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| Jacksonville Sharks | |
|---|---|
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| Founded | 2010 |
| League | Arena Football League |
| Team history | Jacksonville Sharks (2010–present) |
| Arena | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 2010–present |
| Based in | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Team colors |
Blood Red, Midnight Black |
| President | Jacksonville Sports Group (Jeff Bouchy, Steve Curran, Larry Payne) |
| Head coach | Les Moss |
| Championships | 1 (2011) |
| Division titles | 2 (2010, 2011) |
| Dancers | Attack Dance Team |
| Website | http://www.jaxsharks.com/ |
The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional arena football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. They are the current champions of the Arena Football League (AFL), which they joined as an expansion team in 2010. They play their home games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Sea Best Field.
The Sharks joined the AFL for the 2010 season, following the league's complete reorganization the previous year. In their inaugural season they set the league record for most regular season wins by an expansion team, winning twelve of their sixteen games, and ranked third in the league in ticket sales and average attendance. They advanced to the 2010 AFL playoffs, claiming the South Division title. In their second year in the league, they advanced to the ArenaBowl XXIV, defeating the Arizona Rattlers 73-70, for the first AFL Championship in franchise history.[1][2]
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[edit] History
The Arena Football League originally wanted to place a franchise in Jacksonville in the 1990s, citing the city's historical support for football.[3] The proposal drew the attention of Wayne Weaver, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the league decided that the Jacksonville Coliseum was too small for AFL standards.[3] In 2000, the Jacksonville Tomcats began play in the af2, the AFL's developmental league. The AFL and Tomcats ownership anticipated the completion of the new 15,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, but the Tomcats folded after the 2002 season, before construction of the Arena was completed.[4]
Interest in placing an arena football team in Jacksonville remained. In 2010, following the restructuring of the AFL and the cancellation of the 2009 season, the AFL announced it would place an expansion team in Jacksonville.[5] The ownership group would be Jacksonville Sports Group, led by Jeff Bouchy, formerly part owner of the Orlando Predators AFL team under his brother Brett Bouchy.[5]
[edit] 2010 results
Regular Season
| Week | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 3 | Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz | Away | W 54–38 | 5,542 |
| 2 | April 9 | Alabama Vipers | Away | L 49–63 | 4,007 |
| 3 | April 16 | Orlando Predators | Home | W 57–31 | 11,179 |
| 4 | April 24 | BYE | |||
| 5 | May 1 | Tulsa Talons | Home | W 62–60 | 9,352 |
| 6 | May 7 | Tampa Bay Storm | Away | W 46–43 | 14,201 |
| 7 | May 14 | Dallas Vigilantes | Home | W 70–49 | 10,052 |
| 8 | May 22 | Cleveland Gladiators | Home | W 46–44 | 11,715 |
| 9 | May 29 | Spokane Shock | Away | L 57–67 | 10,460 |
| 10 | June 4 | Chicago Rush | Away | W 64–56 | 7,430 |
| 11 | June 11 | BYE | |||
| 12 | June 18 | Orlando Predators | Away | L 48–70 | 14,010 |
| 13 | June 26 | Arizona Rattlers | Home | L 50–66 | 11,922 |
| 14 | July 3 | Alabama Vipers | Home | W 62–47 | 8,753 |
| 15 | July 10 | Utah Blaze | Away | W 67–56 | 4,508 |
| 16 | July 17 | Tampa Bay Storm | Home | W 49–47 | 13,011 |
| 17 | July 24 | Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings | Away | W 48–20 | 6,015 |
| 18 | July 30 | Spokane Shock | Home | W 64–49 | 13,011 |
Playoffs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Conference Semifinals | August 6 | Orlando Predators | Home | L 69-73 | 10,000 |
[edit] Season-by-season results
| ArenaBowl Champions | ArenaBowl Appearance | Division Champions | Playoff Berth |
| Season | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | ||||||
| Jacksonville Sharks | ||||||||
| 2010 | AFL | American | South | 1st | 12 | 4 | Lost Conference Semifinals (Orlando) 69–73 | |
| 2011 | AFL | American | South | 1st | 14 | 4 | Won Conference Semifinals (Orlando) 63–48 Won Conference Championship (Georgia) 64–55 Won ArenaBowl XXIV (Arizona) 73–70 |
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| Total | 26 | 8 | (includes only regular season) | |||||
| 3 | 1 | (includes only the postseason) | ||||||
| 29 | 9 | (includes both regular season and postseason) | ||||||
[edit] Roster
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Jacksonville Sharks roster
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Fullbacks
Wide Receivers
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen |
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Kickers |
Injured Reserve
Refused to Report
Exempt List
Suspended by League
Rookies in italics |
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[edit] References
- ^ Don Coble (August 12, 2011). "Sharks win ArenaBowl on final play". The Florida Times-Union. http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/sharks/2011-08-12/story/sharks-win-arenabowl-final-play. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ Don Coble (August 16, 2011). "Jacksonville to celebrate Sharks' championship with a parade". The Florida Times-Union. http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/sharks/2011-08-15/story/jacksonville-celebrate-sharks-championship-parade#ixzz1WogGcPiP. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ a b "New arena considered for football". The Florida Times-Union. May 25, 1998. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/052598/met_2a1ARENA.html. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ Jeff Walker (November 13, 2002). "Tomcats fold". The Florida Times-Union. http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/111302/spo_10953307.shtml. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ a b Jeff Elliott (November 18, 2009). "Jacksonville arena football team hoping for a bang". The Florida Times-Union. http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/2009-11-18/story/jacksonville_arena_football_team_hoping_for_a_bang. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
[edit] External links
- Jacksonville Sharks official website
- Local TV station's story announcing Sharks' entry
- Jacksonville Business Journal's story
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