The Philadelphia Soul can refer to one of two successive professional arena football teams in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They both have competed in the Arena Football League (AFL). The Soul made six ArenaBowl appearances, winning their first appearance and losing their next two appearances. The Soul won in their fourth appearance, against the Rattlers in 2016, winning 56–42. They also won in their fifth appearance in 2017 against the Tampa Bay Storm, winning 44–40 before losing in their sixth appearance in 2019 to the Albany Empire 45-27.
The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 ; and until 2015, they belonged to the AFL's National Conference. Over nineteen seasons of play, the SaberCats emerged as one of the Arena Football League's most successful franchises; at the conclusion of the 2015 season, the SaberCats boasted a lifetime regular season record of 198–98. Moreover, the SaberCats had won a total of four AFL Championships. Their lifetime postseason record stood at 19–12.
Nick Davila is a former arena football quarterback. A three-time AFL champion, and three-time MVP, he also played for the Arizona Rattlers from 2010 to 2016. Davila is of Mexican American descent. He is nicknamed the "Latin Laser". In 2017, he was the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach for the Rattlers of the Indoor Football League (IFL), who went on to win the 2017 United Bowl.
The 2011 Arena Football League season was the 24th season in the history of the league. The regular season began on March 11, 2011 and ended on July 23, 2011. The Jacksonville Sharks, in their second year of existence, defeated the Arizona Rattlers 73–70 in ArenaBowl XXIV on August 12, 2011 to conclude the playoffs.
The 2012 Arena Football League season was the 25th season in the history of the league. The regular season began on March 9, 2012 with a game between the Pittsburgh Power and the Orlando Predators and ended on July 22, 2012 with a game between the Utah Blaze and Philadelphia Soul. The Arizona Rattlers defeated the Philadelphia Soul by a 72–54 score in ArenaBowl XXV on August 10, 2012 to conclude the playoffs.
The 2013 Tampa Bay Storm season was the 26th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League, and their 22nd in the Tampa Bay area. The team was coached by Dave Ewart and played their home games at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Storm lost their last seven regular season games but were still able to qualify for the playoffs. However, they were eliminated in the conference semifinals by the Jacksonville Sharks by a score of 69–62.
The 2013 Orlando Predators season was the 22nd season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Doug Plank and played their home games at Amway Center. Despite losing their first five games, the Predators recovered enough to qualify for the playoffs. However, they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Soul by a score of 59–55 in the conference semifinals.
The 2013 Jacksonville Sharks season was the fourth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Les Moss and played their home games at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. After winning the South Division for the fourth consecutive year, the Sharks were eliminated in the conference championship game by the Philadelphia Soul for the second straight year.
The 2013 Philadelphia Soul season was the eighth season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Clint Dolezel and played their home games at the Wells Fargo Center. The Soul captured another division championship, and went on to reach the ArenaBowl for the second consecutive season. However, they were once again defeated by the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXVI by a 48–39 score.
The 2013 Pittsburgh Power season was the third season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Derek Stingley and played their home games at the Consol Energy Center.
The 2013 Chicago Rush season was the 12th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Bob McMillen and played their last few home games at BMO Harris Bank Center. The team's first five home games were played at Allstate Arena. The Rush won their division with a 10–8 record, but fell in the conference semifinals by a 69–47 score to the Spokane Shock.
The 2013 San Antonio Talons season was the 13th season for the franchise, the fourth in the Arena Football League, and the second in San Antonio, Texas. The team was coached by Lee Johnson and played their home games at the Alamodome. Finishing the season with a 10–8 record, the Talons missed the playoffs by losing a tiebreaker with the Chicago Rush. They also finished the season with 9 different quarterbacks, 6 of them getting injured.
The 2013 Arizona Rattlers season was the 22nd season for the franchise Arena Football League, coming off of their victory in ArenaBowl XXV. The team was coached by Kevin Guy and played their home games at the US Airways Center. With a 15–3 record, the Rattlers won their fourth consecutive division title to qualify for the playoffs. The Rattlers successfully defended their championship in ArenaBowl XXVI by once again defeating the Philadelphia Soul by a 48–39 score to win their fourth ArenaBowl championship in franchise history.
The 2013 San Jose SaberCats season was the 17th season for the franchise Arena Football League (AFL). The team was coached by Darren Arbet and played their home games at the SAP Center at San Jose. The SaberCats qualified for the playoffs with a 13–5 record, but were eliminated by the top seeded Arizona Rattlers in the conference semifinals by a 59–49 score.
The 2013 Spokane Shock season was the eighth season for the franchise, and the fourth in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Andy Olson and played their home games at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. With a 14–4 record in the regular season, the Shock qualified for the playoffs. However, they were defeated by the Arizona Rattlers in the conference championship game by a 65–57 score.
The 2013 Utah Blaze season was the seventh season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Ron James and played their home games at EnergySolutions Arena. The Blaze missed the playoffs by finishing with a 7–11 record.
The 2014 Arena Football League season was the 27th season in the history of the league. The regular season began on March 14, 2014 and ended on July 26, 2014.
The 2014 Arizona Rattlers season was the 23rd season for the franchise in the Arena Football League, coming off their victory in ArenaBowl XXVI, which was their second consecutive ArenaBowl championship. The team was coached by Kevin Guy and played their home games at the US Airways Center.
The 2015 San Jose SaberCats season was the team's 19th in San Jose, California. The team was coached by Darren Arbet and played their home games at the SAP Center at San Jose. They finished first in the Pacific Division with a 17–1 regular season record and went on to defeat the Jacksonville Sharks 68–47 in ArenaBowl XXVIII.
The 2016 Arena Football League season was the 29th season in the history of the Arena Football League. Prior to the start of the season, the league contracted to eight teams. The 16-game regular season then began on April 1, 2016 and ended on August 1, 2016. The league, however, kept its eight-team playoff format, which meant that every club qualified for the postseason.
