Tag: Arena Football League

Bengals Stadium by Kelly

1991 Major Football Leagues Standings and Playoffs

1991 Major Football League Standings (USA)

1991 National Football League
American Football Conference
PWLTPFPAPct
AFC Eastern Division
*Buffalo Bills1613304583180.813
*New York Jets168803142930.500
Miami Dolphins168803433490.500
New England Patriots1661002113050.375
Indianapolis Colts1611501433890.063
AFC Central Division
*Houston Oilers1611503862510.688
Pittsburgh Steelers167902923440.438
Cleveland Browns1661002932980.375
Cincinnati Bengals1631302634350.188
AFC Western Division
*Denver Broncos1612403042350.750
*Kansas City Chiefs1610603222550.625
*Los Angeles Raiders169702982970.563
Seattle Seahawks167902762610.438
San Diego Chargers1641202743420.250
National Football Conference
PWLTPFPAPct
NFC Eastern
*Washington Redskins1614204852440.875
*Dallas Cowboys1611503423100.688
Philadelphia Eagles1610602852440.625
New York Giants168802812970.500
Phoenix Cardinals1641201963440.250
NFC Central
*Detroit Lions1612403392950.750
*Chicago Bears1611502992690.688
Minnesota Vikings168803013060.500
Green Bay Packers1641202733130.250
Tampa Bay Buccaneers1631301993650.188
NFC Western
*New Orlreans Saints1611503412110.688
*Atlanta Falcons1610603613380.625
San Francisco 49ers1610603932390.625
Los Angeles Rams1631302343900.188
1991 Mid-Continental Football League
PWLTPFPAPct
*Dayton Steelers11830102620.727
*Cleveland Falcons13940107920.692
Wyandot Chiefs853099910.625
Shenango Valley Blasters10370891300.300
1991 Major Football League Standings [References: see end of Article]

1991 Major Football League Standings (World)

1991 Canadian Football League
PWLTPFPAPts
CFL Eastern Division
*Toronto Argonauts18135064752626
*Winnipeg Blue Bombers1899051649918
*Ottawa Rough Riders18711052257714
Hamilton Tiger-Cats1831504005996
CFL Western Division
*Edmonton Eskimoes18126067156924
*Calgary Stampeders18117059655222
*British Columbia Lions18117066158722
Saskatchewan Roughriders18612060671012
1991 World League of American Football
PWLTPFPAPct
WLAF European Division
*London Monarchs109103101210.900
*Barcelona Dragons108202061260.800
Frankfurt Galaxy107301551390.700
WLAF North American East Division
*New York/New Jersey Knights105502571550.500
Orlando Thunder105502422860.500
Montreal Machine104601451440.400
Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks1001001233000.000
WLAF North American West Division
*Birmingham Fire105501401400.500
San Antonio Riders104601761960.400
Sacramento Surge103701792540.300
1991 Arena Football League
PWLTPFPAPct
*Detroit Drive109104372620.900
*Tampa Bay Storm108204213090.800
*Denver Dynamite106403893650.600
*Albany Firebirds106404273420.600
Dallas Texans104602863340.400
New Orleans Night104603144010.400
Orlando Predators103703213630.300
Columbus Thunderbolts1001002414600.000
1991 Association of American Football of USSR
PWLTPFPAPct
*Moscow Bruins (Bears)
*Moscow Swans
Caspian Sphinxes
Kharkov Atlantis
Donetsk Scythians
Minsk Zubrs (Bison)
1991 Major Football League Standings (World) – References: see end of article.

1991 Major Football League Playoffs (USA)

National Football League PlayoffsNational Football League Playoffs
National Football Conference Playoffs
Home TeamScoreRoad TeamScore
AFC Wild Card Playoffs
Kansas City Chiefs10Los Angeles Raiders6
Houston Oilers17New York Jets10
AFC Divisional Playoffs
Denver Broncos26Houston Oilers24
Buffalo Bills37Kansas City Chiefs14
AFC Conference Championship
Buffalo Bills10Denver Broncos7
National Football Conference Playoffs
Home TeamScoreRoad TeamScore
NFC Wild Card Playoffs
New Orleans Saints20Atlanta Falcons27
Chicago Bears13Dallas Cowboys17
NFC Divisional Playoffs
Washington Redskins24Atlanta Falcons7
Detroit Lions38Dallas Cowboys6
NFC Conference Championship
Washington Redskins41Detroit Lions10
Super Bowl XXVII (AFC v NFC)@Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN
AFC TeamNFC Team
Buffalo Bills24Washington Redskins37
Mid-Continental Football League Playoffs
Home TeamScoreRoad TeamScore
MCFL Championship Game
Cleveland Falcons7Dayton Steelers0
1991 Major Football League Playoffs (USA) – References: see end of article.

