Reading Express
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Reading Express | |
Founded | 2006 |
Arena | Sovereign Center |
Based in | Reading, Pennsylvania |
Colors | blue, silver |
League | American Indoor Football Association |
Head coach | Ollie Guidry |
President of Football Operations | Bernie Nowotarski |
Official Dance Team | Smokin' Hot Steam Team |
The Reading Express are a professional arena football team based out of Reading, Pennsylvania. They are a 2006 expansion team from the American Indoor Football Association. They play their home games at Sovereign Center.
On Sunday, March 26, 2006, the Express won the AIFL's very first overtime game 41-38 against the Johnstown Riverhawks on the road, as kicker Erik Rockhold booted the game-winning 45-yard field goal.
On Friday, May 12, 2006, the Express managed to knock the Erie Freeze out of the #1 spot in the conference by getting revenge 59-48.
At the end of their inaugural year, the Express held the highest record in the AIFL's Northern Conference, at 12-2. This, however, was padded by two games against amateur outdoor franchises-- the Cumberland Cardinals and a team known as the Philadelphia Scorpions, both of which were blowouts.
In the opening round of the 2006 AIFL Playoffs, the Express managed to knockout the fourth-seeded Huntington Heroes with a 56-23 victory. In the Northern Conference championship game, they faced the second-seeded Canton Legends for the Northern Conference title and a chance to participate in the American Bowl. Unfortunately, the Express got derailed as they got shutout in the second half and fell 44-24. Even though they fell one game shy of the league championship, it wasn't a total loss. WR Carmelo Ocasio was named the 2006 Northern Conference Offensive MVP.[1]
The Express' main mascot is a train conductor uniform-claded horse named "Loco".
[edit] Season-By-Season
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reading Express (AIFL) | |||||
2006 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1st Northern | Lost NC Championship (Canton) |
Reading Express (AIFA) | |||||
*2007 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1st Northern | -- |
Totals | 19 | 4 | 0 | (including playoffs) |
* = Current Standing
[edit] 2007 Season Schedule
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
---|---|---|---|
February 18 | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Away | Won 35-28 |
February 25 | Erie Freeze | Home | Won 46-38 |
March 3 | Tallahassee Titans | Away | Lost 37-47 |
March 10 | Baltimore Blackbirds | Home | Won 78-6 |
March 16 | Erie Freeze | Away | Won 50-35 |
March 23 | Canton Legends | Away | Won 50-19 |
March 31 | Huntington Heroes | Home | Won 48-18 |
April 7 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Away | |
April 14 | Canton Legends | Home | |
April 21 | Danville Demolition | Away | |
April 28 | Montgomery Bears | Home | |
May 6 | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Home | |
May 12 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Home | |
May 19 | Huntington Heroes | Away | |
May 21 | Baltimore Blackbirds | Away | |
June 2 | Danville Demolition | Home |
[edit] External links
- Official Site of the Reading Express
- Express' 2006 Season & Results
- Official Site of the Reading Express Smokin' Hot Steam Team
American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) | ||||||
Northern Conference | Southern Conference | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canton Legends | Danville Demolition | Erie Freeze | Huntington Heroes | Johnstown Riverhawks | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Reading Express | Baltimore Blackbirds | Carolina Speed | Florence Phantoms | Gulf Coast Raiders | Lakeland Thunderbolts | Mississippi Mudcats | Montgomery Bears | Tallahassee Titans | |||||
Defunct AIFL/AIFA teams: AIFL Ghostchasers | Binghamton Brigade/Brigadiers | Carolina Ghostriders | Carolina Sharks | Chattahoochee Valley Vipers | Syracuse Soldiers | ||||||
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