The Memphis Xplorers were a professional arena football

Arena football

Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....

 team. They were a 2001 expansion member of the af2

Af2

AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...

. They played their home games at DeSoto Civic Center

DeSoto Civic Center

The DeSoto Civic Center is an 8,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Southaven, Mississippi. It was built in 2000. It is home to the Mississippi RiverKings, a team in the Southern Professional Hockey League....

 in Southaven, Mississippi

Southaven, Mississippi

-Households And Families:As of the census of 2000, there were 28,977 people, 11,007 households, and 8,134 families residing in the city. The population density was 857.9 people per square mile...

 (a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

).

On October 11, 2006, the team announced that they would not return for the 2007 season. http://www.arenafan.com/news/?page=pressrel&article=6398

In October 2007, local teacher Patrick Smith and a partner purchased the Memphis Xplorers for $100,000. There are plans to bring the team back for the 2009 season, with the possibility of the team's name being changed to the Midsouth Mafia.

Season-by-season

|-
|2001

2001 af2 season

The 2001 AF2 season was the second season of the AF2. The league champions were the Quad City Steamwheelers, who defended their title with a victory over the Richmond Speed in ArenaCup II...

 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 7th NC South Central || --
|-
|2002

2002 af2 season

The 2002 AF2 season was the third season of the AF2. The league champions were the Peoria Pirates, who defeated the Florida Firecats in ArenaCup III. This is also the first time that both conferences have the same division name...

 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 4th NC Central || --
|-
|2003

2003 af2 season

The 2003 AF2 season was the fourth season of the AF2. The league champions were the Tulsa Talons, who defeated the Macon Knights in Arena Cup IV...

 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 3rd NC Central || --
|-
|2004

2004 af2 season

The 2004 AF2 season was the fifth season the AF2. The league champions were the Florida Firecats, who defeated the Peoria Pirates in Arena Cup V.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth* Purple indicates division champion...

 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd AC Mid-South || Lost Week 1 || Florida 35, Memphis 33
|-
|2005

2005 af2 season

The 2005 AF2 season was the sixth season of the AF2. The league champions were the Memphis Xplorers, who defeated the Louisville Fire in Arena Cup VI.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth* Purple indicates division champion...

 || 13 || 3 || 0 || 1st NC Western || Won Week 2
Won NC Championship
Won ArenaCup

ArenaCup

The ArenaCup is the af2's championship game. For the league's first five years, it was held at the arena of the higher seeded team. However, the 2005 ArenaCup was the first to be played at a neutral site in Bossier City, Louisiana. The 2006 ArenaCup was played in Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San...

 VI || Memphis 71, Amarillo

Amarillo Dusters

The Amarillo Venom are an professional indoor football team in the Lone Star Football League. The Venom began play in 2004 as the Amarillo Dusters, a charter member of the Intense Football League, a small indoor football league based in Texas. They won the championship in their first and only...

 30
Memphis 58, Rio Grande Valley

Rio Grande Valley Dorados

The Rio Grande Valley Dorados were a professional arena football team. They began play in 2004 as an expansion member of af2, the minor league to the Arena Football League...

 49
Memphis 63, Louisville

Louisville Fire

The Louisville Fire was an arena football team that played its home games at the Brown-Forman Field in Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. They were a 2001 expansion team of the af2. Their owner/operator was former Pro Bowl lineman and Louisville native Will Wolford. The team was somewhat...

 41
|-
|2006

2006 af2 season

The 2006 AF2 season was the seventh season of the AF2, the Arena Football League's minor league. The league champions were the Spokane Shock who capped off an impressive inaugural season with a win over the Green Bay Blizzard in Arena Cup VII.-Standings:...

 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 2nd AC Southern || Won Round 1
Lost Round 2 || Memphis 83, Louisville

Louisville Fire

The Louisville Fire was an arena football team that played its home games at the Brown-Forman Field in Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. They were a 2001 expansion team of the af2. Their owner/operator was former Pro Bowl lineman and Louisville native Will Wolford. The team was somewhat...

 61
Green Bay

Green Bay Blizzard

The Green Bay Blizzard is a professional indoor football team, which was founded in 2003. The Blizzard began play in the Indoor Football League in 2010, after having played the previous seven seasons in af2, in the now defunct the minor league of the Arena Football League. The Blizzard play in...

67, Memphis 50
|-
!Totals || 52 || 50 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)

External links

• Memphis Xplorers on ArenaFan.com