1991 Major Football League Playoffs (World)

Canadian Football League Playoffs
Home TeamScoreRoad TeamScore
Eastern Semi-Final
Winnipeg Blue Bombers26Ottawa Rough Riders8
Western Semi-Final
Calgary Stampeders43British Columbia Lions41
Eastern Final
Toronto Argonauts42Winnipeg Blue Bombers3
Western Final
Edmonton Eskimoes36Calgary Stampeders38
Grey Cup
Toronto Argonauts36Calgary Stampeders21
World League of American Football Playoffs
Home TeamScoreRoad TeamScore
Semi-Finals
Birmingham Fire3Barcelona Dragons10
New York/New Jersey Knights26London Monarchs42
World Bowl ’91@Wembley Stadium, London, ENG
London Monarchs21Barcelona Dragons0
Arena Football League Playoffs
Home TeamScoreRoad TeamScore
Semi-Finals
Detroit Drive37Albany Firebirds35
Tampa Bay Storm40Denver Dynamite13
Arena Bowl V
Tampa Bay Storm48Detroit Drive42
Association of American Football of USSR Playoffs
Home TeamScoreRoad TeamScore
Moscow BruinsWonMoscow SwansLost
1991 Major Football League Playoffs (World) – References: see end of article.

Report

Buffalo Bills, holding the best record in the AFC (13-3) lost their second Super Bowl in succession, defeated 37-24 by Washington Redskins, holders of the best record in the NFC and entire NFL (14-2). For the AFC it was an eighth successive loss in the biggest event in USA sports. The last time an AFC team won the Super Bowl was Los Angeles Raiders’ 38-9 victory over Washington Redskins on 22 January 1984 at Tampa, Florida in Super Bowl XVIII. Following a scoreless first quarter the Redskins scored 17 points in the second quarter and added a second John Riggs run touchdown 16 seconds into the third quarter to take a commanding 24-0 lead. Buffalo hit back later in the third quarter with a field goal and touchdown to reduce the deficit to 14 points, but another Redskins touchdown before the end of the quarter made the score 31-10. Two more field goals by Lohmiller made the score 37-10 in the fourth quarter. The Bills scored two passing touchdowns late in the game to make the score 37-24 at the final whistle. [NFL References: 1-2]

In other leagues, Cleveland Falcons triumphed 7-0 versus Dayton Steelers in the Mid-Continental Football League (MCFL) Championship Game. The MCFL was a new start-up league based in Ohio and Pennsylvania that took the place of any major 11v11 rival outdoor league to the NFL since the demise of the United States Football League following the 1985 season. Following the season Louisville Bulls of Kentucky replaced Wyandot Chiefs in the four-team league. [MCFL References: 1-2]

In the Canadian Football League, the Eastern Division’s Toronto Argonauts emerged victorious with a 36-21 victory over Calgary Stampeders. Calgary had the second-best record in the Western Division (11-7) after Edmonton Eskimoes, with Toronto putting up a 13-5 record to take first in the Eastern Division. Calgary eliminated Edmonton 38-36 in the Western Final and Toronto won 42-3 versus Winnipeg in the Eastern Final. [CFL References: 1]

The National Football League established the World League of American Football (WLAF) to further promote the sport around the World. Beginning in 1991 with ten teams the WLAF was divided into three divisions: European (with teams in London, England, UK; Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; and Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany); North American East Division (three teams in USA: New York/New Jersey Knights, NJ; Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks, NC; and Orlando Thunder, FL; plus one team in Quebec, Canada: Montreal Machine) and North American West Division (Three teams in USA: Birmingham Fire, AL; San Antonio Riders, TX; and Sacramento Surge, CA). An imbalance in players allocated by the NFL for development in the WLAF meant no team in the European Division finished with a losing record, and no team in either North American Division finished with a winning record. World Bowl ’91 was won by London Monarchs by 21-0 versus Barcelona Dragons at the hallowed grounds of Wembley Stadium, the home of England’s National Soccer Team. Following the 1991 season the winless Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks were replaced by Ohio Glory in Columbus for 1992. [WLAF References: 1-4]

The Arena Football League in 1991 expanded by two teams to eight, with Washington Commandos and Pittsburgh Gladiators leaving the league and replaced by four new teams in Tampa Bay Storm (FL), Orlando Predators (FL), New Orleans Night (LA) and Columbus Thunderbolts (OH). Tampa Bay Storm were immediately successful, winning Arena Bowl V 48-42 versus Detroit Drive. As in all other Major Football Leagues in 1991 the two teams with best records reached the Championship Game. Following the season Thunderbolts relocated to Cleveland (OH) and Cincinnati Rockers (OH), Charlotte Rage (NC), Sacramento Attack (CA) and San Antonio Force (TX) were added for 1992. [AFL References: 1]

A new Football power emerged on the scene in 1991: The USSR. Following glasnost the USSR opened up to American Football and a six-team league was established with teams in Moscow (Bruins and Swans), Caspian Sea Region (Sphinxes), Ukraine (Donetsk Scythians and Kharkov Atlantis) and Belarus (Minsk Zubrs – ‘Bison’). The first and only official Championship of USSR ended with a Moscow Bruins victory over Moscow Swans. After the season the USSR broke up, with Moscow Bears (Bruins) and Krasnoyarsk Siberian Devils competing for Championship of Russia. Kharkov Atlantis and Donetsk Scythians joined newly independent Ukraine’s Football Association and Minsk Zubrs joined Belarus’ Football Association. [AAF USSR References 1-2]

Stock Image

Bengals Stadium by Kelly
Bengals Stadium by Kelly

1991 Major Football League References

NFL References [1]
National Football League – 1996 Record and Factbook “Past Standings: 1996” p. 278.
Published by National Football League, Workman Publishing Co., New York

NFL References [2]
National Football League – 1996 Record and Factbook “Super Bowl Summaries” p. 327-329.
Published by National Football League, Workman Publishing Co., New York
MCFL References (1)
Semi-Pro Football -Defunct Leagues: EMCFL (Champs)
https://www.semiprofootball.org/minor/champs/mcfl.htm
[Accessed 1 January 2024]

MCFL References (2)
Semi-Pro Football – Defunct Leagues: EMCFL (1991)
https://www.semiprofootball.org/index.htm
[Accessed 1 January 2024]
CFL References (1)
Canadian Football League – CFL Standings: The 1990s
http://web.archive.org/web/19991108193646/http://www.cfl.ca/CFLArchives/1990s.html
[Accessed 20 January 2023][Archived at the Wayback Machine]
WLAF References (1-3)
Anon. (1991) “Standings” First Down, June 1, 1991, pg. 5
Anon. (1991) “Jon’s too Hort to handle” First Down, June 8, 1991, pg. 4-5
Anglesey, Steve (1991) “Enter the Dragons!” First Down, June 15, 1992, pg. 6-7
WLAF References (4)
World League of American Football (2018) WLAF History: 1991
http://www.worldleagueofamericanfootball.com/id165.html
[Accessed 23 April 2018]
Arena Football League References (1)
Arena Football League (2016) 2016 Record and Factbook pp. 67-83 / 52.
AAF USSR References (1)
American Football in Russia (2017) History of American Football in USSR and Russia
http://www.americanfootball.ru/Hist_RUS.php
Accessed 24 December 2017
AAF USSR References (2)
Anon. (1991) “Curtain Call” First Down. September 29, 1991. pg. 10.
Published by Mediawatch, Charlbury, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom.

About this Document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 1 January 2024

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2024

You may quote this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. 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. All Rights Reserved.

Arena Football League af2 2001

Final Standings

Arena Football League af2 American Northeast 2001

PosTeamWLTPFPA
1Richmond Speed1330814605
2Carolina Rhinos1240687519
3Charleston Swamp Foxes790702765
4Norfolk Nighthawks790631611
5Roanoke Steam790597704
6Greensboro Prowlers5110538673
7Rochester Brigade4120542749

Arena Football League af2 American Southeast 2001

PosTeamWLTPFPA
1Tallahassee Thunder1150789610
2Macon Knights1060814696
3Augusta Stallions970776682
4Jacksonville Tomcats970767737
5Florida Firecats790656675
6Pensacola Barracudas5110621698
7Columbus Wardogs0160418948

Arena Football League af2 National Midwest 2001

PosTeamWLTPFPA
1Quad City Steamwheelers15101016453
2Tulsa Talons1330774676
3Iowa Barnstormers970797721
4Wichita Stealth790715726
5Peoria Pirates790569689
6Louisville Fire6100711736
7Lincoln Lightning6100532705

Arena Football League af2 National South Central 2001

PosTeamWLTPFPA
1Tennessee Valley Vipers1420872611
2Birmingham Steeldogs1240873703
3Baton Rouge Blaze1060746783
4Bossier City Battle Wings790843845
5Arkansas Twisters6100782762
6Lafayette Roughnecks3130654868
7Memphis Xplorers3130607893

