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For current information on this topic, see 2008 Columbus Destroyers season |
| Columbus Destroyers | ||
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| Conference | National | |
| Division | Eastern | |
| Year founded | 1999 | |
| Home arena | Nationwide Arena | |
| City, State | Columbus, Ohio | |
| Head Coach | Doug Kay | |
| ArenaBowl championships | 0 | |
| Conference titles | 1: 2007 |
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| Division titles | 0 | |
| Wild Card berths | 3: 2000, 2002, 2007 |
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The Columbus Destroyers are an Arena Football League team. The 2008 Columbus Destroyers season is the 10th season for the franchise their fifth season in Columbus The Eastern Division is one of the four divisions of the American Arena Football League. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Nationwide Arena is a Sports and entertainment arena in Columbus Ohio. Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. Doug Kay was the former Arena Football League coach for the Columbus Destroyers. The ArenaBowl is the Arena Football League 's championship game The Arena Football League (AFL was founded in 1987 as an American football indoor league. The Destroyers franchise was founded in Buffalo, New York in 1999, and have played in Columbus, Ohio since 2004. Buffalo (ˈbʌfəloʊ is the second largest city in New York State. Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1999 in athletics (track and field Track Hicham Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. Events On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul
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History
Buffalo Destroyers (1999-2003)
The Buffalo Destroyers began play during the 1999 AFL season, playing their home games at HSBC Arena, and were owned by Buffalo-area businessman Mark Hamister. The team was founded, in part, because of fears that a lease expiration could have led to the demise or relocation of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, the city's largest sports franchise. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo New York Metropolitan area, playing seven of their home games in the suburb Those fears were unfounded as a multiyear lease deal to keep the Bills in Western New York was signed shortly thereafter and is still in effect. The name "Destroyers" came from a naming contest and alluded to the naval ship of the same name, one of which sits outside the HSBC Arena in the nearby Buffalo Naval and Serviceman's Park.
The Destroyers initially attracted high attendance levels, but a lack of winning early on caused attendance to decline, something the team never recovered from. The first head coach, Dave Whinham, was fired in the middle of the Destroyers' second season after an abysmal 1-17 record[1]. Former Bills player Ray Bentley was selected as his replacement; however, he couldn't lead the Destroyers to a winning season. The closest he came was in 2001, when his team started 6-3 but would end the season on an 0-5 skid to just barely miss the playoffs. The team had another 6-8 season, this time enough to make the playoffs but lost in the first round, in 2002. Bentley abruptly resigned after that season to take a job in broadcasting, and Ron Selesky, a respected personnel man was hired to replace him. Selesky's record in 2003 was a lackluster 5-11. Jerry Crafts, former Bills offensive lineman, played for the Destroyers in 2001 and served most notably as nose tackle, anchoring one of the league's better defenses. Jerry Wayne Crafts (born January 6, 1968 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) was an American football Offensive lineman in the National
After the 2003 season concluded, talks of a re-location began, as the Destroyers had lost USD 5 million over 5 years, went nearly unnoticed by the media (NBC had blacked out all of their games in 2003), and suffered from a lack of local support reflected in low attendance levels. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been This page is about the Arena Football League's AFL on NBC program that started in 2003 In Broadcasting, a blackout is when certain programming usually Sports, cannot be televised in a certain Media market. At the time, Destroyers owner Hamister was also in the running, along with partner Todd Berman, to buy the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, but a deal for a state incentive package fell through and the team was instead sold to Rochester-area entrepreneur and politician B. Thomas Golisano. The Buffalo Sabres are a professional Ice hockey team based in Buffalo New York. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America Blase Thomas Golisano (born 1942 is an American Billionaire Businessman and the founder of Paychex, the second-largest Payroll Shortly after the Sabres deal fell through, in September 2003, Hamister announced that he was relocating the Destroyers to Columbus, Ohio for the 2004 season. Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio.
On May 24,2008 the Arena Football league announced they will award Buffalo a franchise team and has not started negations with the Hsbc arena.
Columbus Destroyers (2004 - Present)
The Buffalo Destroyers moved to Columbus after the 2003 Arena Football League season. Artistic gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champions Paul Hamm, USA, They play their home games in the downtown Nationwide Arena, which they share with the National Hockey League's Columbus Blue Jackets. Nationwide Arena is a Sports and entertainment arena in Columbus Ohio. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional Ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States.
The Destroyers were sold to John H. McConnell, founder of Worthington Industries and majority owner of the Blue Jackets, and accountant Jim Renacci. John Henderson McConnell ( May 10, 1923 - April 25, 2008) was the founder of Worthington Industries, which manufactures processed steel Also owning a stake in the team is NFL wide receiver and former Ohio State football standout Joey Galloway. Joseph Scott "Joey" Galloway (born November 20, 1971 in Bellaire Ohio) is an American football Wide receiver for the Mark Hamister, who owned the team during the Buffalo tenure, initially stayed on as a minority owner, but would eventually sell his share.
