Albany Firebirds (af2)
 Albany Firebirds | |
| Founded | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2009 |
| League | AF2 |
| Conference | American |
| Division | East |
| Based in | Albany, New York |
| Arena | Times Union Center |
| Colors |
Black, Royal Blue, Red, Burnt Orange, Gold, White |
| Owner(s) | Capital District Sports, Inc. |
| Head coach | Tony Bowick |
| Division titles | 2002, 2003 |
| Playoff berths | 2002, 2003, 2009 |
The Albany Firebirds were a professional arena football team of the af2 based in Albany, New York. Albany was granted an expansion team in 2002 and began play as the Albany Conquest. The Firebirds play their home games at the Times Union Center. They are the second arena football team for Albany, as the city was granted an expansion team, the Albany Firebirds, in the Arena Football League in 1990. The team moved to Indianapolis, Indiana in 2000 and played as the Indiana Firebirds through 2004 before disbanding.
Then the city of Albany ventured into the world of arena football again, this time joining the Arena Football League 2 in 2002, creating a new franchise by the name the Albany Conquest. The team enjoyed little success and in 2009 for marketing purposes changed their name back to the Albany FireBirds before disbanding in 2010. They cited low attendance and poor fan support. Due to financial difficulties and low support, the Conquest were expected to fold following the 2008 season when a new investor could not be found.[1] The franchise had notified the league in late September that it would not return, but following a meeting with the Albany Times Union and the operator of the Times Union Center, an agreement was reached that would allow the team to return for 2009. The team also acquired the rights to the old Firebirds name and logo in a rebranding effort to raise interest in the team, hoping to bring back fans from the days of the original Firebirds team.[2]
On April 28, 2009, it was announced that the Albany Firebirds had offered former NFL quarterback Michael Vick a contract. Under the terms of this contract, Vick would be required to donate $100,000 to a local animal shelter.[3]
The following day, the team retracted the announcement, claiming that it had been a publicity stunt created by the team's marketing department. The team's owner, Walter Robb, who knew nothing of the stunt, was cited as saying, "I’m a dog lover and I don’t want anything to do with (Vick)."
Season-by-season
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Conquest | |||||
| 2002 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1st AC Northeast | Won AC Round 1 (Rochester 31-26) Lost AC Semifinal (Cape Fear 46-30) |
| 2003 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1st AC Northeast | Lost AC Semifinal (Macon 59-47) |
| 2004 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3rd AC Northeast | -- |
| 2005 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 5th AC East | -- |
| 2006 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 6th AC East | -- |
| 2007 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 4th AC East | -- |
| 2008 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 3rd AC East | -- |
| Albany Firebirds | |||||
| 2009 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2nd AC East | Lost AC 1st Round (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 78-21) |
| Totals | 60 | 72 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
Notes
- ↑ "Turnout to decide if 'Quest will end". Times Union. 2008-06-29. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- ↑ "Conquest staying, change to Firebirds". Times Union. 2008-10-04. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- ↑ "Firebirds Want to Sign Michael Vick". Times Union. 2009-04-28. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
External links
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