The Dallas Texans were an Arena football team based in Dallas, Texas. The Texans were founded in 1990 and were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team played for four seasons, and were relatively successful, making the playoffs three out of four seasons. They played their home games in the Reunion Arena, which they shared with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association.
| Dallas Texans (Arena) | |
|---|---|
| Established 1990 Folded 1993 Played in Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
Arena Football League (1990–1993)
| |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Brick, navy and white |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Kent Kramer Greg Gibson |
| Head coach | Jerry Trice |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) Prior to 2005, the AFL did not have conference championship games | |
| Division championships (1) Prior to 1992, the AFL did not have divisions | |
| Playoff appearances (3) | |
| Home arena(s) | |
| |
History
edit1990
editIn 1990, owner H. Lanier Richey brought the Arena Football League to the state of Texas for the first time.[1] Richey named former Pittsburgh Steeler, Ernie Stautner as the Texans' first coach in franchise history.[2] The Texans made a noise in May, when they traded 4 players to the Albany Firebirds, for former MVP Ben Bennett and former Ironman of the Year, Carl Aikens, Jr.[3] Stautner lead the Texans to a 6–2 regular season record, and was named the AFL's Coach of the Year.[4] The Texans made the ArenaBowl their first season of existence, falling to the Detroit Drive 51–27.[5]
1991
editIn 1991, the Texans had to replace head coach Stautner (who had left for a job with the Denver Broncos), and did so by signing former Cowboys legend, Drew Pearson.[6] Before the season began, the Texans traded Bennett to the Orlando Predators, after Bennett stated his displeasure with the Texans.[7] The team replaced Bennett with former NFL running back, Alfred Jenkins. The Texans started off in the middle of the pack going 3–2 through the first 5 games, before finishing the season 1–4 in the final 5 games. Their 4–6 record was not enough to qualify for the playoffs.
1992
editOn February 21, 1992, Richey sold the franchise to Kent Kramer and Greg Gibson.[8] Kramer replaced Pearson at head coach with Texas Tech assistant coach, John Paul Young. The Texans finished the season 5–5, winning the Western Division, but due to Kramer not anticipating a playoff home game, the Texans did not have the money in their budget to host a game and were forced to travel.[9] The Texans traveled to Albany, New York to play the Firebirds, where they earned a 48–45 victory to advance to the 2nd round of the playoffs.[10] The Texans would lose the following week to the eventual champion, the Detroit Drive.
1993
editIn 1993, Young left the Texans to take a job as the linebackers coach with the Denver Broncos.[11] Kramer hired former Drive and Firebirds assistant, Jerry Trice to be the team's new head coach.[12] The Texans finished the season a disappointing 3–9, but still qualified for the playoffs, losing in the first round. In October, the Texans were dropped from the AFL due to being unable to meeting financial requirements.
Future of AFL in Dallas
editIn 2000, Jerry Jones was awarded an expansion franchise in Dallas. Jones was considering using the nickname "Texans"[13] but ultimately choose the Dallas Desperados, playing from 2002 to 2008. The most recent (but now also defunct) Dallas Vigilantes franchise was an expansion team unrelated to either the Texans or Desperados.
Season-by-season results
edit| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | Won Semifinals (Denver 26–25) Lost ArenaBowl IV (Detroit 51–27) |
| 1991 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 6th | -- |
| 1992 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1st Western | Won Week 1 (Albany 48–45) Lost Week 2 (Detroit 57–14) |
| 1993 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 3rd AC | Lost Week 1 (Detroit 51–6) |
| Totals | 20 | 24 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
Notable players
editFinal roster
edit| 1993 Dallas Texans roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs
|
Fullbacks/Linebackers
Offensive Linemen/Defensive Linemen
|
Wide Receivers/Linebackers
Kickers
Rookies in italics → More rosters | ||||
Arena Football League Hall of Famers
edit| Dallas Texans Hall of Famers | ||||
| No. | Name | Inducted | Position(s) | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Ben Bennett | 2000 | QB | 1990 |
| 84 | Carl Aikens, Jr. | 2000 | WR/DB | 1990–1991 |
All-Arena players
editThe following Texans players were named to All-Arena Teams:
- QB Ben Bennett (1), Todd Hammel (1)
- FB/LB Mitchell Ward (1)
- WR/DB Carl Aikens, Jr. (1), Sam Moore (1), Gary Compton (1), Tyrone Thurman (1)
- WR/LB Sam Moore (1)
Notable coaches
editHead coaches
editNote: Statistics are correct through the end of the 1990 Arena Football League season.
| Name | Term | Regular Season | Playoffs | Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||
| Ernie Stautner | 1990 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 1 | 1 | 1990 AFL Coach of the Year |
| Drew Pearson | 1991 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 0 | 0 | |
| John Paul Young | 1992 | 5 | 5 | 0 | .500 | 1 | 1 | |
| Jerry Trice | 1993 | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 0 | 1 | |
Notes
edit- The team appeared on the game EA Sports Arena Football as a hidden bonus team, as well as the sequel Arena Football: Road to Glory.
References
edit- ^ "H. Lanier Richey". www.typerpaper.com. TylerPaper.com/Tyler Morning Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ David Fink (June 15, 1990). "Stautner enters brand new arena". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ Tom Boggie (June 21, 1990). "Preseason Deal Could Come Back to Haunt Firebirds". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Stautner Arena Coach of Year". The Victoria Advocate. August 11, 1990. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ "Schlichter drives Detroit to another Arena football title". The Argus-Press. August 13, 1990. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ "Drew Pearson replaces Stautner". The Vindicator. March 7, 1991. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Transactions". Eugene Register-Guard. July 4, 1991. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Transactions". www.nytimes.com. The New York Times Company. February 21, 1992. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ Tom Boggie (August 6, 1992). "Texans' coach remains unhappy about shifting game to Knick Arena". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ Tome Boggie (August 9, 1992). "Botched conversions by Firebirds were the difference in game". Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Sports Digest". The Spokesman-Review. February 4, 1993. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Texans, new coach Trice kick off Arena League season". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 15, 1993. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Jones awarded Arena franchise". Allegheny Times. August 20, 2000. Retrieved October 31, 2013.