The
San Francisco Demons (Originally named
San Jose Demons) were a short-lived springtime
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in
San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. This team was part of the failed
XFLThe XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
begun by
Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
of
World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
and by
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, a major
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
network in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Originally they were to be based in San Jose but prior to the start of the season they were moved to San Francisco. They were in the Western Division with the
Los Angeles XtremeThe Los Angeles Xtreme was a professional American football team based in Los Angeles, California. The team was a member of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. The team played its home games in the Los Angeles...
,
Las Vegas OutlawsThe Las Vegas Outlaws were an American football team in the short-lived XFL in the Western Division with the Los Angeles Xtreme, San Francisco Demons and Memphis Maniax...
and
Memphis ManiaxThe Memphis Maniax was an American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was part of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States...
.
The team played in
Pacific Bell ParkAT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
in San Francisco; despite having the smallest stadium in the league, they also had the highest average attendance (34,954). The fans had a cheering section nicknamed "The Hellhole"
The team was coached by
Jim SkipperJim Skipper is an American football coach. He is currently the running backs coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.-Early Years:...
, former offensive coordinator for the NY Giants.
History
In their first and only season of existence, the Demons went 5-5 to capture 2nd place in the regular season and qualified for post season play. In the first round, the Demons defeated the
Orlando Rage-Statistical leaders:* Rushing yards: 387, Derrick Clark* Receiving yards: 659, Dialleo Burks* Passing yards: 998, Brian Kuklick-Awards:-Honors:...
, who had the best regular season record (8-2), by a score of 26-25. In the XFL's
Million Dollar GameThe Million Dollar Game was the XFL's championship game at the end of its only season in 2001. At first it had no special name, then was going to be called "The Big Game at the End," but eventually received the name it ended up with because a pot of one million dollars was to be split among the...
, which was the league championship game and last game in its history, the Demons were defeated by the
Los Angeles XtremeThe Los Angeles Xtreme was a professional American football team based in Los Angeles, California. The team was a member of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. The team played its home games in the Los Angeles...
38-6.
NBC dropped the XFL concept after the first season (
20012001 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:...
) due to dismal ratings, and the league folded soon afterwards. The Demons played their home games in what was then
Pacific Bell ParkAT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
, also the home of
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's
San Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
.
The most notable Demons players were
Mike PawlawskiMike Pawlawski Mike Pawlawski Mike Pawlawski (born July 18, 1969 in Los Angeles, California is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, Arena Football League, and XFL. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the eighth round of the 1992 NFL Draft...
and
Pat BarnesPat Barnes is a retired National Football League quarterback. He played from 1997 to 2003 in the NFL, XFL, and CFL....
. Both played
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Demons in 2001. Pawlawski and Barnes both played for the
California Golden BearsThe California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
. Pawlawski was signed by the Demons after playing Arena Football for the
Albany FirebirdsThe Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League.The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball...
. Barnes had been invited to training camp by the
Oakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Season-by-season
|-
|2001 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 2nd Western || Won Semifinals (
Orlando-Statistical leaders:* Rushing yards: 387, Derrick Clark* Receiving yards: 659, Dialleo Burks* Passing yards: 998, Brian Kuklick-Awards:-Honors:...
)
Lost Million Dollar Game (
Los AngelesThe Los Angeles Xtreme was a professional American football team based in Los Angeles, California. The team was a member of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. The team played its home games in the Los Angeles...
)
|-
!Totals || 6 || 6 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
Staff
| 2001 San Francisco Demons staff |
|
|
Front Office
- Vice President/General Manager – Mike Preacher
- Director of Player Personnel – Greg Mohns
Gregory R. Mohns is a football executive and coach who was as the Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel of the Toronto Argonauts until February 19th 2010.- Career :...
Head Coaches
- Head Coach – Jim Skipper
Jim Skipper is an American football coach. He is currently the running backs coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.-Early Years:...
Offensive Coaches
- Offensive Coordinator – Joe Paopao
Joe Paopao is a long-time coach in the Canadian Football League, who last served as a head coach in the CFL for the Ottawa Renegades from 2001–2005....
- Running Backs – Thomas Coleman
- Offensive Line – Ron De Monner
- Offensive Line – Kani Kauahi
Daniel Kani Kauahi is the offensive line coach for the Arizona Rattlers in the Arena Football League . He joined the Rattlers in 2007 as the defensive line coach.-Playing career:...
|
|
|
Defensive Coaches
Defensive Coordinator – Michael Church
Defensive Line – Keith Millard Keith Millard is a former American football defensive tackle who played nine seasons for the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1985 to 1993 in the National Football League....
Secondary – Jaime Hill
Special Teams Coaches
- Special Teams – Tom Everest
|
San Francisco Demons players
- 21 Wendell Davis CB college (Oklahoma) Davis played with the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
for a little over three seasons. Davis played with Dallas for two full seasons (1996-97) before being sidelined for the 1998 season and part of 1999 season with the Cowboys.
- 18 Pat Barnes
Pat Barnes is a retired National Football League quarterback. He played from 1997 to 2003 in the NFL, XFL, and CFL....
QB college (California) Barnes played two seasons in NFL EuropeNFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
with the Frankfurt GalaxyThe Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
. Barnes led the Galaxy to a World BowlThe World Bowl was the American football Championship game of NFL Europe, similar to the Super Bowl of the National Football League.The World Bowl trophy itself was a globe made of glass measuring 35.5 cm in diameter and weighing 18.6 kg .-World League of American Football:When NFL Europe was...
championship in 1999 and also saw a career highlight of 30 TD passes in his two years in NFL Europe. Barnes saw playing time in 1999 with the San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. Barnes also pre-season action with the Kansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
and later the Cleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
after the XFL folded
- 99 Eric England DE college (Texas A&M
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
) England played three season in the NFL with the Arizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1994-1996) before embarking on a career in the CFLThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
with the BC LionsThe BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
in 1997-2000. In 2000 England was part of the Grey CupThe Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
champion BC Lions
- 84 Brian Roche TE college (San Jose State) Roche played nearly four season in the NFL. Roche played two years in San Diego with the Chargers 1996-97 before joining the Kansas City Chiefs for a season (1998) and a part of another (1999)
- 26 Juan Johnson RB college (Utah) Johnson played in the CFL with the BC Lions in 1999 and in five games with the NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europe based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-History:The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to be based entirely in Europe...
in 2000 before joining the XFL
- 89 Brian Roberson WR college (Fresno State) Roberson played in the Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
in 2000 with the Fargo FreezeThe Fargo Freeze is a now-defunct arena football team from Fargo, North Dakota. They were a 2000 expansion team of the Indoor Football League. They managed to win only one game during their one-year existence, which was a Week 8 home game against the Minnesota Purple Rage . After the 2000...
before joining the XFL
Team leaders
- Rushing Yards: 228, Kelvin Anderson
Kelvin Anderson is a retired professional gridiron football player. As a running back, he rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons in the Canadian Football League, a league record...
- Receiving Yards: 390, Jimmy Cunningham
James "Jimmy The Jet" Cunningham was a former return specialist and wide receiver in the Canadian Football League and the XFL.-References:...
- Passing Yards: 1484, Mike Pawlawski
Mike Pawlawski Mike Pawlawski Mike Pawlawski (born July 18, 1969 in Los Angeles, California is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, Arena Football League, and XFL. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the eighth round of the 1992 NFL Draft...
- Final team regular season stats available at all-XFL