Jacksonville Sharks

For the defunct World Football League team, see Jacksonville Sharks (WFL).
Jacksonville Sharks
Current season
Established 2009
Play in Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida
JAXSharks.com
HelmetLogo
League/conference affiliations

Arena Football League (2010–present)

Team colors

Blood Red, Midnight Black, White

              
Mascot Chum
Personnel
Owner(s) Jeffrey Bouchy
Steve Curran
Larry Payne
Diva Nagula, D.O.
Rob Storm
Jason Green
Kevin Wesniak
General manager Les Moss
Head coach Les Moss
Team history
  • Jacksonville Sharks (2010–present)
Championships

League championships (1)

Conference championships (2)

Division championships (4)

Playoff appearances (5)
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
Home arena(s)

The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional arena football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, playing their home games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, known for sponsorship purposes as Sea Best Field. The team is part of the American Conference in the Arena Football League (AFL), and won the championship of their division in the first four seasons of their existence.

The Sharks joined the AFL for the 2010 season, following the league's complete reorganization the previous year. In their inaugural season they set the league record for most regular season wins by an expansion team, winning twelve of their sixteen games, and ranked third in the league in ticket sales and average attendance. They advanced to the 2010 AFL playoffs, claiming the South Division title. In their second year in the league, they advanced to the ArenaBowl XXIV, defeating the Arizona Rattlers 73-70, for the first AFL Championship in franchise history.[1][2]

History

The Arena Football League originally wanted to place a franchise in Jacksonville in the 1990s, citing the city's historical support for football.[3] The proposal drew the attention of Wayne Weaver, then owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the league decided that the Jacksonville Coliseum was too small for AFL standards.[3] In 2000, the Jacksonville Tomcats began play in the af2, the AFL's developmental league. The AFL and Tomcats ownership anticipated the completion of the new 15,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, but the Tomcats folded after the 2002 season, before construction of the Arena was completed.[4]

Interest in placing an arena football team in Jacksonville remained. In 2010, following the restructuring of the AFL and the cancellation of the 2009 season, the AFL announced it would place an expansion team in Jacksonville.[5] The ownership group would be Jacksonville Sports Group, led by Jeff Bouchy, formerly part owner of the Orlando Predators AFL team under his brother Brett Bouchy.[5] On May 3, 2014, it was officially announced that former Motley Crue front man Vince Neil purchased a minority stake in the team.

Arena

Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, home of the Sharks












Since 2010, the Sharks' home arena has been Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, a $130 million facility. The field is known as "Sea Best Field", sponsored by the local seafood distribution company In the area.

Notable players

Current roster

Jacksonville Sharks roster
Quarterbacks

Fullbacks

Wide receivers

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Kickers

 Injured reserve

Refused to report

Other league exempt

Inactive reserve

  • 20 Antron Dillon DL

League suspension

Recallable reassignment

  • Currently vacant

Rookies in italics
Roster updated May 2, 2016
24 Active, 11 Inactive

→ More rosters

Individual awards

AFL Offensive Player of the Year
Season Player Position
2011Aaron GarciaQB
AFL Defensive Lineman of the Year
Season Player Position
2015Joe SykesDL

All-Arena players

The following Sharks players have been named to All-Arena Teams:

All-Ironman players

The following Sharks players have been named to All-Arena Teams:

Notable coaches

Head coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through Week 18 of the 2014 Arena Football League season.

Name Term Regular Season Playoffs Awards
W L T Win% W L
Les Moss 2010–present 54 32 0 .628 5 3 2010 Coach of the Year

Staff

Jacksonville Sharks staff
Front Office
  • Operating Manager & Member of Board of Managers – Jeff Bouchy
  • Vice President of Ticketing & Member of Board of Managers – Steve Curran
  • Member of Board of Managers - Diva Nagula, D.O.
  • Member of Board of Managers – Larry Payne
  • Assistant General Manager – Tim Johnson
  • Assistant General Manager – Jack Benigno
  • Director of Media Relations – Zander Kean
  • Director of Operations & Director of Community Relations – Carolyn Ward
  • Account Sales Manager – Mike Adams
  

Head Coach

Offensive Coaches

  • Offensive Linemen – Brian Ferguson

Defensive Coaches

  • Defensive Linemen - Brian Ferguson

Football Operations Staff

  • Director of Sports Medicine - Joshua Gregoire
  • Director of Equipment Operations - Matt Lesser
  • Director of Player Personnel - Todd Worly

Season-by-season results

References

  1. ↑ Don Coble (August 12, 2011). "Sharks win ArenaBowl on final play". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  2. ↑ Don Coble (August 16, 2011). "Jacksonville to celebrate Sharks' championship with a parade". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "New arena considered for football". The Florida Times-Union. May 25, 1998. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  4. ↑ Jeff Walker (November 13, 2002). "Tomcats fold". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Jeff Elliott (November 18, 2009). "Jacksonville arena football team hoping for a bang". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved January 5, 2011.

External links

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