New York Dragons
Encyclopedia
The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...

 (AFL) team based in the New York metropolitan area
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...

. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers
Iowa Barnstormers
The Iowa Barnstormers are an arena football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Arena Football League , which they joined in 2010 following the organization's restructuring...

, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded. They played in the Eastern Division
Eastern Division (AFL)
The Eastern Division is one of the four divisions of the American Arena Football League. It is currently one of two divisions in the "American Conference"...

 of the National Conference, and played their home games at Nassau Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...

 in Uniondale, New York
Uniondale, New York
Uniondale is a hamlet as well as a suburb of New York City in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 24,759 at the 2010 United States Census.-Geography:...

. Their last coach was Weylan Harding
Weylan Harding
Weylan Harding is the former head coach of the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League.-High school years:...

.

History

The team was based in suburban Uniondale, New York
Uniondale, New York
Uniondale is a hamlet as well as a suburb of New York City in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 24,759 at the 2010 United States Census.-Geography:...

 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...

, also home to the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

.

Iowa Barnstormers (1995-2001)

The franchise played in Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

 from 1995 to , as the Iowa Barnstormers. The team had been successful in Iowa, having reached the ArenaBowl
ArenaBowl
The ArenaBowl is the Arena Football League's championship game. From 1987 to 2004, the ArenaBowl was hosted by either the team with the better regular-season record or the higher seeding in the playoffs. From ArenaBowl XIX in 2005 until ArenaBowl XXII in 2008, the game was played at a neutral site...

 in and . From 1995 to 1997, the team's starting quarterback was Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...

, who moved up to the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 in and become a NFL MVP and Super Bowl winning quarterback.

The need for a more modern venue as well as the league's desire for a larger market led to the move to the New York City area, despite two failed past attempts in the region: the New York Knights
New York Knights
The New York Knights were an Arena Football League team based in New York City. They played in the league for one season, 1988. They played their home games at Madison Square Garden. After going 2-10 overall in their only season the team ceased operations...

  and the New York CityHawks
Toronto Phantoms
The Toronto Phantoms was the final name of a team in the Arena Football League, that also operated in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut.-New York CityHawks :The team began in 1997 as the New York CityHawks...

 (-), both of which played at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

 in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

. The team was purchased by Charles Wang
Charles Wang
Charles B. Wang is the co-founder of Computer Associates International, Inc. and owner of the New York Islanders ice hockey team and their AHL affiliates, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers....

, who is also the Islanders' majority owner.

The Arena Football organization did award an 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...

 franchise to Iowa for the season also called the Barnstormers, but that team folded after that season (only to be brought back in 2008). The Barnstormers were noted for their unique uniforms, which in keeping with the aviation theme included the depiction of goggles on the helmets, wings on the shoulders of the jerseys, and propellers on the pants legs. The primary figures in the original Iowa organization were Jim Foster, the inventor of Arena Football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....

, and Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner
Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...

, the quarterback who went on to play for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...

 and win both the NFL MVP and Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...

 MVP.

Aside from the league's desire to re-enter the New York market, another major reason cited for the team's relocation was the inadequacy of their Des Moines venue, the Iowa Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Iowa Events Center
The Iowa Events Center is a public events complex located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.-Overview:The Iowa Events Center consists of the existing Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the existing Polk County Convention Complex, the new Hy-Vee Hall, and the new Wells Fargo Arena...

, also known as "The Barn". Most of the seats in this venue were located directly along the sidelines as is typical of high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 sports venues. The Barnstormers organization constantly lobbied for the construction of a better facility during their time in Des Moines, to no avail.

In 2005, the Wells Fargo Arena
Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines)
Wells Fargo Arena is a 16,980-seat multi-purpose arena in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Part of the Iowa Events Center, the arena opened in 2005, at a cost of $99 million....

 opened in Des Moines, directly across from what the locals call "Vets", as part of the newly expanded Iowa Events Center
Iowa Events Center
The Iowa Events Center is a public events complex located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.-Overview:The Iowa Events Center consists of the existing Veterans Memorial Auditorium, the existing Polk County Convention Complex, the new Hy-Vee Hall, and the new Wells Fargo Arena...

. A new Barnstormers af2 franchise began play there in the season.

New York Dragons (2001-2008)

Nassau Coliseum, where the franchise relocated, is generally regarded as one of the most marginal venues currently used in major American professional sports, and is often proposed for replacement, so the improvement of the situation with regards to a venue has been fairly minimal to this point. In late September 2004, Islanders' ownership announced an ambitious project to renovate the Coliseum, surrounding it with housing units and construction of an adjacent tower, resembling a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....

, at a total cost of over $200 million (US). Since then, the lighthouse has been taken out of the design plan.

The New York Dragons currently compete in the Eastern Division of the National Conference. They are coached by former Barnstormer defensive back Weylan Harding
Weylan Harding
Weylan Harding is the former head coach of the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League.-High school years:...

