Utah Saints (AIFA)
Encyclopedia
The Utah Saints was a team of the American Indoor Football Association that played in 2008. They played their home games at the Utah Olympic Oval
in Kearns, Utah
, a suburb of Salt Lake City
. The Oval is best known for being a venue of the 2002 Winter Olympics
, known as the "Fastest Ice On Earth," and was expanded to 2,500 for Saints games.
The team was owned by Michael Curran, previously owner of the PIFL
's Utah Catzz
, and later on founder and CEO of the Utah Indoor Football League.
The team name is a reference to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon
s), which is the preferred religion of 58% of Utah's adult population.
Utah Olympic Oval
The Utah Olympic Oval, an indoor speed skating oval built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, is located southwest of Salt Lake City, in Kearns, Utah. The Oval hosted the long track speed skating events for the 2002 games. Inside the facility the 400-meter skating track surrounds two international sized...
in Kearns, Utah
Kearns, Utah
Kearns is a township and census-designated place in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. Named after Utah's U.S. Senator Thomas Kearns, it had a population of 35,731 at the 2010 Census.This was a 6.2 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 33,659...
, a suburb of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. The Oval is best known for being a venue of the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, known as the "Fastest Ice On Earth," and was expanded to 2,500 for Saints games.
The team was owned by Michael Curran, previously owner of the PIFL
Professional Indoor Football League
The Professional Indoor Football League was the second league to successfully play indoor football as a paid pro-league sport, after the Arena Football League. Since the AFL had a patent given in 1990 on the gameplay of "Arena Football" , the PIFL played with mostly the same rules, but without the...
's Utah Catzz
Utah Catzz
The Utah Catzz was a team in the United States Professional Indoor Football League in 1998. The Catzz franchise was owned by Michael & Carla Curran, who also started a farm club for the Catzz, the Salt Lake Lions . The Catzz played their home games at the David O. McKay Events Center in Orem, UT.,...
, and later on founder and CEO of the Utah Indoor Football League.
The team name is a reference to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s), which is the preferred religion of 58% of Utah's adult population.