Manchester Wolves

Manchester Wolves
Manchester Wolves
	Established 2001; Folded 2009; Played in Verizon Wireless Arena ; in Manchester, New Hampshire
League/conference affiliations
	AF2 (2002–2009) American Conference (2002–2009) Northeastern Division (2002–2004); Eastern Division (2005–2006); East Division (2007–2009); ;
	Current uniform
Team colors	Royal, silver, black, white;
Personnel
Owner(s)	Big Win Ventures LLC
Head coach	Danton Barto
Team history
	Mohegan Wolves (2002–2003); Manchester Wolves (2004–2009);
Championships
	League championships (0);
	Conference championships (0);
	Division championships (1); 2005 ;
Playoff appearances (6)
	2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 ;
Home arena(s)
	Mohegan Sun Arena (2002–2003); Verizon Wireless Arena (2004–2009);

Last updated September 12, 2024

The Manchester Wolves were a professional arena football team, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, which folded at the end of the 2009 season along with the rest of the league. They played in the East Division of the American Conference of the AF2 league, which was the minor league of the Arena Football League.

Team history

Inception

On July 19, 2001, Uncasville, Connecticut was awarded an AF2 expansion team.^[1] On December 12, 2001, Mohegan Sun and Dr. Eric Margenau, President/Chief Executive Officer of United Sports Ventures, announced that the new expansion AF2 franchise would be named the Mohegan Wolves. Margenau introduced Gary Porter, as the head coach for the team that would first take the field April 5, 2002 at the Mohegan Sun Arena against the Albany Conquest. Gary Porter, previously led the expansion Peoria Pirates to a 7-9 record in 2001.

The team name was selected through a "Name the Team" contest sponsored by WCTY, Mohegan Sun and X-Tra Mart. A Jewett City, Connecticut resident, came up with the winning name. The winner won four season tickets for the 2002 Mohegan Wolves season, dinner for four on the night of the team's first home game, and a team merchandise package.

New owners

On February 6, 2003, the AF2 league office announced that Big Win Ventures LLC would now be the operator of the Mohegan Wolves. Dr. Margenau, the former principal operator of the Mohegan Wolves, assumed the role of President of Big Win and remained a substantial shareholder. Big Win, which is privately held, also announced the same day that it has assumed operations of the Albany Conquest AF2 franchise.

For the 2003 season, AFL veteran head coach Mark Stoute led the Wolves and dramatically improved their record. The team finished with a 10-6 regular season record (which included a 7-1 home record) and won their first postseason game on August 2, 2003 against the Atlantic Division Champion Cape Fear Wildcats 50-47. The season ended the next week on August 8, 2003 with a 47-30 loss to the Tennessee Valley Vipers.

Relocation

On October 29, 2003, the league office approved the relocation of the Mohegan Wolves team to Manchester, New Hampshire. The Wolves’ move to Manchester was made possible through the efforts of a group of local businessmen and Dr. Margenau. The team of local investors was led by longtime area resident Steve Schubert, a former player for the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears.

During the first season in Manchester, New Hampshire, the new head coach, Rik Richards, was first fired midway through the season and replaced by his coordinator Ron Hill. And assistant coaches Mark Page and Ryan Ray. The Wolves finished out the season with a 5-11 record.

New coach/Turnaround

Things turned around in 2005 with new head coach, Ben Bennett. Bennett, a veteran coach and player with Arena Football and AF2 transformed the Manchester team to a 12-4 regular season record and won the East Division. The regular season included a 10-game win streak. The season ended with a first round playoff loss at home on August 12, 2005 against the Louisville Fire 56-69.

Quarterback problems

In 2006, the Wolves had loftier expectations because of many key players and Head Coach Ben Bennett returning. The team had issues at Quarterback however as D. Bryant and Kyle Rowley were ineffective while trying to fill the shoes of the 2005 starter and current Jake Eaton. With four games remaining in the season and the team sitting at 5-7, Coach Bennett turned to former Ohio State Quarterback Steve Bellisari. A failed defensive back in the NFL, Bellisari took over of the Wolves offense and led them to four straight victories which took the Wolves from the bottom of the division to making the playoffs and hosting a first-round game.

