That team was to play in the AFL's minor league system, af2. The last time the AFL played in Columbus was the expansion Columbus Thunderbolts back in 1991. The Columbus Destroyers unveiled Monday the jerseys the team will wear for the 2019 season. “The league is all-in this time,” Sauk said. In 2018, an exhibit honoring the 20th anniversary of the Destroyers' establishment went on display at the Buffalo History Museum. They played their first home game against the, On July 7, 2007 they upset the heavily favored, One week later on July 14, 2007 The Destroyers reached their first Arena Bowl after defeating the heavily favored 14–2, On July 21, 2007 the Destroyers had a bye in the Arena Bowl playoffs, where they broke local attendance records by beating up and destroying a, The playoff run ended on July 29 when they played the, This page was last edited on 24 August 2020, at 12:15. Previously, each franchise was individually owned. All Rights Reserved. The team was founded, in part, because of fears that a lease expiration could have led to the demise or relocation of the NFL's Buffalo Bills, the city's largest sports franchise. The team was founded in 1999 as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in 2004. The Destroyers are back. A month later, on November 27, 2019, the league announced that they had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and were ceasing operations.[3]. They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of ten seasons of play. [7], In October 2019, the league creased all team operations, including the Destroyers, and then filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November. [4] Former Buffalo Bills player Ray Bentley was selected as his replacement; however, he couldn't lead the Destroyers to a winning season. On May 24, 2008 the Arena Football League announced that it was returning to Buffalo with a new franchise to be owned by Bills alumni Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas along with Rochester Raiders owner Bob Bartosiewicz. Currently over 10,000 on … [2], After the 2019 season, the AFL announced that they had suspended local business operations including the Destroyers, but were looking into become a traveling league. #TheReturn #ItsOn” The name "Destroyers" came from a naming contest and alluded to the naval ship of the same name, one of which sits outside the HSBC Arena in the nearby Buffalo Naval and Serviceman's Park. Sort of. The Destroyers are back. The Columbus Destroyers are back and their uniforms are dope!!! Again, sort of. The Buffalo Destroyers moved to Columbus after the 2003 Arena Football League season. The next month, the Indoor Football League announced it would expand to Columbus in the 2021 season.[8][9]. In their previous incarnation, the Destroyers’ attendance averaged about 14,000. The following Destroyers players were named to All-Arena Teams: The following Destroyers players were named to All-Ironman Teams: The following Destroyers players were named to All-Rookie Teams: First iteration of the Columbus Destroyers (2004–2008), "The Arena Football League Announces Expansion To Columbus, Ohio", "The Columbus Destroyers are back! Digital access or digital and print delivery. All rights reserved. Sort of. Their playoff game against the, The team moved to Columbus after the 2003 season. Choose the plan that’s right for you. The team was originally scheduled to begin play in 2009, but did not materialize in time for that season, and with the dissolution of the AFL as well as af2, the proposal appears to be dead, since the current version of the league has shown no interest in the Buffalo market, and the Raiders have since suspended operations. AFL team shows off logo and announces coach", http://www.arenafan.com/history/?page=coaches&coach=39, https://www.buffalosportspage.com/the-buffalo-destroyers-reunion/, "New indoor football team coming to Columbus in 2021", "Indoor Football League coming to Columbus in 2021", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Columbus_Destroyers&oldid=974687344, American football teams established in 1999, American football teams disestablished in 2008, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, OC: Ken Matous and Lary Kuharich (Kuharich took over after week 7), On April 30, 1999 Columbus played their first game as the Buffalo Destroyers.

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