The Arena Football League (AFL) is a professional indoor American football league in the United States. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster, making it the third longest-running professional football league in North America, after the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL). The AFL plays a proprietary code known as arena football, a form of indoor American football played on a 66-by-28 yard field, with rules encouraging offensive performance, resulting in a faster-paced and higher-scoring game. The sport was invented in the early 1980s and patented by Foster, a former executive of the United States Football League (USFL) and the NFL.
The Columbus Destroyers are an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Columbus, Ohio, with home games in Nationwide Arena. The team was founded in 1999 as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in 2004. They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of ten seasons of play.
The Jacksonville Barracudas were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were established in 2002, and played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (2002–2003), the World Hockey Association 2 (2003–2004), and the Southern Professional Hockey League (2004–2008), before folding in 2008.
The Alabama Steeldogs, originally known as the Birmingham Steeldogs, were incorporated in 2000 as one of the charter teams in the AF2, the developmental league of the Arena Football League. Entering their eighth season as of 2007, they were the longest running of many professional football franchises in the city of Birmingham. Management announced that it would not field a team in 2008 but had hopes of returning in 2009. But the team's front office has since been dissolved, and with no announcements of further plans, the team is defunct.
The Rio Grande Valley Dorados were a professional arena football team. They began play in 2004 as an expansion member of af2, the minor league to the Arena Football League. They played their home games at Obra Homes Field at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
The Spokane Shock were a professional arena football team based in Spokane, Washington, playing their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was part of the National Conference Pacific Division of the Arena Football League. The franchise folded in October 2015. A reorganized ownership group applied for a franchise in the Indoor Football League, known as the Spokane Empire, as the rights to the Shock name belonged to the AFL.
The Stockton Lightning were a professional arena football team based in Stockton, California. They were members of the Western Division of the National Conference of the arenafootball2 (af2). The Lightning joined af2 2006 as an expansion team. They played their home games at Stockton Arena in Stockton, California and were coached by Chad Carlson. The Stockton Lightning were owned by Michael Reinsdorf.
The Daytona Beach ThunderBirds were an arena football team based in Daytona Beach, Florida. They were founded in 2005 as the Daytona Beach Hawgs playing in the National Indoor Football League. In 2006, they changed their name to the Daytona Thunder and played in three different indoor football leagues over three seasons: the American Indoor Football League in 2006, the World Indoor Football League in 2007, and the AF2, the Arena Football League's developmental league, in 2008. They folded after the 2008 season. The Marquee player for the Thurnderbirds was 6'3" 230 pound Left handed Quarterback Matt Bohnet, an Eastern Michigan Graduate, who completed 160 out of 307 passes for 1,890 Yards 28 Touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
The Carolina Rhinos were one of the original 15 teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They were members of the American Conference for their entirety of existence, and the Eastern Division in 2001 and 2002. In their first year, they won 7 of their first 9 games, en route to the playoffs, before losing to the Augusta Stallions. In 2001, again, they won 7 of their first 9 games, and for the first time ever, they won a playoff game, beating the Tulsa Talons, before losing to the eventual champion, Quad City Steamwheelers. In 2002, everyone expected Carolina to not only go to the playoffs, but to do something great. The Rhinos choked, going 5-11, and missed the playoffs. To add insult to injury, the Rhinos folded after their post season-less year, and left Arena Football to the Carolina Cobras, which fittingly, folded 2 years after the Rhinos said good-bye to the BI-LO Center.
The Jacksonville Tomcats were an arena football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They were an inaugural franchise in af2, the developmental league of the Arena Football League (AFL), and played for three seasons from 2000–2002. They played their home games at Jacksonville Coliseum.
The Augusta Stallions were a professional Arena football team based in Augusta, Georgia. They were one of the 15 original teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference, before switching to the Southeast Division in 2001, and then the Eastern Division in 2002. In their first year, Augusta went 13-3, made the playoffs, and had the best record in the American Conference. During the playoffs, the Stallions held off a very feisty Carolina Rhinos team that was looking to upset Augusta. During Week 2, however, they lost to the Tennessee Valley Vipers by a touchdown. Had they won, they would have played the Quad City Steamwheelers for the inaugural AF2 championship. In November 2000, Owner Frank Lawrence named Mike Hold the teams new head coach and Darrell Harbin the teams new general manager. Despite going 9-7 in 2001, Augusta failed to make the playoffs. In 2002, Augusta was on fire by winning 11 of its first 12 games, and made the playoffs again. This time, however, they would be stopped in the first round, this time, by the Macon Knights. Being one of the most successful franchises in the AF2, Augusta did the unthinkable, and bowed out of the AF2. Augusta & professional football was thought to be a tough combination to regroup. However, four years after the Stallions final season, the Augusta Spartans were made for the AIFL.
The Richmond Speed were one of the original 15 teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference in 2000, before going over to the Northeast Division in 2001, then to the Atlantic Division from 2002–2003. In 2000, Richmond went 7-9 and missed the playoffs. 2001 was a banner year for the Speed. Going 13-3, they cruised through the playoffs and into the ArenaCup. Despite going into the game with high expectations, they lost to the defending champion Quad City Steamwheelers. In 2002, the Speed proved that they weren't a one-time wonder, and went to the playoffs again. This time, they were out by Week 1, thanks to the Cape Fear Wildcats. Back-to-Back post-season losses was too much to handle, as in 2003, they went 6-10, last in the Atlantic Division. The Speed folded after the 2003 season, leaving Richmond without indoor football until the 2005 arrival of the AIFL Richmond Bandits.
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 Tallahassee Thunder were an arena football team based in Tallahassee, Florida. They were inaugural members of the af2, the Arena Football League's developmental league. They played for three seasons from 2000 to 2002, when they folded. They played their home games at the Tallahassee–Leon County Civic Center.
The 2009 Wisconsin Wolfpack season was the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. Prior to the Wolfpack franchise's 2008 outdoor campaign, the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League approached the Wolfpack coaches and staff and asked them to assist with the completion of their 2008 season following Gilbert Brown's decision to resign as head coach and the resulting resignation of most of the Bonecrushers' staff. Kopac assumed the role of general manager for the Bonecrushers, and brought with him the core coaches of the Wolfpack outdoor team that would later become the core of the Wolfpack indoor team. Kopac led the team to its only win, a 51-46 victory of the Muskegon Thunder.
The Corpus Christi Rage was a professional indoor football team and a charter member of the National Arena League (NAL) that began play in its inaugural 2017 season. Based in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Rage played their home games at the American Bank Center.
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 it claimed only 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.
