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Utah Blaze
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Utah Blaze | ||
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| Conference | American | |
| Division | Western | |
| Year founded | 2006 | |
| Home arena | EnergySolutions Arena | |
| City, State | Salt Lake City, Utah | |
| Wild card titles | 1 (2006) | |
| Division titles | none | |
| Conference titles | none | |
| ArenaBowl championships | none | |
The Utah Blaze is an Arena Football League team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They began play as a 2006 expansion team.
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The Utah Blaze began play on January 28, 2006, playing the San Jose SaberCats on the road. The team is coached by longtime Arizona Rattlers coach Danny White and plays its home games at the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City, home of the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz. The team is owned by automobile businessmen John Garff, Robert Garff, and Brett Hopkins. The team is also referred to as the Salt Lake Blaze, especially by major media outlets ESPN and CNN, but this is not an official name.
On Saturday, February 11, 2006, the Blaze lost to the New York Dragons 84-81 in the second highest scoring game in the history of the Arena Football League with a combined score of 165. The Blaze' performance was also the second highest score for a losing team in the AFL's 20-year history.
In their first season, the Blaze had the highest average attendance in the Arena Football League, with 15,498 fans per game. They narrowly edged out Philadelphia's 15,463. Prior to the 2006 season, the Blaze had said EnergySolutions Arena held 13,000 fans due to poor sight lines in most of the building. After 16,705 people attended the home opener, that figure was changed to near 15,000. The Blaze topped that figure 5 of the 8 games their first season.
Despite a losing record of 7-9, the Blaze got into the playoffs as an AC Wildcard (the conference's #6 seed). Unfortunately, the newly formed Blaze were given the boot as they lost to the Arizona Rattlers with a final score of 57-34.
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd AC Western | Lost Week 1 (Arizona) |
| *2007 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1st AC Western | -- |
| Totals | 9 | 11 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
* = Current Standing
| Number | Name | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Taplin | Wide Receiver/Defensive Back | 6 ft 0 in | 185 lb |
| 2 | Troy Mason | Offensive Specialist | 5 ft 9 in | 170 lb |
| 3 | Justin Skaggs | Wide Receiver/Linebacker | 6 ft 2 in | 202 lb |
| 4 | Orshawante Bryant | Wide Receiver/Defensive Back | 6 ft 0 in | 185 lb |
| 5 | Siaha Burley | Offensive Specialist | 6 ft 0 in | 185 lb |
| 6 | Sale Key | Wide Receiver/Linebacker | 6 ft 4 in | 225 lb |
| 7 | Thal Woods | Defensive Specialist | 5 ft 9 in | 175 lb |
| 9 | Ryan Dennard | Wide Receiver/Linebacker | 6 ft 3 in | 215 lb |
| 10 | Joe Germaine | Quarterback | 6 ft 2 in | 220 lb |
| 12 | Garrett Smith | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | 6 ft 3 in | 285 lb |
| 13 | Steve Videtich | Kicker | 6 ft 2 in | 185 lb |
| 14 | Kevin Moffett | Defensive Specialist | 6 ft 1 in | 185 lb |
| 15 | Tali Ena | Quarterback | 6 ft 4 in | 235 lb |
| 17 | Jason Gesser | Quarterback | 6 ft 1 in | 210 lb |
| 20 | Kevin Clemens | Fullback/Linebacker | 6 ft 1 in | 275 lb |
| 21 | Kelvin Hunter | Defensive Specialist | 5 ft 10 in | 185 lb |
| 23 | Tom Pace | Wide Receiver/Linebacker | 5 ft 11 in | 215 lb |
| 31 | Chris Robinson | Fullback/Linebacker | 6 ft 3 in | 272 lb |
| 32 | Emmett White | Wide Receiver/Linebacker | 6 ft 0 in | 217 lb |
| 40 | Craig Kobel | Fullback/Linebacker | 6 ft 2 in | 265 lb |
| 44 | Ronnie Washburn | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | 6 ft 3 in | 275 lb |
| 53 | Scott Pospisil | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | 6 ft 2 in | 285 lb |
| 59 | Doug Kaufusi | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | 6 ft 6 in | 305 lb |
| 72 | Hans Olsen | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | 6 ft 4 in | 295 lb |
| 97 | Ernest Grant | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | 6 ft 6 in | 320 lb |
| 98 | Lewis Powell | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | 6 ft 3 in | 285 lb |
| 99 | Bryan Henderson | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | 6 ft 5 in | 285 lb |
| Name | Coaching Position | Biography External Link |
|---|---|---|
| Danny White | Head Coach/General Manager | [1] |
| Hunkie Cooper | Assistant Coach-Offensive Coordinator | [2] |
| Ron James | Assistant Coach-OL/DL | [3] |
| Lindsay Hassell | Assistant Coach-Strength Conditioning/OL/DL | [4] |
| Darin Featherstone | Head Equipment Manager | [5] |
| Jim Low | Intern, Equipment Manager | [6] |
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-01-28 | San Jose SaberCats | Away | Win 48-35 |
| 2006-02-04 | Dallas Desperados | Home | Loss 53-56 |
| 2006-02-11 | New York Dragons | Home | Loss 81-84 |
| 2006-02-18 | Arizona Rattlers | Away | Loss 38-45 |
| 2006-02-25 | Los Angeles Avengers | Away | Win 68-66 |
| 2006-03-04 | San Jose SaberCats | Home | Loss 50-65 |
| 2006-03-10 | Nashville Kats | Home | Win 63-34 |
| 2006-03-16 | Grand Rapids Rampage | Away | Loss 49-59 |
| 2006-03-24 | Las Vegas Gladiators | Home | Loss 47-49 |
| 2006-04-01 | Tampa Bay Storm | Away | Loss 41-56 |
| 2006-04-07 | Arizona Rattlers | Home | Loss 52-64 |
| 2006-04-15 | Los Angeles Avengers | Home | Win 63-61 |
| 2006-04-21 | Colorado Crush | Away | Win 52-40 |
| 2006-04-28 | Las Vegas Gladiators | Away | Win 63-52 |
| 2006-05-06 | Chicago Rush | Away | Loss 48-84 |
| 2006-05-12 | Kansas City Brigade | Home | Win 55-54 |
| 2006-05-20 | Arizona Rattlers (Playoffs) | Away | Loss 34-57 |
Arena Football League
American Football
| Current arenas in the Arena Football League |
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| American Conference | National Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Allstate Arena | EnergySolutions Arena | HP Pavilion | Nashville Arena | Orleans Arena | Pepsi Center | Staples Center | US Airways Center | Van Andel Arena | American Airlines Center | Amway Arena | Frank Erwin Center | Kemper Arena | Nassau Coliseum | Nationwide Arena | New Orleans Arena | Philips Arena | St. Pete Times Forum | Wachovia Center1 | Wachovia Spectrum2 | |
| 1The Philadelphia Soul play Sunday home games at the Wachovia Center. 2The Philadelphia Soul play Saturday home games at the Wachovia Spectrum. |
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