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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

Arbet Can Join Brown, Halas, Shula

July 9, 2002 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


SAN JOSE (July 9, 2002) -- Paul Brown. George Halas. Don Shula. With two more victories, San Jose SaberCats head coach DARREN ARBET can join these three legendary coaches as well as two others --Elmer "Gus" Henderson (AFL, 1937) and Les Lear (CFL, 1948) -- as the only coaches in professional football history to have an undefeated-and-untied regular season.

"Those guys are legends," says Arbet about Brown, Halas and Shula. "It is just an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with those coaches."

No pro football team has had an undefeated-and-untied season since the NFL's 1972 Miami Dolphins. And only three of the six head coaches – Shula in '72, Lear in '48, & Halas in '42 -- achieved the milestone in a league as mature as the AFL (16 seasons).

UNDEFEATED & UNTIED REGULAR SEASONS Team... Year... Record... League... Coach Miami... 1972... 14-0... NFL... Don Shula Cleveland... 1948... 14-0... AAFL... Paul Brown Calgary... 1948... 11-0... CFL... Les Lear Chicago... 1942... 11-0*... NFL... George Halas Los Angeles... 1937... 9-0... AFL... Elmer "Gus" Henderson Chicago... 1934... 13-0*... NFL... George Halas * Lost Championship Game

Arbet can also become the first African-American head coach in pro football history to record an undefeated-and-untied regular season. In 1998, the NFL' s Dennis Green led the Minnesota Vikings to a 15-1 record, but no black head coach in pro football history has had an undefeated-and-untied regular season.

"We just come to practice everyday and focus on the task at hand," says Arbet. "We take things one game at a time. The biggest thing is that the guys came back this year focused. Their intensity level – even at practice – is at a record high."

BEST REGULAR-SEASON RECORDS OF BLACK HEAD COACHES Head Coach... Record... Year... League... Team Dennis Green...15-1...1998...NFL...Minnesota Vikings Darren Arbet...12-2...2000...Arena...San Jose SaberCats Art Shell...12-4...1990...NFL...Los Angeles Raiders Darren Arbet...10-4...2001...Arena...San Jose SaberCats Fritz Pollard...8-3-1...1921...NFL...Akron Pros Tony Dungy...11-5...1999...NFL...Tampa Bay Buccaneers Dennis Green...11-5...1992...NFL...Minnesota Vikings Dennis Green...11-5...2000...NFL...Minnesota Vikings

With two games remaining for San Jose in the 2002 regular season – Friday, July 12 at Arizona and Sunday, July 21 at Carolina (on The New TNN) -- Arbet has already led the SaberCats to a 12-0 record, which set an AFL record for most wins to start a season, led them to the Western Division championship, and to the AFL's No.1 seed throughout the playoffs.

The SaberCats are winning with a high-powered offense and a solid defense. The offense is averaging 64.0 points per game and is threatening the league' s team scoring record of 64.1 points per game, set last season by the New York Dragons. San Jose's total defense ranks second in the league (241.3 yards per game).

But regular-season accomplishments are not enough for Arbet.

"Our main goal is to win the ArenaBowl," said Arbet. "Right now the focus is to take it one day at a time and go about our business and hopefully we will get to the ArenaBowl."

Arbet has a career record of 42-16 (.724). He became the first San Jose coach to win AFL Coach of the Year honors after leading his squad to a league record-tying 12 regular season victories in 2000 and the first postseason win in team history. With four wins to start the 2001 campaign combined with 11 wins to end the 2000 season, the SaberCats set the current AFL record with 15 consecutive regular season victories, bettering the mark of 14 set by the 1995-96 Tampa Bay Storm.

Arbet began his coaching career in 1990 when he was named an assistant at his alma mater, Cal. State-Sacramento. During his three-year tenure with the Hornets, Arbet coached the tight ends, special teams and served as the team' s academic advisor. Arbet and current San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Knapp were both members of the Hornets' coaching staff in the early 1990's.

Arbet's ties to the AFL date back to the late 1980s when he played two seasons as a fullback/linebacker with the Los Angeles Cobras (1988) and Maryland Commandos (1989) before an injury ended his career.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from July 9, 2002


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