ArenaBowl
First played | August 1, 1987 |
---|---|
Last played | August 11, 2019 |
Trophy | Foster Trophy |
The ArenaBowl was the championship game of the Arena Football League. Originally hosted at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena based on home attendance during the inaugural 1987 season, save four years (2005–2008) the game was hosted by the team with the higher seed based on regular season performance. In 2005–2006 the league staged the game in Las Vegas, and in 2007–2008 New Orleans hosted the event. For the series final two games, regular season home attendance between the competing teams determined which would host.
Originally using year-based nomenclature ("ArenaBowl '87"), the league would begin consistently referring to the game using roman numerals beginning in 1994 ("ArenaBowl VIII"). The original Arena Football League's 2009 bankruptcy liquidation brought the league's existence to a close, but would be staged in 2010 as the championship game of a new league which assumed the AFL's intellectual properties. The final ten games of the series would be staged under the "new" Arena Football League, concluding with between the Albany Empire and Philadelphia Soul. The second AFL ultimately had the same fate as the first, ceasing operations after its 2019 season and undergoing Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.[1]
While the intellectual property rights to the names of the Arena Football League and the ArenaBowl were sold through the league's bankruptcy proceeding in 2020, no plans have been disclosed to revive the game a second time.
Results[]
Game | Date | Winning team | Losing team | MVP | Site | Attendance | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ArenaBowl I | August 1, 1987 | Denver Dynamite | 45 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | 16 | Gary Mullen | Pittsburgh Civic Arena | 13,232 |
ArenaBowl II | July 30, 1988 | Detroit Drive | 24 | Chicago Bruisers | 13 | Steve Griffin | Rosemont Horizon | 15,018 |
ArenaBowl III | August 18, 1989 | Detroit Drive | 39 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | 26 | George LaFrance | Joe Louis Arena | 12,046 |
ArenaBowl IV | August 11, 1990 | Detroit Drive | 51 | Dallas Texans | 27 | Art Schlichter | Joe Louis Arena | 19,875 |
ArenaBowl V | August 17, 1991 | Tampa Bay Storm | 48 | Detroit Drive | 42 | Stevie Thomas | Joe Louis Arena | 20,357 |
ArenaBowl VI | August 22, 1992 | Detroit Drive | 56 | Orlando Predators | 38 | George LaFrance (2) | Orlando Arena | 13,680 |
ArenaBowl VII | August 21, 1993 | Tampa Bay Storm | 51 | Detroit Drive | 31 | Jay Gruden | Joe Louis Arena | 12,989 |
ArenaBowl VIII | September 2, 1994 | Arizona Rattlers | 36 | Orlando Predators | 31 | Sherdrick Bonner | Orlando Arena | 14,368 |
ArenaBowl IX | September 1, 1995 | Tampa Bay Storm | 48 | Orlando Predators | 35 | George LaFrance (3) | ThunderDome | 25,087 |
ArenaBowl X | August 26, 1996 | Tampa Bay Storm | 42 | Iowa Barnstormers | 38 | Stevie Thomas (2) | Iowa Veterans Memorial Auditorium | 11,411 |
ArenaBowl XI | August 25, 1997 | Arizona Rattlers | 55 | Iowa Barnstormers | 33 | Donnie Davis | America West Arena | 17,436 |
ArenaBowl XII | August 23, 1998 | Orlando Predators | 62 | Tampa Bay Storm | 31 | Rick Hamilton | Ice Palace | 17,222 |
ArenaBowl XIII | August 21,1999 | Albany Firebirds | 59 | Orlando Predators | 48 | Eddie Brown | Pepsi Arena | 13,652 |
