Unofficial Home of the Steeldogs

Could The Alabama Steeldogs Be The Fate Of Many

admin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Alabama Steeldogs a team originally known as the Birmingham Steeldogs, were incorporated as a development team for the Arena Football League. The team lasted a few seasons in the realm of Arena Football. However towards the end they started to struggle mightily. The problem with this particular team went beyond the field. The management of the team eventually struggled to keep the team going so in 2007 the team owner mentioned that for the 2008 season they would not have a team. While they went into a state of limbo the owner continued to look for other forms of ways to finance the team to make a comeback in the year 2009. However the comeback never happened and the team is now officially folded with no prospect of return. This sad situation can very well be the future for other teams especially in the Arena League of football. Because Arena football is a niche type of sport. There always exists the possibility that what happened to the Alabama Steeldogs can occur to other teams around the league as well. This is why all the other owners have to be very careful about finding new ways to attract team revenue.Take a look here to learn more: Milwaukee Iron Arena Football, Inc. Secures 15 Million Financing from Kodiak Capital Group, LLC

Alabama Steeldogs Why The Team Did Not Last

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When the Steeldogs were first introduced to Birmingham residents there was much excitement. Surely investors assumed that this was a great sign, and since Alabama residents love football, what could possibly go wrong? Apparently, several things.

While Birmingham residents indeed to love football, their love of the sport is not spread out evenly. College football is an obsession in this city, and the time devoted to following the Crimson Tide, Auburn, and UAB leaves very little time for anything else. While Birmingham residents did indeed want to see the Steeldogs succeed, the team took a back seat to college football.

The other reason that the Steeldogs did not last is that they did not have a quality stadium. Legion Field is outdated, and is located in what is considered by many to be an unsafe part of town. Additionally, parking at Legion Field is a nightmare. When you combine these three factors, it is not hard to understand why fans were not flocking out to support the team.

It truly is a shame that this team did not survive. Surely their demise will have a negative impact on the potential for investors to consider placing similar teams in Birmingham. Until fans find time for something other than college football, and a new stadium is in place, there is little doubt that Birmingham will continued to be overlooked by teams needing a new home.More info here: Why I blog about what I blog about.

Who Was The Favorite Mascot For The Alabama Steeldogs

admin — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

As a mascot “Rusty” truly represented the organization and the city of Birmingham. For those who don’t remember Rusty it was a dog, dressed as a football player, with a metallic jaw. The metallic jaw was a nice touch because the steel on Rusty’s jaw represented the steel industry in the city of Birmingham. Whenever a mascot incorporates its home city identity it adds to the appeal of the mascot and the ties the team has to its city.

Although in the logo Rusty looks very menacing the mascot that was seen on the field was a very family friendly mascot that would not scare children away. This mascot had the healthy balance of being seen as a tough, football like mascot but also being able to appeal to children.

Lastly, Rusty’s appeal to the fan base was excellent based on seeing fans reactions to his appearances at various public places in Birmingham. Anyone living in the Birmingham area that saw the broadcast cannot forget Rusty’s appearance on the local news during the weather report. Appearances like these only showed that Rusty had arrived as a mascot and appealed highly to the fan base making him a great local mascot.

Teams You Should Be Rooting For…

admin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

We know you miss your Steel Dogs…we do too. But the good news is it’s almost football season again and we’re not just talking about the arena kind! Teams are gearing up for the best season yet and with the NFL still in talks over a lockout college may be all we’ve got. Here are a few of the teams we think Steel Dog fans should be rooting for and watching on their Direct star tv.
Auburn: Who doesn’t love Auburn? The slight underdog in Alabama this team has heart and an offense that seemingly can’t be stopped. With Cam Newton gone to the Panthers it will be interesting to see how the Tigers fare but rest assured it will be good.
Alabama: Okay, so you’ve got to pick one but…why? Unless your alma matter is one of the two we say you should root for all the Alabama teams out there – there’s no loser when your home state wins!
Georgia Force: Your neighboring state has a great arena team all their own and we bet Atlanta isn’t all that far from where you live. The Force is a great team and has a rabid fan base…get in the game!

