Sports in Phoenix

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Sports in Phoenix include several professional sports franchises, and is one of only

major professional sports leagues, although only one of these teams actually carry the city name and play within the city limits. Phoenix
was the last of the metropolitan areas with teams in all four leagues to gain its first major professional sports team, when the Suns were granted a franchise in 1968.

Other team sports in the Phoenix area include indoor football, soccer, as well as being the only city in the country to host an entire spring-training league for MLB, the Cactus League. Other major sporting teams/events in the Phoenix metropolitan area include PGA and LPGA golf, NASCAR and NHRA racing, and major marathons.

Steve Nash played for the Phoenix Suns.

Tables of Phoenix area sports teams

Professional major-league clubs

Club Sport League Venue Established Titles
Arizona Cardinals
Football
 National Football League State Farm Stadium 1898* 0
Arizona Coyotes (inactive) Ice hockey National Hockey League Mullett Arena 1972** 0
Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball Major League Baseball Chase Field 1998 1 (2001)
Phoenix Mercury
Women's Basketball
 Women's National Basketball Association Footprint Center 1997 3 (2007, 2009, 2014)
Phoenix Suns Men's Basketball National Basketball Association Footprint Center 1968 0

(*)Note: The Cardinals moved to Phoenix in 1988, and both championships were won prior to that move. (**)Note: The Coyotes moved to Phoenix in 1996.

Minor league and semi-pro clubs

Club Sport League Venue Titles
Arizona Rattlers
Indoor football
 Indoor Football League Desert Diamond Arena 6 (1994, 1997, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017)
Phoenix Rising FC
Soccer
 USL Championship Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium 1 (2023)

Basketball

NBA

photo showing the semi-circular entrance to the America West Arena (now Talking Stick Arena) in downtown Phoenix, blue sky in background
Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix

The

Arizona Republic.[3] The team initially played their home games at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in downtown Phoenix. Their last place finish in their inaugural season made them eligible for a coin toss with the Milwaukee Bucks to see who would get the first pick in the draft, which was to be Lew Alcindor (who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). The Suns lost the flip, and the two teams went in different directions for the next 8 years.[4][5] The Suns would not make their first appearance in the NBA finals until 1976, losing to the Boston Celtics
in six games.

In 1992, the Suns would move into the newly constructed America West Arena (now Footprint Center), which had been designed specifically for basketball.[6] The year following their move to the new arena, the Suns made the NBA finals for the second time in franchise history, losing to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, 4 games to 2.[7] As of 2014, the Suns have the highest winning percentage of any team in the NBA without an NBA championship.[8] Since their first appearance in the NBA finals in 1976, the Suns were a perennial playoff team, missing the playoffs only seven times between 1976 and 2010. In more recent years, the team has failed to perform up to playoff level, missing the playoffs from 2011 to 2014.[9] The Suns went on to win the Conference Championship in 2021 for the first time in 28 years .

The Suns have seen six of their number inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame: Charles Barkley, Jerry Colangelo, Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins, Dennis Johnson, and Gus Johnson.[10] Other notable players to wear the Suns uniform include: Alvan Adams, Danny Ainge, Vince Carter, Tom Chambers, Walter Davis, Grant Hill, Jeff Hornacek, Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd, Maurice Lucas, Dan Majerle, Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion, Larry Nance, Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal, Truck Robinson, Charlie Scott, Paul Silas, Amar'e Stoudemire, Dick Van Arsdale, and Paul Westphal.[11]

WNBA

In 1997, the

Michelle Timms.[14]

Football

NFL

The

Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in nearby Tempe. In 2006 they moved to the newly constructed then-named University of Phoenix Stadium in suburban Glendale.[15] Since moving to Phoenix, the Cardinals have made one championship appearance, Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009, where they lost 27–23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.[16]

photo of State Farm Stadium taken from the parking lot, showing the domed stadium against an overcast sky
State Farm Stadium on the game day of Super Bowl XLII

Sun Devil Stadium held Super Bowl XXX in 1996 when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers.[17] University of Phoenix Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots.[18] State Farm Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLIX in 2015.[19] The U.S. Airways Center hosted both the 1995 and the 2009 NBA All-Star Games.[20]

Indoor football

Phoenix has an

Arena Bowls are more than any other team; and their 40-point win over the Cleveland Gladiators (72–32) in Arena Bowl XXVII was the most lopsided in the history of the AFL. With their last Arena Bowl victory in 2014, the Rattlers joined the Tampa Bay Storm as the only teams to win five AFL championships.[23]

AAF

In 2018, the

Sun Devil Stadium.[24]

Hockey

Gila River Arena in Glendale

The Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League moved to the area in 1996,[25] when they were formerly known as the Winnipeg Jets. They originally played their home games downtown at America West Arena before moving in December 2003 to the Jobing.com Arena (now the Gila River Arena), adjacent to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.[26] Despite ongoing financial difficulties, and continual discussion of moving the team to a different city, an agreement was reached to sell the team to IceArizona Acquisition Co., LLC. on August 5, 2013, assuring that the team would remain in Phoenix area for the near future.[27] Starting in 2022, the team will play its home games at Mullett Arena while they seek to build a new arena in the area.