ArenaBowl XIV | August 20, 2000 | Orlando Predators | 41 | Nashville Kats | 38 | Connell Maynor | TD Waterhouse Centre | 15,989 |
ArenaBowl XV | August 19, 2001 | Grand Rapids Rampage | 64 | Nashville Kats | 42 | Terrill Shaw | Van Andel Arena | 11,217 |
ArenaBowl XVI | August 18, 2002 | San Jose SaberCats | 52 | Arizona Rattlers | 14 | John Dutton | HP Pavilion at San Jose | 16,942 |
ArenaBowl XVII | June 22, 2003 | Tampa Bay Storm | 43 | Arizona Rattlers | 29 | Lawrence Samuels | St. Pete Times Forum | 20,469 |
ArenaBowl XVIII | June 27, 2004 | San Jose SaberCats | 69 | Arizona Rattlers | 62 | Mark Grieb | America West Arena | 17,391 |
ArenaBowl XIX | June 12, 2005 | Colorado Crush | 51 | Georgia Force | 48 | Willis Marshall | Thomas & Mack Center* | 10,822 |
ArenaBowl XX | June 11, 2006 | Chicago Rush | 69 | Orlando Predators | 61 | Matt D'Orazio | Thomas & Mack Center* | 13,476 |
ArenaBowl XXI | July 29, 2007 | San Jose SaberCats | 55 | Columbus Destroyers | 33 | Mark Grieb (2) | New Orleans Arena* | 17,056 |
ArenaBowl XXII | July 27, 2008 | Philadelphia Soul | 59 | San Jose SaberCats | 56 | Matt D'Orazio (2) | New Orleans Arena* | 17,244 |
ArenaBowl XXIII | August 20, 2010 | Spokane Shock | 69 | Tampa Bay Storm | 57 | Kyle Rowley | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | 11,017 |
ArenaBowl XXIV | August 12, 2011 | Jacksonville Sharks | 73 | Arizona Rattlers | 70 | Aaron Garcia | US Airways Center | 14,320 |
ArenaBowl XXV | August 10, 2012 | Arizona Rattlers | 72 | Philadelphia Soul | 54 | Nick Davila | New Orleans Arena* | 13,648 |
ArenaBowl XXVI | August 17, 2013 | Arizona Rattlers | 48 | Philadelphia Soul | 39 | Rod Windsor | Amway Center* | 12,039 |
ArenaBowl XXVII | August 23, 2014 | Arizona Rattlers | 72 | Cleveland Gladiators | 32 | Nick Davila (2) | Quicken Loans Arena | 18,410 |
ArenaBowl XXVIII | August 29, 2015 | San Jose SaberCats | 68 | Jacksonville Sharks | 47 | Reggie Gray | Stockton Arena | 9,115 |
ArenaBowl XXIX | August 26, 2016 | Philadelphia Soul | 56 | Arizona Rattlers | 42 | Shaun Kauleinamoku | Gila River Arena | 13,390 |
ArenaBowl XXX | August 26, 2017 | Philadelphia Soul | 44 | Tampa Bay Storm | 40 | Darius Prince | Wells Fargo Center | 13,648 |
ArenaBowl XXXI | July 28, 2018 | Washington Valor | 69 | Baltimore Brigade | 55 | Arvell Nelson | Royal Farms Arena | 8,183 |
ArenaBowl XXXII | August 11, 2019 | Albany Empire | 45 | Philadelphia Soul | 27 | Tommy Grady | Times Union Center | 12,042 |
* Neutral site
- The first seven ArenaBowls were known by the year in which they were played (i.e. ArenaBowl I was called ArenaBowl '87). ArenaBowl VIII was the first to carry a roman numeral, and all previous games were retconned to have roman numerals as well.
- The number in parentheses indicates the amount of ArenaBowl MVPs that player won.
- The Pittsburgh Gladiators relocated in 1991 to become the Tampa Bay Storm.
- The Nashville Kats relocated in 2002 to become the Georgia Force. The Kats were brought back as an expansion team in 2005 and assumed all former team history up to the point when the original Kats relocated to Georgia. The Force were regarded as a completely separate team and kept records from their establishment in 2002 to the team's demise in 2012, similar to the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens situation in the NFL.