Playoff Results

Arena Football League af2 Playoffs 2001

Recap

Quad City Steamwheelers from Moline, Illinois, repeated as af2 ArenaCup Champions thanks to a 55-51 victory over Richmond Speed from Virginia in ArenaCup 2001. Ironman Scott Hvistendahl hauled in a 3 yard Touchdown Reception from Quarterback Jay McDonagh with 10 seconds remaining to give the Steamwheelers the victory. A little over a minute earlier Kevin Harvey had caught a 13-yard reception from QB Bob Bees in the endzone to give Richmond a 48-44 lead in a rollercoaster game where the lead changed hands 16 times with neither team recording back-to-back scores. The game was played in front of 8,261 fans in Moline, Illinois.

Quad City Steamwheelers had finished the regular season National Conference Midwest Division Champions on 15-1 before defeating Macon Knights (10-6, American Southwest) 80-55 in the Quarter-Final Round and Carolina Rhinos (12-4, American Northeast) 35-16 in the Semi-Final Round. Richmond Speed’s path to the ArenaCup included posting a 13-3 record to win the American Conference Northeast Division title before knocking out Birmingham Steeldogs (12-4, National South Central) 67-60 in the Quarter-Final Round and in an exciting overtime game overcoming Tennessee Valley Vipers from Hunstsville, Alabama (14-2, National South Central) in the Semi-Final Round. Other teams to make the Playoffs were American Southeast Champions Tallahassee Thunder (11-5) and National Midwest runners-up Tulsa Talons (13-3).

About Arena Football League af2

The Arena Football League was the original Indoor or Arena American Football League, established in 1986. After the court ruling in 1998 that its patent (awarded in 1989) only referred to the rebound nets either side of the goalposts, everything else was football, and not under copyright, as it was already in the common sphere.

This opened the door to rival Indoor Leagues, and in an attempt to see them off Arena Football League created Arena Football 2 (af2) in 2000, an official Minor League. This was an over-expansion and coupled with the debts from the court case related to the patent, it incurred a legacy debt that left the League in no position to continue after 2019.

For the second af2 season in 2001, the league consisted of 28 franchises, in two conferences (American and National). The American Conference (East Coast) had two divisions of seven teams each: Northeast and Southeast and the National Conference (Central USA) also had two divisions of seven teams (Midwest and South Central). The top two teams in each division qualified for the playoffs, seeded 1-8.

ABOUT ARENA / INDOOR FOOTBALL

Indoor Football, also known as Arena Football was developed in 1986 as an 8v8 form of Indoor American Football. After an initial few seasons where the game was developed with a 4 team league, a full seasons League with eventually over a dozen teams was developed in the 1990 which was considered by the Wall Street Journal to be a fifth major.

The Arena Football League over-expanded in the 2000s with a Minor League, and its importance (and number of teams) waned since it first experienced financial diffulty in 2009, and it ceased operations after the 2019 season due to the legacy debt incurred.

There is now, however, Indoor Football Leagues all over America, all of which would now be considered Minor League or Semi-Pro (AAA, AA, or even A)

Indoor Football is played on a 50-yard field with two 8-yard endzones, and teams have 5 downs (attempts) to reach the endzone or the ball is turned over. 3 of those downs must be passing plays, making Indoor Football highly explosive and high scoring.

The main difference between Arena Football & Indoor Football is the rebound nets either side of the goalposts in Arena Football, which is the only part of the original patent given to the Arena Football League in 1989, that a subsequent ruling in 1998 ruled was copyright, the rest being Football already in other leagues.

Photo of Classic Moline Steam Tractor

PEKIN, NORTH DAKOTA, September 2, 2018: An old restored classic Minneapolis Moline and other tractors are displayed at the Labor Day Stump Lake Village Threshing Bee. Copyright: rjfiskness

References

[1] Arena Football (2001) af2.com Game Center -> 2001 Standings [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011114102309/http://www.arenafootball.com/af2/games/index.cfm?include=/includes/standings.cfm&subnav_key=af2_games&page_type=dept&bar_img=af2_games_stands [Accessed 18 November 2022]

[3] Arena Football (2001) af2.com Game Center -> Scores [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011115084356/http://www.arenafootball.com/af2/team/league_pressreleases.cfm?source=st&cont_id=69751 [Accessed 18 November 2022]

