Denver Dynamite (arena football)
Denver Dynamite | |
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Established 1987 Folded 1991 Played in Denver, Colorado | |
League/conference affiliations | |
Arena Football League (1987, 1989–1991) | |
Current uniform | |
Team colors | Blue, yellow, white |
Personnel | |
Owner(s) | Sidney Shlenker; Gary Graham |
Head coach | Tim Marcum; Babe Parilli |
Team history | |
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Championships | |
League championships (1) | |
Conference championships (0) Prior to 2005, the AFL did not have conference championship games | |
Division championships (0) Prior to 1992, the AFL did not have divisions | |
Playoff appearances (4) | |
Home arena(s) | |
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The Denver Dynamite were an
History
1987
In 1987, businessman and then-owner of the
1989
The franchise was restarted in 1989, with the ownership purchased by Englewood, Colorado investment banker Gary Graham for $125,000.[1] Graham's first move was to hire former NFL and AFL coach, Babe Parilli as the team's head coach.[5] The team struggled to earn money during the 1989 season due to only hosting one home game.[1] The team finished with a 3–1 regular season record, and lost in the first round of the playoffs, 37–39 to the Gladiators.[6]
1990
With the same coaching staff in place from 1989, the Dynamite got off to a hot 4–1 start during the 1990 season. The Dynamite would finish the season with a record of 4-4, good enough to clinch the 3rd seed. The team lost 25–26 to the semi-finals to the
1991
Despite the financial turmoil that occurred the season before, the Dynamite once again fielded a team in 1991. The team finished 6–4 during the regular season,[8] again clinching the 3rd seed for the playoffs. The team lost to the relocated Gladiators, who became the Tampa Bay Storm, in the semi-finals. After the season, the franchise filed for bankruptcy after being sued by their public relations firm.[1] When he learned of the situation in Denver, AFL commissioner Jim Foster has this to say, "Three things can happen. One, he finds a buyer, or we find him a buyer, and the team stays in Denver. Two, a buyer is found and moves to another city. Three, no one is interested and the franchise goes down."[1] The Dynamite went up for sale, but with the city far more interested trying to attract investors to land a Major League Baseball franchise (Colorado Rockies), the team did not attract potential buyers.[1]
Future of the Dynamite and arena football in Denver
The owners retained the rights to operate an
Denver received a new arena football team in
Notable players
Final roster
Denver Dynamite roster | ||||||
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Quarterbacks
Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs
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Running Backs/Linebackers
Offensive Linemen/Defensive Linemen
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Wide Receivers/Linebackers
Kickers
Rookies in italics |
Arena Football Hall of Famers
Denver Dynamite Hall of Famers | ||||
No. | Name | Year Inducted | Position(s) | Years w/ Dynamite |
---|---|---|---|---|
?? | Fred Gayles | 2002 | WR/DB | 1989 |
1 | Gary Mullen |
1998 | WR/DB | 1987 |
73 | Joe March | 2000 | DL |
1991 |
-- | Tim Marcum | 1998 | Head Coach |
1987 |
Individual awards
Kicker Player of the Year | |||
Season | Player | Position | |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Rusty Fricke | K |
All-Arena players
The following Dynamite players were named to All-Arena Teams:
- QB Whit Taylor (1)
- FB/LB Chris Brewer (1), Durell Taylor(1)
- WR/DB Gary Mullen (1), Wayne Coffey (1)
- OL/DL Kelly Kirchbaum (1), Patrick Cain (1), Quinton Knight (2), Mitch Young (1), Joe March (1)
- DS Alvin Williams (1)
- K Gary Gussman (1), Rusty Fricke (1)
Notable coaches
Head coaches
Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 1991 Arena Football League season.
Name | Term | Regular Season | Playoffs | Awards | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||
Tim Marcum | 1987 | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 1 | 0 | Coach of the Year |
Babe Parilli | 1989-1991 | 13 | 9 | 0 | .591 | 0 | 3 | Coach of the Year (1989) |
Media
- The team appeared on the game EA Sports Arena Footballas a hidden bonus team.
Season-by-season
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Joey Bunch (October 22, 2012). "Denver Dynamite exploded in Arena League's first season, then fizzled out". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Buddy Martin (June 20, 1987). "Arena football: Try to avoid the temptation". Star-News. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ Brent Wiseman (December 2, 2003). "Whit Taylor to be honored as "SEC Legend"". www.vanderbilt.scout.com. MSN. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Arena Football League Championship : Taylor Leads Dynamite, 45-16". Los Angeles Times. August 2, 1987. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ "ON THE SIDELINES : Parilli Named Dynamite Coach". Los Angeles Times. June 27, 1989. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "1989 Denver Dynamite Team History". www.arenafan.com. ArenaFan. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "1990 Denver Dynamite Team History". www.arenafan.com. ArenaFan. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ "1991 Denver Dynamite Team History". www.arenafan.com. ArenaFan. Retrieved January 28, 2013.