 | |
| Founded | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2009 |
| Team history |
|
| Based in | Staples Center in Los Angeles, California |
| Home arena |
|
| Mascot | TD |
| League | Arena Football League (2000–2008)
|
| Colors | Red, blue, gold and white |
| Personnel | |
| Head coach | Ed Hodgkiss |
| Team president | Matt Wikstrom |
| Owner | Casey Wasserman |
| Championships | |
| Division titles (1) |
|
| Playoff appearances (5) | |
The Los Angeles Avengers were an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California, from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009. [1]
The Los Angeles Avengers played their home games at the Staples Center, which is also the current home to the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association. The team began play in the 2000 season. The Avengers competed in the Western Division of the American Conference. Since its inception in 2000, the Avengers had competed in postseason play five times. The Avengers earned American Conference wildcard playoff berths in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007, and won the American Conference Western Division Championship in 2005.
The Avengers franchise was owned by Casey Wasserman, grandson of the MCA head Lew Wasserman.
As part of the Avengers's marketing plan as they got off the ground in 2000, the team placed risqué billboard slogans around Greater Los Angeles, with slogans including "On April 9th, Twelve Men Will Go Both Ways," [2] meaning the members will play both offense and defense. One such sign, reading "Six Beautiful Women Will Show You Their Panties" (a joking reference to the team's cheerleaders) aroused the ire of Rick Cole, then City Manager of Azusa. He responded by borrowing a City truck and splashing paint over the sign, [3] further publicizing the Avengers. Following Rick Cole's apology and compensation payments, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office chose not to file vandalism charges. [4]
On April 10, 2005, in a game against the New York Dragons, offensive lineman/defensive tackle Al Lucas tackled Corey Johnson during a kickoff return with 10:17 to go in the first quarter. Replays showed that Johnson's knee hit Lucas' helmet, and Lucas did not move again after falling to the ground. Later replays and reports showed nothing abnormal on the play. Dr. William Lang, the team physician, attempted to revive him on the field. He appeared to suffer a spinal cord injury. After being treated for approximately a half an hour at the Staples Center, Lucas was rushed to nearby California Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:28pm PDT. He was only 26 years of age. It is unknown whether Lucas died on the field, or after treatment failed. An autopsy revealed that he died of blunt force trauma and an upper spinal cord injury. It is the only fatal injury incurred during a game in the history of the league. The Al Lucas Hero Award is named after him.
The Avengers announced the termination of the program on April 20, 2009, after nine years of operation. Four years later, it was announced that the Los Angeles KISS would join the AFL starting in the 2014 season making them the fourth team to set up shop in the Los Angeles area.
The Avengers' official mascot was a superhero-like character named T.D. [5]
| Head coach | Tenure | Regular season record (W-L) | Post season record (W-L) | Most recent coaching staff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Brock | 2000 - 2001 | 3-14 [7] | 0-0 [7] | Let go after starting 0-3 during 2001. [7] | |
| Robert Lyles | 2001 [8] | 5-6 [8] | 0-0 | Replaced Brock, was not retained after season. | |
| Ed Hodgkiss | 2002 - 2008 | 57-53 [9] | 1-5 [9] | ||
| Pat O'Hara* | 2009 | 0-0 | 0-0 | OC:Vacant DC / DB coach: Maurice Blanding QB / WR coach: Chad Salisbury DL / LB coach: Leroy Thompson OL / FB coach: Mark Tucker | Team folded before he coached a game. |
| Los Angeles Avengers Hall of Famers | ||||
| No. | Name | Year Inducted | Position(s) | Years w/ Avengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 | Greg Hopkins | 2013 | WR/LB | 2002–06 |
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| Los Angeles Avengers retired numbers | ||||
| N° | Player | Position | Seasons | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | Al Lucas | DL | 2004−05 | |
| 82 | Greg Hopkins | WR | 2002-06 | |
The following Avengers players were named to All-Arena Teams:
The following Avengers players were named to All-Ironman Teams:
The following Avengers players were named to All-Rookie Teams: