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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 West Coast Hockey League was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington.
The Houston ThunderBears were a professional arena football team based in Houston, Texas. The team finished the 2001 season as a member of the Western Division of the American Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team joined the AFL in 1996 as the expansion Texas Terror. After their first two years of existence, the franchise changed their name to the Houston ThunderBears. Plagued with attendance problems through the majority of their existence, the team folded in 2001. Home games were played at the Compaq Center.
The South Georgia Wildcats were a professional arena football team based in Albany, Georgia. They were member of the South Division of the American Conference of Arenafootball2 (AF2).
The Bakersfield Blitz were a professional arena football team based in Bakersfield, California. They were a 2002 expansion member of the AF2 and played their home games at Rabobank Arena.
The Central Valley Coyotes were a professional arena football team and were a charter member of the AF2. As the newly forming AF2 set aside its plans for a two tier league and began focusing only on bigger markets, Central Valley stepped down and tried to play in a league which was more friendly to smaller markets; such as the Indoor Football League or the American Indoor Football Association.
The Mobile Wizards were an af2 arena football team that played their home games in Mobile, Alabama at the Mobile Civic Center.
The Spokane Shock were a professional indoor American football team based in Spokane, Washington, that played their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member of arenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won division titles in all four seasons and ArenaCups in 2006 and 2009 before they joined the Arena Football League (AFL) in its 2010 relaunch. The team advanced to the playoffs three times after joining the AFL, winning ArenaBowl XXIII in their first season, making them the only arena football franchise to win both the ArenaCup and the ArenaBowl.
The Charleston Swamp Foxes were one of the 15 original teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference, before switching divisions in every year of their existence. Charleston played their home games in the North Charleston Coliseum. Every year, the Swamp Foxes improved their Win–loss record going 4-12 in 2000, then 7-9 in 2001 and 2002, & 9-7 in 2003. After the 2003 season, the Swamp Foxes folded, and Arena Football in Charleston, South Carolina was absent until the 2006 formation of the Charleston/Carolina Sandsharks. The Charleston franchise was named after Francis Marion, also known as "The Swamp Fox".
The Cincinnati Swarm was a professional arena football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were members of the Midwest Division of the National Conference of the af2. The Swarm joined the af2 as an expansion franchise in 2003 along with the Green Bay Blizzard. In 2003, the Swarm went 7–9, second in the Midwest Division. Despite their modest record, and finishing second in their division, they failed to make the playoffs. Cincinnati's attempt at arena football failed, and the Swarm folded after one year due to poor attendance. Ten years earlier, Cincinnati was home to the Cincinnati Rockers from 1992 to 1993, and like the Swarm, they folded shortly after their inception. Despite the Swarm's failure, the city of Cincinnati would get another af2 franchise in the form of the now-defunct Cincinnati Jungle Kats, who suffered the same fate as the Swarm.
The New Haven Ninjas were an indoor American football team based in New Haven, Connecticut. They were an expansion team in the af2 for the 2002 season. On October 24, 2001, it was announced that Ninjas had won the name-the-team contest over Cyclones, Gladiators, Hawkeyes and ShoreDawgs. Along with the Ninjas, New Haven was joined by the Albany Conquest, Bakersfield Blitz, Cape Fear Wildcats, Fresno Frenzy, Hawaiian Islanders, Mobile Wizards, Mohegan Wolves, San Diego Riptide & the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers. New Haven played in the American Conference of the Northeast Division. In 2002, the Ninjas finished 6–10, third in the Northeast Division. Still, that wasn't enough to play football in August. After the 2002 season, the Ninjas folded because the New Haven Coliseum closed, and the experiment for arena football in New Haven was done.
The Rochester Brigade was a professional arena football team based in Rochester, New York. The team was a member of af2, the minor league of the Arena Football League, and played their home games at the Blue Cross Arena. The Brigade began play in 2001 and ceased operations following the 2003 season.
The Boise Burn was an arena football team based in Boise, Idaho. The Burn began play in the af2 league in March 2007. Burn home games were played at the Qwest Arena in downtown Boise.
Delvin Myles is a former Canadian football and arena football wide receiver and defensive back. Myles was most recently active as the player-coach for the Alaska Wild in the Intense Football League.
Bakersfield is home to several minor league sports franchises and collegiate athletic programs at Bakersfield College and California State University, Bakersfield.
Cory Stone is an American gridiron football coach and former player. He has worked as an assistant coach with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Stone coached the Argonauts to a victory in the 100th Grey Cup in 2012. He played college football at the University of Tennessee from 1992 to 1994 and professionally in the Arena Football League from 1996 to 2005. Stone has coached in the Arena Football League for the Bakersfield Blitz, Rio Grande Valley Dorados, and Milwaukee Iron. He has coached college football at Clark Atlanta University.
Bobby Pesavento is a former American football quarterback who played three seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Colorado Crush and Austin Wranglers. He first enrolled at Miami University before transferring to Fort Scott Community College and then the University of Colorado Boulder. He attended Lake Central High School in St. John, Indiana. Pesavento was also a member of the Bakersfield Blitz of the af2.
Cedric Walker is a former American football defensive back and coach who is currently the head coach and defensive coordinator of the Billings Outlaws of the Arena Football League (AFL). Walker played football at Stephen F. Austin University; once his stint there concluded, he signed with the AFL's Charlotte Rage. Walker played for a succession of AFL teams over his ten-season career; these included the Orlando Predators, Arizona Rattlers, Indiana Firebirds, Chicago Rush, Austin Wranglers, and Las Vegas Gladiators. At the end of his AFL Career, Walker had amassed some 522 solo tackles ; this was the league's seventh-highest total. Walker also won one ArenaBowl as a player; this came with the Arizona Rattlers in 1997.
Gabriel John Crecion is a former American football tight end and defensive lineman. Originally from Northridge, California, he played college football at UCLA. After going undrafted in the 2001 NFL Draft, Crecion began his professional football career as a two-way offensive and defensive lineman with the Bakersfield Blitz of af2 in 2002. Returning to his primary position of tight end, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2003 and played for the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe that year. In 2004, Crecion made his NFL debut with the 49ers, appearing in one game.
James Ray Fuller is an American football coach and former defensive back who is currently the offensive coordinator for the San Antonio Gunslingers of the National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at Walla Walla CC and Portland State before being selected in the 8th round of the 1992 NFL Draft; he went on to play three seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles while also spending time in the World League of American Football (WLAF) for the Scottish Claymores and Arena Football League (AFL) for the Portland Forest Dragons. He later served as a coach for the Forest Dragons, Bakersfield Blitz, Philadelphia Soul, Dallas Desperados, Dallas Vigilantes, Richmond Raiders, Maine Mammoths, and Jacksonville Sharks.
References
- ↑ "WildCats, Frenzy join af2". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 17, 2001. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
