American Indoor Football League (2006)
18-809: World Indoor Football League (2007) AF2 ( 2008 ) The Daytona Beach ThunderBirds were an arena football team based in Daytona Beach, Florida . They were founded in 2005 as the Daytona Beach Hawgs playing in the National Indoor Football League . In 2006, they changed their name to the Daytona Thunder and played in three different indoor football leagues over three seasons: the American Indoor Football League in 2006,
36-532: A crowd of 3,529. Two teams – Columbus and Augusta – announced on September 28, 2007, that they were moving to a reformed American Indoor Football Association for 2008. [3] The announcement came after the Daytona Beach Thunder announced they were leaving the WIFL in hopes of joining AF2 for either the 2008 or 2009 season. [4] . The World Indoor Bowl was the championship game of
54-525: A result of injuries received during a game against the Columbus Lions on February 26, 2007. Camon was involved in a helmet-to-helmet block during the late stages of the game. He was attended by paramedics and doctors at the Ocean Center arena for approximately 25 minutes without recovering. He was pronounced dead on arrival at an area hospital. [1] So, in his honor, the league's MVP award
72-523: A three-game losing streak all but denied the Thunder the post-season. The team finished its inaugural season with a 6–8 record, with six losses coming at a combined margin of 19 points. On Monday, June 12, 2006, the Thunder parted ways with Bryson. After an extensive search, the Thunder named former CFL Rookie of The Year, FSU Seminole, New York Giant and Tampa Bay Buc Leon Bright as Head Coach/Director Of Football Operations. The team later decided to join
90-523: The Daytona Beach Hawgs . They had a rollercoaster season. But it was a successful season with a record of 8–6, with most of the wins coming at home, including wins over Rome and losses to teams like Miami. The Hawgs shutout the New Jersey Xtreme , 54–0. The Hawgs would have qualified for a playoff spot, but were suspended for rules violations. In February 2006, the franchise left the NIFL over
108-780: The World Indoor Football League in 2007, and the AF2 , the Arena Football League 's developmental league, in 2008 (when their name was changed to the ThunderBirds). They folded after the 2008 season. The Marquee player for the Thurnderbirds was 6'3" 230 pound Left handed Quarterback Matt Bohnet, an Eastern Michigan Graduate, who completed 160 out of 307 passes for 1,890 Yards 28 Touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The team began play in 2005 as
126-639: The Southern Professional Football League from 1962 to 1964 under the same name. According to AF2 website the Thunderbirds have folded as they are not on the team list. World Indoor Football League (2007) The World Indoor Football League (WIFL) was an indoor football league founded by Harry Pierce, owner of the Rome Renegades and Raleigh Rebels of the American Indoor Football League . The league
144-583: The Thunder played its home games at Cortland Banks Field at the Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown, Ohio . The team's colors were a combination of Black and Navy Blue , with the minor color of Gray . Single-game tickets ranged from $ 5.00 to $ 50.00. The team sold out their inaugural home game, on March 31, 2007, to a crowd of over 5,900 fans, while their 2nd home game entertained almost 4,800 fans, on April 21, 2007. The Thunder's first head coach, Mike Hold , went 11-26 in his two-plus years at
162-725: The WIFL in hopes of joining AF2 for either the 2008 or 2009 season. The WIFL ceased operations soon afterwards. On November 20, 2007, the team announced they had successfully joined the AF2, and would begin play there for the 2008 season. They changed their name to the ThunderBirds so as not to conflict with their fellow AF2 franchise the Mahoning Valley Thunder ; they were the second team to bear that name in Daytona Beach football history; an outdoor team played in
180-631: The World Indoor Football League. The only World Indoor Bowl was played between the regular season champion Columbus Lions and the Augusta Spartans , who won a semi-final game against the Osceola Ghostriders to earn the berth. Mahoning Valley Thunder The Mahoning Valley Thunder was a professional af2 arena football team from 2007 to 2009. Having entered af2 as an expansion team in 2007,
198-411: The helm. Hold was fired on April 28, 2009. After going 0-3 under interim head coach, Brennan Booth, the Thunder named the franchise's second head coach, Chris MacKeown, on May 26, 2009. The team ended with a 2-14 record in 2009. Attendance declined steadily over the three years, and the owners were unable to find investors to keep the team afloat. This led to an announcement on September 9, 2009 that
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#1732790580167216-525: The hit. Major arena news hit Daytona Beach with the word that Barry Wagner (former Orlando Predators & San Jose SaberCats WR/DB) would be joining the team after getting cut from the Tampa Bay Storm at the beginning of the 2007 AFL season . The Thunder finished at 4–10, last in the league, and was the only team out of the four in the league not to qualify for the postseason. On September 19, 2007, Daytona Beach announced they were leaving
234-475: The newly formed World Indoor Football League for the 2007 season as a charter member, joining their former AIFL rival, the Augusta Spartans and two other teams. Tragedy struck the team on February 26, 2007, when defensive back Javan Camon was killed after a hard but clean hit during a game with the Columbus Lions . The player, once a captain at the University of South Florida , likely broke his neck in
252-695: The suspension from the playoffs and later joined the American Indoor Football League , under coach Ervin Bryson and owners Kevin and Zack McDonald, and Jay Burton as the Daytona Beach Thunder . The team made some pre-season headlines when former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and FOX broadcaster Terry Bradshaw signed an actual players contract in a "blatant publicity stunt" at a Daytona Beach speaking engagement. Bradshaw, citing back problems, never played. The team also garnered attention for its unique logo and its 45-foot sleeper bus that transported
270-662: The team in March 2007; Daytona Beach had previously attempted such a publicity stunt by signing Terry Bradshaw to a similar contract in 2006. The Osceola Ghostriders also featured former New England Patriot Greg Jefferson for one game. On June 30, the league's only championship game, the World Indoor Bowl, took place in Columbus, Georgia with the Augusta Spartans defeating the host Columbus Lions 63-60 before
288-424: The team to its away games and delivered relief supplies to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina . A partnership with the local PBS station produced a 30-minute show that aired weekly during the season. On Friday, March 24, 2006, after losing their first three games, the Thunder got their first-ever win 49–24 against the Augusta Spartans on the road. The team put itself in position for a playoff berth at 5–4, but
306-587: Was a splinter league that formed after disgruntled ownership in the AIFL, caused significant turmoil and resulted in several teams leaving the league. Both the Rebels and Renegades were to play in the league, with the Rebels to be renamed as the Carolina Bombers . However, on October 16, 2006, Pierce folded both franchises. Daytona Beach Thunder player Javan Camon, in his second year with the club, died as
324-570: Was named after him as the Javan Camon Award. [2] The award was given to Marvin Stone of the Augusta Spartans. Columbus Lions' Jason Gibson was named Coach of the Year, and Danny Burnham of Rome, Georgia. was named Fan of the Year for his efforts assisting the league's PR department. Daytona Beach also made some news in the indoor football ranks when arena football legend Barry Wagner joined
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