Should The Alabama Steeldogs Come Back

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

It is always so painful when a major sports team can’t survive in a city. With the Alabama Steeldogs now a defunct Arena Football Team the city of Birmingham needs to consider whether or not a comeback should be in the works. There are a couple of things that need to be considered if a comeback is even possible. The two major things are what is the cost and are there fans to support the team.

There are times in any league when a team struggles financially. If the city can recognize the potential for income by having a locally based sports team the best way to find assistance is to allow for city support. If there is a need for funding then the city could step in and offer support.

The other issue is a fan base. There is no need to invest if there is no fan base. Both the team, the fans and the city need to work together to build support for the team. If there aren’t enough fans in the seats a comeback is not worth the effort.

Should the Alabama Steeldogs Return? That decision isn’t up to the Steeldogs. That decision rests firmly on the shoulders of the residents of Birmingham. If there are fans who are able to fill the seats and the city can come alongside to support then there is a hope for a return. If not, the Steeldogs are a thing of the past.

Why The Alabama Steeldogs Failed As An Arena Team

admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When the Arena Football League kicked off earlier this month for the first time in three years, the Alabama Steeldogs were not part of the equation. In fact, since their folded from AF2 in 2007, there hasn’t even been talk of the Steeldogs making their way back in Arena Football play. The questions is: why didn’t the Steeldogs succeed as an Arena Football team. The answer, as always, is complicated, but to put it simple: money. In 2007, after a couple of years of trying to find a new majority owner, owner/managing partner Scott Myers could not find one to help finance the team. In other words: there just wasn’t enough money to keep it going.

It’s not that people weren’t coming to see the Steeldogs at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center when they played. Attendance was okay, though not spectacular, it just costs a good amount of money to field a sports team, even a AF2 team. When the owners didn’t have the money, they could no longer field the team. The fact that the Steeldogs did not have a winning record the last three seasons did not help things, even though they did make the 2007 playoffs. All in all if you don’t make money it doesn’t make sense to field a team.

Who All Played For The Alabama Steeldogs

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Alabama Steeldogs are the most tenured professional football team to ever play in Alabama. The team was in incorporated in 2000 and played in Alabama until 2007 until the team was dissolved. The arena football team’s colors were orange, black and silver. The team’s name paid tribute to Birmingham’s steel industry.

Several former Alabama Steeldog players have been players on other professional football teams. Four players went to play in the National Football League, while ten players were signed to AFL teams and three players played for teams in the Canadian Football League. Here is a list of the final roster of the Steeldogs:

8 Chico Cleveland Linebacker

9 Mitch Tanney Quarterback

10 Nick Hayes Kicker

45 Clifford Browning Lineman

51 Eric Scott Lineman

62 Jaden Volchoff Lineman

72 Myron Powe Lineman

78 Greg Green Lineman

80 Mareno Philyaw Receiver

11 Herman Bell Receiver

12 Justin Midgett Quarterback

16 David Philyaw Receiver

20 Thadio Hill Defensive Back

22 Jon Olinger Receiver

24 Will Evans Defensive Back

24 Adrian Ghent Defensive Back

35 John Mohring Full Back

37 Rajohn Myles Linebacker

42 Rico Reese Lineman

1 Bradly Chavez Receiver

2 Markeith Cooper Receiver

3 Willie Smith Defensive Back

5 Jhun Cook Receiver

7 Marcus Mitchell Full Back

7 Ronald Dillon Receiver

88 David Daniel Lineman

90 James Permenis Full Back

93 Deon Deboise Lineman

Looking Ahead to AFL Kick-off

www.steeldogs.com — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:24:36 +0000

As sports fans across the country countdown to Spring Training and the beginning of baseball season, arena football aficionados have their own date in mind, similarly aligned on the calendar, to which to look forward to. No, the Steeldogs will not be suiting up in 2011, but that doesn’t give true fans a reason to deny themselves the irreplaceable bone-crunching intensity the sport has to offer.Set to be a banner year for arena football, the AFL will feature the first 18-game schedule in league history, delivering even more action in the second year since the league’s hiatus. Expanding to 18 teams from 15, franchises in Kansas City, Philadelphia and San Jose make their prodigal return to the AFL stage, with the Pittsburgh Power joining the ranks for the first time. Only the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz were lost as an offseason casualty. Among other changes fans may notice, two teams will make their name/location changes official, as the Alabama Vipers and Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings reincarnate the Georgia Force and New Orleans VooDoo, respectively.Kick-off is set for March 11^th, featuring the following match ups:

