Syracuse Soldiers
Encyclopedia
| Syracuse Soldiers | |
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| Founded | 2006 |
| Arena | War Memorial at Oncenter War Memorial at Oncenter The War Memorial at Oncenter, originally the Onondaga War Memorial, is a 6,159-seat multi-purpose arena in Downtown Syracuse, New York. It is part of the Oncenter Complex.... |
| Based in | Syracuse, New York Syracuse, New York Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603... |
| Colors | Black, steel green, white |
| League | American Indoor Football League American Indoor Football League American Indoor Football is a professional indoor football league that has gone through various incarnations since 2005.The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United States in 2005; after a rapid, and largely failed, expansion effort in 2006, most of the... |
| Head coach | Kirby Dar Dar Kirby Dar Dar Kirby Dar Dar was an American professional football player for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He attended Syracuse University and played on Syracuse's football team as a running back... |
| President of Football Operations | Rick Pogue |
The Syracuse Soldiers was a 2006 expansion member of the American Indoor Football League. They played their home games at the War Memorial at Oncenter
War Memorial at Oncenter
The War Memorial at Oncenter, originally the Onondaga War Memorial, is a 6,159-seat multi-purpose arena in Downtown Syracuse, New York. It is part of the Oncenter Complex....
in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
until the AIFL ended their season on Friday, May 19, 2006.
The team was originally scheduled to play as the Binghamton Brigadiers (later Binghamton Brigade) and have their venue be the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena
Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena
The Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena is a 6,925 seat multi-purpose arena in Binghamton, New York. The Arena was completed in 1973, providing an entertainment venue for residents of the Greater Binghamton area. After decades of haggling over location, size, and design - it's rumored a college...
in Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, about 60 miles south of Syracuse. However, insurance problems forced Binghamton to fold before playing a single game.
With the complications, the AIFL rushed to find a placeholder. On January 23, 2006, they announced the Soldiers would begin play. Rich Pogue of Las Vegas, Nevada was named owner prior to the first game, and the team adopted a modified version of the Binghamton logo.
The Soldiers played their first game, at home, on March 6, losing to the Miami Valley Silverbacks
Miami Valley Silverbacks
The Dayton Silverbacks are a professional indoor football team based in Dayton, Ohio. A member of the Continental Indoor Football League, the Silverbacks play their home games at Hara Arena in nearby Trotwood.-History:...
54-30. On Saturday, April 8, 2006, after losing five-straight games, the Soldiers finally got their first and only win, in a 43-31 road victory over the Steubenville Stampede
Steubenville Stampede
The Steubenville Stampede was an indoor football franchise, most recently a member of the Continental Indoor Football League. They played their home games at the St. John Arena in Steubenville, Ohio.-2006 season:...
. They would lose the next five games till being folded by the league.
Until the team folded, all of its games were broadcast on WJPZ 89.1 FM Syracuse. The Soldiers opener was called by Todd Robbins and Chris Villani, while the only win in team history was called by Jeff Tiberii and Matt Soltysiak. Melissa Morton, Andrew Ardini, Joel Godett and Steve Wanczyk also contributed to the broadcasts providing color commentary, play-by-play, and sideline reporting.
Pogue left town several weeks into the season, and so Andrew Haines
Andrew Haines
Professor Sir Andrew Paul Haines was the Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine until September 2010.He was educated at Latymer Upper School, and at King's College London...
, at the time serving as the league president, hastily stepped in and took over the team himself. The effort did not last. After ten games, the Syracuse Soldiers suspended operations. They were replaced by the Cumberland Cardinals, Columbus Fire and Philadelphia Scorpions, a series of amateur outdoor teams from North American Football League, which briefly tried to acquire the AIFL in 2006. However, Haines claimed that the Soldiers had not folded, but were rather "reorganizing their schedule." Haines was ousted from the league when it reorganized into the American Indoor Football Association after the end of the 2006 season and the Soldiers were folded. Haines has not indicated he would revive the Soldiers or the Brigade in the Ultimate Indoor Football League
Ultimate Indoor Football League
The Ultimate Indoor Football League is a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011.-History:...
.
Note: The American Indoor Football League
American Indoor Football League
American Indoor Football is a professional indoor football league that has gone through various incarnations since 2005.The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United States in 2005; after a rapid, and largely failed, expansion effort in 2006, most of the...
changed-merged into the American Indoor Football Association for the 2007 season, so that is why some place markers/links use AIFL/AIFA interchangeably.