Most championships won[]
Team | Championships | Winning years |
---|---|---|
Arizona Rattlers | 5 | 1994, 1997, 2012, 2013, 2014 |
Tampa Bay Storm | 5 | 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2003 |
Detroit Drive | 4 | 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 |
San Jose SaberCats | 4 | 2002, 2004, 2007, 2015 |
Philadelphia Soul | 3 | 2008, 2016, 2017 |
Orlando Predators | 2 | 1998, 2000 |
Albany Firebirds | 1 | 1999 |
Chicago Rush | 1 | 2006 |
Colorado Crush | 1 | 2005 |
Denver Dynamite | 1 | 1987 |
Grand Rapids Rampage | 1 | 2001 |
Jacksonville Sharks | 1 | 2011 |
Spokane Shock | 1 | 2010 |
Washington Valor | 1 | 2018 |
Albany Empire | 1 | 2019 |
Standings[]
Team | W | L | PCT. | PF | PA | Last appearance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Rattlers | 5 | 5 | .500 | 500 | 482 | 2016 |
Tampa Bay Storm* | 5 | 5 | .500 | 402 | 434 | 2017 |
San Jose SaberCats | 4 | 1 | .800 | 300 | 215 | 2015 |
Detroit Drive | 4 | 2 | .667 | 243 | 203 | 1993 |
Philadelphia Soul | 3 | 3 | .500 | 279 | 303 | 2019 |
Orlando Predators | 2 | 5 | .286 | 316 | 337 | 2006 |
Albany Empire | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 45 | 27 | 2019 |
Albany Firebirds | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 59 | 48 | 1999 |
Chicago Rush | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 69 | 61 | 2006 |
Colorado Crush | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 51 | 48 | 2005 |
Denver Dynamite | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 45 | 16 | 1987 |
Grand Rapids Rampage | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 64 | 42 | 2001 |
Spokane Shock | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 69 | 57 | 2010 |
Washington Valor | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 69 | 55 | 2018 |
Jacksonville Sharks | 1 | 1 | .500 | 120 | 138 | 2015 |
Baltimore Brigade | 0 | 1 | .000 | 55 | 69 | 2018 |
Chicago Bruisers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 13 | 24 | 1988 |
Cleveland Gladiators | 0 | 1 | .000 | 32 | 72 | 2014 |
Columbus Destroyers | 0 | 1 | .000 | 33 | 55 | 2007 |
Dallas Texans | 0 | 1 | .000 | 27 | 51 | 1990 |
Georgia Force | 0 | 1 | .000 | 48 | 51 | 2005 |
Iowa Barnstormers | 0 | 2 | .000 | 71 | 97 | 1997 |
Nashville Kats | 0 | 2 | .000 | 80 | 105 | 2001 |
*Includes two appearances as Pittsburgh Gladiators (0–2, 42 points, 84 points allowed).
Coaching records[]
Coach | G | W | L | PCT. | Team(s) | Appearance(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Darren Arbet | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | San Jose SaberCats | 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2015 |
Fran Curci | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Tampa Bay Storm | 1991 |
Mike Dailey | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Albany Firebirds, Colorado Crush | 1999, 2005 |
Clint Dolezel | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | Philadelphia Soul | 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
John Gregory | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Iowa Barnstormers | 1996, 1997 |
Jay Gruden | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | Orlando Predators | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2006 |
Kevin Guy | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | Arizona Rattlers | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 |
1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | 1987* | |
Mike Hohensee | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Chicago Rush | 2006 |
1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | 1989* | |
Ron James | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Tampa Bay Storm | 2017 |
Doug Kay | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Columbus Destroyers | 2007 |
Rob Keefe | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | Spokane Shock, Albany Empire | 2010, 2019 |
Lary Kuharich | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Tampa Bay Storm | 1993 |
Tim Marcum | 11 | 7 | 4 | .636 | Denver Dynamite, Detroit Drive, Tampa Bay Storm | 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2010 |
Benji McDowell | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Washington Valor | 2018 |
Les Moss | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | Jacksonville Sharks | 2011, 2015 |
Perry Moss | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | Chicago Bruisers, Detroit Drive, Orlando Predators | 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 |
Bret Munsey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Philadelphia Soul | 2008 |
Doug Plank | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Georgia Force, Philadelphia Soul | 2005, 2012 |
Omarr Smith | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Baltimore Brigade | 2018 |
Pat Sperduto | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Nashville Kats | 2000, 2001 |
Ernie Stautner | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Dallas Texans | 1990 |
Steve Thonn | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Cleveland Gladiators | 2014 |
Michael Trigg | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Grand Rapids Rampage | 2001 |
Danny White | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Arizona Rattlers | 1994, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
*Both Haering and Jackson coached the 1989 Pittsburgh Gladiators, but Jackson is credited with the postseason games.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Gleeson, Scott (November 27, 2019), "Arena Football League files for bankruptcy, ceases all operations", USA Today, retrieved November 27, 2019
External links[]
- ArenaBowl
- Recurring sporting events established in 1987
- Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2019
- Indoor American football competitions
- American football bowls
- 1987 establishments in the United States
- 2019 disestablishments in the United States