The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional
indoor football team based in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
, playing their home games at
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (originally Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. It currently serves as the home arena of the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, the Jacksonville Giants o ...
. Beginning in 2017, the Sharks began play as charter members of the
National Arena League
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. It consists of teams based on the East Coast of the United States.
Teams' typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, while players are paid $ ...
(NAL). They were members of 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 ...
(AFL) from 2010 to 2016 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
ArenaBowl XXIV was the 24th edition of the championship in the Arena Football League (AFL). The American Conference champion, Jacksonville Sharks, defeated the National Conference champion, Arizona Rattlers, 73–70. It was played on August 12, ...
, defeating the
Arizona Rattlers 73–70, for the first AFL Championship in franchise history. The Sharks left the AFL after the 2016 season and joined the NAL.
History
Arena Football League (2010–2016)
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 ...
originally wanted to place a franchise in
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
in the 1990s, citing the city's historical support for football.
The proposal drew the attention of
Wayne Weaver
J. Wayne Weaver (born January 14, 1935) is an American businessman. He owns the shoe store chains Shoe Carnival and Nine West, and was the first owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) from 1993 to 2011.
Biograph ...
, then owner of the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
, but the league decided that the
Jacksonville Coliseum
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum (originally and still commonly known as the Jacksonville Coliseum) was a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. Built in 1960 and known as "northern Florida's most historic concert venue ...
was too small for AFL standards.
[ In 2000, the ]Jacksonville Tomcats
The Jacksonville Tomcats were an arena football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They were an inaugural franchise in af2, the developmental league of the Arena Football League (AFL), and played for three seasons, from 2000 to 2002. They p ...
began play in the 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 ...
, the AFL's developmental league. The AFL and Tomcats ownership anticipated the completion of the new 15,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (originally Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. It currently serves as the home arena of the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, the Jacksonville Giants o ...
, but the Tomcats folded after the 2002 season, before construction of the Arena was completed.
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. The ownership group would be Jacksonville Sports Group, led by Jeff Bouchy, formerly part owner of the Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played its ...
AFL team under his brother Brett Bouchy.[ On May 3, 2014, it was officially announced that former ]Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
front man Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961), best known by the stage name Vince Neil, is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, which he fronted from their 1981 forma ...
purchased a minority stake in the team.
National Arena League (2017–present)
On October 12, 2016, the Sharks announced that they were leaving the AFL for a rival league beginning with the 2017 season. The Sharks were rejected from their first choice of league, the 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 amon ...
(which itself is the home of several former AFL franchises), as the IFL was focused on a regional footprint that did not include Florida.
On November 18, 2016, Sharks owner Jeff Bouchy announced the team has joined the newly formed National Arena League
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. It consists of teams based on the East Coast of the United States.
Teams' typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, while players are paid $ ...
(NAL). He also announced the hiring for former Toronto Phantoms
The Toronto Phantoms were a professional arena football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The team was a member of the Eastern Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team also previously operated in New York Ci ...
head coach Mark Stoute
Mark may refer to:
Currency
* Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic
* Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927
* Fi ...
as their second head coach in franchise history, replacing interim head coach Bob Landsee
Robert John Landsee (born March 21, 1963) is a former American football player and coach. He was also the head coach and owner of the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League (AFL) till the team folded. He is a former American football cen ...
. After going undefeated through eight games, Stoute was fired. Siaha Burley
Siaha Burley (born July 16, 1977) is an American former arena football wide receiver and former head coach. He played college football at UCF Knights football, UCF and was also the head coach of the Jacksonville Sharks from 2017 to 2019 before re ...
was immediately hired as his replacement after serving as the offensive coordinator of the AFL's Cleveland Gladiators
The Cleveland Gladiators were an arena football team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Gladiators played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they shared with the Cleveland Cava ...
. The Sharks nearly went undefeated throughout their inaugural NAL season before losing their home finale against the Monterrey Steel
The Monterrey Steel was a professional indoor football team and a charter member of the National Arena League (NAL) that played in the 2017 season. Based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, the Steel played their home games at Arena Monterrey.
The Stee ...
44–37. They avenged the loss by beating the Steel one week later in the playoff semifinal 43–32 to advance to the championship game. The Sharks won the inaugural NAL championship game 27–21 over the Columbus Lions
The Columbus Lions are a professional indoor football team based in Columbus, Georgia and are a member of the American Indoor Football Alliance. The were a founding member of the National Arena League (NAL) for the 2017 season. The Lions were f ...
.
In 2018, the Jacksonville Sharks went 10–7 under returning head coach Burley. The Sharks advanced to the National Arena League playoffs, but lost on the road to the Carolina Cobras
The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was formed prior to the 2000 season, which endured a player strike.
The team was originally based in Raleigh, North Carolina, but moved to Charlotte followin ...
