The 1991 Denver Dynamite season was the fourth, and what would be the final, season for the Arena Football League franchise. Despite the financial turmoil that occurred the season before, the Dynamite once again fielded a team in 1991. The team finished 6–4 during the regular season,[1] again clinching the 3rd seed for the playoffs. The team lost to the relocated Gladiators, who became the Tampa Bay Storm, in the semi-finals. After the season, the franchise filed for bankruptcy after being sued by their public relations firm.[2] When he learned of the situation in Denver, AFL commissioner, Jim Foster has this to say, "Three things can happen. One, he finds a buyer, or we find him a buyer, and the team stays in Denver. Two, a buyer is found and moves to another city. Three, no one is interested and the franchise goes down."[2] The Dynamite went up for sale, but with the city trying to attract investors to land a Major League Baseball franchise (Colorado Rockies), the team did not attract potential buyers.[2]
| 1991 Denver Dynamite season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Gary Graham |
| Head coach | Babe Parilli |
| Home field | McNichols Sports Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 6–4 |
| Division place | 3rd |
| Playoff finish | Lost semi-finals (Storm) 13-40 |
Regular season
editSchedule
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||
| 1 | May 31 | Detroit Drive | L 13–31 | 0–1 | McNichols Sports Arena |
| 2 | June 7 | Albany Firebirds | W 51–27 | 1–1 | McNichols Sports Arena |
| 3 | June 14 | at Dallas Texans | L 27–30 | 1–2 | Reunion Arena |
| 4 | June 22 | at New Orleans Night | W 54–44 | 2–2 | Louisiana Superdome |
| 5 | June 29 | Orlando Predators | W 39–19 | 3–2 | McNichols Sports Arena |
| 6 | July 6 | at Columbus Thunderbolts | W 52–44 | 4–2 | Ohio Expo Center Coliseum |
| 7 | July 13 | at Tampa Bay Storm | L 13–30 | 4–3 | Florida Suncoast Dome |
| 8 | July 19 | Tampa Bay Storm | W 51–34 | 5–3 | McNichols Sports Arena |
| 9 | July 26 | Columbus Thunderbolts | W 52–46 | 6–3 | McNichols Sports Arena |
| 10 | August 2 | at Detroit Drive | L 37–60 | 6–4 | Joe Louis Arena |
Standings
edit| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | PF (Avg.) | PA (Avg.) | STK | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xy-Detroit Drive | 9 | 1 | 0 | .900 | 437 | 262 | 43.7 | 26.2 | W 4 | ||
| x-Tampa Bay Storm | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 | 421 | 309 | 42.1 | 30.9 | W 2 | ||
| x-Denver Dynamite | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 389 | 365 | 38.9 | 36.5 | L 1 | ||
| x-Albany Firebirds | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | 427 | 342 | 42.7 | 34.2 | W 1 | ||
| New Orleans Night | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 314 | 401 | 31.4 | 40.1 | L 1 | ||
| Dallas Texans | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 286 | 334 | 28.6 | 33.4 | W 1 | ||
| Orlando Predators | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | 321 | 363 | 32.1 | 36.3 | L 2 | ||
| Columbus Thunderbolts | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | 241 | 460 | 24.1 | 46 | L 10 | ||
y – clinched regular-season title
x – clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | ||||
| Semi-finals | August 9 | at Tampa Bay Storm | L 13–40 | 0–1 | Florida Suncoast Dome |
Roster
edit| 1991 Denver Dynamite roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs
|
Running Backs/Linebackers
Offensive Linemen/Defensive Linemen
|
Wide Receivers/Linebackers
Kickers Rookies in italics → More rosters | ||||
References
edit- ^ "1991 Denver Dynamite Team History". www.arenafan.com. ArenaFan. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
- ^ a b c Joey Bunch (October 22, 2012). "Denver Dynamite exploded in Arena League's first season, then fizzled out". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 23, 2013.