The Dayton Sharks were a professional
indoor football team based in
Dayton, Ohio. The team was a member of the
Continental Indoor Football League
The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIF ...
(CIFL). The franchise started as an
expansion team
An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
in the CIFL during the 2013 season. The Sharks were the fifth indoor football team to be based in Dayton, the first being the
Dayton Skyhawks of the original
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams amo ...
. The Skyhawks were followed by the
Dayton Warbirds, who later became the
Dayton Bulldogs, of the
National Indoor Football League
The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, A ...
the third being the
Cincinnati Marshals who played their 2007 season in Dayton and the fourth being the
Dayton Silverbacks who played from 2006 to 2012. The Owner of the Sharks was CA Sports Entertainment LLC. The Sharks played their home games at
Hara Arena in nearby
Trotwood, Ohio
Trotwood is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States and is a suburb of Dayton.
The population was 24,431 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is served by the Trotwood-Madison City S ...
.
Franchise history
2013 play begins
In July 2012, the team announced CA Sports Entertainment LLC. was awarded an expansion franchise in
Dayton, Ohio and that the team would be named the Dayton Sharks. The Sharks filled the void left after the
Dayton Silverbacks folded at the conclusion of the 2012 season.
The team was led by Corwyn Thomas, who was the team's Managing General Partner, CEO and Chairman.
The team signed many local players, who have a track record for success, such at
Tommy Jones and
Robert Redd.
The Sharks had a great start to the season, going 8−0 before losing to the
Erie Explosion
The Erie Explosion was a professional American indoor football team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007 as the Pittsburgh RiverRats, the Explosion played in the Professional Indoor Football League, the United Indoor Football League, the ...
and the
Kentucky Xtreme in the final two weeks. With an 8–2 record, the Sharks had won the 2 seed for the CIFL playoffs, but due to a scheduling conflict with
Hara Arena, the Sharks played their playoff game at the
Saginaw Sting. The Sting would go on to upset the Sharks, scoring twice in the final minute to defeat their former quarterback Jones.
2014
In June 2013, the Sharks agreed to terms with the CIFL to return for the 2014 season.
Logos and uniforms
When the Dayton Sharks were announced, the ownership stated the franchise would be red, black and silver, but after a month changed the colors to be blue, black and silver. The team also introduced a new logo at that time, a
Shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...
with the text "Sharks" underneath it.
Image:DaytonSharks proposed logo.png, First Proposed Dayton Sharks Logo
Image:DaytonSharks2.jpg, Second Proposed Dayton Sharks Logo
Image:DaytonSharks.PNG, 2013–2014 Logo
Notable players
Final roster
Awards and honors
The following is a list of all Dayton Sharks players who have won league Awards
All-League players
The following Sharks players have been named to All-League Teams:
* QB
Tommy Jones (2)
* RB Derrick Moss (1)
* WR
Robert Redd (1), Kenyez Mincy (1), Eugene Cooper (1), Derrick Shearer (1)
* OL Andrew Phelan (1), Frank Straub (1), Josh Ellison (1)
* DL James Spikes (1)
* LB Santino Turnbow (1)
* DB Mike Davis (1), Viterio Jones (1), Donte Johnson (1)
Notable coaches
Head coaches
Coaching staff
Season-by-season results
Media
* Broadcasters: Radio - Lee W. Mowen, Doug Brown, Brian Reiss
* Local media: Radio - Gem City Sports Network
References
{{CIFL
Former Continental Indoor Football League teams
American football teams in Dayton, Ohio
Defunct American football teams in Ohio
American football teams established in 2012
American football teams disestablished in 2014
2012 establishments in Ohio
2014 disestablishments in Ohio