Bellisari found his favorite target Steve Gonzalez and the Wolves had a defense with the tandem of William Haith and Allistair Sebastien as the Wolves got a 55-47 win against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers in front of 3,732 fans at Verizon Wireless Arena. The Wolves season would end one week later in Florida however as Steve Bellisari was driving the Wolves down the field late in the fourth quarter when he threw his last pass as a Wolf, a game-sealing interception to the Florida Firecats. The final score was Florida 40, Manchester 39.

Season-by-season

Season records
Season	W	L	T	Finish	Playoff results
Mohegan Wolves
2002	3	13	0	5th AC Northeast	--
2003	10	6	0	2nd AC Northeast	Won AC Round 1 (Cape Fear 50-47) Lost AC Semifinal (Tennessee Valley 47-30)
Manchester Wolves
2004	5	11	0	4th AC Northeast	--
2005	12	4	0	1st AC East	Lost AC Semifinal (Louisville 69-56)
2006	9	7	0	2nd AC East	Won AC Round 1 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 55-47) Lost AC Semifinal (Florida 40-39)
2007	10	6	0	2nd AC East	Lost AC Round 1 (Central Valley 42-41)
2008	9	7	0	2nd AC East	Won AC Round 1 (South Georgia 46-42) Won AC Semifinal (Green Bay 55-54) Lost AC Championship (Tennessee Valley 45-35)
2009	7	9	0	2nd AC East	Lost AC Round 1 (Iowa 70-53)
Totals	65	61	0	(including playoffs)

Notable players

Steve Bellisari – QB/S
D. Bryant – QB
Steve Gonzalez – WR
Mike Potts – QB
Rich Ranglin – OL
Kyle Rowley – QB

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Wranglers</span> Arena football team

The Austin Wranglers were an arena football team based in Austin, Texas. They played four seasons in the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2007 and spent one season in af2, the AFL's developmental league, in 2008. They made playoff appearances in the AFL in 2006 and in af2 in 2008. They played their home games at the Frank Erwin Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

The New Orleans VooDoo were a professional arena football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They were members of the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2015.

The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in the Uncasville area of Montville, Connecticut located inside the Mohegan Sun casino resort. The arena facility features 30,000 square feet (2,800 m²) of configurable exhibition space and a 400-foot (120 m) clear span. It was built by the Perini Building Company, and opened in October 2001. The arena is home to the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers</span> Arena football team

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers were a minor league arena football team that played in the AF2. The team was part of the East Division in the American conference. The Pioneers were an expansion team for the league's 2002 season, and were the runners-up in ArenaCup VIII and ArenaCup X.

The Amarillo Dusters are a professional indoor football team based in Amarillo, Texas, currently a member of the National Arena League. They play their home games at the Amarillo Civic Center. The Venom began play in 2004 as a charter member of the Intense Football League, a small indoor football league based in Texas. They won the championship in their first and only season with the Intense Football League.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Horsemen</span> American indoor football team

The Kentucky Horsemen was an indoor football team based in Lexington, Kentucky. The team played its home games at Rupp Arena. The organization began as a 2003 expansion member of the National Indoor Football League, where they were successful. Following the 2004 season, where they defeated the Sioux Falls Storm to win Indoor Bowl IV, the Horsemen and other NIFL teams joined the new United Indoor Football (UIF) as a charter member, where they made the playoffs. They lost to the Sioux Falls Storm. They made the playoffs again in 2006 and advanced to United Bowl II where they lost to the Sioux Falls Storm. From 2008 to 2009, the Horsemen played in the AF2. The team announced intentions to compete in the new Arena Football League following the dissolution of the AF2, but instead ceased operations in October 2009.

