Tombstone
Born: November 2006 – AF2 expansion franchise
Folded: 2017
First Game: March 31, 2007 (L 81-21 vs. Quad City Steamwheelers)
Last Game: July 28, 2007 (L 51-21 @ Alabama Steeldogs)
ArenaCup Championships: None
Arena
Arena: U.S. Bank Arena
Opened: 1975
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners: Sam Adams, Ken Griffey Jr. & Dr. Timothy Kremchek
Background
The fourth time was not the charm for the Arena Football brand in Cincinnati. Celebrity ownership in the form of Cincinnati Reds slugger Ken Griffey Jr. and former All-Pro defensive lineman Sam Adams of the Cincinnati Bengals wasn’t enough to make the Cincinnati Jungle Kats succeed where the Rockers (1992-1993), the Swarm (2003) and the Marshals (2005-2006) failed before them. Like all three of their predecessors, the Jungle Kats played at U.S. Bank Arena (formerly the Riverfront Coliseum).
The Jungle Kats were part of Arena Football 2 (AF2), billed as a developmental circuit for the higher profile Arena Football League. AF2 players earned $250 per game with a $50 bonus for a win.
Jungle Kats players didn’t collect many of those bonuses. The team finished 1-15 in their only season of play. Former University of Kentucky defensive back Tony Missick, a long-time Arena Football player and defensive coordinator, served as the team’s head coach.
Demise
The Kats’ fortunes were not helped when the Cincinnati Bengals released team owner Sam Adams in May 2006, two months into the Jungle Kats debut season. Adams soon left for Colorado to join the Denver Broncos. Adams also owned a second AF2 franchise, the Everett (WA) Hawks.
Adams lost control of both teams at the end of the 2007 season, reportedly suffering multi-million dollar losses on his Arena Football adventures and leaving behind piles of unpaid bills. Both the Jungle Kats and the Everett Hawks folded in late 2007.
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