[4] Arena Football (2001) af2.com Game Center -> Scores [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011215160558/http://www.arenafootball.com/af2/games/index.cfm?include=/includes/scores.cfm&subnav_key=af2_games&page_type=dept&bar_img=af2_games_scores [Accessed 18 November 2022]

[5] Arena Football (2001) af2.com Arena Cup – > Quad City repeats in a rubberband battle [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011205122309/http://www.arenafootball.com/af2/team/league_pressreleases.cfm?source=st&cont_id=70462 [Accessed 18 November 2022]

[6] Arena Football (2001) af2.com -> Teams [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20011112215429/http://arenafootball.com/af2/team/index.cfm?page_type=dept&cont_id=53070&subnav_key=af2_teams&no_bar=true&subnav=false [Accessed 18 November 2022]

Image References

[8] PEKIN, NORTH DAKOTA, September 2, 2018: An old restored classic Minneapolis Moline and other tractors are displayed at the Labor Day Stump Lake Village Threshing Bee. Copyright: rjfiskness [Internet] Available from: https://www.123rf.com/photo_114870264_Pekin,%20north%20dakota,%20september%202,%202018:%20an%20old%20restored%20classic%20minneapolis%20moline%20and%20other%20tractors%20are%20displayed%20at%20the%20labor%20day%20stump%20lake%20village%20threshing%20bee..html?vti=n5qwnxcjeuf7d73tnf-1-30 [Accessed 19 November 2022]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Todd Zboyan, Tim Leadingham. Bart Barden & Sam Thompson.

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 19 November 2022

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2022

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. Eirball is not officially connected or endorsed by Arena Football League.

football team running thru football field

AFL Arena Football League Test Season 1986-87

Test Schedule

AFL Arena Football League Test Season 1986-87

Match Day Test Game
(Test Game)
30 - 18

Rockford Metros vs Chicago Politicians

Match Day Showcase Game
(Showcase Game)
30 - 33

Chicago Bruisers vs Miami Vice

REPORT

On February 11, 1981, James Foster witnessed an Indoor Soccer game at Madison Square Garden, and drew out the outline of an Indoor American Football field on a manilla envelope, using the same basic premise of a football field on a converted Ice Hockey rink. [2]

The first AFL test game was held on 27 April 1986 in Rockford, Illinois between the Rockford Metros and Chicago Politicians, and following positive public response the first “showcase game” in Chicago in front of 8,200 fans on February 27, 1987, where Miami Vice triumphed 33-30 over Chicago Bruisers. [2; 4-5]

About Arena Football

This version of American (or Gridiron) Football has become extremely popular in Mexico. Indoor Football, also known as Arena Football was developed in 1986 as an 8v8 form of Indoor American Football. After an initial few seasons where the game was developed with a 4 team league, a full seasons League with eventually over a dozen teams was developed in the 1990 which was considered by the Wall Street Journal to be a fifth major.

The Arena Football League over-expanded in the 2000s with a Minor League, and its importance (and number of teams) waned since it first experienced financial diffulties  in 2009, and it ceased operations after the 2019 season due to the legacy debt incurred. There is now, however, Indoor Football Leagues all over America, all of which would now be considered Minor League or Semi-Pro (AAA, AA, or even A)

Arena Indoor Football is played on a 50-yard field with two 8-yard endzones, and teams have 5 downs (attempts) to reach the endzone or the ball is turned over. 3 of those downs must be passing plays, making Indoor Football highly explosive and high scoring.

The main difference between Arena Football & Indoor Football is the rebound nets either side of the goalposts in Arena Football, which is the only part of the original patent given to the Arena Football League in 1989, that a subsequent ruling in 1998 ruled was copyright, the rest being Football already in other leagues.

Indoor American Football Photograph

football team running thru football field
Photo by Joe Calomeni on Pexels.com

REFERENCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] Arena Football League (2016) “2016 Record and Fact Book” pp. 57-65.

[2] Arena Football League (2016) “2016 Record and Fact Book” pp. 52-56.

SOCIAL MEDIA

[3] Arena Fan Facebook Page (2021) Post, April 27, 1987 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/arenafan/posts/10160818695018222 [Accessed 4 June 2021]

WEBSITES

[4] Arena Fan (2021) History 1986 Schedule [Internet] Available from: http://www.arenafan.com/history/?page=yearly&histleague=1&fpage=schedule&year=1986 [Accessed 4 June 2021]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Richard Conville, Conor Lynch, Maurice Lynch, Dylan Brennan, Jonathan Brennan, Simon Brennan & Robert Byron.

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball – Irish North American & World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 14 August 2022

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2022

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.