Originally known as the Phoenix Coyotes upon their arrival, they changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes in 2014. The team has advanced beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs just once, reaching the third round of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, where they lost to the Los Angeles Kings 4 games to 1.

Baseball

Phoenix hosts the Arizona Diamondbacks during the regular season, and hosts the 15 major league teams of the Cactus League during spring training. Phoenix's Ahwatukee American Little League reached the 2006

Little League World Series
as the representative from the U.S. West region.

Arizona Diamondbacks

photo of major league baseball pitcher Randy Johnson on the mound, right after releasing a pitch to the plate, arm extended in front of him.
Randy Johnson pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks

The

Florida Marlins of 5 years, set in 1997.[32]

Cactus League spring training

Long before the city was granted the Diamondbacks franchise, there existed a rich baseball tradition in the valley. MLB had taken advantage of the beautiful weather in southern Arizona since 1929, when the Detroit Tigers became the first team to hold their spring training in Arizona, in Riverside Park at Central Avenue and the Salt River.

Grapefruit League, which is spread throughout southern Florida. With the Cincinnati Reds' move to Goodyear, fifteen of MLB's thirty teams are now included in the Cactus League.[35]

Minor leagues

Phoenix hosts 19 minor league teams. During the regular season, Phoenix is home to the 13 teams of the Arizona League, which consists of rookie level teams. In the fall, all 30 major league teams send prospects to the six teams of the Arizona Fall League.

Jayson Aquino pitching for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League. (Photo by Arianna Grainey)

The Phoenix metropolitan area is home to an entire minor league, the

Arizona League
, a rookie level organization. The league has minor league affiliates of thirteen teams, almost mirroring the major league teams which play in the Cactus League. The only two Cactus League teams which do not have a rookie league team playing in Phoenix are the Kansas City Royals and the Colorado Rockies.

The Arizona Fall League is an off-season league run by Major League Baseball, and consists of six teams made up of some of the most talented minor league players in baseball. Unlike baseball's minor leagues, like AAA teams, the teams are not affiliated with a single major-league team. Each of the six teams is affiliated with five major league teams, all of which send seven players to the fall league. Most of the players come from AAA and AA teams. Many famous major-leaguers have played in the league throughout the years; perhaps the most notable was Michael Jordan in 1994, during his attempt to play major-league baseball.

Other professional sports

Motor sports

Phoenix Raceway

The

Firebird International Raceway (FIR) closed operations in 2013.[40] However, the NHRA negotiated a deal with the Gila River Indian Community (the owners of FIR) and re-opened the venue to NHRA events in 2014, under the new name, "Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park".[41] Phoenix hosted the United States Grand Prix from 1989 to 1991. The race was discontinued after the 1991 edition due to poor attendance.[42]

Golf

The city is also host to several major professional golf events, including the

Founder's Cup.[43] Since 1932, the city has hosted one of the oldest golfing tournaments in the United States, The Phoenix Open of the PGA.[44]

Soccer

In 2012, Phoenix was granted a professional soccer team, the

Arizona United SC (now Phoenix Rising FC), who play their home games at Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium
.

Sporting Events

The Phoenix Marathon is a new addition to the city's sports scene, having offered a half-marathon and 10k race in 2012, with the full marathon beginning in 2013, and is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.[45][46] The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series has held an event in Phoenix every January since 2004.[47]

The Phoenix area is the site of two college football bowl games: the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, formerly known as the

Insight Bowl, which was at Chase Field until 2005, after which it moved to Sun Devil Stadium;[48] and the Fiesta Bowl, played at the University of Phoenix Stadium.[49]

Phoenix's Ahwatukee American Little League reached the 2006

Little League World Series
as the representative from the U.S. West region.

College sports

ASU Football Team

Phoenix is home to two NCAA Division I schools: Arizona State University (ASU) and Grand Canyon University (GCU). ASU plays in the Pac-12 Conference. They were in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) until joining, along with the University of Arizona, the Pac-8 conference in 1978, after which time it was known as the Pac-10. The university has won 23 NCAA team championships: women's golf (7), baseball (5), men's golf (2), women's indoor track & field (2), softball (2), and 1 each in men's gymnastics, men's indoor track & field, men's outdoor track & field, wrestling, and women's outdoor track & field. In addition, prior to the NCAA recognizing women's sports for national championships, ASU holds the record for the most national championships sanctioned by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) with 12, four more than the school with the second most, UCLA.

