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Chicago Bruisers



 
 
The Chicago Bruisers were a charter member of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League

The Arena Football League was founded in 1987 in sports as an American football arena football. The AFL's attendance increased dramatically over its last few years, rising to an average of 12,415 people per game in 2007, and 12,957 per game in 2008, but the increases were accompanied by greatly increased expenses and debt, leading to the can...
, playing in the four-team "demonstration season" of 1987
1987 Arena Football League season

The 1987 Arena Football League season was the 1st season, also known as the "demonstration season", of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Denver Dynamite, who defeated the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl I....
. They played their home games in the former Rosemont Horizon, now the Allstate Arena, home of the Chicago Rush
Chicago Rush

The Chicago Rush is a team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 2001 expansion team....
.

Bruisers were an outgrowth of the Chicago Politicians, a team put together by Jim Foster
Jim Foster

Jim Foster is the founder and first commissioner of the Arena Football League. He is also a former National Football League and United States Football League corporate officer and was later the principal owner of the New York Dragons....
 to play an exhibition game to prove the feasibility of the sport the previous year.






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The Chicago Bruisers were a charter member of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League

The Arena Football League was founded in 1987 in sports as an American football arena football. The AFL's attendance increased dramatically over its last few years, rising to an average of 12,415 people per game in 2007, and 12,957 per game in 2008, but the increases were accompanied by greatly increased expenses and debt, leading to the can...
, playing in the four-team "demonstration season" of 1987
1987 Arena Football League season

The 1987 Arena Football League season was the 1st season, also known as the "demonstration season", of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Denver Dynamite, who defeated the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl I....
. They played their home games in the former Rosemont Horizon, now the Allstate Arena, home of the Chicago Rush
Chicago Rush

The Chicago Rush is a team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 2001 expansion team....
.

History

The Bruisers were an outgrowth of the Chicago Politicians, a team put together by Jim Foster
Jim Foster

Jim Foster is the founder and first commissioner of the Arena Football League. He is also a former National Football League and United States Football League corporate officer and was later the principal owner of the New York Dragons....
 to play an exhibition game to prove the feasibility of the sport the previous year. The team logo depicted a bulldog
Bulldog

A Bulldog, colloquially known as the British Bulldog, is a type of dog which traces its ancestry to England....
. One of the founders of the Bruisers was former Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the NFC North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
 linebacker and WSCR
WSCR

WSCR is a sports radio radio station in the Chicago, Illinois radio market. The station is owned by CBS Radio and transmits on 670 kilohertz on the AM broadcasting....
 host Doug Buffone
Doug Buffone

Douglas John Buffone is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. Buffone, the son of a coal miner , attended high school at Shannock Valley High School in Rural Valley, Pennsylvania....
.

The Bruisers were part of the 1987 "Showcase Game", losing to the Miami Vise
Miami Vise

The Miami Vise were an arena football team formed by Arena Football League founder Jim Foster for the purposes of playing a "test game" on February 27, 1987 at the Allstate Arena against the Chicago Bruisers....
 by a score of 33-30.

The Bruisers, like the Pittsburgh Gladiators
Tampa Bay Storm

The Tampa Bay Storm are a member franchise of the Arena Football League. They are also one of the founding members of the league, then known as the Pittsburgh Gladiators....
 but unlike the other two charter teams, the Denver Dynamite
Denver Dynamite

Denver Dynamite could be either:* Denver Dynamite - a professional arena soccer team currently in the Professional Arena Soccer League ....
 and the Washington Commandos
Washington Commandos

The Washington Commandos was an Arena football team that operated from 1987 to 1990....
, returned to play in the 1988
1988 Arena Football League season

The 1988 Arena Football League season was the 2nd season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Massachusetts Marauders, who defeated the Chicago Bruisers in ArenaBowl II....
 season. The team competed in the ArenaBowl
ArenaBowl

The ArenaBowl is the Arena Football League's championship game. From 1987 to 2004, the ArenaBowl was hosted by either the team with the better regular-season record or the higher seeding in the playoffs....
 that year, losing to the Detroit Drive
Massachusetts Marauders

History...
. The Bruisers would be disbanded after competing in the 1989
1989 Arena Football League season

The 1989 Arena Football League season was the 3rd season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Massachusetts Marauders, who defeated the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl III....
 season.

The Chicago Bruisers are also featured in the film Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects

Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects is a 1989 action film/dramatic film film starring Charles Bronson and directed by J. Lee Thompson. The film was critically blasted upon its release because of its controversial plot and extremely graphic violence....
, directed by J. Lee Thompson
J. Lee Thompson

John Lee-Thompson , better known as J. Lee Thompson, was an England film director, active in England and Hollywood....
 and starring Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson

Charles Bronson was an United Statesn actor best known for "tough guy" image, who starred in such classic films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape , The Evil That Men Do and the popular Death Wish series....
. The game shown sees the Bruisers visit the Los Angeles Cobras
Los Angeles Cobras

HistoryThe Los Angeles Cobras played in the 1988 in sports Arena Football League season only. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, which they shared with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association....
. It was released in early 1989.

Season-by-season

|- |1987 || 2 || 4 || 0 || 3rd || -- |- |1988 || 10 || 1 || 1 || 1st || Won Semifinals
Lost ArenaBowl
ArenaBowl

The ArenaBowl is the Arena Football League's championship game. From 1987 to 2004, the ArenaBowl was hosted by either the team with the better regular-season record or the higher seeding in the playoffs....
 II || Chicago 29, Los Angeles
Los Angeles Cobras

HistoryThe Los Angeles Cobras played in the 1988 in sports Arena Football League season only. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, which they shared with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association....
 16
Detroit
Massachusetts Marauders

History...
 23, Chicago 14 |- |1989 || 1 || 3 || 0 || 4th || Lost Week 1 || Detroit
Massachusetts Marauders

History...
 43, Chicago 10 |- !Totals || 14 || 9 || 1 |colspan="2"| (including playoffs) |}

Notable players

  • Mike Hold, Quarterback 1987 - Current Coach of the Mahoning Valley Thunder
    Mahoning Valley Thunder

    The Mahoning Valley Thunder are a professional af2 arena football team.They are a 2007 expansion franchise and they play their home games at Cortland Banks Field at the Chevrolet Centre in downtown Youngstown, Ohio....
  • Sean Payton
    Sean Payton

    Patrick Sean Payton is the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. He was the quarterbacks coach and later assistant head coach of the Dallas Cowboys until being hired by the Saints on January 17, 2006....
    , Quarterback 1987 - Current Coach of the New Orleans Saints
    New Orleans Saints

    The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints play in the NFC South of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
  • Brent Johnson, Offensive/Defensive line 1987-88
  • Durwood Roquemore, Wide Receiver/Defensive back 1987-88
  • Reggie Smith, Wide Receiver/Defensive back 1987-89
  • Michael Carfagnini, Middle Linebacker/Guard 1987-88
  • Rich Salzer, Safety/Wide Receiver/Kicker 1986-87


AFL Hall of Famers


  • Durwood Roquemore


  • Perry Moss


  • Carl Aikens


  • Ben Bennett


  • Reggie Smith


Chronology

predecessor:Chicago Politicians successor:Chicago Rush

External links