New York Knights
Established 1988
Folded 1988
Played in Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York
League/conference affiliations
Arena Football League (1988)
Current uniform
Team colorsNavy, red, black, white
       
Personnel
Owner(s)Russell Berry
Head coachJim Valek
Team history
  • New York Knights (1988)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Prior to 2005, the AFL did not have conference championship games
Division championships (0)
Home arena(s)

The New York Knights were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in New York City. They played in the league for one season, 1988. They played their home games at Madison Square Garden. After going 2–10 overall in their only season the team ceased operations. The league then went several years before attempting to re-enter the nation's largest media market with the New York CityHawks.

History

Main article: 1988 New York Knights season

The Knights became an expansion team of the Arena Football League in 1988.[1] The team announced Jim Valek as the first coach in franchise history.[1] The team featured a couple of players from the 1987 New York Giants replacement team, including starting quarterback Jim Crocicchia and his primary receiver Edwin Lovelady, but its desire to fans was questioned before the team began playing games.[2] The Knights won their first game in franchise history, 60–52 over the Los Angeles Cobras.[1] During the Knights home opener, fight erumped in the stands, and items were thrown on the field.[3] After winning the season opener, the Knights lost 4 straight games before returning home to a smaller crowd, losing 22–36 to the Cobras.[4] The Knights would lose 8 straight games before they defeated the Cobras 40–30 in Los Angeles.[5] The team folded after a disappointing 2–8 season.[6][7]

Notable players

Roster

New York Knights roster
Quarterbacks

Wide receivers/Defensive backs

  • -- Lewis Bennett
  • 25 Greg Best
  • -- Vince Courville
  • -- Elbert Gray
  • -- Stan Hunter
  • -- Edwin Lovelady
  • -- Jim Mauro
  • -- Pat Morrison
  • -- Rex Motes
  • -- O'Donovan Murphy
  • -- Ken Sanders
  • -- Al Washington
 Fullbacks/Linebackers

Offensive linemen/Defensive linemen

Wide receivers/Linebackers
  • -- Mark Streeter

Kickers *** Patrick Ragusa *** Injured Reserve

Rookies in italics
Roster updated February 27, 2013
29 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS

→ More rosters

All-Arena players

The following Knights players were named to All-Arena Teams:

Head coaches

Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
W L T Win% W L
Jim Valek 1988 2 10 0 .167 0 0

Season results

ArenaBowl Champions ArenaBowl Appearance Division Champions Playoff Berth
Season League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
Finish Wins Losses
New York Knights
1988 AFL - — 6th 2 10
Total 2 10 (includes only regular season)
0 0 (includes only the postseason)
2 10 (includes both regular season and postseason)

References

  1. ^ a b c William N. Wallace (May 9, 1988). "Improvisation Lies at the Heart of Arena Football". The New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  2. ^ Damian Becker (May 10, 1988). "Any arena football fans here?". The Evening News. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  3. ^ "In New York, arena football mirrors NHL". Record-Journal. May 12, 1988. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  4. ^ William N. Wallace (June 7, 1988). "Knights Lose, 36-22; Slip to Last Place". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Lonnie White (July 3, 1988). "Arena Football League Knights Follow Bouncing Ball to Victory Over Cobras". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  6. ^ Tarik El-Bashir (April 7, 1997). "Arena Team Is Returning to the Garden". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  7. ^ "Arena Football may be sacked". The Bulletin. December 9, 1988. Retrieved March 27, 2013.

External links

New York Knights
Defunct Arena Football League franchises
Categories