History of the Arena Football League in San Antonio

Last updated

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 (later Continental Football League, then Trans-American Football League) from 1966 to 1971; and the Charros of the American Football Association from 1978 to 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.

San Antonio Force (1992)

The Force played their home games at HemisFair Arena, [1] then the home of the San Antonio Spurs. They set two records for futility, becoming the first arena football team ever to be shut out in a game, losing to the Orlando Predators 50–0 on June 13, 1992, [2] and the all-time lowest record for field goal percentage in a season, 11.8% (4-34), among three different kickers. The team ceased operations upon the completion of the season, citing that there were not enough available dates at HemisFair Arena or the Alamodome for the team to host games. [3] There was an attempt by Marc Reich to bring the team to Hartford, Connecticut, but he was unable to convince the city to purchase the rights to the Force, as it was believed there wasn't a high enough return on investment. [4] Arena football returned to San Antonio in 2012 when the Tulsa Talons franchise relocated to the Alamodome. [5]

San Antonio Talons (2010–2014)

On September 21, 2011, Talons chairman Paul Ross announced the team was moving to San Antonio due to less than desirable attendance and ticket sales. [6] The team was purchased by a group led by California businessman Jason Lohe and the Talons were introduced to the city of San Antonio on September 27, 2011. Despite AFL tradition to adopt previous AFL team names and identities for new teams in previous markets, the Talons chose to keep their nickname and not adopt the identity of the long-defunct San Antonio Force, due in part to the preexistence of the Georgia Force (a similar issue forced the Pittsburgh Power to adopt its current name instead of the Gladiators). In March 2012, Lynd Sports LLC, became a partial owner of the Talons. [7] Just days later, Lohe was forced to return to California with family issues, and David Lynd became the principal owner of the franchise. [8] The Talons then made a big play in free agency by signing veteran quarterback Aaron Garcia, who was fresh off of leading the Jacksonville Sharks to their first ever ArenaBowl victory. [9]

In December 2013, Lynd was sued for breach of contract when his real estate company (Lynd Company) failed to follow through on a 1.7 million dollar purchase. [10] On January 9, 2014, it was reported that the league had seized control of the franchise, and began immediately looking for new ownership. The league has been in talks with Spurs Sports & Entertainment, owners of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, WNBA's San Antonio Stars and San Antonio Rampage hockey team, but neither AFL commissioner Jerry Kurz nor a Spurs spokeswoman could comment about the talks at the time. [11]

On October 13, 2014, the AFL announced that the Talons would not be returning to play in 2015 and are dormant. [12]

Related Research Articles

Arena Football League Professional American arena football league

The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in 1987 season making it the third longest-running professional football league in North America after the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) until the AFL closed in 2019.

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.

New Orleans VooDoo Arena football team

The New Orleans VooDoo were a professional arena football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The VooDoo were a member of the East Division of the American Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). They played their home games in Smoothie King Center. The VooDoo were unrelated to an earlier AFL team, the New Orleans Night, who had competed in the 1991 and 1992 AFL seasons in the Louisiana Superdome.

San Antonio Force Arena football team

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.

San Jose SaberCats Arena football team

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.

AT&T Center Arena in San Antonio, Texas, United States

The AT&T Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association.

Alamodome Multi-purpose domed stadium in San Antonio, Texas, United States

The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 million.

HemisFair Arena was an indoor arena located in San Antonio, Texas. It was home to the ABA/NBA's San Antonio Spurs from 1973 to 1993 and the San Antonio Force of the AFL during the 1992 season, their only year of existence. The Houston Rockets also played home games at the arena during the 1972-73 NBA season.

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.

San Antonio Talons Arena football team

The San Antonio Talons were a professional arena football team based in San Antonio, Texas. They played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Their home arena was the Alamodome, following their relocation to San Antonio for the 2012 season.

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.

Sports in San Antonio

Sports in San Antonio includes a number of professional major and minor league sports teams. The American city of San Antonio, Texas also has college, high school, and other amateur or semi-pro sports teams.

The 2011 Tulsa Talons season was the 12th season for the franchise, and the second in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Mitch Allner and played their home games at BOK Center. The Talons finished the season 8–10, failing to qualify for the playoffs. This would be the last season for the Talons in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The franchise relocated to San Antonio, Texas following this season.

2012 Arena Football League season Sports season

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 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.

Lee Johnson is an arena football coach and former offensive lineman and defensive lineman. He played his college football at the University of Missouri, and was an AFL offensive lineman and defensive lineman from 1995 to 1996. He has been a football coach since 1997. After being the defensive coordinator for the Orlando Predators from 2010 to 2011, he became the San Antonio Talons head coach in 2011.

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.

Anthony Buich is a former American football quarterback who played one season with the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois University. He was also a member of the Iowa Barnstormers, Tulsa Talons, Tampa Bay Storm, Wichita Stealth, Nashville Kats and San Diego Riptide.

References

  1. ↑ Richard Oliver (June 30, 2011). "Arena football may find home in S.A." San Antonio Express-News . Hearst Communications Inc. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  2. ↑ Richard Oliver (June 17, 2012). "Force's 50-0 loss 20 years ago stands alone". San Antonio Express-News. Hearst Communications Inc. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  3. ↑ Mike Wagner (November 6, 1992). "Force.Folding Force will no longer be with San Antonio". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  4. ↑ Roy Hasty (January 29, 1993). "No Arena team for Hartford Verdict on Arena team: risk of loss too high". Hartford Courant . Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  5. ↑ Charlie Hannema (September 21, 2011). "Tulsa Talons Moving To San Antonio". www.newson6.com. NowWorld. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  6. ↑ Charlie Hannema (September 21, 2011). "Tulsa Talons Moving To San Antonio". www.newson6.com. World Now. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  7. ↑ W. Scott Bailey (March 2, 2012). "Local real estate firm Lynd unveils sports-business unit". www.bizjournals.com. American City Business Journals. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  8. ↑ Richard Oliver (March 9, 2012). "With strike in place, new Talons team may play today". San Antonio Express-News. The Hearst Corporation. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  9. ↑ Eric R. Ivie. "San Antonio Talons sign Aaron Garcia, Robert Quiroga". www.sports.yahoo.com. Yahoo!. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  10. ↑ Joe Conger (December 10, 2013). "SA Talons owner sued for breach of contract". www.kens5.com. KENS 5-TV, Inc. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  11. ↑ Patrick Danner (January 9, 2014). "Arena Football League takes over Talons". www.expressnews.com. The Hearst Corporation. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ AFL Talons won’t play in San Antonio next season, former team executive says, W. Scott Bailey, San Antonio Business Journal, October 13, 2014
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.