Philadelphia Soul Pittsburgh Power 8:00 PM
Tampa Bay Storm New Orleans VooDoo 8:00 PM
Spokane Shock San Jose Sabercats 10:30 PM

Week 1 will see just 14 of 18 teams take the field for their openers, continuing on the 12^th with the Kansas City Command visiting the Dallas Vigilantes and the Jacksonville Sharks on the road against the Arizona Rattlers. The Georgia Force with host the Tulsa Talons on March 13^th and the Chicago Rush will take on the Milwaukee Iron in Milwaukee to close out the first slate of contests.Orlando Predators, Iowa Barnstormers, Cleveland Gladiators and Utah Blaze fans will all have to wait until week 2 to see their favorite squads begin what should be another exciting arena football season.

Alabama Steeldogs: Did You Know?

www.steeldogs.com — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:48:32 +0000

The Steeldogs may be gone, but will never be forgotten. Enjoy these parting fun facts to bring a smile to your face in those times you would rather be at Steeldogs game…

The Steeldogs remain the longest tenured professional sports team to ever play in Birmingham, Alabama, spanning the duration of 8 full seasons.
Steeldogs games were attended over 400,000 times by members all across the community, with a cumulative home game attendance of 425,085, to be exact.
Over the course of franchise history, the Steeldogs played 134 contests, including the playoffs.
The Steeldogs qualified for the postseason in 4 out of 8 seasons, not half bad.
The best ever Steeldogs season came in 2001, their second year in existence, running their regular season record to an impressive 12-4.
The Steeldogs won a grand total of 63 regular season games, not to mention 2 playoff victories.
No one spent more time in a Steeldogs uniform than two-way lineman David Daniel, a member of the team for the final 6 seasons.
Wide receiver Herman Bell set a new AF2 mark for kick return yardage in a single game, tallying 286 yards on 12 returns.
In addition to 4 NFL talents, 10 Steeldogs played in the AFL and 3 ventured to the Great White North signing with CFL teams.
The Showsteelers won 6 consecutive AF2 Dance Team of the Year awards, taking the title every year save for the Steeldogs inaugural season.
Only one Steeldog, Robert Kent, ever recorded a rushing, receiving and passing touchdown all in the same game.
The Steeldogs will be the most dearly missed group of players to ever leave the city of Birmingham (ok, not a fact, but certainly a widely held opinion).

Early Retirement

www.steeldogs.com — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:10:03 +0000

As a defunct franchise, the Steeldogs can’t retire any numbers into a ring of fame, but we’ll do one better retire all the numbers. After all, no one will ever have the privilege of wearing numbers ‘s 1 through 99 for the Steeldogs ever again. This snapshot is a picture of the Steeldogs’ final roster, frozen in time, at least until one day, a team bearing the same name, clad in orange, black and silver, finally makes its prodigal return to the city of Birmingham. Without further ado, here’s the last of the Mohicans Steeldogs… Name Position1 Bradly Chavez WR/DB2 Markeith Cooper WR3 Willie Smith DB5 Jhun Cook WR/DB7 Marcus Mitchell FB/LB7 Ronald Dillon WR/DB8 Chico Cleveland WR/LB9 Mitch Tanney QB10 Nick Hayes K11 Herman Bell WR12 Justin Midgett QB16 David Philyaw WR/DB20 Thadio Hill DB22 Jon Olinger WR/DB24 Will Evans DB24 Adrian Ghent DB35 John Mohring FB/LB37 Rajohn Myles FB/LB42 Rico Reese DL45 Clifford Browning DL51 Eric Scott OL/DL62 Jaden Volchoff OL72 Myron Powe OL78 Greg Green OL/DL80 Mareno Philyaw WR/LB88 David Daniel OL/DL90 James Permenis FB/LB93 Deon Deboise OL/LB