Firecats Look For 100th Win
July 10, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Florida Firecats News Release
Estero, FL - The arenafootball2 (af2) Florida Firecats will be looking for their 100th win in franchise history this week when they take on the South Georgia Wildcats in Albany, GA. The Firecats would become the af2's fourth team to reach the milestone in the history of the league.
"We have been blessed with great coaches, amazing players and tremendous fans," said Firecats President and General Manager Chris Vallozzi. " It's been exciting building a pro franchise here in Southwest Florida that has become one of the best in league history. It's something our fans can be proud of for many years to come."
Since their inception in 2001, the Firecats have a 99-57 all-time record including the playoffs. The team has made the post-season in each of the last seven years. Florida won the Arena Cup in 2004 and played for another championship in 2002. The Firecats have also won four divisional championships.
"100 wins is a milestone for any franchise in any league and for Florida to reach it in nine seasons shows that the Firecats are one of, if not, the premier team in the af2," Firecats Coach Kevin Bouis said. "It is a great honor to have been the HC for more than half of the 100 wins (56) and to have been involved with 92 of the current 99 wins in franchise history." Coach Bouis began as the team's defensive coordinator in 2002 eventually becoming the head coach in 2005.
In the ten-year history of the af2, only four other teams have hit the century mark. Tulsa currently leads the way with 130 total wins followed by Quad Cities (109) and Tennessee Valley (101).
"Given our great rivalry with South Georgia over the years it would be fantastic to reach number 100 against them," added Bouis. "This game also carries playoff implications so there is a lot on the line."
This week's contest against South Georgia will be the 19th game between the two franchises since 2002. The series is tied at nine games each. With a win the Firecats would not only achieve a major milestone but would also gain an important tiebreaker advantage over the Wildcats. South Georgia won two of the three previous match ups this season by a combined 16 points. Two weeks ago Florida defeated South Georgia by 17 at home.
The Firecats next home game is Saturday July 18th against the defending af2 ArenaCup champion Tennessee Valley Vipers. The Vipers lead the all-time series nine games to seven. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:35pm. Visit the team online at www.FloridaFirecats.com and get score updates and team news at www.Twitter.com/af2Firecats.
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
