New York Dragons Game Notes
May 21, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New York Dragons News Release
Quick Facts:
Chicago Rush (8-8) at New York Dragons (8-8)
Date: Sunday, May 25, 2003
Kickoff: 3:00 PM
Site: Nassau Coliseum (11,216)
Officials: Referee: Bill McCabe Umpire: Paul King Head Linesman: Rich Grube Line Judge: Dana McKenzie Back Judge: Rich Wilborn Supervisor: Ed Manning
TV: NBC4 Mike Breen (pxp), Ray Bentley (analyst), Marty Snider (sideline)
Radio: Webcast: www.newyorkdragons.com Sid Rosenberg and Peter Schwartz on the call Series Record: This is the third meeting all-time between the franchises and the first in the postseason. The teams have split the two previous meetings. The Dragons defeated the Chicago Rush earlier in the season 54-51 at the Allstate Arena.
Last Meeting: New York 54 â Chicago 51 March 23, 2003 â Allstate Arena
Coaches: Chicago â Mike Hohensee (68-64, 9th year, 5-6 in playoffs) New York - Todd Shell (37-29, 5th Year - 8-4, 1st year as Dragons coach, 0-3 in playoffs)
Game Preview:
The New York Dragons play their first ever home playoff game vs. the Chicago Rush after winning the first Eastern Division Title in Franchise history. Both teams completed the regular season with 8-8 records. The Dragons defeated Chicago earlier in the season 54-51.
DRAGON TALES
Storylines from the 2003 season:
Dragons Win First Eastern Division Title in Franchise History:
After starting the season 0-6, the Dragons won eight of their last 10 games claiming the first Eastern Division Title in franchise history. This will mark the Dragons second postseason appearance in three years on Long Island. The Dragons enter the 2003 Arena Football Playoff ranked as the 8th seed.
Todd Shell Takes over For John Gregory:
The New York Dragons announced on Feb. 24 that they named former San Jose Sabercats Head Coach Todd Shell as the second head coach in franchise history. He is assisted by Lary Kuharich and Derrick Chachere.
The hiring came after Head Coach John Gregory and his assistants, Ted Heath, Scot Maynard and Dick Adams were relieved of their duties. Gregory was in his ninth year with the Iowa/New York franchise, earning a record of 66-48. In three years in New York with the Dragons, Gregory was 11-21. The Dragons finished the 2003 season 8-8 after finishing the 2002 season 3-11.
Serving as the first Head Coach in Sabercats history, Shell led his 1995 squad to a record of 8-4 and a Western Division Championship. His team became the first expansion franchise in AFL history to win a division title. After four seasons at the helm in San Jose, Shell compiled a record of 29-25 earning a playoff berth in three of four seasons.
Shell was the San Francisco 49ers' 1984 first-round draft pick out of BYU where he proceeded to win two Super Bowl rings (1984 and 1988). Shell played five seasons in San Francisco before retiring due to injuries. He most recently worked as the color commentator for the Arizona Rattlers, where he served as defensive coordinator from 1992-1994.
This is the second time in Shell's career he has lead a team to a Division Title in his first year at the helm. Dragons Become "Road Warriors":
With the win at Buffalo on May 11, the Dragons set a franchise record with a five-game road winning streak. The Dragons finished the season 6-0 under new Head Coach Todd Shell. The previous record of four games was set twice between 1996-1997 when Iowa won their last three road games in â96 (Orlando, Anaheim and Connecticut) and their first road game in â97 (Texas) and again in â97 with four consecutive road wins (Albany, Portland, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay) after a loss in New Jersey separated the Texas and Albany wins.
Aaron Garcia Reaches Two Personal Milestones and Gains League Honor in Win Over Chicago Rush:
The Arena Football League named Dragons QB Aaron Garcia the Offensive Player of the Week for Week 8 after Garcia led the Dragons to victory by completing 28-of-38 passes for 339 yards and eight touchdowns in a 54-51 victory over the Chicago Rush on March 23. Along with the victory, Garcia reached two significant individual milestones, recording his 500th career touchdown pass and 25,000th career passing yard. He became only the second player, along with Detroit's Andy Kelly, in League history to reach those marks. Garcia tied a career-high with nine straight 300-yard passing games after throwing for his 35th career 300-yard game.
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