2002 Women’s Minor Football Leagues Standings and Playoffs
The 2002 season featured 47 teams in the Women’s USA Gridiron Football system in five leagues below the Major League Independent Women’s Football League. The National Women’s Football Association (NWFA) was the biggest of these leagues, with 21 teams in five divisions across the North East, South and Midwest of the United States of America. There were another two leagues in the West: the AFWL (American Football Women’s League) and WAFC (Women’s Affiliated Football Conference), the latter league with a team named Oakland Banshees after mythological women from ancient Irish Celtic folklore. Rounding out the leagues were two Southern-based leagues: Women’s Football Association (WFA) and Women’s Football League (WFL).
NWFA National Women’s Football Association 2002
NWFA National Women’s Football Association Standings 2002
| NWFA 2002 | P | W | L | T | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTHERN DIVISION | |||||
| *Washington Mutiny | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 |
| *Philadelphia Liberty Belles | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 |
| Connecticut Crush | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 |
| Maine Freeze | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 |
| MID ATLANTIC DIVISION | |||||
| *Baltimore Burn | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 |
| D.C. Divas | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 |
| Asheville Assault | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 |
| Tennessee Venom | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 |
| CENTRAL DIVISION | |||||
| *Alabama Renegades | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 |
| *Nashville Dream | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 |
| Chattanooga Locomotion | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 |
| Atlanta Leopards | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 |
| Knoxville Summit | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 |
| GULF COAST DIVISION | |||||
| *Pensacola Power | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Biloxi Herricanes | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 |
| New Orleans Spice | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 |
| Panama City Beach Rumble | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 |
| GREAT LAKES DIVISION | |||||
| *Detroit Danger | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 |
| *Cleveland Fusion | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 |
| South West Michigan Jaguars | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 |
| South Bend Golden Hawks | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 |
| Totals | 168 | 84 | 84 | 0 | .500 |
NWFA National Women’s Football Association Playoffs 2002
| Date | Road Team | Score | Home Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoffs | Round 1 | |||
| 06.07.2002 | Philadelphia Liberty Belles | 21 | Baltimore Burn | 20 |
| 06.07.2002 | Nashville Dream | 0 | Detroit Danger | 47 |
| 06.07.2002 | Cleveland Fusion | 0 | Massachusetts Mutiny | 45 |
| 06.07.2002 | Alabama Renegades | 0 | Pensacola Power | 12 |
| Playoffs | Round 2 | |||
| 13.07.2002 | Philadelphia Liberty Belles | 16 | Massachusetts Mutiny | 27 |
| 13.07.2002 | Detroit Danger | 14 | Pensacola Power | 7 |
| Championship Game | Venue: Gibonia, PA | |||
| 27.07.2002 | Detroit Danger | 48 | Massachusetts Mutiny | 30 |
| Totals | Road Total Score | 99 | Home Total Score | 188 |
WAFC Women’s American Football Conference 2002
WAFC Women’s Affiliated Football Conference Standings 2002
| WAFC 2002 | P | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Sacramento Sirens | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 398 | 98 |
| *Arizona Caliente | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 | 214 | 70 |
| *Hawaii Legends | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 266 | 126 |
| *Oakland Banshees | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 173 | 254 |
| California Quake | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 92 | 228 |
| San Francisco Stingrayz | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 | 58 | 204 |
| Exhibition | |||||||
| Santa Rosa Scorpions | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 29 | 154 |
| San Diego Nitrous | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 101 |
| Totals | 56 | 28 | 28 | 0 | .500 | 1230 | 1235 |
WAFC Women’s Affiliated Football Conference Playoffs 2002
| Date | Road Team | Score | Home Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoffs | Round 1 | |||
| 23.11.2002 | Hawaii Legends | 0 | Arizona Caliente | 2 |
| 23.11.2002 | Oakland Banshees | 0 | Sacramento Sirens | 69 |
| Championship Game | WAFC I | |||
| 07.12.2002 | Arizona Caliente | 0 | Sacramento Sirens | 59 |
| Totals | Road Score Total | 0 | Home Score Total | 130 |
AFWL American Football Women’s League 2002
AFWL American Football Women’s League Standings 2002
| AFWL 2002 | P | W | L | T | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *San Diego Sunfire | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| *Los Angeles Lasers | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 |
| *Long Beach Aftershock | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 |
| *Arizona Titans | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 |
| San Diego Tsunami | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 |
| Totals | 40 | 20 | 20 | 0 | .500 |
AFWL American Football Women’s League Playoffs 2002
| Road Team | Score | Home Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playoffs | 1st Round | ||
| Long Beach Aftershock | 8 | Los Angeles Lasers | 6 |
| Arizona Titans | 0 | San Diego Sunfire | 55 |
| Championship Game | AFWL II | ||
| Long Beach Aftershock | 12 | San Diego Sunfire | 7 |
| Road Total Scores | 20 | Home Total Scores | 68 |
WFA Women’s Football Association 2002
WFA Women’s Football Association Standings 2002
| WFA 2002 | P | W | L | T | Pct | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CENTRAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE | |||||||
| *Indianapolis Vipers | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | 109 | 124 |
