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New Orleans VooDoo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the magic-related topic, see New Orleans Voodoo.
| New Orleans VooDoo | ||
|
||
| Conference | National | |
| Division | Southern | |
| Year founded | 2004 | |
| Home arena | New Orleans Arena | |
| City, State | New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| Wild card titles | none | |
| Division titles | 1: 2004 |
|
| Conference titles | none | |
| ArenaBowl championships | none | |
The New Orleans VooDoo is a team in the Arena Football League, and is owned in part by Tom Benson, who also owns the National Football League New Orleans Saints. The VooDoo competes in the Southern Division of the National Conference, playing their home games at the New Orleans Arena, which they share with the National Basketball Association New Orleans Hornets. The Arena is located directly across from the Saints' home, the Louisiana Superdome.
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An AFL expansion team, the VooDoo played its inaugural game on the road against the Philadelphia Soul on February 8, 2004. The team logo, consisting of a skull wearing a top hat and sunglasses, is unique even by Arena Football standards.
In their first year, they drew big crowds to their "Graveyard", as they became the first team other than the Orlando Predators or Tampa Bay Storm to win the AFL's Southern Division. The team's average attendance of 15,240 ranked fifth in the league and was a major factor in the VooDoo's 7-1 regular season home record.
In 2005, the team started strong, but later found itself on the wrong end of some close, hard-fought games. With a national television audience and sold-out T.D. Waterhouse Centre looking on, the Voodoo ended their second regular season against Orlando with both needing a win to reach the playoffs. A second half rally featuring a fumble return for a touchdown by Thabiti Davis brought the VooDoo back into the game briefly, but the Voodoo's backs were broken when a Jay Taylor kickoff hit the iron surrounding the nets and was recovered by the Predators, which, after another touchdown to bring the lead up to 15, effectively sealed the game and ensured the Voodoo would watch the playoffs from home. The final score was 51-40, ending the Voodoo's season at 9-7, a disappointing result for a team widely expected to challenge for the ArenaBowl championship.
Despite the underachievement, the Voodoo proved to be hits with New Orleans for the second consecutive year, with an average attendance of 15,338, good for third in the 17-team AFL, and again had the New Orleans market lead the nation in television ratings for Sunday AFL broadcasts on NBC.
The Voodoo's success and popularity led the AFL to consider placing the ArenaBowl in New Orleans. Although it had already signed a deal with Las Vegas to have the ArenaBowl in that city for 2005, 2006 and 2007, the league had considered terminating that deal. Had the bidding for ArenaBowl XX begun, New Orleans would have been an early favorite, along with Orlando and Arizona.
On September 28, 2005, it was announced that due to the extensive damage suffered by Hurricane Katrina to the New Orleans Arena, the VooDoo would suspend operations for the 2006 season. Fifteen of the players under contract with the VooDoo were "loaned" to the expansion Kansas City Brigade for the 2006 season. The team returned in 2007 with Neu as the head coach. New Orleans Arena will host ArenaBowl XXI.
In 2007, the VooDoo set an AFL season ticket record, selling over 13,000 season tickets. This may be partially attributed to the fact that ArenaBowl XXI will be played in New Orleans, a renewed civic spirit, or maybe fans wanting to continue the excitement from the Saints' recently completed record-breaking season.
The VooDoo have started 2-1, losing at the Utah Blaze on a last-second field goal before returning to the "The Graveyard" with a 52-45 victory over the Columbus Destroyers
The VooDoo's official mascots are Bones and Mojo.[1]
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1st NC Southern | Lost Week 1 (Colorado) | |
| 2005 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 4th NC Southern | -- | |
| 2006 | Did Not Play | |||||
| *2007 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2nd NC Southern | -- | |
| Totals | 23 | 16 | 0 | (including playoffs) | ||
* = Current Standing
- 2004-Current: Mike Neu, 23-15
- 2004, 2007: Dan Curran
- 2004-2005:Monty Montgomery
- 2005, 2007: Andy Kelly
- 2007: Henry Taylor
- 2007: Tyronne Jones
- New Orleans VooDoo Official Website
- New Orleans VooDoo at ArenaFan.com
- New Orleans VooDoo at ArenaFootballNetwork.com
- New Orleans VooDoo fan forum at VooDooReport.com