The 1988 New York Knights season was the first and only season for the Arena Football League franchise.
1988 New York Knights season | |
---|---|
Owner | Russell Berry |
Head coach | Jim Valek |
Home field | Madison Square Garden |
Results | |
Record | 2–10 |
Division place | 6th |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The Knights became an expansion team of the Arena Football League in 1988.[1] The team announced Jim Valek as the first coach in franchise history.[1] The team featured a couple of players from the 1987 New York Giants replacement team, including starting quarterback Jim Crocicchia and his primary receiver Edwin Lovelady, but its desire to fans was questioned before the team began playing games.[2] The Knights won their first game in franchise history, 60–52 over the Los Angeles Cobras.[1] During the Knights home opener, fight erumped in the stands, and items were thrown on the field.[3] After winning the season opener, the Knights lost 4 straight games before returning home to a smaller crowd, losing 22–36 to the Cobras.[4] The Knights would lose 8 straight games before they defeated the Cobras 40–30 in Los Angeles.[5] The team folded after a disappointing 2–8 season.[6][7]
Regular season
editSchedule
editWeek | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Final score | Team record | ||||
1 | April 30 | at Los Angeles Cobras | W 60–52 | 1–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena |
2 | May 9 | Detroit Drive | L 48–54 | 1–1 | Madison Square Garden |
3 | May 14 | at Chicago Bruisers | L 7–30 | 1–2 | Rosemont Horizon |
4 | May 21 | at New England Steamrollers | L 13–24 | 1–3 | Providence Civic Center |
5 | May 27 | at Pittsburgh Gladiators | L 36–46 | 1–4 | Civic Arena |
6 | June 6 | Los Angeles Cobras | L 22–36 | 1–5 | Madison Square Garden |
7 | June 13 | Chicago Bruisers | L 34–64 | 1–6 | Madison Square Garden |
8 | June 18 | New England Steamrollers | L 28–33 | 1–7 | Madison Square Garden |
9 | June 23 | Detroit Drive | L 9–49 | 1–8 | Madison Square Garden |
10 | July 2 | at Los Angeles Cobras | W 40–30 | 2–8 | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena |
11 | July 11 | Pittsburgh Gladiators | L 28–44 | 2–9 | Madison Square Garden |
12 | July 15 | at Detroit Drive | L 17–48 | 2–10 | Joe Louis Arena |
Standings
editTeam | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | PF (Avg.) | PA (Avg.) | STK | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
xy-Chicago Bruisers | 10 | 1 | 1 | .875 | 526 | 374 | 43.8 | 31.2 | T 1 | ||
x-Detroit Drive | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 472 | 310 | 39.3 | 25.8 | W 7 | ||
x-Pittsburgh Gladiators | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 507 | 491 | 42.3 | 40.9 | L 1 | ||
x-Los Angeles Cobras | 5 | 6 | 1 | .458 | 463 | 449 | 38.6 | 37.4 | T 1 | ||
New England Steamrollers | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 335 | 511 | 27.9 | 42.6 | W 1 | ||
New York Knights | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 342 | 510 | 28.5 | 42.5 | L 2 |
y – clinched regular-season title
x – clinched playoff spot
Roster
edit1988 New York Knights roster | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs
|
Fullbacks/Linebackers
Offensive Linemen/Defensive Linemen
|
Wide Receivers/Linebackers
Kickers
Rookies in italics → More rosters |
Awards
editPosition | Player | Award | All-Arena team |
---|---|---|---|
Offensive/Defensive Lineman | Quinton Knight | none | 1st |
Wide Receiver/Defensive Back | Vince Courville | none | 2nd |
References
edit- ^ a b c William N. Wallace (May 9, 1988). "Improvisation Lies at the Heart of Arena Football". The New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
- ^ Damian Becker (May 10, 1988). "Any arena football fans here?". The Evening News. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "In New York, arena football mirrors NHL". Record-Journal. May 12, 1988. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ William N. Wallace (June 7, 1988). "Knights Lose, 36–22; Slip to Last Place". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Lonnie White (July 3, 1988). "Arena Football League Knights Follow Bouncing Ball to Victory Over Cobras". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Tarik El-Bashir (April 7, 1997). "Arena Team Is Returning to the Garden". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "Arena Football may be sacked". The Bulletin. December 9, 1988. Retrieved March 27, 2013.