The AF2 was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup championship in August. The AF2 continued to operate while the AFL suspended operations for its 2009 season. The league was effectively disbanded in September 2009 when no team committed to playing in 2010, but several of the stronger franchises transferred into the reconstituted AFL.
The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Dragons participated in the Arena Football League's (AFL) National Conference as a member of the Eastern Division. The team was founded in 1995 as the original iteration of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in 2001. They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded. They played in the Eastern Division of the National Conference, and played their home games at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Their last coach was Weylan Harding.
James Foster is the founder and first commissioner of the Arena Football League (AFL). He is also a former National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL) executive and was later the principal owner of both the Iowa Barnstormers and the AF2's Quad City Steamwheelers.
Brad Banks is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Iowa where he was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.
The Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena, known in indoor football circles as "The Well".
The Utah Blaze was a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competed in the West Division of the Arena Football League. Home games were played at the EnergySolutions Arena. In 2013, the team did not submit proper documentation to remain in the AFL and the entire roster was reassigned to other teams in the league.
The Columbus Wardogs were an arena football team in af2 that played their home games in the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia from 2001 through 2004.
Raising Cane's River Center is an entertainment complex in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Opened in 1977, the complex includes: an arena, ballroom, exhibition center, theatre and library. The venue hosts over 500 events per year. In 2016, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers signed a 10-year naming rights agreement for the River Center.
The East Division was a division of the Arena Football League's American Conference. It was first formed in 1995 as part of the National Conference when expansion led to the creation of divisions.
The Pacific Division, formerly the Central Division, was a division in the Arena Football League. The division was part of both the American and National Conferences at different points in its history. The division was first formed in 1995 when expansion teams were formed and put into the current divisions.
John Gregory is a former American football head coach. Gregory's last head coaching stint came with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League.
Chinedu "Chin" Achebe is a former American football fullback / linebacker who played college football at Iowa State. He attended Steubenville Catholic Central High School. As a senior, he won the Ohio state wrestling championship at 215 pounds. Achebe also played baseball, where he earned 2 varsity letters
The 2013 Iowa Barnstormers season was the 13th season for the franchise, and the ninth in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Mike Hohensee and played their home games at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Raising Cane's River Center Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the United States. The arena can be combined with the exhibition hall to create more than 100,000 square feet of contiguous convention or exhibit space. The arena which opened in 1977 presents concerts, sporting events, theater events, trade shows, and family shows, with seating for up to 10,400 for concerts, 8,900 for sporting events and 4,500 for theatre events. Besides sporting events, the arena hosts the annual Louisiana Senior Beta Club Convention.
Miss USA 2014, the 63rd Miss USA pageant, was held at the Raising Cane's River Center Arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on June 8, 2014. All fifty states and the District of Columbia competed. The preliminary competition was not webcast live for the first time in five years, but excerpts were distributed post-competition via website Hulu. The final night of competition was televised on NBC.
Michael Lewis is an American football Defensive End who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Albany Conquest as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Adrian College.
Jeff Loots is a former American football quarterback who played eight seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Milwaukee Mustangs, Minnesota Fighting Pike, Albany Firebirds, Oklahoma Wranglers, Chicago Rush, Buffalo Destroyers and Grand Rapids Rampage. He played college football at Southwest Minnesota State
Dave Whinham is a sports and entertainment executive, filmmaker, and former American football coach and team executive. Whinham formed in 2002 and has since served as President of a consulting and production company now known as The TEAM Productions. Based in Columbus, OH, The TEAM focuses its efforts in four areas: (1) brokering of sports and entertainment opportunities and entities, (2) providing comprehensive consulting services to the sports and entertainment industry, (3) producing live sports and entertainment events, and (4) creating, producing, and placing media elements. Whinham resides in Columbus and is a native of Detroit.
