The Rio Grande Valley Dorados were a professional

arena football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...

team. They began playing in 2004 as an expansion member of

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

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

to 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 ...

. They played their home games at Obra Homes Field at Dodge Arena in

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José d ...

. They had been fairly successful in their existence including a 15–1 regular season in 2007 before losing to Bossier-Shreveport in the American Conference semifinals. The team folded in 2009 after the af2 folded, at which point the relaunched

(AFL) then owned the rights to the Dorados name and logo."Statement Regarding Future of Dorados"
Rio Grande Dorados, 2009-09-15 The AFL let the trademarks lapse and a new team using the same branding was launched in 2019 as part of a regional league called the International Arena Football League. The new team, owned by Juan and Erika Arevalo, markets itself as a continuation of the defunct af2 team.

Season-by-season

, - , 2004 , , 6 , , 10 , , 0 , , 4th NC Southwest , , — , - , 2005 , , 10 , , 6 , , 0 , , 2nd NC West , , Won NC Quarterfinal ( Quad City)
Won NC Semifinal (

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

)
Lost NC Championship (

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

) , - , 2006 , , 7 , , 9 , , 0 , , 4th NC Midwest , , — , - , 2007 , , 15 , , 1 , , 0 , , 1st NC Southwest , , Won Round 1 (

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

)
Lost AC Semifinals ( Bossier-Shreveport) , - , 2008 , , 7 , , 9 , , 0 , , 3rd NC Southwest , , — , - , 2009 , , 9 , , 7 , , 0 , , 3rd NC Southwest , , Lost NC Round 1 ( Bossier-Shreveport) , - !Totals , , 57 , , 45 , , 0 , colspan="2", (including playoffs)

Notable players

* Mike Duncan – WR/DB *

Eddie Moten Eddie Moten (born August 30, 1981) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Rio Grande Valley Dorados as a street free agent in 2004. He played college football at Texas A&M–Kingsville. Moten ha ...

– DS – 2012 member of the Orlando Predators * Dustin Bell – K * Chris Canty – WR/DB * Torry Joubert – WR/DB * Dontae Saulter – WR *

Quincy Carter LaVonya Quintelle "Quincy" Carter (born October 13, 1977) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Georgia and for the National Football League teams Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. Outside the NFL, he also was a ...

– QB * Joe McClendon – CB/S *

Ramonce Taylor Ramonce Taylor (born September 11, 1985) is an indoor football running back for the CenTex Cavalry of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). He was signed by the Dorados as a street free agent in 2009. He played college football for the Texas Longhorn ...

– WR - Left Dorados in 2009 for the CFL. Came back to play the rest of the season with Dorados. * Jake Bauer – K

2009 RGV Dorados roster

Rivalry between RGV and Corpus Christi

This rivalry started heating up when Corpus Christi became a team in the AF2, in 2007. The Inaugural game for Corpus Christi was on April 7, 2007. They hosted the heavily favored Rio Grande Valley Dorados. The Dorados romped the Sharks 66-28 in the first game ever for the Corpus Christi Sharks. * The Dorados lead the series (9-1) against the Sharks

2007

*RGV won 66-28 April 7, 2007 *RGV won 45-20 May 11, 2007 *RGV won 78-17 June 30, 2007

2008

*CC won 61-54 April 12, 2008 *RGV won 53-52 May 3, 2008 *RGV won 48-26 July 14, 2008

2009

*RGV won 40-33 March 28, 2009 *RGV won 77-50 April 25, 2009 *RGV won 51-48 June 13, 2009 *RGV won 78-51 July 25, 2009

Head coaches

*2004:

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 ...

, 6–10 in the regular season *2005:

Kevin Guy Kevin Guy (born December 6, 1972) is an arena football coach and former wide receiver and defensive back who is the head coach for the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played his college football at the University of West ...

, 10–6 in the regular season; 2–1 in playoffs *2006–2009: Marty Hammond, 38–26 in the regular season; 1–1 in playoffs

References

External links

Official website

Rio Grande Valley Dorados on ArenaFan
{{Af2 Defunct 2004 establishments in Texas 2009 disestablishments in Texas