The Las Vegas Gladiators were the second of three Arena Football League franchises to try to set up shop in Sin City. The Glads followed the Las Vegas Sting (1994-1995) and preceded the Las Vegas Outlaws debacle (2015) fronted by Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil.
International Hockey League (1993-1999) Born: 1993 – IHL expansion franchise Folded: April 18, 1999 First Game: October 8, 1993 (W 6-4 vs. Salt Lake Golden
Back in 1984 when the Thomas & Mack Arena was just a year old, the Americans of the Major Indoor Soccer League were the building’s first pro sports tenant. The club lasted only one season during the winter of 1984-85, but the Americans were a strong club that spent lavishly on the indoor game’s greatest players of the era.
The Las Vegas Silver Streaks were the first champions of the World Basketball League in 1988. The WBL was an unusual summer-season minor league basketball circuit that required all players to be 6′ 4″ or shorter. Jamie Waller, a 6′ 4″ guard out of Virginia Union who played right at the league’s height limit, led the WBL in scoring in all three of the Silver Streaks seasons from 1988 through 1990.
The WBL was a minor league by design. It also featured an unusual gimmick – all players had to be 6′ 4″ or shorter. It was a high scoring, fast breaking league designed to showcase guards. The league played a summer time schedule, allowing its players to seek employment year-round, going overseas or playing in the Continental Basketball Association during the fall and winter.
The purple and gold-clad Sting were Las Vegas’ first of several Arena Football League franchises. The team played at the newly opened MGM Grand Garden Arena in 1994 before moving to the Thomas & Mack Center for their final season in 1995. The franchise moved to Southern California under new ownership and became the Anaheim Piranhas in 1996. The AFL would try again in Las Vegas with the Gladiators (2003-2007) and the Outlaws (2015).
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