AF2 Brings Football to I-10
Joe Kauffman
Tuesday July 11, 2000
But most fans of Arena Football haven’t heard of Shane Stafford or James Dickerson, who was named Ironman of the game for his performance. The reason? They play in the AF2.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a pair of AF2 games here in my home state of Florida. I traveled to Tallahassee and to Jacksonville and was able to witness all three of the Sunshine State’s AF2 teams in action. The Tallahassee Thunder played host to the Charleston Swamp Foxes and the Jacksonville Tomcats played the Pensacola Barracudas. Both games were played in arenas that could only seat about 10,000 spectators.
 The Tallahassee Thunder get set for a play near midfield during the third quarter against Charleston Image courtesy of Joe Kauffman |
The Jacksonville Tomcats (yes, another “Cats” nickname) play their games at the Veterans Memorial Center, an older facility that is getting ready to be retired in favor of a new arena. And the Coliseum does need to be retired. The building is of the same mold as the West Palm Beach Auditorium, where the Florida Bobcats played from 1996 to 1998. It is an older design that lacks proper air circulation and many of the amenities of today’s modern arenas. The building is also home of the Jacksonville Lizard Kings of the ECHL.
But the size or quality of the arena is not what really matters. Just like the AFL, it is the fans that make the game a success.
“I knew a little bit about Arena Football,” said Doug Defend, a Tallahassee Thunder fan who drives 30 miles to the games from Crawfordville. “My wife was pleasant enough to get me season tickets, and I was ecstatic. This is the best thing in the world.”
Defend, who claims to be the Thunder’s biggest fan, expects attendance and quality of play to improve next season. “I think the Tallahassee fans have been spoiled because of the [Florida State] Seminoles, but I think that everyone needs to figure out that this is the first year. We need to support the team.”
I expect the AF2 will sprout some of the biggest rivalries in professional sports. Pensacola, Tallahassee and Jacksonville are all located on Interstate 10 in the Florida panhandle. In fact, Tallahassee is about half way between the other two cities. As the AF2 continues to grow, look for these three teams to develop fierce rivalries with one another. Perhaps there will be a three-way “War on I-10” in the near future, with much of the same flair and passion of the “War on I-4” between the Orlando Predators and the Tampa Bay Storm (the Storm currently hold a 13-12 series lead).
But why has the AF2 caught on so fast and so furiously? I think the Thunder’s biggest fan put it best.
“We all get disappointed whenever Florida State or college football is off the air. We have college football, and then we have months of nothing. This is a football town.
“This is football.”
In Case You are Wondering
 Jacksonville Tomcats QB Jeff McCrone looks to Coach Perry Moss for a play call against Pensacola. Image courtesy of Joe Kauffman |
The Jacksonville Tomcats defeated the Pensacola Barracudas 56-41 in front of 8,268 fans on June 16. Both teams were fighting to make the playoffs, which earlier in the week had been expanded from four to eight teams. Jacksonville’s Head Coach is Perry Moss, who led the Detroit Drive to the ArenaBowl championship in 1990. He was also coach of the AFL’s Chicago Bruisers and Orlando Predators and was named AFL Coach of the Year in 1988, 1992 and 1994.
Joe Kauffman is President and Editor in Chief of Arenafan Online, having joined the staff in 2000. He graduated from Florida State University in 1998 with a degree in communications andbuilds ecommerce sites for a day job. Joe has enjoyed Arena Football since 1991 and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1995. Prior to Joining Arenafan, he was a co-founder and Technical Editor of the Storm Shelter, which covered the Tampa Bay Storm from 1996-99. Joe and his wife Erika live in Hackettstown, New Jersey with their two daughters.
