| Oklahoma City Yard Dawgs | |
|---|---|
| |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Head coach | Sparky McEwen |
| Home arena | Ford Center 2004–2008 Cox Convention Center 2009–2010 |
| City, State | [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]] |
| ArenaCup championships | 0 |
The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz was a member of the new Arena Football League. The team began play as a 2004 expansion team of the original Arena Football League's now-defunct minor league af2. Formerly a tenant of the Ford Center from 2004 until 2008, the Yard Dawgz were forced out when the National Basketball Association's Oklahoma City Thunder moved into town; starting in 2009, the Yard Dawgz played across the street at the Cox Convention Center. On October 25, 2010 Yard Dawgz owner Phil Miller announced that he decided not to play in the Arena Football League for the 2011 season.[1]
Team history[]
Three straight winning seasons[]
The Yard Dawgz had a successful first year on and off the field by leading the league in attendance and finishing the regular season with 10-6 record to finish second in the Southwest Division of the National Conference.
In 2005, The Yard Dawgz had another successful year, despite changing divisions, by coming in third in attendance and finishing the regular season with 10-6 record to finish second in the Midwest Division of the National Conference. The Dawgz lost in the first round to the Amarillo Dusters.
The Yard Dawgz had their best showing in 2006 with a record of 11-5 and their third playoff appearance. Kicker A.J. Haglund won the af2 Kicker of the Year award and Quarterback Craig Strickland became the only player in af2 history to reach 20,000 career passing yards.
First losing season[]
In 2007, under head coach John Fitzgerald, the Yard Dawgz had the second leading offense in the league - averaging 310.9 yd/game. Despite finishing 7-9, the team made its fourth consecutive playoff appearance. Three members of the 2007 Yard Dawgz earned All-af2 First Team honors - WR/DB Al Hunt, Center Gene Frederic, and OL/DL Barry Giles.
Historical News from 2008[]
On June 28, 2008 against the Lubbock Renegades, Wide Receiver Al Hunt became only the third player in af2 history to record 1,000 points.
2009 season[]
After starting out the season with a promising team record 4-0 record, the Yard Dawgz dropped five straight games in a row, the longest in team history, to drop to 4-5. Since then, the Dawgz have won 3 straight to push their record to 7-5 with an eye still on the playoffs.
On June 20, the Yard Dawgz faced off against the Corpus Christi Sharks. The Yard Dawgz beat the Sharks 93-41 and set an af2 record for points scored in the first half (59) and beat the franchise record of points scored in a game that was originally set against the Tulsa Talons.
Despite a loss to the Spokane Shock on June 26, the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz clinched a playoff berth after a loss by Central Valley to Boise the next night. The playoff appearance will mark the 5th time in 6 years the Dawgz will be in post-season play.
The Yard Dawgz season ended on August 1 at the hands of the Tulsa Talons in the first round of ArenaCup playoffs. With the loss, the Dawgz has dropped five straight post season games and is winless in the team's history in the playoffs. The Dawgz franchise is selling season tickets for the 2010 season.
2011 season[]
On October 25, 2010 Yard Dawgz owner Phil Miller announced that he decided not to play in the Arena Football League for the 2011 season.[1] However the Indoor Football League announced the sameday that a new team would play in Oklahoma City in 2011.[1]
2010 Results[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 3 | Jacksonville Sharks | Home | L 38-54 | 5,542 |
| 2 | April 10 | BYE | |||
| 3 | April 17 | Cleveland Gladiators | Home | W 63-50 | 5,422 |
| 4 | April 24 | Iowa Barnstormers | Away | L 60-68 | 8,312 |
| 5 | April 30 | Dallas Vigilantes | Away | L 34-55 | 7,051 |
| 6 | May 8 | Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings | Home | W 88-79 | 4,775 |
| 7 | May 16 | Spokane Shock | Home | L 63-68 | 4,415 |
| 8 | May 22 | Tulsa Talons | Away | L 41-67 | 7,235 |
| 9 | May 28 | Alabama Vipers | Home | W 65-39 | 5,139 |
| 10 | June 5 | Tampa Bay Storm | Away | L 48-50 | 16,200 |
| 11 | June 11 | Arizona Rattlers | Away | L 55-56 | 11,922 |
| 12 | June 20 | BYE | |||
| 13 | June 26 | Dallas Vigilantes | Home | W 35-31 | 5,114 |
| 14 | July 3 | Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings | Away | W 70-44 | 3,382 |
| 15 | July 10 | Iowa Barnstormers | Home | W 52-42 | 5,415 |
| 16 | July 17 | Cleveland Gladiators | Away | L 39-44 | 7,682 |
| 17 | July 24 | Orlando Predators | Away | L 21-49 | 12,343 |
| 18 | July 30 | Tulsa Talons | Home | L 61-74 | 7,702 |
Season-By-Season[]
| ArenaBowl Champions | ArenaBowl Appearance | Division Champions | Playoff Berth |
| Season | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | ||||||
| Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz | ||||||||
| 2004 | AF2 | National | Southwest | 2nd | 10 | 6 | Lost Week 1 Peoria 45-36 | |
| 2005 | AF2 | National | Midwest | 2nd | 10 | 6 | Lost Week 1 Amarillo 59-56 | |
| 2006 | AF2 | National | Midwest | 2nd | 11 | 5 | Lost Week 1 Arkansas 47-43 | |
| 2007 | AF2 | National | Central | 3rd | 7 | 9 | Lost Week 1 Tulsa 62-27 | |
| 2008 | AF2 | National | Central | 3rd | 6 | 10 | NO PLAYOFFS | |
| 2009 | AF2 | National | Central | 2nd | 7 | 9 | Lost Week 1 Tulsa 90-75 | |
| *2010 | AFL | American | Southwest | 2nd | 6 | 10 | NO PLAYOFFS | |
| Total | 57 | 55 | (includes only regular season) | |||||
| 0 | 5 | (includes only the postseason) | ||||||
| 57 | 60 | (includes both regular season and postseason) | ||||||
* = Current Standing
Head Coaches[]
- 2004 Gary Reasons
- 2005–2006 Jeff Jarnigan
- 2007 John Fitzgerald
- 2008 Gary Reasons and Sparky McEwen
- 2009–2010 Sparky McEwen
Roster[]
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz roster
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Fullbacks
Wide Receivers
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Kickers
|
Injured Reserve
Exempt List
Suspended List
Rookies in italics | |||
Notable players[]
- Timon Marshall
- A. J. Haglund
- Al Hunt
- Fred Shaw
- Kelly Butler
- Mike Brown
- Danny Howard
- Freddie Rollins
- Aaron Chavers
- Anthony Hines
- Big Steven Coleman
- Tonga Tea
- Mike Hunt
- Fabio Castelli
Notable former players[]
- Craig Strickland
- Pete Martinez
- B.J. Barre
- Evan Gray
- Ben Scott
- Jarrail Jackson
- Barry Giles
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Aber, Ryan. "Yard Dawgz won't play in OKC this year, but IFL will". The Oklahoman. http://newsok.com/yard-dawgz-wont-play-in-okc-this-year-but-ifl-will/article/3507974?custom_click=lead_story_title. Retrieved 7 November 2010.