| Rio Grande Valley Dorados | |
|---|---|
| Established 2003 Folded 2009 Played in Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
AF2 (2004–2009)
| |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Navy blue, red, gold, white |
| Personnel | |
| Head coach | Gary Gussman (2004) Kevin Guy (2005) Marty Hammond (2006–2009) |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (1) | |
| Playoff appearances (3) | |
| Home arena(s) | |
| |
The Rio Grande Valley Dorados were a professional arena football team. They began playing in 2004 as an expansion member of af2, the minor league to the Arena Football League. They played their home games at Obra Homes Field at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
They had been fairly successful in their existence including a 15–1 regular season in 2007 before losing to Bossier-Shreveport in the American Conference semifinals.
The team folded in 2009 after the af2 folded, at which point the relaunched Arena Football League (AFL) then owned the rights to the Dorados name and logo.[1] The AFL let the trademarks lapse and a new team using the same branding was launched in 2019 as part of a regional league called the International Arena Football League. The new team, owned by Juan and Erika Arevalo, markets itself as a continuation of the defunct af2 team.
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 4th NC Southwest | — |
| 2005 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd NC West | Won NC Quarterfinal (Quad City) Won NC Semifinal (Tulsa) Lost NC Championship (Memphis) |
| 2006 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 4th NC Midwest | — |
| 2007 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1st NC Southwest | Won Round 1 (Alabama) Lost AC Semifinals (Bossier-Shreveport) |
| 2008 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NC Southwest | — |
| 2009 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 3rd NC Southwest | Lost NC Round 1 (Bossier-Shreveport) |
| Totals | 57 | 45 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
| Uniform # | Player | Position | Height | Weight | College | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rod Windsor | WR/LB | 6'2 | 208 | Western New Mexico | R |
| 2 | Travis McAlpine | WR/LB | 6'2 | 210 | Saginaw Valley St. | 5 |
| 3 | Anthony Chambers | WR/DB | 6'1 | 200 | Purdue | 3 |
| 5 | Donnell August | FB/LB | 6'3 | 240 | Western St. | R |
| 6 | Marcus Harris | FB/LB | 6'2 | 270 | East Central Oklahoma | 1 |
| 7 | Derrick Harris | WR/DB | 5'10 | 185 | Sam Houston St. | 2 |
| 8 | Rubio Radamez | K | 6'0 | 225 | Iberodamericana (Intl.-Mexico) | R |
| 9 | Bret Smith | WR/DB | 6'3 | 195 | Tennessee | R |
| 12 | Tiger Lyon | QB | 6'2 | 190 | Middlebury College | 1 |
| 17 | Nick Hill | QB | 6'3 | 215 | Southern Illinois | R |
| 22 | Dahnel Singfield | DB | 6'1 | 190 | Buffalo | 3 |
| 23 | Craig Turner | WR/DB | 5'9 | 197 | SIU Carbondale | R |
| 24 | Riley Swanson | WR/DB | 5'11 | 185 | Wake Forest | R |
| 34 | Alvertis Gatlin | FB/LB | 6'2 | 255 | Harding | 2 |
| 51 | Valentine Chude | FB/LB | 6'2 | 250 | Western New Mexico | R |
| 66 | Raushan Rowser | OL/DL | 6'4 | 300 | Tennessee St. | 2 |
| 71 | Darren Marquez | OL/DL | 6'4 | 295 | Southern Illinois | R |
| 72 | Garrett Mason | OL/DL | 6'5 | 315 | Duke | 1 |
| 77 | Walter Thomas | OL/DL | 6'5 | 350 | Oklahoma St. | R |
| 79 | Robert Nelson | OL/DL | 6'10 | 350 | Oklahoma St. | R |
| 90 | Christopher Eccles | OL/DL | 5'11 | 285 | Delta St. | R |
| 99 | David Miller | LB/DL | 6'4 | 260 | UAB | R |
This rivalry started heating up when Corpus Christi became a team in the AF2, in 2007. The Inaugural game for Corpus Christi was on April 7, 2007. They hosted the heavily favored Rio Grande Valley Dorados. The Dorados romped the Sharks 66–28 in the first game ever for the Corpus Christi Sharks.