Grand Canyon University is a member of the WAC. Historically, the school had been a member of the NAIA, before moving to NCAA Division II in the early 1990s. For the 2013–14 year, the school moved up to Division I, when it joined the WAC.[50] The school has won several NAIA national championships: baseball (4),[51] men's basketball (3),[52] and women's tennis (1).[53] In addition, they have won two NCAA Division II national championships in soccer and men's indoor track & field.[54]

References

  1. ^ "The Suns Rise in Phoenix". NBA.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  2. ^ "Jerry Colangelo Bio". NBA. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  3. ^ "The Prickly Pears?". NBA. March 1998. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  4. ^ Coro, Paul (Nov 16, 2012). "1969 coin flip changed a lot for Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  5. ^ Ballay, Chris (May 2, 2009). "Eerie Thoughts: How a Coin Flip Altered the Career of Kareem and Hakeem". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "A Storybook Season". NBA.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  7. ^ "1993 Retrospective". NBA.com. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  8. ^ "Intro to all-time NBA franchise rankings". ESPN.com. June 11, 2009.
  9. ^ "Phoenix Suns Franchise Index". Basketball Reference. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  10. ^ "Hall of Famers". Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  11. ^ "Phoenix Suns Players". Basketball Reference. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  12. ^ "Mercury History". Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  13. ^ "Phoenix Mercury, 2009 WNBA Champions". WNBA.com. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  14. ^ "Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees". Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  15. ^ "Franchise History". Arizona Cardinals. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  16. ^ "Alone On Top". The National Football League. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  17. ^ "Super Bowl XXX". onpointevents.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  18. ^ "Super Bowl XLII: Giants 17 Patriots 14; Road Warrior Giants Bring It Home". ihavenet.com. 6 February 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  19. ^ Klemko, Robert (October 11, 2011). "Arizona, not Tampa, will host Super Bowl XLIX in 2015". USA Today. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  20. ^ "NBA All-Star Game History". NBA.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  21. ^ "Arizona Rattlers". Arena Football. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  22. ^ "Champion Arizona Rattlers to parade through Phoenix". azcentral.com. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  23. ^ "History". Arena Football. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  24. ^ Packwood, Hayden (25 September 2018). "Meet the Hotshots: Arizona's newest football team". KPNX. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  25. ^ "Phoenix Coyotes Historical Moments". sportsecyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  26. ^ "Team History" (PDF). NHL.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 30, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  27. ^ "Coyotes Finally have owner". ESPN. Associated Press. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  28. ^ "Arizona Granted Major League Baseball Franchise". Arizona Diamondbacks. Archived from the original on May 7, 1998. Retrieved February 14, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  29. ^ "Bank One Ballpark". JDBaseball. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  30. ^ "Bank One Ballpark / Chase Field". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  31. ^ "2001 World Series". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  32. ^ "Diamondbacks win World Series". cbcsports. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  33. ^ Johnson, Rodney (March 6, 2011). "Cactus League: Then and Now". The Arizona Republic.
  34. ^ Walsh, Jim (July 13, 2009). "Buckhorn Baths: A unique Mesa landmark". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  35. ^ "Sun, scenery, history mark Spring Training baseball in Arizona, Florida". MLB. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  36. ^ "Timeline". phoenixraceway.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  37. ^ a b "Phoenix International Raceway History". FoxSports. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  38. ^ "Phoenix International Raceway Schedule". NASCAR.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  39. ^ "Mexico Series returning to Phoenix in 2014". NASCAR.com. February 7, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  40. ^ McMacken, Marcy (January 3, 2013). "Firebird Raceway closing down; drag racing possible in 2014". azfamily.com. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  41. ^ "Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park and NHRA Drag Racing". racewildhorse.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  42. ^ Indianapolis Monthly (June 2004) p. 40
  43. ^ "LPGA Vision for Founders Cup Now Long-Term Reality". LPGA. November 4, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  44. ^ "Waste Management Phoenix Open". wmphoenixopen.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  45. ^ "Phoenix Marathon". Phoenix.org. March 3, 2012. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  46. ^ "BMO Harris Bank Announces Multi-Year Sponsorship of The Phoenix Marathon". marketwatch. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  47. ^ "Events". competitorgroup.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  48. ^ "Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl". football-bowl.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  49. ^ "Fiesta Bowl". fiestabowl.org. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  50. ^ "WAC adds Grand Canyon University". ESPN. November 27, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  51. ^ "NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  52. ^ "Division I Men's Basketball Championship Records" (PDF). NAIA. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  53. ^ "Women's Tennis Championship Records" (PDF). NAIA. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  54. ^ "GCU scores title in second year". NCAA. May 11, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
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