San Jose SaberCats
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San Jose SaberCats | ||
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Conference | American | |
Division | Western | |
Year founded | 1995 | |
Home arena | HP Pavilion | |
City, State | San Jose, California | |
Wild card titles | 4: 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005 |
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Division titles | 6: 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 |
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Conference titles | 0: Conference Title System Began in 2005 |
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ArenaBowl championships | 2: 2002, 2004 |
The San Jose SaberCats are an Arena Football League team that began play as a 1995 expansion team.
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[edit] History
The SaberCats began play in 1995. The team plays at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, also the home of the San Jose Sharks franchise of the National Hockey League and the San Jose Stealth of the National Lacrosse League. The SaberCats are one of Arena's premier organizations, having never drawn below 10,000 fans at any of their home games. The SaberCats compete in the Western Division of the American Conference. The SaberCats were ArenaBowl champions in 2002 and 2004, both times beating their rivals, the Arizona Rattlers, for the championship.
On June 5, 2004, the SaberCats were fined $20,000 for violations during their Quarterfinal Round playoff game against the Tampa Bay Storm. They were first fined $10,000 for distributing cowbells, without advance approval, to fans entering the building, which was cited as a violation by the AFL as an intentional competitive advantage generated by the creation of artificial noise. Also, during the game itself, the SaberCats refused to apply microphones to certain players and coaches during the NBC broadcast, which led to an additional $10,000 fine.
The San Jose Sabercats team colors are Green and Gold.
San Jose was 9-7 in 2005, earning the 4th seed in the American Conference playoffs. They lost to #1 seed Colorado Crush 56-48 in the first round, after failing to score on 6 goal line opportunities in the final minute of play.
The SaberCats went 10-6 in 2006 and won their division title in the process, along with the AC's #2 seed. They got a Bye Week from the Wild Card Round and then, they won over the Arizona Rattlers in the Divisional Round 62-48. Because the Colorado Crush (the AC's #1 seed) lost in the Divisional Round to the Chicago Rush, they hosted the American Conference Championship game. Unfortunately, they ended up losing 59-56.
[edit] Season-by-season
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
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1995 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1st AC Western | Lost Quarterfinals (Orlando) |
1996 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AC Western | -- |
1997 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2nd AC Western | Lost Quarterfinals (Iowa) |
1998 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2nd AC Western | Lost Quarterfinals (Tampa Bay) |
1999 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3rd AC Western | -- |
2000 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1st AC Western | Lost Semifinals (Nashville) |
2001 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1st AC Western | Lost Semifinals (Nashville) |
2002 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1st AC Western | Won ArenaBowl XVI (Arizona) |
2003 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1st AC Western | Lost Semifinals (Arizona) |
2004 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2nd AC Western | Won ArenaBowl XVIII (Arizona) |
2005 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2nd AC Western | Lost Quarterfinals (Colorado) |
2006 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1st AC Western | Lost Semifinals (Chicago) |
2007 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Totals | 122 | 70 | 0 | (including playoffs) |
[edit] Head coaches
- 1995-1998 Todd Shell, 29-25
- 1999- Darren Arbet, 64-24
[edit] Notable players
- Rashied Davis Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
- Mark Grieb Quarterback
- Sam Hernandez Offensive/Defensive Lineman
- Joe Jacobs Offensive Line/Defensive Line
- Matt Kinsinger Fullback/Linebacker
- Pat McGuirk Defensive Specialist
- Aaron Mills Kicker
- James Roe Wide Receiver/Linebacker
- Clevan Thomas Defensive Specialist
- Barry Wagner Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
- Kevin Arbet Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
[edit] External links
Arena Football League | |||
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American Conference | National Conference | ||
Central Division Chicago Rush |
Western Division Arizona Rattlers |
Eastern Division Columbus Destroyers |
Southern Division Austin Wranglers |
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Current major league teams: Golden State Warriors (NBA) • Oakland Athletics (MLB) • Oakland Raiders (NFL) • San Francisco Dragons (MLL) • San Francisco 49ers (NFL) • San Francisco Giants (MLB) • San Jose SaberCats (AFL) • San Jose Sharks (NHL) • San Jose Stealth (NLL)
Current minor league teams: California Victory (USL-1) • Oakland Slammers (IBL) • San Francisco Quakes (NIFL) • San Jose Giants (CL) • Santa Cruz County Breakers (NPSL) • Tri Valley Titans (IBL)