Arena Football League (1990-2000)
Tombstone
Founded: April 19, 1990 – Arena Football expansion franchise12000 Albany Firebirds Media Guide
Moved: October 19, 2000 (Indiana Firebirds)
First Game: June 9, 2000 (W 16-12 vs. Washington Commandos)
Last Game: August 5, 2000 (L 53-50 vs. Arizona Rattlers)
Arena Bowl Champions: 1999
Arena
Knickerbocker Arena (13,652)21999 Arena Football League Official Record & Fact Book
Opened: 1990
Marketing
Team Colors: Orange, Black, Red & White31999 Arena Football League Official Record & Fact Book
Ownership
Owners:
- 1990-1991: Joseph O’Hara and Glenn Mazula
- 1992-1997: Glenn Mazula, et al.
- 1997-2000: Glenn Mazula, Dave Lageschulte, et al.
Our Favorite Stuff
Albany Firebirds
Original Logo T-Shirt
The entire sport is all but erased from popular culture today, but Firebirds’ Arena Football games packed ’em in at Albany’s Knickerbocker Arena during the 1990’s. In their finest hour, the ‘Birds beat the Orlando Predators in Arena Bowl XIII before 13,000 home fans in Albany in August 1999. One year later, the team would be gone.
This Firebirds design is available from American Retro Apparel in Grey or White and in sizes small through XXXL today!
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Background
The Albany Firebirds were a long-running Arena Football franchise that played in the Capital Region of New York for eleven seasons from 1990 to 2000. The Firebirds arrived in 1990 as an expansion team in the then-struggling Arena Football League, which had nearly folded one year earlier.
Founding majority owner Joseph O’Hara was a minor league mogul in the area. He also owned the popular Albany Patroons basketball team and a far less popular indoor soccer team called the New York Kick. (O’Hara would sell his controlling interest to partner Glenn Mazula in early 1992 in order to become President of the Arena Football League and avoid a conflict of interest). O’Hara and Mazula paid a modest $125,000 expansion fee to join the league in April 1990, forming the franchise just six weeks before playing their first game.
The Firebirds drew a loyal audience in Albany. After a 3-5 record during their debut season, the Firebirds emerged as a perennial contender, making the playoffs for the next six seasons. The team got outstanding quarterback play from Mike Perez (1994-1996) and his successor Mike Pawlawski (1996-2000). They featured one of the best offensive talents in the league with wide receiver “Touchdown” Eddie Brown (1994-2000). Brown was the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1994 and Offensive Player of the Year in 1996 and 1999.
Arena Bowl XIII in Albany
The Firebirds’ finest hour came at the end of the 1999 season when the team made its first and only Arena Bowl appearance. The ‘Birds hosted Arena Bowl XIII at the Times Union Center and defeated the Orlando Predators 59-43. Eddie Brown caught 12 passes for 185 yards and hauled in 4 touchdowns. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Move To Indianapolis & Aftermath
In October 2000, long-time Albany Firebirds owner Glenn Mazula announced the franchise would move to Indianapolis for the 2001 season. The Indianapolis Firebirds played four more seasons before going out of business in late 2004.
Arena Football returned to Albany in 2002 with the formation of the Albany Conquest of Arena Football 2, a small market minor league that served the original Arena Football League. The Conquest lasted from 2002 to 2008 and then re-adopted the old Albany Firebirds moniker for a final season of play in 2009. Arena Football 2 folded after the 2009 season, along with the “new” (and significantly less popular) Firebirds.
Albany Firebirds Shop
Albany Firebirds Video
The Firebirds host the Cincinnati Rockers at Knickerbocker Arena on July 25, 1992.
In Memoriam
Longtime Firebirds owner Glenn Mazula passed away on May 14th, 2020 at the age of 72. Times-Union obituary.
Links
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One Response
Although this topic is devoted to the Albany Firebirds, there were people in Indianapolis happy about the Indiana Firebirds being part of arena football and were very upset when the team folded after Galyan’s, an outdoors apparrel and equipment store, went under.
The only other indoor football squad we had was the CIFL’s Indianapolis Enforcers, and “epic failure” is arguably the only thing that can be discussed about that franchise.