History of sports in Mobile, Alabama

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Mobile, Alabama is home to many different sports teams and events. It is also home to several notable athletes.

Contents

Events

Azalea Trail Run

The Azalea Trail Run is an annual 10K race and 2-mile fun run held each Spring which winds through the streets of historic downtown Mobile.

LendingTree Bowl

The LendingTree Bowl(previously the Mobile Alabama Bowl, GMAC Bowl, Go Daddy Bowl, and Dollar General Bowl) is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A college football bowl game played annually at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. It pits a Sun Belt Conference team against a team from the Mid-American Conference.

Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl is an annual post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. The game has been played in Mobile's Ladd–Peebles Stadium since 1951.

Baseball

Mobile is hometown to five baseball Hall of Fame members and rates as the third city with the most players honored in Cooperstown, New York, home of the Hall of fame. Only New York City and Chicago lead Mobile in this distinction. [1]

Mobile Hall of Famers

List of baseball teams

Mobile Bears

Originally known as the Sea Gulls, Mobile changed its name to the Bears in 1918. In just two seasons, the Bears won the Southern Association Championship and the Dixie Series Championship over the Fort Worth Panthers, the Texas League Champions. The Bears relocated to Knoxville in 1931. In 1944, the Southern Association's Knoxville Smokies moved to Mobile and were renamed the Mobile Bears. The Mobile Bears won the 1947 Southern League Championship. After the 1961 season, the team was dissolved. Actor Chuck Connors was a former player for the Bears.

Mobile BaySharks

After 30 years, baseball returned to Mobile in the form of The Mobile BaySharks of the Texas-Louisiana League. The BaySharks played at Eddie Stanky Field at the University of South Alabama. This team played from 1994–1995. The team folded after the announcement was made that Southern League baseball was returning to Mobile.

Mobile BayBears

On April 17, 1997, baseball returned to Mobile in the new Hank Aaron Stadium. In just the 2nd year, the Mobile BayBears won the Southern League Championship over the Jacksonville Suns 3 games to 1. The BayBears were also named 1998 Minor League Team of the Year.

The BayBears were awarded their 2nd Southern League Championship in 2004 when the Southern League cancelled the Championship Series due to Hurricane Ivan. Both the BayBears and The Tennessee Smokies were named Co-Champions.

The Baybears were affiliated with the San Diego Padres from 1997–2006 seasons. Starting with the 2007 season, the Baybears will be affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Basketball

Mobile Revelers

The Mobile Revelers of the NBA Development League (NBDL) played in the 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 seasons in the Mobile Civic Center. The Mobile Revelers won the NBDL Championship of the 2002–2003 season defeating the Fayetteville Patriots 2 games to 1. The team folded after the season suffering from very poor attendance. The name was originally used for a minor league soccer team based in Mobile.

Southern Alabama Bounce

The Southern Alabama Bounce of the ABA came to Mobile for 2006–07 as an expansion team that was announced on August 4, 2006. The team folded after one season.

Mobile Bay Hurricanes

The Mobile Bay Hurricanes will play in the ABA 2010-2011 season. The team will play its home games on the campus of Davidson High School.

Football

Mobile Admirals

The Mobile Admirals played at Ladd–Peebles Stadium from April to June 1999, which was the only season for the ill-fated Regional Football League (RFL). The Admirals sold 6,000 season tickets,[ citation needed ] and finished the league's shortened season with a 6–2 record. In the playoffs, they defeated the Ohio Cannon and the Houston Outlaws to win the league championship. [2] The Admirals' best-known player was Sherman Williams, formerly of the national champion 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Super Bowl XXX champion Dallas Cowboys. Williams earned $80,000 with the Admirals, and was named league MVP. [3]

Mobile Seagulls

The Mobile Seagulls played two seasons in Mobile: the 2000 season in the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) in the Mobile Civic Center, and the 2001 season in the National Indoor Football League(NIFL) at the Mitchell Center. The team folded after the AFL2 announced it was coming to town.

The Mobile Seagulls were a professional indoor football team. They were initially a member of the Indoor Professional Football League for the 2000 season before joining the National Indoor Football League for the 2001 season, their final. They played their home games at Mobile Civic Center Arena for the 2000 season and at the Mitchell Center for the 2001 season.

The Seagulls were announced as an expansion franchise as part of the IPFL on February 10, 2000.[1] It was during this press conference that former Houston Oilers receiver Kenny Burrough was announced as the team's general manager and head coach.

On July 3, 2001, it was announced that the team was ceasing operations as a result of the approval of an af2 expansion team for Mobile. [2]

Mobile Tarpons

The Mobile Tarpons were members of the North American Football League in 1964 and 1965 playing their home games at Ladd Memorial Stadium (home of the Senior Bowl). Each of the teams in the league had an affiliation with either an NFL or AFL team, and many former NFL stars played for various teams. One of the stars of the Tarpons was Hugh McInnis who holds the Minor League Football record for most catches in a season by a receiver. The Annapolis Sailors defeated the Tarpons in the championship game in 1965. Former Arizona QB John Torak led the Tarpons.

