The ArenaBowl
The Foster Trophy is awarded to the ArenaBowl winner
First playedAugust 1, 1987
Last playedAugust 11, 2019
TrophyFoster Trophy

The ArenaBowl is the championship game of the Arena Football League. Originally hosted at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena based on home attendance during the inaugural 1987 season, save four years (2005–2008) the game was hosted by the team with the higher seed based on regular season performance. In 2005–2006 the league staged the game in Las Vegas, and in 2007–2008 New Orleans hosted the event. For the series final two games, regular season home attendance between the competing teams determined which would host.

Originally using year-based nomenclature ("ArenaBowl '87"), the league would begin consistently referring to the game using roman numerals beginning in 1994 ("ArenaBowl VIII"). The original Arena Football League's 2009 bankruptcy liquidation brought the league's existence to a close, but ArenaBowl XXIII would be staged in 2010 as the championship game of a new league which assumed the AFL's intellectual properties. The final ten games of the series would be staged under the "new" Arena Football League, concluding with ArenaBowl XXXII between the Albany Empire and Philadelphia Soul. The second AFL ultimately had the same fate as the first, ceasing operations after its 2019 season and undergoing Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.[1]

While the intellectual property rights to the names of the Arena Football League and the ArenaBowl were sold through the league's bankruptcy proceeding in 2020, no plans have been disclosed to revive the game a second time.

Results

GameDateWinning teamLosing teamMVPSiteAttendance
ArenaBowl IAugust 1, 1987Denver Dynamite45Pittsburgh Gladiators16Gary MullenPittsburgh Civic Arena13,232
ArenaBowl IIJuly 30, 1988Detroit Drive24Chicago Bruisers13Steve GriffinRosemont Horizon15,018
ArenaBowl IIIAugust 18, 1989Detroit Drive39Pittsburgh Gladiators26George LaFranceJoe Louis Arena12,046
ArenaBowl IVAugust 11, 1990Detroit Drive51Dallas Texans27Art SchlichterJoe Louis Arena19,875
ArenaBowl VAugust 17, 1991Tampa Bay Storm48Detroit Drive42Stevie ThomasJoe Louis Arena20,357
ArenaBowl VIAugust 22, 1992Detroit Drive56Orlando Predators38George LaFrance (2)Orlando Arena13,680
ArenaBowl VIIAugust 21, 1993Tampa Bay Storm51Detroit Drive31Jay GrudenJoe Louis Arena12,989
ArenaBowl VIIISeptember 2, 1994Arizona Rattlers36Orlando Predators31Sherdrick BonnerOrlando Arena14,368
ArenaBowl IXSeptember 1, 1995Tampa Bay Storm48Orlando Predators35George LaFrance (3)ThunderDome25,087
ArenaBowl XAugust 26, 1996Tampa Bay Storm42Iowa Barnstormers38Stevie Thomas (2)Iowa Veterans Memorial Auditorium11,411
ArenaBowl XIAugust 25, 1997Arizona Rattlers55Iowa Barnstormers33Donnie DavisAmerica West Arena17,436
ArenaBowl XIIAugust 23, 1998Orlando Predators62Tampa Bay Storm31Rick HamiltonIce Palace17,222
ArenaBowl XIIIAugust 21,1999Albany Firebirds59Orlando Predators48Eddie BrownPepsi Arena13,652
ArenaBowl XIVAugust 20, 2000Orlando Predators41Nashville Kats38Connell MaynorTD Waterhouse Centre15,989
ArenaBowl XVAugust 19, 2001Grand Rapids Rampage64Nashville Kats42Terrill ShawVan Andel Arena11,217
ArenaBowl XVIAugust 18, 2002San Jose SaberCats52Arizona Rattlers14John DuttonHP Pavilion at San Jose16,942
ArenaBowl XVIIJune 22, 2003Tampa Bay Storm43Arizona Rattlers29Lawrence SamuelsSt. Pete Times Forum20,469
ArenaBowl XVIIIJune 27, 2004San Jose SaberCats69Arizona Rattlers62Mark GriebAmerica West Arena17,391
ArenaBowl XIXJune 12, 2005Colorado Crush51Georgia Force48Willis MarshallThomas & Mack Center*10,822
ArenaBowl XXJune 11, 2006Chicago Rush69Orlando Predators61Matt D'OrazioThomas & Mack Center*13,476
ArenaBowl XXIJuly 29, 2007San Jose SaberCats55Columbus Destroyers33Mark Grieb (2)New Orleans Arena*17,056
ArenaBowl XXIIJuly 27, 2008Philadelphia Soul59San Jose SaberCats56Matt D'Orazio (2)New Orleans Arena*17,244
ArenaBowl XXIIIAugust 20, 2010Spokane Shock69Tampa Bay Storm57Kyle RowleySpokane Veterans Memorial Arena11,017
ArenaBowl XXIVAugust 12, 2011Jacksonville Sharks73Arizona Rattlers70Aaron GarciaUS Airways Center14,320
ArenaBowl XXVAugust 10, 2012Arizona Rattlers72Philadelphia Soul54Nick DavilaNew Orleans Arena*13,648
ArenaBowl XXVIAugust 17, 2013Arizona Rattlers48Philadelphia Soul39Rod WindsorAmway Center*12,039
ArenaBowl XXVIIAugust 23, 2014Arizona Rattlers72Cleveland Gladiators32Nick Davila (2)Quicken Loans Arena18,410
ArenaBowl XXVIIIAugust 29, 2015San Jose SaberCats68Jacksonville Sharks47Reggie GrayStockton Arena9,115
ArenaBowl XXIXAugust 26, 2016Philadelphia Soul56Arizona Rattlers42Shaun KauleinamokuGila River Arena13,390
ArenaBowl XXXAugust 26, 2017Philadelphia Soul44Tampa Bay Storm40Darius PrinceWells Fargo Center13,648
ArenaBowl XXXIJuly 28, 2018Washington Valor69Baltimore Brigade55Arvell NelsonRoyal Farms Arena8,183
ArenaBowl XXXIIAugust 11, 2019Albany Empire45Philadelphia Soul27Tommy GradyTimes Union Center12,042

