Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
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| Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz | |
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| Founded | 2004 |
| League | af2 (2004-2009) AF1 (2010-future) |
| Team History | Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (2004-present) |
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| Arena | Cox Convention Center |
| Based in | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Team Colors | Black, Brown, Silver, White |
| President | Phil Miller |
| Head Coach | Sparky McEwen |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division Titles | 0 |
| Dancers | Yard Dawgz Dance Team |
| Mascot | Deizel Dawg |
The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz are a charter member of the Arena Football 1 league which started play as a 2004 expansion team of the Arena Football League's now-defunct minor league af2. Formerly a tenant of the Ford Center from 2004 until 2008, the Yard Dawgz were forced out when the National Basketball Association's Oklahoma City Thunder moved into town; starting in 2009, the Yard Dawgz now play at the Cox Convention Center.
The Yard Dawgz were founded in 2003 by Barry Switzer, Jeff Lund and Horn Chen. Jeff Lund recently sold the franchise to local businessman, Phil Miller. Miller is also the owner of several Oklahoma based businesses including Long Wave Incorporated, DocSoft Inc. and South-20 Inc.
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[edit] Team history
[edit] Three straight winning seasons
The Yard Dawgz had a successful first year on and off the field by leading the league in attendance and finishing the regular season with 10-6 record to finish second in the Southwest Division of the National Conference.
In 2005, The Yard Dawgz had another successful year, despite changing divisions, by coming in third in attendance and finishing the regular season with 10-6 record to finish second in the Midwest Division of the National Conference. The Dawgz lost in the first round to the Amarillo Dusters.
The Yard Dawgz had their best showing in 2006 with a record of 11-5 and their third playoff appearance. Kicker A.J. Haglund won the af2 Kicker of the Year award and Quarterback Craig Strickland became the only player in af2 history to reach 20,000 passing yards for their career.
[edit] First losing season
In 2007, under head coach John Fitzgerald, the Yard Dawgz had the second leading offense in the league - averaging 310.9 yd/game. Despite finishing 7-9, the team made their fourth consecutive playoff appearance. Three members of the 2007 Yard Dawgz earned All-af2 First Team honors - WR/DB Al Hunt, Center Gene Frederic, and OL/DL Barry Giles.
[edit] Historical News from 2008
On June 28, 2008 against the Lubbock Renegades, Wide Receiver Al Hunt became only the third player in af2 history to record 1,000 points.
[edit] 2009 Season
After starting out the season with a promising team record 4-0 record, the Yard Dawgz dropped five straight games in a row, the longest in team history, to drop to 4-5. Since then, the Dawgz have won 3 straight to push their record to 7-5 with an eye still on the playoffs.
On June 20, the Yard Dawgz faced off against the Corpus Christi Sharks. The Yard Dawgz beat the Sharks 93-41 and set an af2 record for points scored in the first half (59) and beat the franchise record of points scored in a game that was originally set against the Tulsa Talons.
Despite a loss to the Spokane Shock on June 26th, the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz clinched a playoff berth after a loss by Central Valley to Boise the next night. The playoff appearance will mark the 5th time in 6 years the Dawgz will be in post-season play.
The Yard Dawgz season ended on August 1st at the hands of the Tulsa Talons in the first round of ArenaCup playoffs. With the loss, the Dawgz have have dropped five straight post season games and are winless in the team's history in the playoffs. The Dawgz are selling season tickets for the 2010 season.
[edit] Season-By-Season
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (af2) | |||||
| 2004 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd NC Southwest | Lost Week 1 (Peoria 45-36) |
| 2005 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd NC Midwest | Lost Week 1 (Amarillo 59-56) |
| 2006 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2nd NC Midwest | Lost Week 1 (Arkansas 47-43) |
| 2007 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NC Central | Lost Week 1 (Tulsa 65-27) |
| 2008 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 5th NC Central | -- |
| 2009 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2nd NC Central | Lost Week 1 (Tulsa 90-75) |
| Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (AF1) | |||||
| 2010 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Totals | 51 | 50 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
* = Current Standing
[edit] 2009 schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 27 | Amarillo Dusters | Away | W 76-29 |
| 2 | April 4 | South Georgia Wildcats | Home | W 66-58 |
| 3 | April 11 | Central Valley Coyotes | Home | W 76-38 |
| 4 | April 18 | BYE | ||
| 5 | April 25 | Amarillo Dusters | Home | W 41–27 |
| 6 | May 1 | Rio Grande Valley Dorados | Home | L 73-74 |
| 7 | May 9 | Tulsa Talons | Away | L 56-75 |
| 8 | May 16 | Tennessee Valley Vipers | Away | L 24-49 |
| 9 | May 25 | Corpus Christi Sharks | Away | L 62-65 |
| 10 | May 30 | Tulsa Talons | Home | L 46-73 |
| 11 | June 5 | Arkansas Twisters | Away | W 56-54 |
| 12 | June 13 | Milwaukee Iron | Home | W 63-28 |
| 13 | June 20 | Corpus Christi Sharks | Home | W 93-41 |
| 14 | June 26 | Spokane Shock | Away | L 28-61 |
| 15 | July 3 | Rio Grande Valley Dorados | Away | L 43-46 |
| 16 | July 11 | Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings | Home | L 67-69 |
| 17 | July 18 | BYE | ||
| 18 | July 25 | Iowa Barnstormers | Away | L 59-63 |
| Post Season (Round 1) | August 2 | Tulsa Talons | Away | L 75–90 |
[edit] Head Coaches
- 2004 Gary Reasons
- 2005-2006 Jeff Jarnigan
- 2007 John Fitzgerald
- 2008 Gary Reasons and Sparky McEwen
- 2009 Sparky McEwen
[edit] Notable Players
- The Legendary Al Hunt
- Fred Shaw
- Kelly Butler
- Andre Burns
- Danny Howard
- Freddie Rollins
- Aaron Chavers
- Tommy Grady
[edit] Notable former players
- Timon Marshall
- Craig Strickland
- Peter Martinez
- A.J. Haglund
- B.J. Barre
- Evan Gray
- Ben Scott
- Jarrail Jackson
- Barry Giles
- Andrew "Drew-bear" Rekuski
[edit] External links
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