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ArenaBowl
The ArenaBowl was the championship game of the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally hosted at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena based on home attendance during the inaugural 1987 season, save four years (2005–2008) the game was hosted by the team with the higher seed based on regular season performance. In 2005–2006 the league staged the game in Las Vegas, and in 2007–2008 New Orleans hosted the event. For the series final two games, regular season home attendance between the competing teams determined which would host. Originally using year-based nomenclature ("ArenaBowl '87"), the league would begin consistently referring to the game using roman numerals beginning in 1994 (" ArenaBowl VIII"). The original Arena Football League's 2009 bankruptcy liquidation brought the league's existence to a close, but ArenaBowl XXIII would be staged in 2010 as the championship game of a new league which assumed the AFL's intellectual properties. The final ten games of the series would be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 franchise was one of the original four that launched the Arena Football League for its inaugural season in 1987. The club was relocated to the Tampa Bay area for the 1991 season, being the last of the original teams to either fold or leave its market. After 26 years in the Tampa market, the team ceased operations in December 2017. The team actually played outside Tampa in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg from 1991 to 1996, then in Tampa until 2008, after which point the AFL suspended operations and did not return until the 2010 season following the league's restructuring. It had been in the same city for longer than any other AFL team. During its tenure the franchise won five ArenaBowl championships. With 241 wins, the Stor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in North America after the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) until the AFL closed in 2019. The AFL played a formerly proprietary code known as arena football, a form of American football played indoors on a 66-by-28 yard field (about a quarter of the surface area of an NFL field), with rules encouraging offensive performance, resulting in a typically faster-paced and higher-scoring game compared to NFL games. The sport was invented in the early 1980s and patented by Jim_Foster_(American_football), Jim Foster, a former executive of the United States Football League (USFL) and the NFL. Each of the league's 32 seasons culminated in the ArenaBowl, with the winner being crowned ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ArenaBowl XXIII
NAPA Auto Parts ArenaBowl XXIII was an arena football game between the National Conference champion, Spokane Shock and the American Conference champion, Tampa Bay Storm. The Spokane Shock won the game successfully defending ArenaCup X of the former af2. The game was played on August 20, 2010 Arena Football League season, 2010, and was held at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington, the first non-neutral site since 2004 (ArenaBowl XVIII). The game was shown live on the NFL Network, as well as a tape delay on Eurosport 2. The corporate sponsor was NAPA Auto Parts. Background Tampa Bay Storm ''See: 2010 Tampa Bay Storm season'' Looking for their sixth championship in franchise history, and first since ArenaBowl XVII in 2003 Arena Football League season, 2003, the Tampa Bay Storm succeeded in their first season back since 2008. Led by quarterback Brett Dietz, who threw for 5,054 yards and 106 touchdowns in the regular season (both franchise records), they finished ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Massachusetts Marauders
The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit 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, 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 Detroit Drive season, 1988 to 1990 Detroit Drive season, 1990, and the final one occurred in 1992 Detroit Drive season, 1992. History Detroit Drive (1988–1993) Expansion (1988) In 1987, Mike Ilitch began negotiations with the Arena Football League (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 af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Mullen (American Football)
Gary Mullen (born February 1, 1963) is a former professional American football and Arena football player who played wide receiver and defensive back for eight seasons for the Denver Dynamite, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Cobras, Detroit Drive, Cincinnati Rockers and the Milwaukee Mustangs. He was elected into the Arena Football Hall of Fame in 1998. Early life Mullen attended Clairton High School in Clairton, Pennsylvania. While at Clairton, Mullen was a standout member of the football and basketball teams. Playing under the guidance of Head Coach Pat Risha, Mullen served as the quarterback and a defensive back for the Bears' football team. As a senior in 1980, Mullen lead the team to the WPIAL Class A football championship game, with a 29–8 victory over Shenango High School, but the Bears would lose in the championship game to Laurel High School. After the team's title run, Mullen was named The Pittsburgh Press Class A Player of the Year. As a senior on the basketball ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Griffin
