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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 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 Nashville Kats is the name of three separate franchises in the Arena Football League all located in Nashville, Tennessee. The original incarnation of the Kats launched in 1997 and were coached by Pat Sperduto, who coached that team to two ArenaBowl appearances prior to their move to Atlanta in 2002, then becoming the original Georgia Force. The second incarnation of the Kats joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, also coached by Sperduto, lasted two seasons before folding in 2007. The third incarnation of the team is set to play in 2024 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The first two teams played at what is now the Bridgestone Arena.
The Orlando Predators are a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team is currently owned by John Cheney, and play its home games at Kia Center.
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. The Rockers played their home games at the Riverfront Coliseum.
The Florida Bobcats were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Sunrise, Florida. They were previously known as the Sacramento Attack and the Miami Hooters, and played in the AFL for a total of ten seasons, the last seven in West Palm Beach and Sunrise in the Miami metropolitan area.
The American Conference - South Division was a division of the Arena Football League's American Conference.
Pat Sperduto is an American football coach and executive. He is currently the director of college scouting for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Sperduto played his entire three-year Arena career as an active player with Tampa Bay Storm, and was also the final head coach of the Nashville Kats.
James Baron is a former arena football defensive lineman in the Arena Football League. He was the Arena Football League Players Association's (AFLPA) president as well.
The 1996 Arena Football League season was the tenth season of the Arena Football League. It was succeeded by 1997. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Iowa Barnstormers in ArenaBowl X. The AFL finally stabilized its scheduled number of games. It expanded to a 14-game season, which would remain until 2003. Previously, the scheduled number of games had not stayed the same for more than three years.
The 1995 Arena Football League season was the ninth season of the Arena Football League (AFL). It was succeeded by 1996. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl IX. The AFL realigned its divisions for the third straight year to two divisions per conference, a format that was then used until 2016.
The 1993 Arena Football League season was the seventh season of the Arena Football League (AFL). The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Detroit Drive in ArenaBowl VII. The AFL also re-aligned to two conferences.
Sylvester Bembery is a former American football lineman in the Arena Football League (AFL). Bembery, #78, was an offensive and defensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Storm from 1994–99, and once again joined the Storm for the 2001 campaign.
This article contains the awards and records of Colorado's Arena Football League teams, the Denver Dynamite and Colorado Crush (2003–2008). The records are arranged both in categories of individual franchise records and head-to-head for achievements in Colorado arenaball in general.
Clifford Dukes is a former American arena football defensive lineman. He played college football at Michigan State from 2000 to 2004. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Rams in 2005. Dukes has also been a member of the New Orleans Saints. After not having a chance to play in the NFL, Dukes signed with the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL in 2008. In 2010, he saw his first chance for real playing time with the Storm. As a result, he was named to the All-Arena team in 2010. In 2011, he led the league with 12.5 sacks and was named the 2011 Game Tape Exchange Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was traded to the Kansas City Command in 2012, only to be traded to the Arizona Rattlers two days later.
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.
Tim Marcum was an American football coach, best known for his long and successful career in the Arena Football League (AFL). He was the head coach of the AFL's Denver Dynamite in 1987, the Detroit Drive from 1988–1992 and the Tampa Bay Storm from 1995–2010. Marcum also served as an assistant coach in the NJCAA, NCAA, United States Football League, World Football League, NFL and the Arena Football League.
Anthony Paul Chickillo is a former American football defensive lineman who played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami and attended Southwest Miami High School in Miami, Florida. Chickillo was also a member of the Tampa Bay Storm, Miami Hooters and New Jersey Gladiators of the Arena Football League (AFL). He is the son of NFL player Nick Chickillo and the father of NFL linebacker Anthony Chickillo.
Quinton Knight is a former American football lineman who played seven seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the New York Knights, Denver Dynamite, Orlando Predators, Detroit Drive, Massachusetts Marauders and Miami Hooters. He first enrolled at Pasadena City College before transferring to Sam Houston State University and then California State University, Fullerton. Knight was also a member of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was named First Team All-Arena in three consecutive seasons from 1988 to 1990.
Wayne Everett Coffey is a former American football wide receiver who played one season with the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He first enrolled at Cisco College before transferring to Texas State University. He attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Texas. Coffey was also a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) teams Denver Dynamite, Sacramento Attack, Cincinnati Rockers, Miami Hooters and Las Vegas Sting.
The Arena Football Hall of Fame is the official Hall of Fame of the Arena Football League (AFL). The inaugural class was announced in 1998 and the Hall was not formally organized until 2011. Prior to 2011, there were four classes: 1998–2000 and then another in 2002. The Arena Football Hall of Fame is the highest honor for players, coaches, and contributors involved in the AFL. The voting process consists of fans and current Hall of Fame members voting on the finalists. The finalists are selected by the League Office in which they collect ballots from the Arena Football Hall of Fame Advisory Board, a group which consisted of former players, executives, journalists and media personnel with a long-time involvement in the league. The league began to decline in 2015, so no Hall of Fame announcements have been made since this year. The league folded for a second time in 2019. After the league's second closure, ArenaFan, a long-running fan site, announced it had taken over operations of the Arena Football Hall of Fame.
References
- ↑ "Hall of Fame". www.arenafootball.com. Arena Football League. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- ↑ "2010 Murray State Football Guide". www.issuu.com. Murray State University. 29 July 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- ↑ "AFL Hall of Fame Class Announced". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. April 17, 2002. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- ↑ Ray Murray (July 17, 1993). "Hooters To Take On The Storm High-scoring Miami Puts First Win Streak To The Test In Tampa". www.articles.sun-sentinel.com. SunSentinel. Retrieved October 7, 2013.