Jacksonville Sharks
| Jacksonville Sharks | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
| Established 2009 Play in Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida JAXSharks.com | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Blood Red, Midnight Black, White |
| Mascot | Chum |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Jeffrey Bouchy Steve Curran Larry Payne Diva Nagula, D.O. Rob Storm Jason Green Kevin Wesniak |
| General manager | Les Moss |
| Head coach | Les Moss |
| Team history | |
| Championships | |
| League championships (1) | |
| Conference championships (2) | |
| Division championships (4) | |
| Playoff appearances (5) | |
| 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 | |
| Home arena(s) | |
| |
The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional arena football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, playing their home games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Sea Best Field. The team is part of the American Conference in the Arena Football League (AFL), and won the championship of their division in the first four seasons of their existence.
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]
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, then 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] On May 3, 2014, it was officially announced that former Motley Crue front man Vince Neil purchased a minority stake in the team.
Arena
Since 2010, the Sharks' home arena has been Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, a $130 million facility. The field is known as "Sea Best Field", sponsored by the local seafood distribution company In the area.
Notable players
Current roster
Template:Jacksonville Sharks roster
Individual awards
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All-Arena players
The following Sharks players have been named to All-Arena Teams:
- QB Aaron Garcia (1)
- FB Derrick Ross (1)
- WR Jeron Harvey (1), Tiger Jones (1), Joe Hills (1)
- OL Randy Degg (1), Moqut Ruffins (1)
- DL Derrick Summers (1), Scooter Berry (1), Jerry Turner (1), Joe Sykes (1)
- LB Aaron Robbins (2), Alvin Ray Jackson (1)
- DB Micheaux Robinson (2), Terrance Smith (1), Greg Reid (1)
All-Ironman players
The following Sharks players have been named to All-Arena Teams:
- WR/KR Jeff Hughley (1)
- WR/DB Terrance Smith (1)
Notable coaches
Head coaches
Note: Statistics are correct through Week 18 of the 2014 Arena Football League season.
| Name | Term | Regular Season | Playoffs | Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||
| Les Moss | 2010–present | 54 | 32 | 0 | .628 | 5 | 3 | 2010 Coach of the Year |
Staff
| Jacksonville Sharks staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
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Head Coach
Offensive Coaches
Defensive Coaches
Football Operations Staff
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Season-by-season results
References
- ^ Don Coble (August 12, 2011). "Sharks win ArenaBowl on final play". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ Don Coble (August 16, 2011). "Jacksonville to celebrate Sharks' championship with a parade". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
- ^ a b "New arena considered for football". The Florida Times-Union. May 25, 1998. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ Jeff Walker (November 13, 2002). "Tomcats fold". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ a b Jeff Elliott (November 18, 2009). "Jacksonville arena football team hoping for a bang". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
External links
