New Haven Ninjas
Encyclopedia
The New Haven Ninjas were an American Football
team, an expansion team
in the af2
for the 2002 season. Along with the Ninjas, New Haven was joined by the Albany Conquest
, Bakersfield Blitz
, Cape Fear Wildcats
, Fresno Frenzy
, Hawaiian Islanders
, Mobile Wizards
, Mohegan Wolves
, San Diego Riptide
& the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
. New Haven played in the American Conference of the Northeast Division. In 2002, the Ninjas finished 6-10, third in the Northeast Division. Still, that wasn't enough to play football in August. After the 2002 season, the Ninjas folded because the New Haven Coliseum
closed, and the experiment for football in New Haven was done.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, an expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
in the af2
Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
for the 2002 season. Along with the Ninjas, New Haven was joined by the Albany Conquest
Albany Conquest
The Albany Firebirds are a professional arena football team of the af2 based in Albany, New York. Albany was granted an expansion team in 2002 and began play as the Albany Conquest. The Firebirds play their home games at the Times Union Center...
, Bakersfield Blitz
Central Valley Coyotes
The Central Valley Coyotes are a professional arena football team and were a charter member of Arena Football 1. The team currently is not in a league...
, Cape Fear Wildcats
South Georgia Wildcats
The South Georgia Wildcats were a professional arena football team. They were a 2002 expansion member of af2, the minor league for the Arena Football League...
, Fresno Frenzy
Fresno Frenzy
The Fresno Frenzy were an expansion af2 team for the 2002 season. Fresno was joined by the Albany Conquest, Bakersfield Blitz, Cape Fear Wildcats, Hawaiian Islanders, Mobile Wizards, Mohegan Wolves, New Haven Ninjas, San Diego Riptide & the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers...
, Hawaiian Islanders
Hawaiian Islanders
The Hawaiian Islanders were a minor league team of the Arena Football League, the af2. Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Hawaiian Islanders home field was at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena. It competed in the AF2 National Conference West...
, Mobile Wizards
Mobile Wizards
The Mobile Wizards were an af2 arena football team that played their home games in Mobile, Alabama at the Mobile Civic Center. The team went 0-16 in 2002 and was disbanded after only one season, making them the only af2 team never to have won a game in their franchise history.- External links :*...
, Mohegan Wolves
Manchester Wolves
The Manchester Wolves were a professional arena football team, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, which folded at the end of the 2009 season along with the rest of the league...
, San Diego Riptide
San Diego Riptide
The San Diego Riptide is a defunct Arena Football League af2 team. The team played its home games at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.The team was originally coached by Cree Morris, then Mouse Davis and then Sean Ponder....
& the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers were a minor league arena football team that played in the AF2. The team was part of the East Division in the American conference. The Pioneers were an expansion team for the league's 2002 season, and were the runner-ups in ArenaCup VIII and ArenaCup X.-2001:The...
. New Haven played in the American Conference of the Northeast Division. In 2002, the Ninjas finished 6-10, third in the Northeast Division. Still, that wasn't enough to play football in August. After the 2002 season, the Ninjas folded because the New Haven Coliseum
New Haven Coliseum
The New Haven Coliseum was a sports-entertainment arena located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1972...
closed, and the experiment for football in New Haven was done.