ArenaBowl XXI
Encyclopedia
ArenaBowl XXI was the 2007
championship game of the Arena Football League and was played at the New Orleans Arena
in New Orleans
, Louisiana
on Sunday, July 29, 2007. It was the third-ever neutral site title game in league's history and the first held in the state of Louisiana. ArenaBowl XXI pitted the Columbus Destroyers
of the National Conference against the San Jose SaberCats
of the American Conference.
of San Jose then returned the kickoff, following Columbus' second touchdown, for a touchdown, but A.J. Haglund missed the Point-After-Try (PAT) making it 20-14. On the ensuing possession, San Jose's Clevan Thomas intercepted a pass, and San Jose capitalized on the turnover, extending the lead to 27-14. This would be the half-time
score.
The teams traded scores in the third quarter, and into the beginning of the fourth quarter until it was 41-27 San Jose, and an errant Matt Nagy
pass fell into the arms of San Jose's Omarr Smith.
A Mark Grieb
touchdown pass to James Roe
made it 48-27 San Jose, and a touchdown by each team led to the final score of San Jose 55, Columbus 33. San Jose won their third Arena Football League title, all since 2002.
, having thrown just five incomplete passes and no interceptions over the course of the game. He was awarded a Mitsubishi
Spyder for his performance. Coach Darren Arbet
became the second coach to win three ArenaBowls (Tampa Bay Storm
coach Tim Marcum has seven).
The game was the first of three neutral-site ArenaBowls to sell out, doing so six weeks before the game in early June. An estimated 40% of the crowd was from outside of the New Orleans area, and led to an overall economic impact of around $25 million for the city of New Orleans.
2007 Arena Football League season
The 2007 Arena Football League season was the 21st season of the Arena Football League. The regular season began play on March 1, 2007 and concluded on June 25...
championship game of the Arena Football League and was played at the New Orleans Arena
New Orleans Arena
New Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome....
in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
on Sunday, July 29, 2007. It was the third-ever neutral site title game in league's history and the first held in the state of Louisiana. ArenaBowl XXI pitted the Columbus Destroyers
Columbus Destroyers
The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team was founded in as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in . They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of...
of the National Conference against the 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...
of the American Conference.
Game summary
San Jose took the control of the ball first, after Columbus won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, and scored first on a touchdown run by Brian Johnson. Columbus then tied the score at seven on a touchdown run by Harold Wells. Each team threw for a touchdown to make it 14-14. Trestin GeorgeTrestin George
Trestin George is a professional American, Canadian and Arena football defensive back who is currently signed to the San Jose SaberCats. He recently played for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League until he requested his release to be closer to his family. He was signed as an undrafted free...
of San Jose then returned the kickoff, following Columbus' second touchdown, for a touchdown, but A.J. Haglund missed the Point-After-Try (PAT) making it 20-14. On the ensuing possession, San Jose's Clevan Thomas intercepted a pass, and San Jose capitalized on the turnover, extending the lead to 27-14. This would be the half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
score.
The teams traded scores in the third quarter, and into the beginning of the fourth quarter until it was 41-27 San Jose, and an errant Matt Nagy
Matt Nagy
Matt Nagy is a former gridiron football quarterback in the Arena Football League. He played for the New York Dragons, Carolina Cobras, Georgia Force and Columbus Destroyers in his six season career. He was signed by the Dragons as a street free agent in 2002. He played college football at Delaware...
pass fell into the arms of San Jose's Omarr Smith.
A Mark Grieb
Mark Grieb
Mark Grieb is an Arena football quarterback for the San Jose SaberCats . He was originally signed by the Anaheim Piranhas...
touchdown pass to James Roe
James Edward Roe
James Edward Roe II is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League and the Arena Football League. He played for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens and the AFL's San Jose SaberCats where he also played linebacker.-High school career:James Roe attended Henrico High School in...
made it 48-27 San Jose, and a touchdown by each team led to the final score of San Jose 55, Columbus 33. San Jose won their third Arena Football League title, all since 2002.
Post-game
Grieb was named the MVPMost Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
, having thrown just five incomplete passes and no interceptions over the course of the game. He was awarded a Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
Spyder for his performance. Coach Darren Arbet
Darren Arbet
Darren Arbet is an Arena Football League head coach for the San Jose SaberCats. He has a career record of 109-45, including 3 titles, ArenaBowl XVI, ArenaBowl XVIII, and ArenaBowl XXI.-High school years:...
became the second coach to win three ArenaBowls (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....
coach Tim Marcum has seven).
The game was the first of three neutral-site ArenaBowls to sell out, doing so six weeks before the game in early June. An estimated 40% of the crowd was from outside of the New Orleans area, and led to an overall economic impact of around $25 million for the city of New Orleans.