Colorado Crush | |
---|---|
Established 2003 Folded 2008 Played in Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado | |
League/conference affiliations | |
Arena Football League (2003–2008) | |
Current uniform | |
Team colors | Navy, burnt orange, beige |
Mascot | Crusher |
Personnel | |
Owner(s) | John Elway Pat Bowlen Stan Kroenke |
General manager | John Elway |
Head coach | Mike Dailey |
Team history | |
| |
Championships | |
League championships (1) | |
Conference championships (1) Prior to 2005, the AFL did not have conference championship games | |
Division championships (2) | |
Playoff appearances (5) | |
Home arena(s) | |
|
The Colorado Crush were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. They began play as a 2003 Arena Football League expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspended operations in 2009. They were last coached by Mike Dailey and owned by a coalition of Denver sports figures led by John Elway.
Negotiations with a Denver ownership group were underway for a future AFL expansion franchise in Denver, but it was unclear whether or not it will use the Crush branding or that of the Denver Dynamite, an earlier AFL team. Like the Dallas Desperados, the Crush's branding is partially based on NFL teams (the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams, though to a much lesser degree), which would have given the late Pat Bowlen or Stan Kroenke a potential veto over any usage of the Colorado Crush branding. On July 15, 2015, the Crush name was acquired by the Indoor Football League franchise formerly known as the Colorado Ice as the trademark for the name expired in 2014 according to their ownership. [1]
On August 8, 2001, the team entered an application for expansion into the Arena Football League. [2] In June 2002, it was announced that John Elway (Co-Owner and Chief Executive Officer), with Stan Kroenke, owner of the Avalanche, the Nuggets, the Rapids, Pepsi Center, & the Altitude Sports network and the majority Broncos owner Pat Bowlen would be bringing an arena football team to Denver. [3] The Crush competed in the Central Division of the American Conference. After a bad inaugural season in 2003, in which they finished 2-14, the Crush rebounded to go 11–5 and make the playoffs in their second year. On June 12, 2005 they won ArenaBowl XIX (19) in Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center over the Georgia Force 51–48, in only their third year of existence. [4]
In their fourth year the Crush ended up 11–5, with the American Conference Central title for the second year in a row. In the divisional round, however, the Crush lost in an upset to the fifth-seeded (and eventual ArenaBowl champion) Chicago Rush 63–46.
The team's mascot was an anthropomorphic bull named "Crusher." [5]
On July 15, 2015, the Indoor Football League franchise previously known as the Colorado Ice announced that they would change their name to the Colorado Crush, but would have no ties to the former AFL franchise. [1] According to team owner Tom Wigley, the trademark of the Crush name expired the year before meaning that the original Crush ownership no longer had a say in the use of the name.
Head coach | Tenure | Regular season record (W-L) | Postseason record (W-L) | Most recent coaching staff | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bob Beers | 2003 | 2–14 | 0–0 | ||
Mike Dailey | 2004–2008 | 46–34 [10] | 6–3 [10] | DC: Tommy Johnson (2009) [11] OC: Chris MacKeown (2009) [12] DL: Tony Federico (2003–2008) ST coordinator / WR coach: Matt Gardner (2004–2008) |
Offensive Player of the Year | |||
Season | Player | Position | |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Damian Harrell | OS | |
2006 | Damian Harrell | OS |
Colorado Crush Hall of Famers | ||||
No. | Name | Year Inducted | Position(s) | Years w/ Crush |
---|---|---|---|---|
-- | Mike Dailey | 2012 | Head Coach | 2004–2008 |
The following Crush players were named to All-Arena Teams:
The following Crush players have been named to All-Ironman Teams:
The following Crush players have been named to All-Rookie Teams:
The team's main color and name are in reference to the Denver Broncos 1970s defensive squad (the "Orange Crush").
Denver was host to one of the four charter teams, the Denver Dynamite, which won the first-ever ArenaBowl in 1987.
Van Montgomery from the TV show Reba played for the Crush at the end of his football career.
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