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 Columbus Wardogs were an arena football team in af2 that played their home games in the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia, from 2001 through 2004. The franchise was relocated as the Mississippi Headhunters for the 2006 season, but did not play any games.

Allen Beverly "Ben" Bennett II is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears. He also was a member of the Jacksonville Bulls, Chicago Bruisers, Dallas Texans, Sacramento Surge, San Antonio Riders, Orlando Predators, San Jose SaberCats and Portland Forest Dragons. He was a football coach in the Arena Football League (AFL), AF2, and National Arena League (NAL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils, earning third team All-American honors in 1983.

Matthew Louis D’Orazio is a former American football quarterback who played in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Otterbein College.

The 2006 AF2 season was the seventh season of the AF2, the Arena Football League's minor league. It was preceded by 2005 and succeeded by 2007. The league champions were the Spokane Shock who capped off an impressive inaugural season with a win over the Green Bay Blizzard in ArenaCup VII.

Nick Davila is an American former professional arena football quarterback who played in the Arena Football League (AFL). A four-time ArenaBowl champion, and three-time MVP, he played for the Arizona Rattlers from 2010 to 2016 and the Washington Valor in 2018. He also played for the Spokane Shock of the af2 from 2008 to 2009. Davila is of Mexican American descent, and is nicknamed the "Latin Laser".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Keefe</span> American football player and coach (born 1980)

Rob Keefe is a former arena football defensive specialist and coach. Keefe has five championship victories and is the only person in arena football history to win ArenaCup (af2) and ArenaBowl (AFL) titles as both a player and a coach. As of the 2022 season, he is an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator with the Bay Area Panthers in the Indoor Football League.

Kyle Rowley is an American former arena football quarterback who played in the Arena Football League (AFL) and the af2. He played college football at Brown.

D. Bryant is a former American football quarterback.

The 2010 Arkansas Diamonds season was the franchise's eleventh season as a football franchise, first in the Indoor Football League, and only season as the "Arkansas Diamonds". The team, led by head coach Danton Barto, played their home games at the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Diamonds finished the regular season with an 11–3 record and first place in the 2010 Lonestar East Division. The team's playoff run ended with a loss to the Billings Outlaws in the Intense Conference Finals. For the 2011 season, the team relocated to Texas as the Allen Wranglers.

The 2009 Arkansas Twisters season was the franchise's tenth season as a football franchise, last in the arenafootball2 league, and final season as the "Arkansas Twisters". The National Conference team, led by head coach Chris Siegfried, played their home games on Allstate Field at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Diamonds finished the 2009 regular season with an 11-5 record and 2nd place in the Southwest Division. The team's playoff run ended with a 36-77 loss to the Boise Burn in the first round.

The New England Black Wolves were a professional box lacrosse team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. They were members of the East Division of the National Lacrosse League and began play in the winter of 2014–2015 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. The team was partially owned by the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, partially owned by Ted Goldthorpe, and partially owned by Brad Brewster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danton Barto</span> American football player and coach (1971–2021)

Danton L. Barto was an American professional football linebacker and coach. He played college football at Memphis State, and professionally for the Memphis Mad Dogs of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Connecticut Coyotes of the Arena Football League (AFL). He was also the head coach of the Las Vegas Gladiators and Kansas City Command of the AFL.

References

↑ "af2 enters SE Connecticut". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. July 19, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
↑ HAVOC announces a distribution deal with the Manchester wolves. (2007, Dec 17). Business Wire, pp. n/a.

External links

Official website (Offline due to team disbanding in 2009)
Official fan club (Offline)
Mohegan Wolves at ArenaFan

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.

[1] "af2 enters SE Connecticut". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. July 19, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2017.

[2] HAVOC announces a distribution deal with the Manchester wolves. (2007, Dec 17). Business Wire, pp. n/a.

[1]

[2]