2002 Arena Football League season
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Arena Football League season was the 16th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the San Jose SaberCats
, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers
in ArenaBowl XVI
. In the process the SaberCats came closer to a perfect season
than any other team in the history of the league, winning sixteen of seventeen games.
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers
Arizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
in ArenaBowl XVI
ArenaBowl XVI
ArenaBowl XVI was played between the San Jose SaberCats and Arizona Rattlers in San Jose, California on August 18, 2002. A game with considerable expectations given the teams' intense rivalry and respective success that year, the SaberCats surprised everyone by posting the most dominant victory in...
. In the process the SaberCats came closer to a perfect season
Perfect Season
A perfect season is any sports season, excluding the playoff portion of a season, in which a team remains undefeated and untied. The feat is extremely rare at the professional level of any team sport, and has occurred more commonly at the collegiate level in the United States.A perfect season may...
than any other team in the history of the league, winning sixteen of seventeen games.
Standings
| Team | Overall | Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | Losses | Percentage | Wins | Losses | Percentage | |
| National Conference | ||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||
| New Jersey Gladiators Las Vegas Gladiators The Cleveland Gladiators are an arena football franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio which plays in the Arena Football League. The team is part of the East division of the AFL's American Conference. The Gladiators play all of their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they share with the NBA's... |
9 | 5 | 0.643 | 4 | 2 | 0.667 |
| Buffalo Destroyers Columbus Destroyers The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team was founded in as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in . They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of... |
6 | 8 | 0.429 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Toronto Phantoms Toronto Phantoms The Toronto Phantoms was the final name of a team in the Arena Football League, that also operated in New York City and Hartford, Connecticut.-New York CityHawks :The team began in 1997 as the New York CityHawks... |
5 | 9 | 0.357 | 1 | 5 | 0.167 |
| New York Dragons New York Dragons The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded... |
3 | 11 | 0.214 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| Southern Division | ||||||
| Orlando Predators Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000... |
7 | 7 | 0.500 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Carolina Cobras Carolina Cobras Not to be confused with the Los Angeles Cobras, who played in the 1988 AFL season.The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League... |
6 | 8 | 0.429 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Tampa Bay Storm Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm are an Arena Football League team based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. They play their home games in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.... |
6 | 8 | 0.429 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| Georgia Force Georgia Force The Georgia Force are an Arena Football League team based in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States that plays in the South Division of the American Conference. The team is owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn Jennings... |
6 | 8 | 0.429 | 3 | 3 | 0.500 |
| American Conference | ||||||
| Central Division | ||||||
| Chicago Rush Chicago Rush The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the... |
9 | 5 | 0.643 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Grand Rapids Rampage Grand Rapids Rampage The Grand Rapids Rampage was an Arena Football League team that began playing as a 1998 expansion team. They were coached by Steve Thonn.-History:... |
8 | 6 | 0.571 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
| Indiana Firebirds Indiana Firebirds The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League.The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball... |
7 | 7 | 0.500 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Detroit Fury Detroit Fury The Detroit Fury were an Arena Football League team. The team began play in 2001 and was based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, at The Palace of Auburn Hills, also the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons. The team was co-owned by William Davidson, who owned the Pistons, along with... |
1 | 13 | 0.071 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
| Western Division | ||||||
| San Jose SaberCats San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the... |
13 | 1 | 0.929 | 5 | 1 | 0.833 |
| Arizona Rattlers Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center... |
11 | 3 | 0.786 | 4 | 2 | 0.667 |
| Los Angeles Avengers Los Angeles Avengers The Los Angeles Avengers was an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009.-History:... |
8 | 6 | 0.571 | 1 | 5 | 0.167 |
| Dallas Desperados Dallas Desperados The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008.... |
7 | 7 | 0.500 | 2 | 4 | 0.333 |
- Green indicates clinched playoff berth
- Purple indicates division champion
- Grey indicates best regular season record