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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

AFL Season in Review

July 23, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


CHICAGO (July 23, 2002) -- It was one of the most exciting regular seasons in league history: 14 teams had a chance to make the playoffs in the final week; the San Jose SaberCats flirted with an undefeated season; the Dallas Desperados turned in one of the best seasons ever for an expansion team; and the New Jersey Gladiators had one of the most successful turnarounds in league history. Those were just some of the great stories of 2002.

Following are some other highlights from the 2002 Arena Football League regular season:

STUPENDOUS SABERCATS: The San Jose SaberCats set a league record with their 12-0 start, surpassing the 11-0 mark set by the 1994 Orlando Predators. The Arizona Rattlers ended San Jose's quest to become the first undefeated-untied professional football team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins with a 59-52 win in Week 13. Although they failed to go undefeated, San Jose 's 13 wins set an AFL mark for most in a season.

The SaberCats success can be largely attributed to a high-powered offense. The team scored 878 points this season, second all-time only to last year's New York Dragons, who set the league record with 898.

Team Season Pts. Avg.
New York 2001 898 64.1
San Jose 2002 878 62.7
Albany 1996 873 62.4
San Jose 2000 871 62.3
San Jose 2001 831 59.4

San Jose also became the first team in AFL history to score 50-or-more points in each of their 14 regular-season games. The team's highest point total came in a 78-44 win over Los Angeles in Week 4, while their lowest point total of 52 was scored four times. The SaberCats have scored 50-or-more points in 37 of their past 42 games.

Team Year Games 50+ Starting Quarterback
San Jose 2002* 14/14 Mark Grieb
Albany 1996 12/14 Mike Perez
Iowa 2000 12/14 Aaron Garcia
San Jose 2000 12/14 Mark Grieb
New York 2001 12/14 Aaron Garcia

HOW 'BOUT THOSE DESPERADOS!: The Dallas Desperados became the highest scoring expansion team in history, averaging 53.0 points per game. In 1997, the first-year Nashville Kats, ironically led by current Desperados QB ANDY KELLY, averaged 52.9 points in 14 games.

PPG Team 1st Season Starting Quarterback
53.0 Dallas 2002 Andy Kelly
52.9 Nashville 1997 Andy Kelly
52.4 Texas 1997 Clint Dolezel
49.6 Toronto 2001 Chad Salisbury
49.4 Iowa 1995 Kurt Warner (12 games)

MEADOWLANDS MIRACLE: With their victory in Week 13 against Toronto, the New Jersey Gladiators (9-5) made the biggest season-to-season improvement in AFL history after finishing 2-12 in 2001 (min. 10 games played in each season). In addition to their overall record, the Gladiators improved their per-game-scoring by nearly 13 points (38.8 to 51.0), the biggest improvement among all teams. The Avengers were second in scoring improvement this season, going from 40.3 points per game in 2001 to 52.2 this season.

Team Improvement Year before Next Season
New Jersey 7 games 2-12 in 2001 9-5 in 2002
San Jose 6 games 6-8 in 1999 12-2 in 2000 Iowa 6 games 5-9 in 1998 11-3 in 1999
Milwaukee 6 games 4-8 in 1995 10-4 in 1996
Orlando 6 games 3-7 in 1991 9-1 in 1992

FIRST-YEAR FRANK: New Jersey Head Coach FRANK HAEGE, who has a 46-6 record (.884) in Arena Football games, including a 37-1 mark with the Quad City Steamwheelers of arenafootball2 from 2000-01, became the fifth first-year head coach to win 9 regular-season games (min. 10 games played). He also tied for the fifth-best winning percentage (.642) among first-year coaches.

Coach Team Season Record Pct. Postseason
Lary Kuharich Tampa Bay 1992 9-1 .900 Lost semifinals
Perry Moss Chicago 1988 10-1-1 .875 Lost ArenaBowl
Fran Curci Tampa Bay 1991 8-2 .800 Won ArenaBowl
Todd Shell San Jose 1995 8-4 .667 Lost first-round
Jay Gruden Orlando 1998 9-5 .642 Won ArenaBowl
John Hufnagel New Jersey 1997 9-5 .642 Lost first-round
Frank Haege New Jersey 2002 9-5 .642 ????

GRIEB ON THE MARK: San Jose QB MARK GRIEB (385-249-5, 3346 YD, 70 TD) finished 2002 with a passer rating of 126.4, third-best in AFL history. He is the only passer to hold two of the top-five ratings. Indiana QB RAYMOND PHILYAW holds the all-time record with a 131.7 rating set last season.

Rating Player Team Season
131.7 Raymond Philyaw Indiana 2001
129.6 Mark Grieb San Jose 2000
126.4 Mark Grieb San Jose 2002
125.9 Mike Pawlawski Albany 1999
123.1 Aaron Garcia Iowa 2000

DOLEZEL IS DAZZLING: With his third TD against New York in Week 13, Grand Rapids QB CLINT DOLEZEL became the only QB in history to throw for 70-or-more TDs four times in a career. He is also the only QB to throw for 80-or-more three times in a career. Following are Dolezel's four 70-or-more TD seasons:

TDs Team Season
79 Grand Rapids 2002
80 Grand Rapids 2001
80 Houston 1999
81 Houston 1998

KELLY BECOMES ALL-TIME LEADER: With 10 TDs against Indiana in Week 8, Dallas QB ANDY KELLY became the most prolific touchdown passer in pro-football history. Kelly has thrown a total of 472 career TDs in nine seasons in Arena Football (455) and two in NFL Europe (17). Former NFL & CFL star WARREN MOON previously held the all-time record with 435 (291 in the NFL, 144 in the CFL).

