Arena Football League (1987, 1989-1990)
Tombstone
Born: 1987 – Arena Football founding franchise
Folded: Postseason 1990
First Game: June 19, 1987 (L 48-46 @ Pittsburgh Gladiators)
Last Game: July 28, 1990 (L 37-28 @ Dallas Texans)
Arena Bowl Championships: None
Arenas
1987 & 1989: Capital Centre (17,000)
Opened: 1973
Demolished: 2002
1989: Baltimore Arena
Opened: 1962
1990: Patriot Center
Marketing
Team Colors: Silver & Red
Ownership
Owners:
- 1987 & 1989: Arena Football League
- 1990: Jim Kiles
Attendance
Commandos attendance between 1987 and 1990 is a rather muddy picture. You could truly consider the Commandos to be three entirely separate teams that played sporadically in different arenas and states in each season they were active. After playing the 1987 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland and considered to be a Washington D.C. franchise, the Commandos sat out the 1988 season altogether.
In 1989, the team played just two games under the “Maryland Commandos” name, split between Landover and Baltimore. In 1990, the team moved to suburban Virginia under new ownership but took back the “Washington Commandos” name.
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Sources:
- 1988 Pittsburgh Gladiators Media Guide (1987 figures)
- 1999 Arena Football League Official Record & Fact Book (1989 & 1990 figures)
Commando Gear
Washington Commandos
Logo T-Shirt
The Commandos were an on-again, off again team put forward by the Arena Football League during its first few seasons of operations. The Commandos were more of an idea than a true team, sitting out seasons and never playing in the same building from one year to the next.
This Commandos tee is available in White, Red, True Royal and Athletic Heather from Royal Retros today!
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Background
The Washington Commandos were one of four original franchises in the Arena Football League when the AFL launched in 1987. The league’s inaugural season featured a brief six-week schedule between mid-June and early August 1987. Six games were broadcast nationwide on ESPN, including the Commandos home debut at the Capital Centre against the Denver Dynamite on June 27, 1987. The Commandos won that contest 36-20 in front of an announced crowd of 13,587.
The Commandos finished the 1987 season 2-4. Wide Receiver/Defensive Back Dwayne Dixon, Quarterback Rich Ingold, and lineman Jon Roehlk were named to the All-Arena 1st Team.
1988-1990: Nomads
During the 1987 season all four of the league’s teams were owned centrally by AFL founder Jim Foster’s company Arena Sports Ventures Unlimited. In 1988, the AFL expanded to six teams and doubled its schedule to 12 games per team. Most significantly, Foster started licensing teams to local owner-operators. When no interested owners stepped forward for the Commandos, the team was closed down.
The AFL suffered a crisis after its second season in 1988. The league’s new crop of investors revolted against Foster and his licensing structure. Three of six clubs folded. The league scrambled to put on an abbreviated showcase schedule in 1989. The old Commandos gear was hauled out of storage and the Maryland Commandos were formed to fill out a tiny four-team membership. Each club would play just four games in 1989, many in neutral site test markets around the country. The Maryland Commandos played one game at the Capital Centre in Landover and one at the Baltimore Arena. This edition of the Commandos went 0-4.
The AFL found itself on slightly more solid footing by the spring of 1990. As the league’s fourth season dawned, Foster successfully patented the league’s unique game system that March. Expansion teams in Albany and Dallas joined the league and the schedule grew back to 8 games.
The Commandos took back their old “Washington” moniker instead of “Maryland” for the 1990 season. The team did not return to the 17,000-seat Capital Centre though. The 1990 Commandos played in the smaller, cheaper Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Wide receiver Charlie Brown, a Pro Bowl Selection on the Washington Redskins Super Bowl XVII championship team in 1983, suited up for the Commandos in 1990 and caught 11 passes with 2 touchdowns.
Demise
The Commandos went 2-6 in 1990 and folded quietly at the end of the season.
Arena Football returned to the nation’s capital in 2017 when Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis launched his Washington Valor franchise at the Verizon Center.
Washington Commandos Shop
Our Favorite Stuff
Arena Football League
1987-2002 Logo T-Shirt
This logo tee from Old School Shirts reps the original Arena Football League logo, used for the league’s first 16 seasons as the circuit grew from four to sixteen franchises. The design includes uprights to imply one of the most unique innovations of the indoor game – the taut netting surrounding narrowed uprights that ricocheted kickoffs and missed field goals back into live play. Curiously, the netting wasn’t incorporated into the graphic which seems like a missed opportunity.
This design is also available as a Hooded or Crewneck Sweatshirt from Old School Shirts today!
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
In Memoriam
Head Coach Ray Willsey (Commandos ’89) passed away at age 85 on November 4, 2013.
Head Coach Bob Harrison (Commandos ’87) passed away on February 4, 2016 at age 78.
Lineman Jon Roehlk (Commandos ’87) died on March 13, 2016. The Arena Football Hall-of-Famer was 54 years old.
Lineman Patrick Cain (Commandos ’90) passed after a battle with lung cancer at age 53 on March 14, 2016.
Quarterback Rich Ingold (Commandos ’87) died of pneumonia on February 15, 2017. Ingold was 53. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obituary.
Downloads
1989 Maryland Commandos Roster & Franchise Profile
1989 Maryland Commandos Roster
James F. Foster U.S. Patent #4,911,443 for Arena Football Game System and Method of Play. March 27, 1990
Links
Arena Football League Programs
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One Response
I remember the Washington Commandos! My father took me to a game in 1990, at the Patriots Center, against the Detroit Drive!