus teams.


Season-by-season


References


External links


Detroit Drive at ArenaFan.comMassachusetts Marauders at ArenaFan.com
{{Defunct Arena Football League franchises 1988 establishments in Massachusetts 1994 disestablishments in Massachusetts American football teams established in 1988 American football teams disestablished in 1994 American football teams in Massachusetts Defunct sports teams in Massachusetts Sports teams in Worcester, Massachusetts