Steven Leroy Griffin (born December 24, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for one season with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Falcons in the 12th round of the 1986 NFL draft after playing college football at Purdue University. He also played for the Washington Commandos, Detroit Drive and Columbus Thunderbolts of the Arena Football League (AFL). Early life and college Steven Leroy Griffin was born on December 24, 1964, in Miami, Florida. He attended Miami Norland High School in Miami Gardens, Florida. Griffin was a member of the Purdue Boilermakers of Purdue University from 1982 to 1985. He caught 20 passes for 287 yards and one touchdown as a freshman in 1982 while also returning eight kicks for 175 yards and five punts for 91 yards and one touchdown. In 1983, he recorded 24 receptions for 270 yards and 11 punt returns for 50 yards. During the 1984 season, Griffin totaled 60 catc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ArenaBowl VIII
ArenaBowl VIII was the Arena Football League's eighth ArenaBowl. The game featured the #3 Arizona Rattlers (8–4) of the American Conference against the #1 Orlando Predators (11–1) of the National Conference. The Rattlers were making their first ArenaBowl appearance in their three-year history, while the Predators were in their second ArenaBowl in their four years in the league (having lost to the Detroit Drive in ArenaBowl VI). Arena Bowl VIII was the first to use a roman numeral in its name (''a la'' the Super Bowl); all previous games used a shortened version of the year in which it was played (such as ArenaBowl '93). Game summary In the first quarter, Orlando struck first with Ben Bennett completing a 5-yard TD pass to Alex Shell, while Arizona responded with Sherdrick Bonner completing a 33-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman. The Predators wrapped up the first quarter with Jorge Cimadevilla making a 24-yard Field Goal. In the second quarter, the Rattlers took the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena station on the Detroit People Mover. The venue was named after former heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis, who grew up in Detroit. It was the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and the second oldest NHL venue after Madison Square Garden until the start of the 2017–18 NHL season. Joe Louis Arena was owned by the city of Detroit, and operated by Olympia Entertainment, a subsidiary of team owner Ilitch Holdings. In April 2017, the Red Wings hosted their final game at Joe Louis Arena; the venue was succeeded by Little Caesars Arena. The arena closed in July 2017. Demolition started in early 2019 and was completed by mid-2020. A 25-story residential tower called the Residences at Water Square opened at the site ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George LaFrance
George Herbert LaFrance III (born September 24, 1965) is a former Arena Football League (AFL) offensive specialist. In a playing career lasting twelve years, he played for the Detroit Drive (1988 Arena Football League season, 1988-1993 Arena Football League season, 1993), the Tampa Bay Storm (1994 Arena Football League season, 1994-1999 Arena Football League season, 1999), and the New Jersey Red Dogs (2000 Arena Football League season, 2000). In 2002, he served as general manager of the San Diego Riptide. Career LaFrance attended Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, where he played as a wide receiver for two years. LaFrance is in the Arena Football Hall of Fame, AFL Hall Of Fame, and in ArenaBowl IX, wearing #25 for the Storm, became the only player to ever win ArenaBowl Most valuable player, MVP 3 times. LaFrance is the career leader in Tampa Bay Storm all-purpose yards with over 20,000. Retirement In 2012, the 47-year-old LaFrance cited his desire to return to the AF ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1987 Arena Football League Season
The 1987 Arena Football League season was the first season, also known as the "demonstration season", of the Arena Football League (AFL). The league champions were the Denver Dynamite, who defeated the Pittsburgh Gladiators in ArenaBowl I. Events The Arena Football League played its inaugural season in 1987 with four teams to introduce the sport to the American public. The Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite, Pittsburgh Gladiators and Washington Commandos comprised the four-team league that ran a schedule from June 19 to August 1. The AFL drew an impressive average of 11,000 fans per game and TV coverage on ESPN. The four teams Pittsburgh (12,856), Denver (12,098/game), Washington (11,525) and Chicago (8,638) drew fairly well in their respective facilities; Washington and Chicago both managed to outdraw the 1984 averages of their respective USFL franchises, the Federals and Blitz. Denver played at the old McNichols Arena, Pittsburgh at the Civic Arena, Washington at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denver Dynamite (arena Football)
The Denver Dynamite were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. The team began play in 1987 as a charter member of the Arena Football League. The team was brought in by businessman Sidney Shlenker and the team achieved success instantly, winning the first ever ArenaBowl under future AFL Hall of Fame coach Tim Marcum. After sitting out the 1988 season, the Dynamite were purchased by investment banker Gary Graham for $125,000. Graham then hired former NFL and AFL coach Babe Parilli to lead the team. Under Parilli, the Dynamite would return to the playoffs every season, but failed to return to the ArenaBowl. After the 1991 season, the franchise was sued by their public relations firm and filed for bankruptcy. They played their home games at McNichols Sports Arena. The team's logo was a bundle of dynamite sticks with a burning fuse. History 1987 In 1987, businessman and then-owner of the Denver Nuggets Sidney Shlenker announced the forming of the Denver Dynam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
