Utah Blaze
Encyclopedia
The Utah Blaze is a professional arena football
team based in Salt Lake City, Utah
and competes in the West division of the Arena Football League
. Home games are played at the EnergySolutions Arena
.
, playing the San Jose SaberCats
on the road. The team was coached by longtime Arizona Rattlers
coach Danny White
and played its home games at the EnergySolutions Arena
in Salt Lake City
, home of the National Basketball Association
's Utah Jazz
. The team was owned by automobile
businessmen John Garff, Robert Garff, and Brett Hopkins.
In their first season, the Blaze had the highest average attendance in the Arena Football League, with 15,498 fans per game. They narrowly edged out Philadelphia's 15,463. Prior to the 2006 season, the Blaze had said EnergySolutions Arena held 13,000 fans due to poor sight lines in most of the building. After 16,705 people attended the home opener, that figure was changed to near 15,000. The Blaze topped that figure 5 of the 8 games their first season.
The offense was led by quarterback Joe Germaine
and star wide receiver Siaha Burley
. On Saturday, February 11, 2006, the Blaze lost to the New York Dragons
84–81 in the second highest scoring game in the history of the Arena Football League. The Blaze's performance was also the second highest score for a losing team in the AFL's 20-year history.
Despite a losing record of 7–9, the Blaze got into the playoffs as an AC Wildcard (the conference's #6 seed). Unfortunately, the newly formed Blaze were given the boot as they lost to the Arizona Rattlers
with a final score of 57–34.
The team's mascot is a dalmatian named "Chief". The Blaze were winners of the league"Commissioners Award" in 2006 and won the "Support Staff of the Year Award" in back-to-back seasons (2006–2007), an award that goes to the league's best training and equipment staff, which was headed by Hagen Featherstone and Kevin Seamans in the inaugural season and Kevin Seamans and Darin Featherstone in 2007.
During the 2008 season the Blaze became the first, and only, professional football team to record three 1,500 yard receivers in the same season, with Huey Whittaker
, J.J. McKelvey, and Aaron Boone
. This also marks the first time three players each caught 120 or more passes in the same season.
Upon the AFL's suspension of operations, the Blaze did so for the same time period.
On September 28, 2009, the Thunder announced their intention to join Arena Football 1 for the 2010 season and beyond, also announcing relocation to the E Center (now Maverik Center) in West Valley City
. Over two months later, on December 8, AF1 was awarded the original AFL's assets after they submitted the highest bid in a bankruptcy court auction. Current AF1 teams were given the right to adopt the former AFL teams' identities, but initially, Utah chose to brand as the "Utah Thunder." The Blaze's previous owner attempted to claim the Blaze logo as his own, but was unsuccessful in doing so. Finally, on January 26, 2010, the team announced it would indeed be using the Blaze name and logo. Less than a month later, the AF1 announced it was going back to the former Arena Football League moniker.
On January 25, 2011, the team announced in a press release that they would be moving back to the EnergySolutions Arena
.
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 based in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
and competes in the West division of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. Home games are played at the EnergySolutions Arena
EnergySolutions Arena
EnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, owned by Jazz Basketball Investors, Inc., the estate of Larry H. Miller...
.
The original Utah Blaze (2006–08)
The Utah Blaze began play on January 28, 2006, as a member of the Arena Football LeagueArena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
, playing the San Jose SaberCats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
on the road. The team was coached by longtime Arizona Rattlers
Arizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
coach Danny White
Danny White
Wilford Daniel "Danny" White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football coach in the Arena Football League and also occasionally appears as an analyst on broadcasts of college football games. He was named the head coach of the Arena Football League expansion...
and played its home games at the EnergySolutions Arena
EnergySolutions Arena
EnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, owned by Jazz Basketball Investors, Inc., the estate of Larry H. Miller...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, home of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. The team was owned by automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
businessmen John Garff, Robert Garff, and Brett Hopkins.
In their first season, the Blaze had the highest average attendance in the Arena Football League, with 15,498 fans per game. They narrowly edged out Philadelphia's 15,463. Prior to the 2006 season, the Blaze had said EnergySolutions Arena held 13,000 fans due to poor sight lines in most of the building. After 16,705 people attended the home opener, that figure was changed to near 15,000. The Blaze topped that figure 5 of the 8 games their first season.
The offense was led by quarterback Joe Germaine
Joe Germaine
-St. Louis Rams:Germaine was selected in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He won a Super Bowl ring as a backup to Kurt Warner as a rookie. Germaine appeared in only three games, completing nine passes, and was cut at the end of the 2000 season.-Kansas City...
and star wide receiver Siaha Burley
Siaha Burley
Siaha Burley is an arena football wide receiver who is currently a free agent in the Arena Football League. He played college football at Central Florida.-High school years:...
. On Saturday, February 11, 2006, the Blaze lost to the New York Dragons
New York Dragons
The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded...
84–81 in the second highest scoring game in the history of the Arena Football League. The Blaze's performance was also the second highest score for a losing team in the AFL's 20-year history.
Despite a losing record of 7–9, the Blaze got into the playoffs as an AC Wildcard (the conference's #6 seed). Unfortunately, the newly formed Blaze were given the boot as they lost to the Arizona Rattlers
Arizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
with a final score of 57–34.
