New York Dragons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New York Dragons |
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| Established 1995 Folded 2008 Played in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York |
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| League/conference affiliations | |
Arena Football League (1995–2008)
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| Team colors | Black, red, gold, white |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Steven Silva, Shanna Silva |
| Head coach | Weylan Harding |
| Team history | |
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| Championships | |
| League championships (0) |
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Conference championships (2)
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Division championships (7)
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| Playoff appearances (10) | |
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| Home arena(s) | |
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The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team. They played in the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was first started in 1995 as the Iowa Barnstormers.
In 2001, the team moved to the New York metropolitan area. They played their home games at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The team played until 2008, when the league stopped operating. Their last coach was Weylan Harding.
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History of the New York Dragons
The New York Dragons played in Uniondale, New York. This city is a suburb of New York City. Their home stadium was the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. This stadium was also home to the New York Islanders, a hockey team. The Dragons' mascot was Sparky the Dragon, who was also the mascot for the Islanders.
The Iowa Barnstormers (1995–2000)
The team started in Des Moines, Iowa, and was called the Iowa Barnstormers. They played there from 1995 to 2000. The Barnstormers were a very good team in Iowa. They reached the championship game, called the ArenaBowl, in both 1996 and 1997.
A famous player for the Barnstormers was Kurt Warner. He was their starting quarterback from 1995 to 1997. After playing for the Barnstormers, he moved to the National Football League (NFL) in 1998. He became an NFL MVP and won a Super Bowl.
The team moved to New York because the league wanted a team in a bigger city. Also, the Barnstormers needed a more modern stadium. Their old stadium in Des Moines, the Iowa Veterans Memorial Auditorium, was not ideal. It was known as "The Barn." Most of its seats were along the sidelines, like in high school sports.
The Barnstormers were known for their unique uniforms. They had goggles on their helmets and wings on the shoulders of their jerseys. They even had propellers on their pants legs, matching their aviation theme.
The New York Dragons (2001–2008)
On November 1, 2000, the Iowa Barnstormers officially moved to New York and became the Dragons. The Dragons' logo and uniforms were designed by Chris Trevas. He is a full-time artist who works on Star Wars projects.
The Dragons played in the Eastern Division of the National Conference. Their coach was Weylan Harding, who used to be a player for the Barnstormers. Coach Harding became very successful in his first two seasons. He won twenty games in the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
One of the biggest stars for the Dragons was their quarterback Aaron Garcia. He holds the record for the most touchdown passes in a single game (11). He also threw the second-most touchdown passes in a season (104 in 2001). Over his career, he threw more than 800 touchdown passes.
The Dragons set a league record for most points scored in a game. On July 7, 2001, they scored 99 points against the Carolina Cobras. This was the highest-scoring game in league history, with a total of 167 points scored by both teams. On February 11, 2006, the Dragons also won a high-scoring game against the Utah Blaze, 84–81. This game had the second-most points scored in AFL history, with 165 points.
In July 2008, a group of investors bought the team. They planned to change the team's uniforms, logo, and colors. On September 23, 2008, the Dragons announced their new logo. The old red and yellow colors were replaced with green and grey.
The Dragons' official mascot was a dragon named Sparky. Sparky was also the mascot for the NHL's New York Islanders.
On December 14, 2008, the Arena Football League announced that the 2009 season would be canceled. The league hoped to return in 2010. However, the league later suspended its operations indefinitely. This meant the New York Dragons team also stopped playing.
Historic Moments for the Dragons
- On July 7, 2001, quarterback Aaron Garcia had an amazing game against the Carolina Cobras. He threw a league-record 11 touchdown passes. The Dragons won the game 99–68. This game is considered one of the AFL's greatest highlights.
- On June 2, 2007, Aaron Garcia became only the fourth player in league history to throw 800 touchdown passes. He joined other great quarterbacks like Clint Dolezel, Sherdrick Bonner, and Andy Kelly.
- On June 28, 2008, the Dragons made it to the playoffs even though they had an average season (8 wins and 8 losses). They surprised everyone by beating the favored Dallas Desperados 77–63 in the wild card round. The Desperados had a much better record (12 wins and 4 losses). The Dragons then lost a very close game to the Philadelphia Soul, 49–48, in the next round.
Season-by-Season Results
Coaches of the Dragons
| Head coach | Tenure | Regular season record (W-L) |
Post season record (W-L) |
Most recent coaching staff | Notes |
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| John Gregory | 1995–2003 | 66–48 | 6–6 | Named Arena Football League Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996. | |
| Todd Shell | 2003–2004 | 17–11 | 1–1 | Named Arena Football League Coach of the Year in 2003. | |
| Weylan Harding | 2005–2008 | 33–31 | 1–3 | OC:Chad Lindsey OL / Co-ST Coordinator: Jerome Brown DL / Co-ST Coordinator: Corey Mayfield |
Notable Players
Individual Awards
| Offensive Player of the Year | |||
| Season | Player | Position(s) | |
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| 2001 | Aaron Garcia | QB | |
All-Arena Players
These Dragons players were chosen for the All-Arena Teams, meaning they were among the best players in the league:
- QB Aaron Garcia (1)
- FB/LB Rodney Filer (1)
- WR/DB Mike Furrey (1)
- OL/DL Robert Stewart (1)
- DL Henry Taylor (1)
- OS Kevin Swayne (1)
- DB Billy Parker (1)
- DS Billy Parker (1)
All-Ironman Players
These Dragons players were chosen for the All-Ironman Teams. Ironman players play both offense and defense:
- WR/DB Mike Furrey (1)
- WR/LB Mike Horacek (1)
- OL/DL Marcus Owen (1)
- WR/DB/KR Will Holder (1)
All-Rookie Players
These Dragons players were chosen for the All-Rookie Teams, meaning they were top new players in the league:
- WR/DB Lincoln Dupree
- OL/DL Delbert Cowsette
- DL John Nix, Farouk Adelekan
- DB Levy Brown
- DS Billy Parker, Dahnel Singfield
- WR/LB Tierre Jones
NFL Players/Coaches
Some players and coaches from the Dragons also played or coached in the NFL:
- QBKurt Warner
- K Rob Bironas
- K Matt Bryant
- WR Mike Furrey
- QB Danny Kanell
- WR Kevin Swayne
- QB Matt Nagy (coach)
Images for kids
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New York Dragons logo (2001-2008)
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New York Dragons logo (2009, Unused)
See also
In Spanish: New York Dragons para niños
