The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
. The team was based in
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
. Home games were played at the
Conseco Fieldhouse
CNO Financial Group, Inc. (formerly Conseco, Inc. (from Consolidated National Security Corporation)) is a financial services holding company based in Carmel, Indiana. Its insurance subsidiaries provide life insurance, annuity and supplemental he ...
, also the home of the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
and
Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
of the
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
.
History
Albany Firebirds (1990–2000)
The team was founded in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
as the Albany Firebirds, and played in Albany from 1990 to 2000. At that time, home games were played at the Knickerbocker Arena (now known as the
MVP Arena
The MVP Arena (originally Knickerbocker Arena, and then the Pepsi Arena and Times Union Center) is an indoor arena located in Albany, New York. It is configurable and can accommodate from 6,000 to 17,500 people, with a maximum seating capacity ...
). The team's original ownership group was headed by Joe O'Hara, owner of the
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...
's
Albany Patroons
The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...
, who would later become the AFL's second commissioner. In 2020, he revealed that he originally wanted to call the team the Nighthawks, but league founder
Jim Foster wanted that nickname for a future team he planned to own after his tenure as commissioner. After getting off the phone with Foster while in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, he happened to see a
Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Che ...
driving down the highway and decided to go with that name.
The Firebirds were very successful during their tenure in Albany. They won six division titles, made nine playoff appearances, and won the 1999
ArenaBowl championship.
Indiana Firebirds (2001–2004)
On October 19, 2000, the Firebirds announced they would be relocating to
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. After the move, the Firebirds competed in the Central Division of the AFL's American Conference. The Firebirds were not as successful in Indianapolis as they were in Albany, missing the playoffs twice in four seasons after having made the playoffs in all but two of their first 11 seasons.
The 2004 Firebirds just missed the playoffs after a disappointing 0–5 start. However, they finished the season winning eight of their last eleven games and were considered by some a potential contender for the 2005
Arena Bowl championship led by 2004 Rookie of the Year
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Zachary Paget.
However, in early September 2004, Firebirds owner Dave Lageschulte announced that his company, Lags Football LLC, would cease all business operations for the Firebirds. Lageschulte had been actively, but unsuccessfully, pursuing local investors to purchase the Firebirds since he had assumed ownership in 2002.
On September 20, 2004, the date of the announced sales deadline, the Arena Football League announced the termination of the Firebirds franchise and that the players would be made available to continuing AFL teams in a
dispersal draft
A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team ceases to exist or is merged with another team. Like most other sports drafts, most dispersal drafts are conducted in North America.
...
. However, within the week the team was purchased by Scott and Todd Hines, who run H3 Sportsgear, a sportsgear company based in Indianapolis. With AFL approval, it was hoped that the Firebirds could remain operational in Indianapolis. However, this bid floundered due to concerns that the low sale price would devalue the worth of the other 18 franchises. The former Firebirds players were made available in the dispersal draft conducted on October 14, 2004, marking the end of one of the AFL's longest-running franchises.
Resurrection of the Albany Firebirds name
After the move of the Albany Firebirds AFL franchise to Indiana, an
AF2
The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football ru ...
team called the
Albany Conquest took to the field to replace the arena football void left by the departure of the Firebirds. After eight seasons and troubles with fielding a winning team in recent seasons, Conquest owner
Walter Robb
Walter Robb is an American businessman. He has been the Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market with John Mackey since 2010 and he joined the Whole Foods Market Board of Directors at that time as well.
Early life
Robb was born and raised on the East Coast ...
contemplated shutting down the Conquest franchise. Then, on Friday, October 3, 2008, Robb announced the return of the team for the 2009 season but renamed as the
Albany Firebirds in the hopes of "re-branding" the team.
