SideLion Report » AFL http://sidelionreport.com A Detroit Lions Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more. Thu, 23 May 2013 12:21:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Would-be NFL Lockout Alternatives: Detroit Drive http://sidelionreport.com/2011/05/25/would-be-nfl-lockout-alternatives-detroit-drive/ http://sidelionreport.com/2011/05/25/would-be-nfl-lockout-alternatives-detroit-drive/#comments Wed, 25 May 2011 14:00:41 +0000 Zac Snyder http://sidelionreport.com/?p=8379 With the NFL lockout still in full-force, we continue our look at some alternatives of the past that could have been a useful distraction while the NFL owners and players settle their dispute. We began with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL and continue with the Arena League’s Detroit Drive. The Arena Football League began [...]

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]]> With the NFL lockout still in full-force, we continue our look at some alternatives of the past that could have been a useful distraction while the NFL owners and players settle their dispute. We began with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL and continue with the Arena League’s Detroit Drive.

The Arena Football League began as a four team league and played their inaugural season in 1987. Arena football came to Detroit one year later when the Mike Ilitch owned Detroit Drive began play as an expansion team. 16,752 fans attended the Drive’s first-ever game at Joe Louis Arena. They lost a 57-51 game to the Pittsburgh Gladiators but the fans in attendance obviously enjoyed the show as the Drive went on to average over 14,400 fans per game during their existence.

The Drive got off to a 2-3 start to their inaugural season but closed the season with a nine game winning streak that included a 24-13 victory over the Chicago Bruisers in the 1988 ArenaBowl. The first season could certainly have been labeled “special”, although the Drive would make sure that that kind of success became normal.

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