1996 Arena Football League season

The 1996 Arena Football League season was the tenth 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 until 2003. Previously, the scheduled number of games had not stayed the same for more than three years.

Team Movement

The Texas Terror were welcomed as an expansion team.

Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Cavalry were relocated to Minneapolis and became the Minnesota Fighting Pike; the Las Vegas Sting moved to Anaheim, California, becoming the Anaheim Piranhas, and the Miami Hooters were renamed to the Florida Bobcats. The franchise rights to the Denver Dynamite were sold and the team announced they would return in 1997 as the Nashville Kats

Standings

Team Overall Division
Wins Losses Percentage Wins Losses Percentage
National Conference
Eastern Division
Albany Firebirds 10 4 0.714 4 0 1.000
Charlotte Rage 5 9 0.357 2 2 0.500
Connecticut Coyotes 2 12 0.143 0 4 0.000
Southern Division
Tampa Bay Storm 12 2 0.857 5 1 0.833
Orlando Predators 9 5 0.643 5 1 0.833
Florida Bobcats 6 8 0.429 2 4 0.333
Texas Terror 1 13 0.071 0 6 0.000
American Conference
Central Division
Iowa Barnstormers 12 2 0.857 4 2 0.667
Milwaukee Mustangs 10 4 0.714 5 1 0.833
St. Louis Stampede 8 6 0.571 3 3 0.500
Memphis Pharaohs 0 14 0.000 0 6 0.000
Western Division
Arizona Rattlers 11 3 0.786 3 2 0.600
Anaheim Piranhas 9 5 0.643 4 1 0.800
San Jose SaberCats 6 8 0.429 1 4 0.200
Minnesota Fighting Pike 4 10 0.286 1 2 0.333

Playoffs

Quarterfinals Semifinals ArenaBowl X
         
1 Iowa 12–2 52
8 St. Louis 8–6 49
1 Iowa 13–2 62
4 Albany 11–4 55
4 Albany 10–4 70
5 Milwaukee 10–4 58
1 Iowa 14–2 38
2 Tampa Bay 14–2 42
2 Tampa Bay 12–2 30
7 Anaheim 9–5 16
2 Tampa Bay 13–2 55
3 Arizona 12–3 54
3 Arizona 11–3 65
6 Orlando 9–5 48