Season-by-season
, -
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;", Albany Firebirds
, -
, 1990 , , 3 , , 5 , , 0 , , 5th , , –
, -
, 1991 , , 6 , , 4 , , 0 , , 4th , , Lost Week 1 (
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
37–35)
, -
, 1992 , , 5 , , 5 , , 0 , , 3rd Northern , , Lost Week 1 (
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
48–45)
, -
, 1993 , , 5 , , 7 , , 0 , , 5th NC , , Lost Week 1 (
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...
48–34)
, -
, 1994 , , 10 , , 2 , , 0 , , 1st NC , , Won Week 1 (
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
49–30)
Lost Week 2 (
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, AlÄ á¹£onak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
40–33)
, -
, 1995 , , 7 , , 5 , , 0 , , 1st NC Eastern , , Won Week 1 (
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
51–49)
Lost Week 2 (
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...
56–49)
, -
, 1996 , , 10 , , 4 , , 0 , , 1st NC Eastern , , Won Week 1 (
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
70–58)
Lost Week 2 (
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
62–55)
, -
, 1997 , , 6 , , 8 , , 0 , , 3rd NC Eastern , , –
, -
, 1998 , , 10 , , 4 , , 0 , , 1st NC Eastern , , Lost Week 1 (
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
66–59)
, -
, 1999 , , 11 , , 3 , , 0 , , 1st NC Eastern , , Won Week 1 (
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
55–45)
Won Week 2 (
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, AlÄ á¹£onak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
73–47)
Won
ArenaBowl XIII
Arena Bowl XIII was the 1999 edition of the Arena Football League's championship game. The game was played on August 21, 1999, at the Firebirds' home arena, the Times Union Center (then known as the Pepsi Arena). The title game featured the #8 O ...
(
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...
59–48)
, -
, 2000 , , 9 , , 5 , , 0 , , 1st NC Eastern , , Lost Week 2 (
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, AlÄ á¹£onak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
53–50)
, -
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;", Indiana Firebirds
, -
, 2001 , , 9 , , 5 , , 0 , , 2nd AC Central , , Won Week 1 (
Carolina 58–41)
Won Week 2 (
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...
68–31)
Lost Week 3 (
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
83–70)
, -
, 2002 , , 7 , , 7 , , 0 , , 3rd AC Central , , Lost Week 1 (
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
47–46)
, -
, 2003 , , 6 , , 10 , , 0 , , 4th AC Central , , –
, -
, 2004 , , 8 , , 8 , , 0 , , 3rd AC Central , , –
, -
!Totals , , 121 , , 91 , , 0
, colspan="2", (including playoffs)
Notable players
Arena Football Hall of Famers
Individual awards
All-Arena players
The following Firebirds players were named to
All-Arena Teams:
*QB
Tom Porras
Tom Porras (born March 28, 1958) is an American former gridiron football player. He played as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1985 to 1994 for four teams. Previously, he played in the United States Football League (USFL ...
(1),
Mike Perez (2),
Mike Pawlawski
Mike Pawlawski (born July 18, 1969) is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the National Football League, Arena Football League, and XFL.
Born in Los Angeles, Pawlawski played college football at the University of California ...
(1)
*FB/LB
Chad Dukes (2),
Leroy Thompson
Leroy Thompson (born January 23, 1971) is a former fullback/linebacker in the Arena Football League for 13 years. He has played for the Albany / Indiana Firebirds (1996–2004), the New Orleans VooDoo (2005) and the Columbus Destroyers (2006â ...
(1)
*WR/DB
Reggie Smith
Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Profe ...
(1),
Fred Gayles
Frederick Gayles (born May 11, 1966) is a former Arena football wide receiver/linebacker in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Western State Colorado University.
In 2002, Gayles was elected into the Arena Football Ha ...
(1),
Merv Mosely
Merv Mosely (born October 31, 1966) is a former American football player who played four seasons in the Arena Football League with the Albany Firebirds and Connecticut Coyotes. He played college football at Western Connecticut State University ...
(2),
David McLeod (1),
Jay Jones (1),
Evan Hlavacek
Evan Hlavacek (born November 27, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver/defensive back most recently playing for the Colorado Crush in the Arena Football League.
