Dallas Desperados
Encyclopedia
- For the active Arena Football League franchise in Dallas, see Dallas VigilantesDallas VigilantesThe Dallas Vigilantes were an Arena Football League team based in Dallas, Texas. Like its AFL predecessor, the Dallas Desperados, the Vigilantes played at the American Airlines Center. The Vigilantes and the Jacksonville Sharks began play in the 2010 season, the first after the league's...
The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division
Eastern Division (AFL)
The Eastern Division is one of the four divisions of the American Arena Football League. It is currently one of two divisions in the "American Conference"...
of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008.
The franchise began play in as an expansion team, and have posted a winning record in all but one of their seasons in existence. The team was owned by Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones
Jerral "Jerry" Wayne Jones is the owner and general manager of the NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.-Early life:Jones was born in Los Angeles, California. His family moved to North Little Rock, Arkansas when he was an infant. Jones was a star running back at North Little Rock High School...
, who also owns the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. Jones' son-in-law
Son-in-Law
Son-in-Law was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses.The National Horseracing Museum says that Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this country has ever known." Described as "one of the principal influences for stamina in...
Shy Anderson was the COO
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
of the team, and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the franchise.
The team folded effective August 4, 2009, upon the dissolving of the AFL.
History
During a halftime interview at a Cowboys preseason game on August 12, 2000, Jerry Jones revealed to Babe LaufenbergBabe Laufenberg
Brandon Hugh 'Babe' Laufenberg is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League who played for the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and the Kansas City Chiefs...
that the AFL had granted him an expansion franchise to begin play in 2002. The team was originally going to be named the "Dallas Texans", following in the footsteps of Dallas’ former AFL franchise
Dallas Texans (Arena)
The Dallas Texans was an Arena Football League team that played from 1990 to 1993.-History:The team was based in Dallas, Texas. They played their home games in the Reunion Arena, which they shared with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. The team made the ArenaBowl their...
which existed from 1990-1993. However, that same year he sold the rights to the name "Texans" for a reported $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10 million to the upstart Houston
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
franchise. After a contest in which fans voted via the team’s official website, the new Dallas team was eventually named the Desperados. Jones appointed Cowboys special teams coach Joe Avezzano
Joe Avezzano
Joe Avezzano is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1980 to 1984, compiling a record of 6–47–2...
as head coach, and on November 21, 2001 in the AFL expansion draft, they acquired their first player, lineman Aaron Hamilton.
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Andy Kelly
Andy Kelly
Andy Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the Arena Football League. He played in the AFL for fifteen seasons. He also played for two seasons for the Rhein Fire of the former World League of American Football....
, led the team to a respectable 7-7 record and a playoff appearance in the teams first season of play, and a 10-6 record and a second consecutive playoff berth in 2003 under new quarterback Jim Kubiak. However, Avezzano was fired from the Cowboys staff that season, and subsequently resigned as Desperados head coach when he accepted a job with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Before the 2004 season, Jones hired Will McClay
Will McClay
Will McClay is an Arena Football League coach for the Dallas Desperados. He has a career record of 43-23, including a 1-3 mark in the postseason, in which were all home games.-External links:***...
to replace Avezzano, and McClay struggled to a 6-10 record his rookie season as coach. The team improved to 8-7-1 the following season and barely missed making the playoffs, and under the helm of quarterback/offensive coordinator Clint Dolezel
Clint Dolezel
Clint Dolezel is Offensive Coordinator of the Philadelphia Soul, an Indoor Football team belonging to the Arena Football League . As an AFL player, he was originally signed by the Milwaukee Mustangs...
, posted a 13-3 record in 2006 and made their first appearance in an AFL conference championship game, losing to the 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...
. The following season saw the Desperados post an AFL record fifteen wins and the team appeared destined to make their first ArenaBowl appearance, but they were shocked by the Columbus 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...
, who had entered the playoffs with a 7-9 record, in the first round. The upset is ranked by many among the greatest of all time. The following season saw no relief to the postseason failure as the Desperados at 12-4 lost to the 8-8 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...
in Dallas
American Airlines Center
The American Airlines Center is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Victory Park neighborhood, near downtown Dallas, Texas.It is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, and the Dallas Stars of the NHL....
. After the New Orleans VooDoo
New Orleans VooDoo
The New Orleans VooDoo are an Arena Football League team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They play their home games in New Orleans Arena....
folded, the league placed the Desperados in the South Division after the team had spent five seasons as an Eastern Division powerhouse.
With the exception of one playoff game and the entirety of the 2003 season, the Desperados have played all of their home games at American Airlines Center
American Airlines Center
The American Airlines Center is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Victory Park neighborhood, near downtown Dallas, Texas.It is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, and the Dallas Stars of the NHL....
, and the team’s official mascot is Kid Coyote.
Memorable Desperados moments
On June 9, 2007, the Desperados faced the 4-9 New Orleans VooDooNew Orleans VooDoo
The New Orleans VooDoo are an Arena Football League team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They play their home games in New Orleans Arena....
