The Chicago Rush were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. The team played at the Allstate Arena from 2001 to 2013. They were a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). Founded in 2001, the team qualified for the playoffs 11 out of 12 seasons and won one AFL championship, ArenaBowl XX in 2006. During their history, the Rush won five divisional titles and competed in the AFL Conference Championship six times, including four consecutive appearances from 2004 to 2007. They also had the largest market in the AFL.
The San Antonio Force were a professional arena football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team was a member of the Arena Football League that competed in the 1992 season only. The team owner of the Force was Red McCombs. The team's colors were black, red and silver.
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.
Aaron Garcia is a former professional American football quarterback who played 19 seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL), from 1995 to 2014. He played college football at Washington State University before transferring to California State University, Sacramento. After retiring from the AFL, Garcia was named the head coach of the Las Vegas Outlaws in September 2014, and was formally introduced as the head coach of the Outlaws on October 11, 2014. Garcia is married to Bryn Garcia and has five children, Gigi, Bella, Anthony, Christian, and Jaxon.
Raymond 'Ray' Philyaw is a former arena football quarterback who was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League (AFL). He also played for the Cleveland Gladiators Chicago Rush, Kansas City Brigade, Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings and the Albany/Indiana Firebirds, leading the former to the American Conference championship game in 2004 and 2005. Prior to his Arena Football career, he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League and the Madison Mad Dogs of the Indoor Football League. After leaving to coach with the New Orleans VooDoo in 2011, he attempted a return as a player in 2012 with the San Jose SaberCats, but later became OC for the San Antonio Talons. He holds the record for the highest career TD-to-INT ratio in AFL history and threw a school record 52 TDs while attending Northeast Louisiana.
Shane Boyd is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Darion Conner is a former American / arena football linebacker in the National Football League and the Arena Football League. He played for eight seasons in the NFL, from 1990–1997 and seven seasons (1999–2005) in the AFL. He was drafted in the second round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at Jackson State University. He is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for DUI-manslaughter and Vehicular Homicide. However, in July 2008, an appeals court ruled that he would be given a retrial.
Nick Hill is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach at his alma mater, Southern Illinois University. Hill was signed by the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He then played professionally in the Arena Football League (AFL) and in the af2. He played college football at Southern Illinois.
Reggie Gray is an American football wide receiver and kickoff returner who is currently a free agent.
Sale' Key is an American football player who is a free agent. He played as a wide receiver for Idaho State University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2005.
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 2012 San Antonio Talons season was the 12th season for the franchise, and the third in the Arena Football League. This was the first season for the Talons in San Antonio, Texas after relocating from Tulsa, Oklahoma following the 2011 season. The team was coached by Lee Johnson and played their home games at the Alamodome. The Talons finished the regular season with a 14–4 record, winning the Central Division and securing the top seed in the National Conference. However, the Talons would lose at home by one point in the conference semifinals to the Utah Blaze, 34–35.
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 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.
Odie Armstrong is an American football fullback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Orlando Predators in 2008.
Marcus Jackson is a professional arena football and indoor football quarterback who is currently a free agent. Jackson played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs football team.
The 2014 San Antonio Talons season was the 14th season for the franchise, the fifth in the Arena Football League, and the third in San Antonio, Texas. The team was coached by Lee Johnson and played their home games at the Alamodome. Finishing the regular season with a 3–15 record, this was the worst season in franchise history.
San Antonio has fielded teams in two attempted major league football rivals to the NFL, both at Alamo Stadium: in 1975, the Florida Blazers of the World Football League relocated to San Antonio as the Wings for one season before the league ceased operations; and in 1984, the San Antonio Gunslingers joined the United States Football League as an expansion team and played for two seasons before the league folded. The San Antonio Riders were one of the founding teams of the World League of American Football, the NFL's one-time spring developmental league, in 1991. They played for two seasons before the North American teams were disbanded and the WLAF became a strictly European league. During the Canadian Football League's brief expansion into the U.S., the city played host to the San Antonio Texans for a single season in 1995, following the team's relocation from Sacramento after two seasons. San Antonio was also home to two minor league football franchises: the Toros of the Texas Football League from 1966-1971; and the Charros of the American Football Association from 1978-1981. After the 2011 Arena Football League season, the Tulsa Talons relocated from Oklahoma and played two seasons in San Antonio before folding in 2014.
