Utah Blaze

Utah Blaze
Utah Blaze
	Established 2006
	File:UtahBlaze.gif
League/conference affiliations
	Current uniform
Personnel
Head coach	Danny White
Team history
Championships
	League championships (0);
	Conference championships (0);
	Division championships (0);
Home arena(s)
	EnergySolutions Arena

The Utah Blaze is an Arena Football League team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They began play as a 2006 expansion team.

History

The Utah Blaze began play on January 28, 2006, playing the San Jose SaberCats on the road. The team is coached by longtime Arizona Rattlers coach Danny White and plays its home games at the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, home of the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz. The team is owned by automobile businessmen John Garff, Robert Garff, and Brett Hopkins.

On Saturday, February 11, 2006, the Blaze lost to the New York Dragons 84-81 in the second highest scoring game in the history of the Arena Football League. The Blaze's performance was also the second highest score for a losing team in the AFL's 20-year history.

In their first season, the Blaze had the highest average attendance in the Arena Football League, with 15,498 fans per game. They narrowly edged out Philadelphia's 15,463. Prior to the 2006 season, the Blaze had said EnergySolutions Arena held 13,000 fans due to poor sight lines in most of the building. After 16,705 people attended the home opener, that figure was changed to near 15,000. The Blaze topped that figure 5 of the 8 games their first season.

Despite a losing record of 7-9, the Blaze got into the playoffs as an AC Wildcard (the conference's #6 seed). Unfortunately, the newly formed Blaze were given the boot as they lost to the Arizona Rattlers with a final score of 57-34.

The team's mascot is a dalmatian named "Chief."^[1]

Season-by-season

Season records
Season	W	L	Finish	Playoff results
2006	7	9	3rd AC Western	Lost Week 1 (Arizona)
2007	8	8	3rd AC Western	Lost Week 1 (Los Angeles)
Totals	15	19	(including playoffs)

Not to be forgotten

#3 Justin Skaggs WR/LB (died of brain tumor in 2007)

Roster by number

(Current as of 2007-03-12)

Number	Name	Position	Height	Weight
1	Justin Taplin	WR/DB	6 ft 0 in	185 lb
2	Troy Mason	OS	5 ft 9 in	170 lb
4	Orshawante Bryant	WR/DB	6 ft 0 in	185 lb
5	Siaha Burley	OS	6 ft 0 in	185 lb
6	Sale Key	WR/LB	6 ft 4 in	225 lb
7	Thal Woods	DS	5 ft 9 in	175 lb
9	Ryan Dennard	WR/LB	6 ft 3 in	215 lb
10	Joe Germaine	QB	6 ft 2 in	220 lb
12	Garrett Smith	OL/OL	6 ft 3 in	285 lb
13	Steve Videtich	K	6 ft 2 in	185 lb
14	Kevin Moffett	DS	6 ft 1 in	185 lb
15	Tali Ena	QB	6 ft 4 in	235 lb
17	Jason Gesser	QB	6 ft 1 in	210 lb
20	Kevin Clemens	FB/LB	6 ft 1 in	275 lb
21	Kelvin Hunter	DS	5 ft 10 in	185 lb
23	Tom Pace	WR/LB	5 ft 11 in	215 lb
31	Chris Robinson	FB/LB	6 ft 3 in	272 lb
32	Emmett White	WR/LB	6 ft 0 in	217 lb
40	Craig Kobel	FB/LB	6 ft 2 in	265 lb
44	Ronnie Washburn	OL/OL	6 ft 3 in	275 lb
53	Scott Pospisil	OL/OL	6 ft 2 in	285 lb
59	Doug Kaufusi	OL/OL	6 ft 6 in	305 lb
72	Hans Olsen	OL/OL	6 ft 4 in	295 lb
97	Ernest Grant	OL/OL	6 ft 6 in	320 lb
98	Lewis Powell	OL/OL	6 ft 3 in	285 lb
99	Bryan Henderson	OL/OL	6 ft 5 in	285 lb

Coaches

(Current as of 2007-03-12)

Name	Coaching Position	Biography External Link
Danny White	Head Coach/General Manager	[1]
Hunkie Cooper	Assistant Coach-Offensive Coordinator	[2]
Ron James	Assistant Coach-OL/DL	[3]
Lindsay Hassell	Assistant Coach-Strength Conditioning/OL/DL	[4]
Darin Featherstone	Head Equipment Manager	[5]
Jim Low	Intern, Equipment Manager	[6]

Arena Football Hall of Famers associated with the Utah Blaze

Danny White, Head Coach 2006-

External links

Template:Utah Blaze seasons

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[1] [7]

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