The Columbus Destroyers, over their first two years, would often market people with the team who are also associated with The Ohio State University football program, rather than the team itself. The Ohio State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research university in the state of Ohio. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with In the 2004 season, it relied heavily on head coach, former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce, and front office worker Chris Spielman. Earle Bruce (born March 8, 1931) is a former College football and Arena football coach from Cumberland Maryland Charles Christopher Spielman (born October 11, 1965) is a former American football player and is currently an analyst for ESPN 's coverage of In the 2005 season, Spielman became head coach of the team and much of the Destroyers merchandise bore his name. However, as the 2006 season approached, the team appeared to have dropped marketing Ohio State personalities, instead promoting the Destroyers playing "Fast-forward football". Since then, the Destroyers have enjoyed relatively more success, finishing 8-8 in 2006 and making a run all the way to ArenaBowl XXI in 2007.
The Destroyers mascot's name is Bruiser.
The Destroyers have been better received in Columbus then they were in Buffalo, as their attendance levels are some of the highest in the AFL, and they are regularly covered in the media. Home games are televised locally on Columbus Sports Network. Columbus Sports Network (CSN was a cable and Broadcast television station exclusive to the Columbus Ohio market that launched on March 24 All games can be heard on their radio partner Wink 107. 1 FM.
The Destroyers compete in the Eastern Division of the National Conference of the AFL.
Trail of Destruction
First Game
- On April 30, 1999 the Buffalo Destroyers played their first game. They lost to the New England Sea Wolves 59-26 in HSBC Arena in front of 13,214 fans. The Toronto Phantoms was the final name of a team in the Arena Football League, that also operated in New York City and New England
Move to Columbus
- The team moved to Columbus after the 2003 season. They played their first home game against the Carolina Cobras they lost 54-53 in front of a team record 17,171 fans. Not to be confused with the Los Angeles Cobras, who played in the 1988 AFL season
Road to Arena Bowl XXI
- On July 7, 2007 they upset the heavily favored Dallas Desperados who had a regular season record of 15-1. The Dallas Desperados are a professional Arena Football team in the Eastern Division of the Arena Football League. ESPN ranked it as one of histories top upsets alongside the likes of the Miracle on Ice
- One week later on July 14th, 2007 The Destroyers reached their first Arena Bowl after defeating the heavily favored 14-2 Georgia Force 66-56. ESPN, originally an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American Cable television network dedicated to The The Georgia Force is in no way related to the San Antonio Force, which was an Arena Football League team that played only in the 1992 season before disbanding
- The playoff run ended on July 29 when they played the San Jose Sabercats in ArenaBowl XXI. The San Jose SaberCats are an Arena Football League team that began play as a 1995 expansion team ArenaBowl XXI was the 2007 championship game of the Arena Football League (AFL and was played at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, After the Destroyers played great football during the first half, they seemed to lose some momentum during the second half. In the end they lost to the Cats 55-33 in front of a sellout New Orleans Arena crowd. The New Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans Louisiana.
Season-by-season
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Destroyers | |||||
| 1999 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 4th NC Eastern | -- |
| 2000 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NC Eastern | Lost Week 1 (Arizona) |
| 2001 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3rd NC Eastern | -- |
| 2002 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 2nd NC Eastern | Lost Week 1 (Orlando) |
| 2003 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4th NC Eastern | -- |
| Columbus Destroyers | |||||
| 2004 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 4th NC Eastern | -- |
| 2005 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 4th NC Eastern | -- |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 4th NC Eastern | -- |
| 2007 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NC Eastern | Won Wild Card (Tampa Bay) Won Divisional (Dallas) Won NC Championship (Georgia) Lost ArenaBowl XXI (San Jose) |
| *2008 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 5th NC Eastern | -- |
| Totals | 52 | 104 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
* = Current Standing
Head coaches
- 1999-2000: Dave Whinham, 1-17
- 2000-2002: Ray Bentley, 17-23 (17-21 regular season)
- 2003: Ron Selesky, 5-11
- 2004: Earle Bruce, 6-10
- 2005: Chris Spielman, 2-14
- 2006-Present : Doug Kay, 19-20 (16-20 regular season)
Notable players
- Cecil Doggette - DS
- Jerald Brown - DS
- Carl Bond - OS
- Dwaine Carpenter - DS
- Winfield Garnett - DL
- Kerwin Hairston - OL/DL
- Marcus Knight - WR/DB
- Ken Kocher - OL/DL
- Rasheed Marshall - WR
- Steve McLaughlin - K
- Bernard Riley - DL
- Sedrick Robinson - WR/DB
- Prentice Taylor - DS
- Cornelius White - WR/LB
- Kelvin Kinney - OL/DL
- Matt Nagy - QB
- Peter Martinez - K
- Damien Groce - WR/DB
External links
- Columbus Destroyers Official Website
- Buffalo Destroyers at ArenaFan.com
- Columbus Destroyers at ArenaFan.com
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