The Arena Football League announced Wednesday that it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and is ceasing operations henceforth:
In October, the AFL announced it was shutting down all six of its teams but stated at the time that it hoped to resume operations at a later date. One of the issues facing the Arena Football League was a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed against it by former insurance provider National Union Fire Insurance Company.
The Arena Football League held its final season from April through August and culminated in the Albany Empire beating the Philadelphia Soul for the 2019 championship.
Jim Foster founded the Arena Football League in 1987, and it enjoyed a fair amount of success at various times. It even gained enough popularity that the Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed video game was released for PlayStation in 2000 and subsequent Arena League video game titles were released in 2006 and 2007 as well.
The AFL began to run into financial problems in 2008, though, and it resulted in the cancellation of the entire 2009 season. At that point, it appeared as though the Arena Football League was in danger of shutting down for good.
Instead, owners in the AF2 (an AFL developmental league) formed a new entity known officially as Arena Football 1 and managed to prepare the league to return to action in 2010.
The Arena Football League is perhaps best known for helping launch the career of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who starred for the Iowa Barnstormers before becoming a Super Bowl-winning signal-caller and NFL MVP with the St. Louis Rams.
Former Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was also a star quarterback in the AFL for the Tampa Bay Storm and Orlando Predators.
With the Arena League ceasing operations, it leaves the NFL and CFL as the only major North American football leagues, although that will change when the XFL season officially begins in 2020.
The AFL distinguished itself from other leagues with its 50-yard field and indoor venues, however, and its closure will leave a void for those who enjoyed that brand of football.
The National Football League has Tom Brady.
The Arena Football League has Tommy Grady.
Grady led the Albany Empire to the AFL championship with a 45-27 victory over the Philadelphia Soul in Sunday's ArenaBowl 32 at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. The quarterback, who was named the league's MVP for the second straight season and the third time in his career, completed 64 percent of his passes for 200 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions en route to further recognition as the ArenaBowl 32 MVP.
It was fitting he spearheaded the attack after he led the AFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage and passer rating during the regular season.
Grady needed plenty of help, though, to secure the Empire's first championship in team history (Albany won in 1999 when the Firebirds were the city's team). Quentin Sims caught four of Grady's five touchdown throws on his way to nine receptions for 93 yards. Elsewhere, Malachi Jones chipped in five catches for 84 yards as the only other Albany receiver with more than a single reception.
On the other side, the Soul failed to win their fourth championship in franchise history after capturing titles in 2008, 2016 and 2017.
They were something of a Cinderella story after going just 7-5 in the regular season and losing to Albany twice, although they had little trouble defeating the Washington Valor 117-74 over a two-game aggregate series in the semifinals.
Darius Prince scored twice against Washington and again thrived in the ArenaBowl with nine catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow receiver BJ Bunn (10 catches for 129 yards and one touchdown) also impressed, while quarterback Dan Raudabaugh completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 300 yards, four touchdowns and one pick.
It was that interception that proved crucial after Raudabaugh found Prince for the opening score.
With Philadelphia up 7-0 and potentially on the doorstep of a commanding early two-score lead, Maurice Leggett intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it to the house. It was the type of defensive play and 14-point swing that can flip the script of an entire contest given the high-scoring nature of the AFL, and Sims went into takeover mode the rest of the half.
The playmaker caught four touchdowns in the first half alone, including a particularly impressive one that required a head-turning stiff arm before the goal line:
His individual efforts keyed a 35-21 halftime lead before Mykel Benson pushed the advantage to three scores with the only touchdown of the third quarter on a screen pass. Albany's defense deserved plenty of credit for shutting down Philadelphia's attack throughout the quarter and providing a glimpse of what was to come in the closing minutes.
The Soul were still within striking distance late in the fourth quarter thanks to an acrobatic touchdown catch from Lonnie Outlaw, but Albany's special teams answered with an Adrian Trevino field goal before the defense stuffed Philadelphia on four straight plays in front of the goal line.
Even in the Arena Football League, it takes more than just offense to win, and that stand preserved the 18-point lead and all but ended the game for the new champions.