. The 13-1 Desperados found themselves losing late in the game. But Dallas Quarterback Clint Dolezel
Clint Dolezel
Clint Dolezel is Offensive Coordinator of the Philadelphia Soul, an Indoor Football team belonging to the Arena Football League . As an AFL player, he was originally signed by the Milwaukee Mustangs...
threw a touchdown with 30 seconds left on the clock to give the Desperados the lead. On the ensuing kickoff, the VooDoo fielded the ball off the net and found themselves looking at a long way to the endzone from their own one-yard line. They managed to put together a lengthy drive and were able to score with 1.7 seconds left to make the score 80-79. Rather than tie the game with an extra point, they elected to go for the win with a two-point conversion. VooDoo Quarterback Steve Bellisari
Steve Bellisari
Steve Bellisari is an Arena football quarterback who is currently a free agent in the Arena Football League. Bellisari is best known as an Ohio State University Buckeye from 1998 to 2001.-College career:...
dropped back and was sacked by 2007 AFL lineman of the year Colston Weatherington
Colston Weatherington
Colston Weatherington is an arena football player. He played collegiately at the University of Central Missouri, and is cuurently an offensive lineman–defensive lineman for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League...
on the ten. The game was over along with the VooDoo playoff hopes. In the end, Dallas won 80-79.
The game was voted 2007 "Game of the Year" leaguewide in July 2007.
Coaches
| Head coach Head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches... |
Tenure | Regular season record (W-L) |
Post season record (W-L) |
Most recent coaching staff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Avezzano Joe Avezzano Joe Avezzano is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1980 to 1984, compiling a record of 6–47–2... |
- | 17-13 | 1-2 | DC Defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... : Will McClay Will McClay Will McClay is an Arena Football League coach for the Dallas Desperados. He has a career record of 43-23, including a 1-3 mark in the postseason, in which were all home games.-External links:***... (2002–2006) |
|
| Will McClay | - | 54-24-1 | 1-3 | Offensive Line: Steve Criswell Special Teams: Adriel Fenton DC: James Fuller (2007 2007 Dallas Desperados season The 2007 Dallas Desperados season was the 6th season for the franchise. They look to make the playoffs again after finishing 2006 with an 13-3 record... - 2008 2008 Dallas Desperados season The 2008 Dallas Desperados season is the seventh season for the franchise. The Desperados finished the regular season 12-4, but despite having the second best record in the National Conference, they made the playoffs as the 3rd seed because they did not win their division... ) |
Continued as DC for three seasons. 2006 Arena Football League Coach of the Year |
Notable past players
- Will PettisWill PettisWill Pettis is an arena football Wide Receiver / Defensive Back for the who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League....
- Duke Pettijohn - FBFullback (American football)A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
/LBLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... - Jermaine JonesJermaine Jones (American football)Jermiane Jones is an Arena football Defensive Specialist for the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. He was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New York Jets...
- DS - Bobby SippioBobby SippioRobert Lee "Bobby" Sippio, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. He was signed by the Peoria Pirates in 2002...
- Marcus NashMarcus NashMarcus DeLando Nash is free agent wide receiver, formerly of the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos 30th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft...
- WRWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... - Colston WeatheringtonColston WeatheringtonColston Weatherington is an arena football player. He played collegiately at the University of Central Missouri, and is cuurently an offensive lineman–defensive lineman for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League...
- DL - James CannidaJames CannidaJames Thomas Cannida II is an American football defensive lineman who most recently played for the Dallas Desperados in the Arena Football League...
- OL/DL - Aaron Hamilton - DL\OL (First player in franchise history)
2002
Individual Award WinnersCommissioner's Award
- Shy Anderson, Jerry Jones, Jr. - Dallas Desperados
All-Rookie Team
- WR/LB Andy McCullough
- OL/DL Shante CarverShante CarverShante Carver is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1994–1997, and later in the Arena Football League with the Dallas Desperados...
- DS Kareem LarrimoreKareem LarrimoreKareem Maktrel Larrimore is a retired arena football defensive back. He was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
2008
Individual Award Winners- Lineman of the Year Tom Briggs
First Team All-Arena Team
- WR/CB Daverek Williams
Second Team All-Arena Team
- QB Jim KubiakJim KubiakJames Kubiak is the color commentator for the Buffalo Bulls football team and the director of the WNY Quarterback Academy. Kubiak was the Director of Football Operations and Offensive coordinator for the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League. He is also a retired American and Arena football...
- WR/DB Will PettisWill PettisWill Pettis is an arena football Wide Receiver / Defensive Back for the who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League....
All-Ironman Team
- OL/DL Tom Briggs
All-Rookie Team
- FB/LB Ja'Mar Toombs
- WR/DB Will Pettis
- DS Jermaine JonesJermaine Jones (American football)Jermiane Jones is an Arena football Defensive Specialist for the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. He was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New York Jets...