The team's mascot is a dalmatian named "Chief". The Blaze were winners of the league"Commissioners Award" in 2006 and won the "Support Staff of the Year Award" in back-to-back seasons (2006–2007), an award that goes to the league's best training and equipment staff, which was headed by Hagen Featherstone and Kevin Seamans in the inaugural season and Kevin Seamans and Darin Featherstone in 2007.
During the 2008 season the Blaze became the first, and only, professional football team to record three 1,500 yard receivers in the same season, with Huey Whittaker
Huey Whittaker
Hubert Alton George "Huey" Whittaker is an American football wide receiver for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2004...
, J.J. McKelvey, and Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone (American football)
Aaron Rostenbach Boone is an Arena football Wide Receiver / Defensive Back who is currently a free agent of the Arena Football League. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003, by the Dallas Cowboys...
. This also marks the first time three players each caught 120 or more passes in the same season.
| Name | Rec | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huey Whittaker | 126 | 1,541 | 32 |
| J.J. McKelvey | 121 | 1,529 | 38 |
| Aaron Boone | 135 | 1,527 | 23 |
Upon the AFL's suspension of operations, the Blaze did so for the same time period.
Modern Utah Blaze
The current Utah Blaze organization was originally the Utah Valley Thunder, a member of the American Indoor Football Association during the 2009 season. During their lone season in the AIFA, they were based in Orem, Utah, and played their home games at the McKay Events Center. They finished at a respectable 11–3, finishing second in the Western Division and qualifying for a playoff berth before losing to the Wyoming Cavalry in the Western Divisional playoff.On September 28, 2009, the Thunder announced their intention to join Arena Football 1 for the 2010 season and beyond, also announcing relocation to the E Center (now Maverik Center) in West Valley City
West Valley City, Utah
West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 129,480 at the 2010 census,...
. Over two months later, on December 8, AF1 was awarded the original AFL's assets after they submitted the highest bid in a bankruptcy court auction. Current AF1 teams were given the right to adopt the former AFL teams' identities, but initially, Utah chose to brand as the "Utah Thunder." The Blaze's previous owner attempted to claim the Blaze logo as his own, but was unsuccessful in doing so. Finally, on January 26, 2010, the team announced it would indeed be using the Blaze name and logo. Less than a month later, the AF1 announced it was going back to the former Arena Football League moniker.
On January 25, 2011, the team announced in a press release that they would be moving back to the EnergySolutions Arena
EnergySolutions Arena
EnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, owned by Jazz Basketball Investors, Inc., the estate of Larry H. Miller...
.
Notable Players
- Tyler CluttsTyler CluttsTyler Clutts is an American football fullback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played college football at Fresno State.-Edmonton Eskimos:...
-FB-Clutts played for the Blaze in 2010 before signing with the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and becoming the Bears' starting fullback for the 2011 NFL season2011 NFL seasonThe 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on...
.
Coaches
| Head coach Head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches... |
Tenure | Regular season record (W–L) |
Post season record (W–L) |
Most recent coaching staff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny White Danny White Wilford Daniel "Danny" White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football coach in the Arena Football League and also occasionally appears as an analyst on broadcasts of college football games. He was named the head coach of the Arena Football League expansion... |
2006 2006 Utah Blaze season The 2006 Utah Blaze season is the first season for the franchise. They looked to make the playoffs. They finished 7-9 record and qualified for the playoffs, although they lost 57-34 against Arizona to lose their first franchise playoff game.... –2008 2008 Utah Blaze season The 2008 Utah Blaze season is the third season for the franchise. Despite losing their first 9 games, the Blaze were able to finish the regular season with 6 wins in their last 7 games, earning them a playoff berth as the 4th seed in the American Conference... |
21–27 | 0–3 | DL / LB Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... Coach: Lindsay Hassell DC Defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... / Dir. Player Personnel: Ron James ST Coordinator / Dir. Football Ops.: Scott Lieber |
Former Dallas Cowboys 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... quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... . 1993 Coach of the Year 1993 All-Star game - coach Arena Football League Hall of Fame Class of 2002. |
| Ernesto Purnsley | 2010 2010 Utah Blaze season The 2010 Utah Blaze season is the 4th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Ernesto Purnsley, who was fired on June 1, 2010, with Ron James named as his replacement. Home games are played at the Maverik Center, which was known as the "E Center" prior to... |
1–6 | 0–0 | OC Offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... : GM General manager General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:... / DC: ST Coordinator / Dir. Football Ops.: |
Replaced By Ron James during the 2010 Season |
| Ron James | 2009 ; 2010 2010 Utah Blaze season The 2010 Utah Blaze season is the 4th season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Ernesto Purnsley, who was fired on June 1, 2010, with Ron James named as his replacement. Home games are played at the Maverik Center, which was known as the "E Center" prior to... |
1–8 | 0–0 | OC Offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... : Tony Kimbrough GM General manager General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:... / DC: Jeff Russell ST Coordinator / Dir. Football Ops.: Scott Lieber |
DC / Director of Player Personnel (2007–2008). |