. In the 2006 season Weylan Harding became the winningest Arena Football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....

 league coach in his first two seasons as a coach, winning twenty games throughout the 2005 and seasons.

The Dragons have one of the biggest stars in the Arena Football League today, in quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 Aaron Garcia. Garcia has the honor of most touchdown passes in a game (11), and second most touchdown passes in a season (104 in 2001). Through his 10 year career, he has thrown over 800 touchdown passes.

The Dragons set the league record for most points in a game, scoring 99 against the Carolina Cobras
Carolina Cobras
Not to be confused with the Los Angeles Cobras, who played in the 1988 AFL season.The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League...

 on July 7, 2001, surpassing the previous record of 91, which had been set by the New Jersey Red Dogs
Las Vegas Gladiators
The Cleveland Gladiators are an arena football franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio which plays in the Arena Football League. The team is part of the East division of the AFL's American Conference. The Gladiators play all of their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they share with the NBA's...

 in 1997 against the 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...

. It also set a record for the most points scored in one game (167).

On Saturday, February 11, 2006, the Dragons won against the expansion team Utah Blaze
Utah Blaze
The Utah Blaze is a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competes in the West division of the Arena Football League. Home games are played at the EnergySolutions Arena.-The original Utah Blaze :...

 84-81 on the road and they made AFL history for the second-most points scored in one game with 165.

On July 8, 2008 a group of investors, led by Steve Silva, announced they are buying the team from Charles Wang
Charles Wang
Charles B. Wang is the co-founder of Computer Associates International, Inc. and owner of the New York Islanders ice hockey team and their AHL affiliates, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers....

. With the purchase the team would change its uniforms, logo, and colors. The team also announced that the Dragons will continue to play in the Nassau Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...

 despite rumors that the Dragons would move to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

 and play their games at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

.

On September 23, 2008, the Dragons announced their new logo and color scheme. The old colors of red and yellow were replaced by green and grey.

The Dragons official mascot was a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...

 named Sparky, who is also the mascot of the NHL's New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

.

On December 14, 2008, the Arena Football League announced it would cancel the 2009 season, but hoped to return in 2010.

On July 20, 2009, Sports Business Journal reported that the AFL owed approximately $14 million to its creditors and were considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Owners were also exploring the expansion franchise in Pittsburgh in order to use the expansion fees to help pay off the debts and infuse enough cash into the league to hold the 2010 season.[19] In early August 2009, numerous media outlets began reporting that the AFL was folding permanently and would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The league released a statement on August 4 announcing that while the league is not folding, it is suspending league operations indefinitely. Several teams commented that they were still pursuing arena football in 2010 with the possibility of using the financially independent arenafootball2.[2] Despite this, several of the league's creditors have filed papers to force a Chapter 7 liquidation if the league does not do so voluntarily.[20] This request was granted on August 7, though converted to a Chapter 11 reorganization on August 26.[21]

Less than two months after the announcement, and a few weeks after the suspension forced the dissolution of af2, the Arizona Rattlers and Orlando Predators defected to Arena Football 1, a startup league consisting mostly of former af2 teams. The 16-team league expects to expand to "24 to 30" teams prior to the start of their inaugural 2010 season, and is in negotiations with at least seven other teams from the AFL to join, including the Tampa Bay Storm and the San Jose Sabercats.[22][23] The New York Dragons is not to be part of AF1.

Historic moments

  • On Saturday, July 7, 2001, in a Week 13 home game against the Carolina Cobras
    Carolina Cobras
    Not to be confused with the Los Angeles Cobras, who played in the 1988 AFL season.The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League...

    , QB Aaron Garcia has a prolific performance. He would throw a league-best 11 touchdown passes in the highest scoring game in league history. The Dragons would win the game 99-68. This is at #11 on the AFL's 20 Greatest Highlights Countdown.

  • On June 2, 2007, Aaron Garcia became only the fourth man to ever record 800 touchdown passes. He joins the list with Clint Dolezel
    Clint Dolezel
    Clint Dolezel is Offensive Coordinator of the Philadelphia Soul, an Indoor Football team belonging to the Arena Football League . As an AFL player, he was originally signed by the Milwaukee Mustangs...

    , Sherdrick Bonner
    Sherdrick Bonner
    Sherdrick Bonner is a former Arena football quarterback who is currently the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Rush in the Arena Football League.-High school years:...

    , and Andy Kelly
    Andy Kelly
    Andy Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the Arena Football League. He played in the AFL for fifteen seasons. He also played for two seasons for the Rhein Fire of the former World League of American Football....

    .