73–48. The Cobras won the 2018 championship over the Columbus Lions. Following the season, operating manager and majority owner Jeff Bouchy resigned and sold his interest in the team to the other owners on March 11, 2019. The Sharks added another minority owner in Nick Furris on April 26, 2019. The Sharks finished the 2019 season with a 13–1 record and won the league championship.
After the 2019 season, the Sharks did not come to terms with head coach Burley on a contract extension and replaced him with former Maine Mammoths
The Maine Mammoths were a professional indoor American football, indoor football team that was a member of the National Arena League (NAL) for the 2018 season. Based in Portland, Maine, the Mammoths played their home games at the Cross Insurance ...
head coach James Fuller. The 2020 season was then cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. When the league returned in the delayed and shortened 2021 season, Fuller led the team to a 2–6 record and the Sharks missed the playoffs for the first time since joining the NAL. Burley was re-hired as head coach for the 2022 season.
Arena
Since 2010, the Sharks' home arena has been VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (originally Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. It currently serves as the home arena of the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, the Jacksonville Giants o ...
, a $130 million facility.
Notable players
Current roster
Individual awards
All-Arena players
The following Sharks players have been named to All-Arena Teams:
*QB Aaron Garcia (1)
*FB Derrick Ross
''For the National Football League running back, see Derek Ross''
Derrick Lewis Ross (born December 29, 1983) was an American football/arena football running back for the Jacksonville Sharks of the National Arena League (NAL). He played one sea ...
(1)
*WR Jeron Harvey
Jeron E. Harvey (born June 25, 1984) is an arena football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Houston Cougars football, Houston.
Harvey ha ...
(1), Tiger Jones
Ralph "Tiger" Jones (March 14, 1928 – August 20, 1994) was a boxer during the 1950s. Trained by Gil Clancy, Jones was a fixture of televised boxing in the 1950s, known for an aggressive style that pleased fans. His overall record was 52 victo ...
(1), Joe Hills
Joseph John Hills (14 October 1897 — 21 September 1969) was an English first-class cricketer, Test match umpire and professional footballer.
Life and career
Born in London in 1897, Hills served in World War I with the Royal Engineers and wa ...
(2)
*OL Randy Degg
Randy Degg (born September 28, 1984) is a former American football player. He played as a Center (American football), center for Northwood University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Fort Wayne Fusion in 2007.
College career
He ...
(1), Moqut Ruffins (1), Cornelius Lewis (1)
*DL Derrick Summers (1), Scooter Berry (1), Jerry Turner Jerry Turner may refer to:
* Jerry Turner (theater director)
Jerry Turner (1927–2004) served as artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from 1971 to 1991. He transformed the festival from a summer program for semi-professional acto ...
(1), Joe Sykes (1)
*LB Aaron Robbins
Aaron Robbins (born July 16, 1983) is a former American football linebacker. He played as a tight end and defensive end for the University of Wyoming. In 2007, Robbins signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent.
Early life
...
(2), Alvin Ray Jackson (1), Dexter Jackson (1)
*DB Micheaux Robinson (2), Terrance Smith (1), Greg Reid
Greg Reid (born September 8, 1990) is a professional gridiron football cornerback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He led college football in yards per punt return in 2009, and was named defensive MVP of the 2010 ...
(2)
All-Ironman players
The following Sharks players have been named to All-Ironman Teams:
*WR/KR Jeff Hughley (1)
*WR/DB Terrance Smith (1)
All-NAL players
The following Sharks players have been named to All-NAL Teams:
*RB Derrick Ross
''For the National Football League running back, see Derek Ross''
Derrick Lewis Ross (born December 29, 1983) was an American football/arena football running back for the Jacksonville Sharks of the National Arena League (NAL). He played one sea ...
(1)
*WR Moe Williams (1)
*OT Cornelius Lewis (1), Moqut Ruffins (1)
*C A. J. Harmon (1)
*DL Jeremiah Price
Jeremiah Price (born February 19, 1988) is a professional gridiron football defensive end for the Jacksonville Sharks of the National Arena League (NAL).
Early life
Born the son of Alice and Jasper Price, Jeremiah attended Collins High School w ...
(1), Daylou Pierson (1)
*LB Charles Hunt (1)
*DB Erick McIntosh
Erick McIntosh (born May 27, 1987) is an American football defensive back for the San Antonio Gunslingers. He played college football at Florida Atlantic University. He has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Storm, Orlando Predators, Iowa Barns ...
(1), Marvin Ross (1), Micheaux Robinson (1)
*K Nick Belcher (1),
Notable coaches
Head coaches
''Note: Statistics are correct through the 2019 National Arena League season.''
Staff
Season-by-season results
References
External links
Jacksonville Sharks official website
{{Florida Sports
National Arena League teams
American football teams in Florida
American football teams in Jacksonville, Florida
2010 establishments in Florida
American football teams established in 2010