Rank Quarterback League(s) Total TDs
1 Andy Kelly* AFL, NFLE 472
2 Sherdrick Bonner* AFL 446
3 Aaron Garcia* AFL 444
4 Warren Moon CFL, NFL 435
5 Dan Marino NFL 420
* Current AFL players

MULTI-TALENTED: Georgia's DARRYL HAMMOND scored four TDs three different ways in a Week 9 win over Carolina. He scored twice by reception, returned an interception for a TD, and recovered a kickoff for another. Arizona's HUNKIE COOPER was the last player to have scored three different ways, in the 1997 ArenaBowl, when he caught a TD pass, returned a kickoff for another score, and ran back an interception for a third.

PROLIFIC ROOKIE: In Week 9 against Chicago, San Jose's CLEVAN THOMAS returned a pair of kicks 53 and 55 yards for TDs, and returned a MFG attempt 52 yards for a score, which tied for the second-most return TDs in a single game. Thomas also finished tops in the league this season with seven return TDs, tied for the best rookie total in history.

Most Return TDs, Game
Total Player Game Date
4 Anthony Derricks New England at San Jose 6/9/00
3 Willie Gaston Connecticut at Arizona 7/13/96
3 Ron Carpenter Nashville at Oklahoma 6/30/01
3 Clevan Thomas San Jose vs. Chicago 6/15/02

Most Return TDs, Rookie Season
Total Player Team Season
7 Willie Gaston Connecticut 1996
7 Clevan Thomas San Jose 2002
6 Anthony Derricks New England 2000
4 Tyronne Jones Nashville 1998 4 Ron Carpenter New York 1998

SCORING SENSATIONS: CHRIS HORN of Arizona, playing in his second season, led the league in scoring with 218 points. San Jose OS JAMES HUNDON, also playing in his second season, was No. 2 with 210. Not since Firebirds star EDDIE BROWN in 1994 has a rookie or second-year player been crowned the league's scoring champ.

Season Player Team PTS Exp.
1988 Carl Aikens Chicago 132 Rookie
1989 George LaFrance Detroit 66 2nd
1992 Stevie Thomas Tampa Bay 162 2nd
1993 Barry Wagner Orlando 170 2nd
1994 Eddie Brown Albany 288 Rookie
2002 Chris Horn Arizona 218 2nd

REPEAT FOR PORTER: With 10 interceptions, Chicago's DAMEON PORTER became only the second player in history to lead the league in that category two consecutive seasons. Porter had a record-tying 12 picks last year. Orlando's KENNY MCENTYRE accomplished the feat in 1999 and 2000. Hall of Famer DURWOOD ROQUEMORE is the only other player to lead the league in interceptions twice – but not consecutively – in 1990 and ‘94.

RUSH ROOKIE: Chicago WR/DB ANTONIO CHATMAN became the 17th rookie in AFL history to be ranked among the top 10 in both scoring and all-purpose yards. Chatman finished third overall in the league with 2,666 total yards and seventh overall with 156 points. Following are the past five rookies in the top 10 in both scoring and all-purpose yards:

Player Team Season
Antonio Chatman Chicago 2002
Siaha Burley Orlando 2001
Chris Jackson Los Angeles 2000
Willis Jacox Iowa 1995
Titus Dixon San Jose 1995

GROUND GAINER: Los Angeles FB/LB CHAD DUKES is the only player to lead the league in rushing three times. Dukes finished 2002 with 223 yards and 12 TDs (tied with Grand Rapids' CHRIS RYAN for first). He also led the league in 1997 and '98 when he racked up 364 yards in each season, including TD totals of 17 and 10, respectively.

DYNAMIC DUO: The Los Angeles Avengers duo of OS CHRIS JACKSON and WR/LB GREG HOPKINS became the most explosive scoring tandem in AFL history, combining for 384 points, which surpassed the previous record of 370 points scored by New Jersey's Alvin Ashley and Larry Willis in 1998. Hopkins finished third in the league with 202 points, while Jackson, in only 10 games, was No. 5 with 182, making them the only teammates ranked in the top 10 in scoring at season's end (non-kicking).

Points Teammates Team Season
384 Greg Hopkins/Chris Jackson Los Angeles 2002
370 Alvin Ashley/Larry Willis New Jersey 1998
338 Barry Wagner/Billy Owens Orlando 1994
338 George LaFrance/Stevie Thomas Tampa Bay 1996
320 Gary Compton/Sean Riley Milwaukee 2000

COOPER IS ALL-TIME LEADER: With 52 kickoff return yards against San Jose in Week 13, Arizona's HUNKIE COOPER (9,130) became the all-time career leader, surpassing GEORGE LAFRANCE, who now ranks second all-time with 9,077.

ALL-PURPOSE PAPIN: With 3,147 total yards, New York's STEVE PAPIN became the only player in history to reach 3,000-or-more all-purpose yards three times in a career. He also tallied 2,957 in 2000 with San Jose. His career total of 14,501 ranks fifth all-time. Papin reached the 14,000-yard milestone faster than any player in history.

Yards Player Seasons
20,480 George LaFrance 1988-89, 1991-00
18,309 Hunkie Cooper 1993-current
18,234 Barry Wagner 1992-current
15,270 Eddie Brown 1994-current
14,501 Steve Papin 1997-current

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from July 23, 2002


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