He is now a firefighter with thCentral Yavapai Fire Districtin Prescott ...
(1)
*WR/LB
Fred Gayles
Frederick Gayles (born May 11, 1966) is a former Arena football wide receiver/linebacker in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Western State Colorado University.
In 2002, Gayles was elected into the Arena Football Ha ...
(1),
Greg Hopkins
Greg Hopkins (born November 16, 1971) is a former Arena Football League wide receiver/linebacker with the Albany Firebirds and the Los Angeles Avengers.
High school career
Greg Hopkins was born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, United States. He a ...
(2)
*OL/DL
Sylvester Bembery (3),
Kevin Murphy (1),
Jerome Brown
Willie Jerome Brown III (February 4, 1965 – June 25, 1992) was an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire five-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1987 to 199 ...
(1),
Joe Jacobs (3),
Jon Krick
Jon Krick (born November 24, 1972) is a former American football player who played four seasons with the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League. He played college football at Purdue.
College career
Krick played for the Purdue Boilermake ...
(1),
Chris Snyder
Christopher Ryan Snyder (born February 12, 1981) is an American former professional baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Houston Astros and the Baltimore Ori ...
(1),
Kyle Moore-Brown (1)
*OS/KR
Reggie Smith
Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Profe ...
(1)
*OS
Eddie Brown (4)
*DS
Derek Stingley
Derek Stingley Jr. (born June 20, 2001) is an American football cornerback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was selected third overall by the Texans in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Ear ...
(1),
Cornelius Coe
Cornelius Coe (born September 17, 1975) is a former American football defensive specialist who played four seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Indiana Firebirds and Los Angeles Avengers. He played college football at Northern Mich ...
(1)
*K
Gary Gussman
Gary Gussman (born September 24, 1965) is a former American football placekicker and coach. He was the special teams coach for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League (AFL) in 2017. He previously played four seasons in the AFL with the D ...
(1),
Franco Grilla
Franco Grilla (born July 21, 1970) is a former American football placekicker who played three seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Albany Firebirds and Orlando Predators. He played college football at the University of Central Fl ...
(1),
Pete Elezovic (1),
Clay Rush (1)
All-Ironman players
The following Firebirds players were named to All-Ironman Teams:
*FB/LB
Chad Dukes (1),
Rich Young (1)
*WR/DB
Evan Hlavacek
Evan Hlavacek (born November 27, 1974) is a former American football wide receiver/defensive back most recently playing for the Colorado Crush in the Arena Football League.
He is now a firefighter with thCentral Yavapai Fire Districtin Prescott ...
(1)
*WR/LB
Greg Hopkins
Greg Hopkins (born November 16, 1971) is a former Arena Football League wide receiver/linebacker with the Albany Firebirds and the Los Angeles Avengers.
High school career
Greg Hopkins was born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, United States. He a ...
(2)
*OL/DL
Joe Jacobs (2),
Chris Snyder
Christopher Ryan Snyder (born February 12, 1981) is an American former professional baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Houston Astros and the Baltimore Ori ...
(1)
All-Rookie players
The following Firebirds players were named to All-Rookie Teams:
*QB
Adrian McPherson
Adrian Jamal McPherson (born May 8, 1983) is a former gridiron football quarterback. McPherson played the majority of his professional career for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in ...
*FB/LB
Van Johnson
Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II.
Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...
*WR/DB
Brett Bech
*DS
Cornelius Coe
Cornelius Coe (born September 17, 1975) is a former American football defensive specialist who played four seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Indiana Firebirds and Los Angeles Avengers. He played college football at Northern Mich ...
Head coaches
References
External links
AFL official websiteAlbany Firebirds at ArenaFan.comIndiana Firebirds at ArenaFan.comAlbany Firebirds historical site
{{Defunct Arena Football League franchises
Defunct American football teams in Indiana
American football teams in Indiana
1990 establishments in New York (state)
2004 disestablishments in Indiana