Albany Empire (NAL): Difference between revisions
→Antonio Brown ownership: Tense consistency Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit |
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| president = Unknown |
| president = Unknown |
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| general manager = [[Eddie Brown (arena football)|Eddie Brown]] |
| general manager = [[Eddie Brown (arena football)|Eddie Brown]] |
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| coach = |
| coach = Tom Menas |
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| VP of Football Operations = [[Eddie Brown (arena football)|Eddie Brown]] |
| VP of Football Operations = [[Eddie Brown (arena football)|Eddie Brown]] |
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| pastnames = |
| pastnames = |
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Revision as of 09:55, 19 May 2023
| Albany Empire | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
| Established 2020 Play in MVP Arena in Albany, New York www | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
| National Arena League (2021–present) | |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Fiery reddish orange, dark navy blue, grey |
| Cheerleaders | Albany Empresses |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Antonio Brown Steve Von Schiller Charlotte Von Schiller |
| President | Unknown |
| General manager | Eddie Brown |
| Head coach | Tom Menas |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (2) NAL: 2021, 2022 | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Playoff appearances (2) | |
| NAL: 2021, 2022 | |
| Home arena(s) | |
| |
The Albany Empire is a professional indoor football team based in Albany, New York. They are members of the National Arena League since 2021 and play home games at MVP Arena. They are named after the defunct Arena Football League (AFL) team of the same name that won the last ArenaBowl before the AFL folded.
History
Establishment
In August 2020, Albany was announced as a 2021 expansion team in the National Arena League (NAL) and later obtained the rights to use the name of a defunct Arena Football League (AFL) team, the Albany Empire.[1] The team was owned by the same ownership group, including Ron Tridico and Nate Starling, as another NAL team that was named after a former AFL team, the Orlando Predators.[2] Former AFL Empire head coach Rob Keefe was brought back as head coach along with former Jacksonville Sharks' head coach and Empire assistant head coach Les Moss as assistant head coach.[3] However, by April 2021, both had left to join the Indoor Football League's Iowa Barnstormers, stating they did not have the same plans as the owners.[4][5] The team's head coach during their inaugural season was Tom Menas,[6] who led the Empire to a 7–1 record and an NAL championship.[7]
In November 2021, Tridico's and Starling's majority ownership of the team was sold to local businessman Mike Kwarta, while Tridico and Starling retained a minority stake.[8]
Antonio Brown ownership
In March 2023, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown joined the team as a part owner.[9] Brown said on April 16 that he was the "100 percent owner" of the team; Kwarta disagreed, stating that he and Brown each owned 47.5%, with Steve and Charlotte von Schiller owning the remaining 5%.[10] Antonio Brown bought Kwarta's 47.5% stake for $1 on April 19, increasing his stake to 95%.[11] On May 3, 2023, Brown's representatives told the Times Union, a newspaper in Albany, that Brown has no personal ownership or control over the Empire, and that the team is actually owned by Antonio El-Allah Express Trust Enterprise, which is owned by a foreign citizen named Antonio El-Allah. A letter addressed to a Times Union reporter described Brown as "not the owner of this team" and also "not a citizen of the United States at birth", which caused confusion.[11]
On March 3, 2023, Eddie Brown, a longtime member of the AFL's Albany Firebirds and Antonio's father, joined the Empire as vice president of football operations and started being involved in the team's day-to-day operations.[9] Ten days before the season, the team announced that head coach Tom Menas was no longer with the team and that offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Damon Ware became the team's interim head coach.[12] On April 19, the team announced that Kwarta, Director of Media Operations Jeff Levack, and President Matt Woods would be leaving the team.[13]
After the executive departures announced on April 19, 2023, the team went more than a week without access to its payroll systems. Head coach Damon Ware, who had not been paid since April 21, said on May 1 that he had left the team. Also on May 1, following a conflict on the team's bus while returning from a road game in North Carolina, the team suspended six players, three of whom were team captains and one of whom was the previous season's most valuable player.[14] The team confirmed on Tuesday morning, May 2, that Ware had left and that eight top players had been released.[15]
On May 3, Antonio Brown announced that Tom Menas, who had left the Empire before the start of the 2023 season, had been rehired as head coach. At a press conference, Brown said that the payroll issues have been resolved and did not comment about the team bus incident.[15]
Season-by-season results
| League champions | Playoff berth | League leader |
| Season | League | Regular season | Postseason results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | |||
| 2021 | NAL | 1st | 7 | 1 | 0 | Won semifinal (Carolina) 55–41 Won NAL championship (Columbus) 79–62 |
| 2022 | NAL | 1st | 8 | 4 | 0 | Won semifinal (Jacksonville) 68–67 Won NAL championship (Carolina) 47–20 |
| 2023 | NAL | |||||
| Totals | 15 | 5 | 0 | All-time regular season record (2021) | ||
| 4 | 0 | — | All-time postseason record (2021) | |||
| 19 | 5 | 0 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2021) | |||
Current roster
Quarterbacks
QB Running backs
FB/JLB Wide receivers
WR/DB
WR/DB
WR/DB
WR/DB WR WR
WR/DB |
Offensive linemen
OL
OL/DL
OL/DL Defensive linemen
OL/DL
DL
OL/DL OL/DL |
Linebackers
FB/LB
FB/LB
FB/LB
LB Defensive backs DB
WR/DB
DB WR/DB DB Special teams
|
Reserve lists
|
References
- ^ "EXPANSION ALERT: ALBANY, NEW YORK JOINS THE NAL". National Arena League. August 13, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "NAL'S ALBANY FRANCHISE TO BRING THE EMPIRE BACK TO THE TIMES UNION CENTER". National Arena League. October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Dougherty, Pete (September 8, 2020). "'I look at it as an opportunity,' Rob Keefe says of return to Albany". Times Union. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Dougherty, Pete (April 12, 2021). "Rob Keefe steps down as coach of Albany Empire". Times Union. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Dougherty, Pete (April 12, 2021). "Rob Keefe: 'When visions don't align ... sometimes it's difficult to move forward'". Times Union. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "STAFF". Albany Empire. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- ^ Seelig, Jennifer (August 14, 2021). "Albany Empire fans thrilled to see their team win the NAL Championship". News 10 ABC. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Singelais, Mark (November 12, 2021). "Albany Empire announces ownership change". Times Union. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Former NFL Wide Receiver Antonio Brown Joins The Albany Empire Of The NAL As Part-Owner". xflnewshub.com.
- ^ Rubel, Abigail (2023-04-16). "Antonio Brown says he's the sole owner of the Albany Empire. His co-owners disagree". Times Union. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ a b Rubel, Abigail (May 3, 2023). "Does Antonio Brown really own the Empire? It's complicated". Times Union. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ WRGB Staff (2023-04-06). "NFL player Antonio Brown to move to 518, Head coach no longer part of the team". WRGB. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "News: Mike Kwarta and Key Front Office Personnel Leave The Albany Empire - Albany Empire". www.albanyempirenal.com. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ Rubel, Abigail (May 1, 2023). "Head coach, several players out at Albany Empire after pay issues and 'incident'". Times Union. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ a b Rubel, Abigail (May 3, 2023). "Albany Empire coach Menas: 'There's no doubt we've had a storm here.'". Times Union. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
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