Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox indoor American football team
The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit in 1988, as the Detroit Drive and was a member of the AFL in Template:AFL Year and in all subsequent years through Template:AFL Year. The club then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, in Template:AFL Year and played in that city through the end of the 1994 season.
The franchise has four AFL championships, all while it was based in Detroit. The first three occurred in back-to-back-to-back fashion from 1988 to 1990, and the final one occurred in 1992.
HistoryEdit
Detroit Drive (1988–1993)Edit
Expansion (1988)Edit
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In 1987, Mike Ilitch began negotiations with the Arena Football League (AFL), to join for the 1988 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Drive began play in Template:AFL Year as a member of the AFL.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Under head coach Tim Marcum, the Drive finished the regular season 9–3 after starting the season 2–3.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Two of the Drive's losses came at the hands of the Chicago Bruisers, who finished the season with one loss. The Drive would get a chance at revenge when they advanced to ArenaBowl II against the Bruisers,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and they were able to defeat the Bruisers 24–13.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Back-to-back (1989)Edit
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With the AFL suspending operations prior to the 1989 season,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the league was revived and decided to play a short season, but that forced the Drive to begin the 1989 season by replacing quarterback Rich Ingold, who didn't want to take the pay cut of the short season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Drive won ArenaBowl III 39–26 over the Pittsburgh Gladiators.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
3-peat (1990)Edit
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Head Coach Tim Marcum stepped away from the Drive in 1990 to join the University of Florida's football staff, and was replaced by Perry Moss.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Drive bolstered their offense by signing quarterback Art Schlichter<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (Who would become the AFL's MVP in 1990). Moss lead the Drive to a 6–2 regular season record and they remained a dominant force, leading the going to ArenaBowl IV, where they defeated the Dallas Texans 51–27.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The return of Marcum (1991)Edit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Marcum returned to coach the Drive in 1991. The Drive didn't miss a beat, finishing with the best record in the league for the fourth season in a row. However, despite hosting ArenaBowl '91, they were defeated by the Tampa Bay Storm, ending their three-year reign as league champions.
A fourth title (1992)Edit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Drive traded Schlichter to the expansion Cincinnati Rockers, partly because the league believed that since he'd grown up in the area and starred at Ohio State, he'd lend the new franchise needed credibility.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Busted>Template:Cite book</ref> However, another factor was the compulsive gambling that had derailed his NFL career almost a decade earlier. Despite Ilitch's efforts to keep Schlichter on the straight and narrow, by the end of 1991 it was no longer safe for Schlichter to stay in Detroit.<ref name=ColumbusMontly>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1992, the Drive played in the Northern Division. The Drive won ArenaBowl VI, claiming their fourth title in five seasons.
Final season in Detroit (1993)Edit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Following the 1992 season, Ilitch purchased the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball and Vitto was transferred to the Tigers front office. Marcum assumed GM duties for 1993 and led the team to its final Arena Bowl. Ilitch sold the Drive so that they would not compete with the Tigers for attendance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ilitch still claims that he only kept the Drive because they were constant contenders.Template:Citation needed
The Drive had, arguably, the best management team in the league. Owner Mike Ilitch, General Manager Gary Vitto, and Head Coach Tim Marcum are all in the AFL Hall of Fame.
Massachusetts Marauders (1994)Edit
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The new owners moved the team to Worcester, Massachusetts as the Massachusetts Marauders, playing their home games at the Worcester Centrum, but folded after going 8–4 and making the semifinals in their first and only season. Whereas the Drive averaged over 14,000 fans a game during their six seasons in Detroit, the Marauders averaged less than 7,400 a game. Nearly three years after the Marauders folded, Dan DeVos won their assets in bankruptcy court and used them to launch the Grand Rapids Rampage, who played until 2008.
Later AFL in DetroitEdit
Detroit later received a second Arena Football team, the Detroit Fury. The Fury played from 2001 to 2004 in The Palace of Auburn Hills and were co-owned by William Davidson, owner of the Detroit Pistons and William Clay Ford, Jr., son of the owner of the Detroit Lions. The Fury were never as successful as the Drive, compiling a 22–41 record and averaging 8,152 fans per game before they folded in 2004.
While the Drive's history was relatively brief, they had an inarguable importance in the history of Arena Football, with ArenaBowl trips every year of their existence, and creating the first dynasty in the Arena Football League.
Notable playersEdit
Arena Football League Hall of FamersEdit
| Detroit Drive Hall of Famers | ||||
| No. | Name | Year inducted | Position(s) | Years w/ Marauders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | John Corker | 2002 | OL/DL | 1988–1993 |
| 98 | Dwayne Dixon | 1998 | WR/LB | 1988–1991 |
| – | Mike Ilitch | 2002 | Owner | 1988–1993 |
| 27 | George LaFrance | 2011 | WR/DB | 1988–1993 |
| – | Tim Marcum | 1998 | Head Coach | 1988–1989, 1991–1993 |
| – | Perry Moss | 2000 | Head Coach | 1990 |
| 1 | Gary Mullen | 1998 | WR/DB | 1989–1992 |
| 29, 35 | Tate Randle | 1998 | WR/LB | 1988, 1990–1992 |
| 44 | Alvin Rettig | 1998 | FB/LB | 1988–1993 |
| 62 | Jon Roehlk | 1999 | OL/DL | 1988–1993 |
| – | Gary Vitto | 1999 | General Manager | 1988–1993 |
Individual awardsEdit
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3
| AFL MVP | |||
| Season | Player | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:AFL Year | George LaFrance | WR/DB | |
| Template:AFL Year | Art Schlichter | QB | |
| Template:AFL Year | George LaFrance | OS/KR | |
| Ironman of the Year | |||
| Season | Player | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:AFL Year | Dwayne Dixon | WR/DB | |
| Kicker of the Year | |||
| Season | Player | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:AFL Year | Novo Bojovic | K | |
Template:Col-3 Template:Col-end
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-3
| Lineman of the Year | |||
| Season | Player | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:AFL Year | John Corker | OL/DL | |
Template:Col-3 Template:Col-end
All-Arena playersEdit
The following Drive/Marauders players were named to All-Arena Teams:
- QB Art Schlichter (2)
- FB/LB Walter Holman (1), Lynn Bradford (1), Alvin Rettig (3), Broderick Sargent (1), Tony Burse (1)
- WR/DB Dwayne Dixon (1), George LaFrance (2), Gary Mullen (2), Michael Clark (1)
- WR/LB Niu Sale (1)
- OL/DL Jon Roehlk (2), Reggie Mathis (1), Greg Orton (1), John Corker (1), Flint Fleming (2), Danny Lockett (2), Ralph Jarvis (1)
- DS Nate Miller (1), Tate Randle (2), Rod McSwain (1), Riley Ware (1)
- OS/KR Gary Mullen (1), George LaFrance (1)
- K Novo Bojovic (2)
Head coachesEdit
| Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | Reference | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||||
| Tim Marcum | Template:AFL Year–Template:AFL Year, Template:AFL Year–Template:AFL Year | 40 | 8 | 0 | Template:Winperc | 10 | 2 | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| Perry Moss | Template:AFL Year | 6 | 2 | 0 | Template:Winperc | 2 | 0 | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| Don Strock | Template:AFL Year | 8 | 4 | 0 | Template:Winperc | 1 | 1 | <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
Video gamesEdit
The Drive and Marauders both appeared on the game EA Sports Arena Football as hidden bonus teams.
Season-by-seasonEdit
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ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Massachusetts Marauders Template:Navboxes Template:Defunct Arena Football League franchises