Inaugural AFL Game Anniversary
Published on June 14, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
NEW YORK - June 19, 2007 represents the 20-year anniversary of the Arena Football League's inaugural game played between the Pittsburgh Gladiators and Washington Commandos on June 19, 1987. The Gladiators defeated the Commandos, 48-46, in front of a crowd of 12,117 fans at Pittsburgh Civic Arena, aka, the "Igloo."
Six years after JIM FOSTER drew the first sketch for his idea on the back of a manila envelope, the AFL took center stage in what would be the beginning of an exciting adaptation to America's favorite sport.
"The night of the first game I was trying to be cordial, but really my nervous mind was all over the place," said Foster, the League's Founder who still serves on the League's Board of Directors. "Just a few days prior I had sat in the airport and watched all of these guys go off to our four inaugural cities to play this game that I drew up on the back of an envelope. I was very naive and nervous as this surreal experience was about to happen. That first weekend was one of the most exciting and challenging of my life. Twenty years later, I find myself just as excited for the next 20 years."
Under center for the Gladiators that night was a young quarterback from the University of Minnesota named MIKE HOHENSEE, who would eventually complete the first touchdown pass in League history, a 42-yarder to Russell Hairston.
"It's amazing to think the first game was 20 years ago," remembered Hohensee, now the head coach for the defending ArenaBowl XX Champion Chicago Rush and one of the few players or coaches to be a part of the AFL since its inception. "I still remember the first touchdown. Russell was set to run a choice route and he chose to run the post. It is the same route that everyone in the AFL has been trying to stop for 21 seasons now."
The first season featured four teams - Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite, Pittsburgh and Washington - and a six-game schedule culminating when the Dynamite defeated Hohensee and his Gladiators, 45-16, in front of 13,232 fans as ArenaBowl I aired on ESPN.
The AFL has emerged from humble beginnings in 1987 to indoor football's industry leader. The indoor game is being played in more than 130 markets and has an estimated annual economic impact of $500 million. The AFL itself has evolved from four teams to 19, created a 30-team developmental league (af2), and this year entered into a five-year media partnership with ESPN.
"Twenty-one years later the game is even more dynamic," explains Hohensee. "It's taken hold across the country but hasn't peaked. Things will continue to skyrocket in the next few years."
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 14, 2007
- The Outside Rush - Chicago Rush
- Playoff tickets on-sale - Tampa Bay Storm
- Soul To Host Baby Clothes Drive For Disadvantaged Mothers - Philadelphia Soul
- L.A. Avengers celebrate eighth anniversary - Los Angeles Avengers
- Inaugural AFL Game Anniversary - AFL I
- Storm To Host Watch Party This Weekend - Tampa Bay Storm
- Largo Man To Complete Memorial Ride Benefiting MDA - Tampa Bay Storm
- Week 16 Quick Hitters - AFL I
- Inaugural Game Remembered 20 Years Later - AFL I
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.
