Oklahoma Wranglers | ||
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Year founded | 1995 | |
Year folded | 2001 | |
Prior names | Memphis Pharaohs (1995-1996), Portland Forest Dragons (1997-1999) |
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Divisional championships | none | |
ArenaBowl championships | none |
The Oklahoma Wranglers was the final name of a team in the Arena Football League that had previously played as the Memphis Pharaohs and Portland Forest Dragons. The team played at the Myriad, now known as the Cox Convention Center, in downtown Oklahoma City.
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The Memphis Pharaohs played at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee in 1995 and 1996. The team was named the Pharaohs because the capital of ancient Egypt was Memphis, Egypt, and because they literally played their home games in a pyramid.
After a winless 1996 season, the team relocated to Portland, Oregon where they played for three seasons as Portland Forest Dragons. In years of 1997, 1998, and 1999, the Forest Dragons complied records of 2-12, 4-10, and 7-7, never making the playoffs while in Portland. During the 1998 season the team featured receiver Oronde Gadsden, who won the league's Rookie Of The Year award, and went on to sign with the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
After three seasons in Portland, the franchise relocated again, this time to Oklahoma City. The move happened after the franchise owner attempted and failed to sell the team to an owner committed to keeping the team in Portland. After relocating, the team changed their name to the Oklahoma Wranglers. The team played in Oklahoma City for two seasons before being disbanded by the league after the 2001 season.