1996 Arena Football League season
Encyclopedia
The 1996 Arena Football League season was the 10th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm
, who defeated the Iowa Barnstormers
in ArenaBowl X
. The AFL finally stabilized its scheduled number of games. It expanded to a 14-game season, which would remain until 2003. Previously, the scheduled number of games had not stayed the same for more than three years.
were welcomed as an expansion team.
Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Cavalry
were relocated to Minneapolis and became the Minnesota Fighting Pike
; the Las Vegas Sting
moved to Anaheim, California
, becoming the Anaheim Piranhas, and the Miami Hooters
were renamed to the Florida Bobcats.
Tampa Bay Storm
The Tampa Bay Storm are an Arena Football League team based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. They play their home games in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa....
, who defeated the Iowa Barnstormers
New York Dragons
The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded...
in ArenaBowl X
ArenaBowl X
ArenaBowl X was the Arena Football League's tenth ArenaBowl. The game featured the #2 Tampa Bay Storm of the National Conference against the #1 Iowa Barnstormers of the American Conference. Both teams ended their regular seasons at 12-2, yet Iowa had a better conference record...
. The AFL finally stabilized its scheduled number of games. It expanded to a 14-game season, which would remain until 2003. Previously, the scheduled number of games had not stayed the same for more than three years.
Team Movement
The Texas TerrorHouston Thunderbears
The Houston ThunderBears were a team in the Arena Football League that operated from 1996-2001. The team was based in Houston, Texas. Home games were played at the Compaq Center. The team was known as the Texas Terror their first two years in existence before changing the name to the Thunderbears...
were welcomed as an expansion team.
Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Cavalry
Fort Worth Cavalry
The Fort Worth Cavalry were an Arena Football League team which operated for a single season, 1994. The league did not want to abandon the idea of having a franchise in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a major media market, after the demise of the Dallas Texans , and granted a new franchise to an...
were relocated to Minneapolis and became the Minnesota Fighting Pike
Minnesota Fighting Pike
The Minnesota Fighting Pike were an American football team that played one season in the Arena Football League. The team played at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
; the Las Vegas Sting
Anaheim Piranhas
The Anaheim Piranhas were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League from 1994 - 1997. They played their home games at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The team was originally known as the Las Vegas Sting, prior to moving to Anaheim in 1996. The team was owned...
moved to Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, becoming the Anaheim Piranhas, and the Miami Hooters
Florida Bobcats
The Florida Bobcats are a defunct Arena Football League team. They had been previously known as the Sacramento Attack and the Miami Hooters.-Sacramento Attack :...
were renamed to the Florida Bobcats.
Standings
| Team | Overall | Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | Losses | Percentage | Wins | Losses | Percentage | |
| National Conference | ||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||
| Albany Firebirds Indiana Firebirds The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League.The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball... |
10 | 4 | 0.714 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Charlotte Rage Charlotte Rage The Charlotte Rage was a team in the Arena Football League.-History:They competed in the 1992-1996 seasons. They played their home games at the Charlotte Coliseum, then also home of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association.... |
5 | 9 | 0.357 | 2 | 2 | 0.500 |
| Connecticut Coyotes Connecticut Coyotes The Connecticut Coyotes were a franchise in the Arena Football League.-History:They competed in the 1995 and 1996 AFL seasons. They played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center.... |
2 | 12 | 0.143 | 0 | 4 | 0.000 |
| Southern Division | ||||||
| Tampa Bay Storm Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm are an Arena Football League team based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. They play their home games in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.... |
12 | 2 | 0.857 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Orlando Predators Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000... |
9 | 5 | 0.643 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Florida Bobcats Florida Bobcats The Florida Bobcats are a defunct Arena Football League team. They had been previously known as the Sacramento Attack and the Miami Hooters.-Sacramento Attack :... |
6 | 8 | 0.429 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| Texas Terror Houston Thunderbears The Houston ThunderBears were a team in the Arena Football League that operated from 1996-2001. The team was based in Houston, Texas. Home games were played at the Compaq Center. The team was known as the Texas Terror their first two years in existence before changing the name to the Thunderbears... |
1 | 13 | 0.071 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
| American Conference | ||||||
| Central Division | ||||||
| Iowa Barnstormers New York Dragons The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded... |
12 | 2 | 0.857 | 4 | 2 | 0.667 |
| Milwaukee Mustangs Milwaukee Mustangs The Milwaukee Mustangs were an Arena Football League team. They played from 1994 to 2001 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Bradley Center.-History:The team was founded in 1994 amidst rumors that the Green Bay Packers would soon stop playing games in Milwaukee, something they'd been doing since 1936... |
10 | 4 | 0.714 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| St. Louis Stampede St. Louis Stampede The St. Louis Stampede was a team in the Arena Football League. The Stampede competed in the 1995 and 1996 seasons, playing their home games in the Kiel Center , also the home of the St... |
8 | 6 | 0.571 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Memphis Pharaohs Oklahoma Wranglers The Oklahoma Wranglers was the final name of a team in the Arena Football League that had previously played as the Memphis Pharaohs and Portland Forest Dragons... |
0 | 14 | 0.000 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
| Western Division | ||||||
| Arizona Rattlers Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center... |
11 | 3 | 0.786 | 3 | 2 | 0.600 |
| Anaheim Piranhas Anaheim Piranhas The Anaheim Piranhas were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League from 1994 - 1997. They played their home games at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The team was originally known as the Las Vegas Sting, prior to moving to Anaheim in 1996. The team was owned... |
9 | 5 | 0.643 | 4 | 1 | 0.800 |
| San Jose SaberCats San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the... |
6 | 8 | 0.429 | 1 | 4 | 0.200 |
| Minnesota Fighting Pike Minnesota Fighting Pike The Minnesota Fighting Pike were an American football team that played one season in the Arena Football League. The team played at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota... |
4 | 10 | 0.286 | 1 | 2 | 0.333 |
- Green indicates clinched playoff berth
- Purple indicates division champion
- Grey indicates best regular season record