| *Birmingham Steel Magnolias | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 70 | 149 |
| Georgia Enforcers | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | 20 | 73 |
| New Orleans Voodoo Dolls | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 30 |
| SOUTHERN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE | |||||||
| *Jacksonville Dixie Blues | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 349 | 101 |
| *Orlando Fire | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 252 | 68 |
| *South Carolina Crusaders | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 141 | 220 |
| Tampa Bay Force | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | 40 | 216 |
| Totals | 80 | 40 | 40 | 0 | .500 | 981 | 981 |
WFA Women’s Football Association Playoffs 2002
| Date | Road Team | Score | Home Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoffs | Wildcard | |||
| 04.01.2003 | South Carolina Crusaders | 13 | Orlando Fire | 21 |
| Playoffs | Semi-Finals | |||
| 11.01.2003 | Birmingham Steel Magnolias | 6 | Indianapolis Vipers | 38 |
| 11.01.2003 | Orlando Fire | 18 | Jacksonville Dixie Blues | 38 |
| Championship Game | WFA I | |||
| 18.01.2003 | Indianapolis Vipers | 20 | Jacksonville Dixie Blues | 68 |
| Totals | Road Total Scores | 57 | Home Total Scores | 165 |
WFL Women’s Football League 2002
WFL Women’s Football League Standings 2002
| WFL 2002 | P | W | L | T | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina Cougars | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Tennessee Heat | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 |
| Atlanta Xtreme | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 |
| Fayetteville Warriors | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 |
| Inactive Teams | |||||
| Miami Fury | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Totals | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 |
Report
After an eight-game season, eight teams progressed to the NWFA playoffs, where Detroit Danger defeated the Massachusetts Mutiny 48-30 in a high-scoring Championship Game in Pennsylvania.
The Southern Leagues were won by Jacksonville Dixie Blues (WFA Championship 68-20 versus Indianapolis Vipers) and North Carolina Cougars (5-0 on win percentage in WFL).
The Western Leagues’ Champions were Sacramento Sirens 59-0 versus Arizona Caliente (WAFC) and Long Beach Aftershock who lived up to their name, shocking the previously undefeated San Diego Sunfire 12-7 in the AFWL Championship.
Of interest to Irish readers was the Oakland Banshees, named after mythological women from ancient Celtic Irish folklore [10]. The Banshees completed the regular season in the WAFC 4-4 before losing out to eventual champions Sacramento Sirens 69-0 in the Playoffs.
Women’s Football Stock Image
Image Contributor Greg Perkins (2010) STOCKHOLM – JULY 3: Team USA wins gold in first ever IFAF woman’s tackle football world championship July 3, 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden, Team USA dominates by winning all their games. Item ID: 56511814 [Internet] Available from: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/stockholm-july-3-team-usa-wins-56511814 [Accessed 24 January 2022]
References
NWFA References
[1] Wayback Machine Internet Archive (2003) National Women’s Football Association 2002 Final Standings [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20030228052309/http://www.womensfootballcentral.com/Scores.htm [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
[2] Wayback Machine Internet Archive (2003) National Women’s Football League Schedule [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20021119215254/http://www.oursportscentral.com/schedule.cfm?leagueID=77 [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
WAFC References
[3] Wayback Machine Web Archive (2003) WAFC Standings [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20030208045811/http://www.wafcfootball.com/standings.html [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
[4] Wayback Machine Web Archive (2003) Our Sports Central: Women’s Affiliated Conference Schedule [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20030125134252/http://oursportscentral.com/schedule.cfm?leagueID=95 [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
AWFL References
[5] Wayback Machine Web Archive (2003) AWFL Game Results [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20030211115536/http://www.thewafl.net/results.htm [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
WFA References
[6] Wayback Machine Web Archive (2003) Women’s Football Association – 2002 League Standing [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20030821144730/http://risgonline.com/wfa/scores.htm [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
[7] Wayback Machine Web Archive (2003) Women’s Football Association Schedule [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20030910023959/http://www.oursportscentral.com/schedule.cfm?leagueID=97 [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
WFL References
[8] Wayback Machine Web Archive (2002) 2002 Women’s Football League Scores/Stats [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20021206103706/http://161.58.36.197/stats.htm [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
[9] Wayback Machine Web Archive (2002) Women’s Football League [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20021219194442/http://oursportscentral.com/league.cfm?leagueid=96 [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
Banshees in Irish Mythology References
[10] Irish Myths (2022) What Is a Banshee? The Mythic Origins of Ireland’s Most Infamous Shrieking Spirit [Internet] Available from: https://irishmyths.com/2022/07/25/banshee/ [Last Accessed 21 July 2024]
About This Document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball – Irish, North American and World Sports Archives.
First Published: 21 July 2024. Last Updated 23 July 2024.
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2024
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved. The Logos and Photos used in this article remain the property of the organisations and individuals which own the copyright and are used here for educational and information purposes only.