* Neutral site

  • The first seven ArenaBowls were known by the year in which they were played (i.e. ArenaBowl I was called ArenaBowl '87). ArenaBowl VIII was the first to carry a roman numeral, and all previous games were retconned to have roman numerals as well.
  • The number in parentheses indicates the amount of ArenaBowl MVPs that player won.
  • The Pittsburgh Gladiators relocated in 1991 to become the Tampa Bay Storm.
  • The Nashville Kats relocated in 2002 to become the Georgia Force. The Kats were brought back as an expansion team in 2005 and assumed all former team history up to the point when the original Kats relocated to Georgia. The Force were regarded as a completely separate team and kept records from their establishment in 2002 to the team's demise in 2012, similar to the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens situation in the NFL.

Most championships won

TeamChampionshipsWinning years
Arizona Rattlers51994, 1997, 2012, 2013, 2014
Tampa Bay Storm51991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2003
Detroit Drive41988, 1989, 1990, 1992
San Jose SaberCats42002, 2004, 2007, 2015
Philadelphia Soul32008, 2016, 2017
Orlando Predators21998, 2000
Albany Firebirds11999
Chicago Rush12006
Colorado Crush12005
Denver Dynamite11987
Grand Rapids Rampage12001
Jacksonville Sharks12011
Spokane Shock12010
Washington Valor12018
Albany Empire12019

Standings

TeamWLPCT.PFPALast appearance
Arizona Rattlers55.5005004822016
Tampa Bay Storm*55.5004024342017
San Jose SaberCats41.8003002152015
Detroit Drive42.6672432031993
Philadelphia Soul33.5002793032019
Orlando Predators25.2863163372006
Albany Empire101.00045272019
Albany Firebirds101.00059481999
Chicago Rush101.00069612006
Colorado Crush101.00051482005
Denver Dynamite101.00045161987
Grand Rapids Rampage101.00064422001
Spokane Shock101.00069572010
Washington Valor101.00069552018
Jacksonville Sharks11.5001201382015
Baltimore Brigade01.00055692018
Chicago Bruisers01.00013241988
Cleveland Gladiators01.00032722014
Columbus Destroyers01.00033552007
Dallas Texans01.00027511990
Georgia Force01.00048512005
Iowa Barnstormers02.00071971997
Nashville Kats02.000801052001

*Includes two appearances as Pittsburgh Gladiators (0–2, 42 points, 84 points allowed).

Coaching records

CoachGWLPCT.Team(s)Appearance(s)
Darren Arbet541.800San Jose SaberCats2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2015
Fran Curci1101.000Tampa Bay Storm1991
Mike Dailey2201.000Albany Firebirds, Colorado Crush1999, 2005
Clint Dolezel422.500Philadelphia Soul2013, 2016, 2017, 2019
John Gregory202.000Iowa Barnstormers1996, 1997
Jay Gruden422.500Orlando Predators1998, 1999, 2000, 2006
Kevin Guy532.600Arizona Rattlers2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016
Joe Haering101.000Pittsburgh Gladiators1987*
Mike Hohensee1101.000Chicago Rush2006
Darrel Jackson101.000Pittsburgh Gladiators1989*
Ron James101.000Tampa Bay Storm2017
Doug Kay101.000Columbus Destroyers2007
Rob Keefe2201.000Spokane Shock, Albany Empire2010, 2019
Lary Kuharich1101.000Tampa Bay Storm1993
Tim Marcum1174.636Denver Dynamite, Detroit Drive, Tampa Bay Storm1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2010
Benji McDowell1101.000Washington Valor2018
Les Moss211.500Jacksonville Sharks2011, 2015
Perry Moss514.200Chicago Bruisers, Detroit Drive, Orlando Predators1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995
Bret Munsey1101.000Philadelphia Soul2008
Doug Plank202.000Georgia Force, Philadelphia Soul2005, 2012
Omarr Smith101.000Baltimore Brigade2018
Pat Sperduto202.000Nashville Kats2000, 2001
Ernie Stautner101.000Dallas Texans1990
Steve Thonn101.000Cleveland Gladiators2014
Michael Trigg1101.000Grand Rapids Rampage2001
Danny White523.400Arizona Rattlers1994, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004

*Both Haering and Jackson coached the 1989 Pittsburgh Gladiators, but Jackson is credited with the postseason games.

See also

References

  1. Gleeson, Scott (November 27, 2019), "Arena Football League files for bankruptcy, ceases all operations", USA Today, retrieved November 27, 2019
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