Mobile Wizards

The Mobile Wizards played in AFL2 during the 2002 season in the Mobile Civic Center. The Wizards failed to win one game, finishing 0–16. The Wizards were a very physical arena football team but never seemed to find a coach or an offensive strategy to win. Mobile native and Murphy High School Alumni, Lawrence Pendleton, played both offensive and defensive line the entire season in which many players came and went. Pendleton was the teams' leading defensive player.

Port City Monarchs

The Port City Monarchs are the NAFL football team in Mobile. Their rival is the Alabama Lightning based in Orange Beach in Baldwin County. In 2006, the Monarchs beat the Lightning to be crowned the best NAFL Gulf Coast team. This year every team in the Monarchs division made it to the playoffs. They were also beat by the Alabama Lighting.

Mobile Bay Tarpons

The Mobile Bay Tarpons played in the SIFL in 2011. The team played its home games on the campus of the University of South Alabama's Mitchell Center. The team became dormant after five games, finishing with a record of two wins and three losses.

Hockey

Mobile Mysticks

The Mobile Mysticks played 7 seasons in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) from 1995–2002 in the Mobile Civic Center. The Mysticks averaged 33 wins per season and made the playoffs 5 out of 7 seasons. The team ceased operations for the 02–03 season, then began play as the Gwinnett Gladiators in the 03-04 Season. Jason Elders holds the record for most career goals in Mysticks history. Jason Elders was also the 1999 MVP of the ECHL All-Star game. Jason Clarke is the all-time PIM record holder in ECHL history. Dave Van Drunen played in one game in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators.

College athletics

Mobile is represented in college athletics by the South Alabama Jaguars, a member of the NCAA Division I and Sun Belt Conference. Spring Hill College is a member of the NCAA Division II (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) and the University of Mobile is in the NAIA. South Alabama fielded a football team in 2009. South Alabama's men's basketball team has been to the NCAA Tournament seven times in its history.

NAIA tennis nationals for both men's and women's tennis are held in Mobile, which has the largest outdoor public tennis facility in the world, featuring over 50 tennis courts.

Rugby

Spring Hill College's rugby team began playing in 1969 and continues to play today. In 1975 former Spring Hill players formed The Mobile Rugby Football Club and in 1978 began playing at Battleship Memorial Park and changed the name to Battleship Rugby Football Club. In 1992 Battleship won the Division II National Championship and in 2001 won the Division III National Champmionship. Battleship has also won 14 local league championships. Battleship hosts an annual tournament every November attracting teams from across the United States. Battleship has hosted teams from 7 foreign countries. Battleship currently fields a men's team in Division II and Battleship Old Boys, an over 35 years of age team that plays locally and abroad, posting an 8 – 1 record in Ireland, Argentina and New Zealand.

Soccer

Mobile Revelers

The Mobile Revelers were an American soccer team that played in USISL Pro League from 1995-1997.[ citation needed ]

AFC Mobile

AFC Mobile is an American soccer team that has played in the Gulf Coast Premier League from 2017-2019 and joined the National Premier Soccer League in 2020. [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

National Indoor Football League

The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, AF2, however, that changed briefly with their expansion into AFL markets such as Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles, and AF2 markets such as Fort Myers and Houston. Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson, New Orleans Saints quarterback John Fourcade and Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl running back Bam Morris, all played in the NIFL. The league folded in 2008.

Corpus Christi Fury American indoor football team

The Corpus Christi Fury was a professional indoor football team based in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. The Fury played its home games at the American Bank Center.

Ladd–Peebles Stadium

Ladd–Peebles Stadium is a stadium located in Mobile, Alabama.

Mobile Wizards Arena football team

The Mobile Wizards were an af2 arena football team that played their home games in Mobile, Alabama at the Mobile Civic Center.

Mobile Mysticks Ice hockey team

The Mobile Mysticks were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Mobile, Alabama that played in the ECHL. They played their home games at the Mobile Civic Center. The team was founded in 1995 as an expansion franchise, joining the ECHL alongside the Louisville RiverFrogs and the Louisiana IceGators. The Mysticks owed their name to the prevalence of mystic societies—social organizations responsible for throwing parades and balls during the Carnival season—that existed in Mobile since the early 18th century.

Million Dollar Band (marching band)

The Million Dollar Band is the official marching band of the University of Alabama. Founded in 1912, the Million Dollar Band is the largest student organization at the University of Alabama. The band performs during pregame and halftime of every home and neutral-site Alabama football game; it also supplies at least a pep band to every away football game, as well as home men's basketball, women's basketball, women's gymnastics, and volleyball games. In 2003, the band was awarded the Sudler Trophy, recognizing it as one of the top college bands in the United States.

Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area Overview of sports in the San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the major cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, hosts six major league sports franchises, as well as several other professional and college sports teams, and hosts other sports events.

The South Alabama Jaguars football program, established in 2009, represents the University of South Alabama in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Since joining FBS in 2012, South Alabama has never won more than six games.

Orlando, Florida has a history of major events in sports. It has had a considerable measure of success in minor league sports as well, with teams winning several minor league championships.

2007 Senior Bowl Annual NCAA football game

The 2007 Senior Bowl was a college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2006 college football season and prospects in the 2007 NFL Draft. The 58th edition of the Senior Bowl was played on January 27, 2007, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Clothing company Under Armour sponsored the event for the first year, and provided apparel for the game. Coverage of the event was in high-definition on the NFL Network. The North team won, 27–0.

Mobile Bay Tarpons

The Mobile Bay Tarpons were a professional indoor football team in the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL). Based in Mobile, Alabama, the Tarpons were to play their home games at the Mobile Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds.

Alabama Hammers

The Alabama Hammers were a professional indoor football team based in Huntsville, Alabama. The team played in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) from 2012 to 2015. The Hammers originally began play as an expansion team in the Southern Indoor Football League in 2011. The Hammers are the fourth indoor football team to play at the Von Braun Center; these were the Alabama Vipers of the AFL (2010), the Tennessee Valley Vipers of the af2, and the Tennessee Valley Raptors of the United Indoor Football league (2005). The owner of the Hammers is Southern Sports Entertainment, LLC. The Hammers play their home games at the Von Braun Center. Their name comes from the Yellowhammer, the state bird of Alabama.

Florida Tarpons

The Florida Tarpons were a professional indoor football team based in Lakeland, Florida, out of the RP Funding Center. Originally established in Estero, Florida, and playing out of Germain Arena, they began play in 2012 as an expansion team of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL). The Tarpons joined the X-League Indoor Football (X-League) during the 2015 season when the UIFL merged with the X-League. They played in the Arena Pro Football (APF) league in 2017 before the league became the American Arena League (AAL) for 2018. For 2019, there was an ownership transition that formed their own Florida-based league, called the A-League, and the team rebranded as the Lakeland Tarpons. The team was removed from the A-League schedule at the start of the 2019 season.

Southern Indoor Football League

The Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in 2009 and the American Indoor Football Association, which traces its roots to the founding of the Atlantic Indoor Football League in 2005. The SIFL broke up into three regional leagues after the 2011 season.

The 2013 South Alabama Jaguars football team represented the University of South Alabama in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Joey Jones and played their home games at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. This season marked the first season the Jaguars' were eligible for the Sun Belt championship and to play in a bowl game. They finished the season 6–6, 4–3 in Sun Belt play to finish in a fourth way tie four third place. Despite being bowl eligible, they were not invited to a bowl game.

The 2017 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2017 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game concluded the post-season that began on December 17, 2016. It was sponsored by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and is officially known as the Reese's Senior Bowl. The game was coached by John Fox of the Chicago Bears and Hue Jackson of the Cleveland Browns.

The American Arena League (AAL) is a minor professional indoor football league that began playing in 2018. The league was initiated by a merger between Arena Pro Football (APF) and the Can-Am Indoor Football League (Can-Am), although the AAL only claimed the APF history after the former Can-Am founder left the league. Teams from both leagues, new teams, and later teams from Supreme Indoor Football and National Arena League constituted the new league for its inaugural season.

The 2020 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game played on January 25, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. CST, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game featured prospects for the 2020 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL), predominantly from the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season, rostered into "North" and "South" teams. It was one of the final 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. It was sponsored by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and was officially known as the Reese's Senior Bowl, with television coverage provided by NFL Network.

Hancock Whitney Stadium Multi-purpose stadium in Alabama, U.S.A.

Hancock Whitney Stadium is a 25,450-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. It is the home of the South Alabama Jaguars football program, starting with the 2020 season. The stadium replaced Ladd–Peebles Stadium, a city-owned all-purpose stadium located some 9 miles (14 km) from the campus where the school had played its football games since 2009. The stadium carries the name of Hancock Whitney, a bank holding company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi, while its playing surface is designated as the Abraham A. Mitchell Field, named after a substantial donor to the program. Hancock Whitney Stadium is located on the west part of the South Alabama campus near the football field house, practice fields, and Jaguar Training Center, which is the largest covered practice facility in the state of Alabama.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "Mobile's Baseball History". The Business View. Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. September 2006. pp. 21–22.
  2. "Mobile". Remember the RFL. Retrieved January 26, 2019 via Google Sites.
  3. "Sherman still shakin' it up". June 23, 1995. Retrieved February 19, 2017 via Google News.
  4. https://www.npsl.com/13524%7Ctitle=New Gulf Coast Conference Announced by the NPSL"
  5. "AFC Mobile to join Gulf Coast Premier League". al.com. January 3, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.