  • On June 28, 2008, the Dragons, making the postseason even after finishing the season 8-8 (fourth in the National Eastern Division), went on to defeat the favored Dallas Desperados
    Dallas Desperados
    The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....

     in the wild card round of the playoffs. Dallas finished second in the National Eastern Division with the record of 12-4, yet fell to an underdog New York team 77-63. They would go on to lose to the Philadelphia Soul
    Philadelphia Soul
    The Philadelphia Soul are an Arena Football League team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They began play in as an expansion team. The team plays in the Eastern Division of the American Conference. They won their first ArenaBowl in 2008, defeating the San Jose SaberCats 59–56 in ArenaBowl XXII...

     in the following round, 49-48 on a last second touchdown pass that replays showed to be a questionable call.

Coaches

Head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

Tenure Regular season
record (W-L)
Post season
record (W-L)
Most recent coaching staff Notes
John Gregory
John Gregory (coach)
John Gregory is an American football head coach who most recently coached the Iowa Barnstormers, an Arena football team currently playing in the AFL.-Early years:...

1995
1995 Arena Football League season
The 1995 Arena Football League season was the 9th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl IX. The AFL re-aligned its divisions for the 3rd straight year. It re-aligned to two divisions per conference...

 - 2003
2003 Arena Football League season
The 2003 Arena Football League season was the 17th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVII. The AFL expanded its season to a 16-game schedule...

66-48 6-6 1995 and 1996
1996 Arena Football League season
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...


Arena Football League
Coach of the Year.
Todd Shell
Todd Shell
Todd Shell is a former National Football League linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers and a former Arena Football League coach for the Arizona Rattlers and New York Dragons.-External links:***...

2003 - 2004
2004 Arena Football League season
The 2004 Arena Football League season was the 18th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the San Jose SaberCats, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVIII...

17-11 1-1 2003 Arena Football League
Coach of the Year
Weylan Harding
Weylan Harding
Weylan Harding is the former head coach of the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League.-High school years:...

2005
2005 Arena Football League season
The 2005 Arena Football League season was the 19th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Colorado Crush, who defeated the Georgia Force in ArenaBowl XIX. The AFL changed its playoff format to allow the top four teams per conference to make the playoffs. Previously, the...

 - 2008
2008 Arena Football League season
The 2008 Arena Football League season was the 22nd season of the Arena Football League and final season before the 2009 cancellation. The regular season began play on February 29, 2008 and concluded on June 22...

33-31 1-3 OC
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...

:Chad Lindsey
OL / Co-ST Coordinator: Jerome Brown
DL / Co-ST Coordinator: Corey Mayfield

Notable players

  • Chris Anthony - WR/LB
  • Jarrod DeGeorgia - QB
  • Rob Bironas
    Rob Bironas
    James Robert Douglas "Rob" Bironas is an American football placekicker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Auburn University and Georgia Southern.Bironas was an All-Pro...

     - K
  • Kevin Clemens - FB/LB
  • DaShane Dennis - DS
  • Mike Furrey
    Mike Furrey
    Michael Thomas Furrey is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at Northern Iowa and Ohio State University.Furrey has also played for the...

     - OS
  • Aaron Garcia - QB
    Quarterback
    Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

  • Latrez Harrison
    Latrez Harrison
    Latrez Harrison is a former Arena Football League wide receiver/defensive back for the New York Dragons. He attended the University of Maryland. Harrison played quarterback at Maryland as a true freshman in 1999 and again in 2001 as a redshirt sophomore...

     - WR/LB
  • Will Holder
    Will Holder
    William Holder is an Arena Football League defensive back for the Kansas City Brigade.-College career:Holder attended Monmouth University, in West Long Branch, New Jersey, where he majored in Political Science...

     - WR/DB
  • Mike Horacek
    Mike Horacek
    Mike Horacek is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League. He played college football at Iowa State....

     - WR/LB
  • Willis Jacox
    Willis Jacox
    Willis Jacox is a former professional American football player.Jacox attended the University of North Dakota in the mid 1980's, where he played both wide receiver and kick returner. Following his collegiate career, Jacox was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League...

     - FB/LB
  • Kevin Kaesviharn
    Kevin Kaesviharn
    Kevin Robert Kaesviharn is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Iowa Barnstormers as a street free agent in 1998...

     - WR/DB
  • Billy Parker
    Billy Parker
    William "Billy' Parker V is a professional American, Canadian and Arena football linebacker for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League...

     - DS
  • Dahnel Singfield - DS
  • Kevin Swayne
    Kevin Swayne
    Kevin Swayne was an American football wide receiver for the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League...

     - OS
  • Kurt Warner
    Kurt Warner
    Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner is a retired American football player. He played quarterback for three National Football League teams: the St. Louis Rams, the New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing...

     - QB
  • Leonard Conley - WR/LB
  • Thaddeus Bullard
    Thaddeus Bullard
    Thaddeus Michael Bullard is an American professional wrestler and former college and professional football player. Bullard played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally in the Arena Football League. Bullard is a professional wrestler, and is signed...

    -DE

External links

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