2015 Arena Football League season

The 2015 Arena Football League season was the 28th season in the history of the league. The regular season began on March 27, 2015 and ended on August 8, 2015.

2015 Arena Football League season
LeagueArena Football League
SportArena football
DurationMarch 27, 2015 – August 29, 2015
Regular season
Season championsSan Jose SaberCats
Season MVPDan Raudabaugh (PHI)
League postseason
American Conference championsJacksonville Sharks
  American Conference runners-upPhiladelphia Soul
National Conference championsSan Jose SaberCats
  National Conference runners-upArizona Rattlers
ArenaBowl XXVIII
ChampionsSan Jose SaberCats
  Runners-upJacksonville Sharks
Finals MVPReggie Gray, SJ

League business

Teams

The city of Las Vegas, Nevada was awarded an expansion team on June 18, 2014. The team, named the Las Vegas Outlaws, was the first AFL team to call Las Vegas home since the Las Vegas Gladiators in 2007. Vince Neil, lead singer of the rock band Mötley Crüe, was the majority owner of the expansion franchise.[1] The Outlaws' expansion draft took place on December 22, 2014.

Two teams that competed in 2014 suspended operations (Pittsburgh Power and San Antonio Talons), and their rosters became signable upon offseason assignment process held on December 23, 2014.

The Iowa Barnstormers were the third and final team to leave the AFL for the 2015 season when they joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) on August 27, 2014. In 2015 all games were televised, most on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, and especially on ESPN3 (available online through WatchESPN) and some on the CBS Sports Network.[2]

On July 15, the league took over the daily operations of the Las Vegas Outlaws and New Orleans VooDoo after financial problems and declining attendance. As a result, their game against each other (which was set to be played on the 25th) was cancelled and declared a tie, only the 3rd in AFL history and the only cancellation in league history. The league ran both teams to the end of the season with the intent of looking for new ownership in the offseason but on August 9, the day following the conclusion of the regular season, both teams ceased operations. Las Vegas had qualified for a playoff spot, the final one in the National Conference, but the league's Board of Directors voted against their inclusion in the postseason, considering that with no team ownership, there was no funding for the team.[3] The Outlaws were replaced in the playoffs by the Portland Thunder, who had finished last in their division but had the better record of the two remaining non-playoff National Conference teams, meaning that all teams in the Pacific Division made the playoffs.

Alignment
Conference Division Teams
American East Cleveland Gladiators, New Orleans VooDoo, Philadelphia Soul
South Jacksonville Sharks, Orlando Predators, Tampa Bay Storm
National Pacific Portland Thunder, San Jose SaberCats, Spokane Shock
West Arizona Rattlers, Las Vegas Outlaws, Los Angeles Kiss

Regular season standings

Playoffs
Conference Semifinals Conference Championships ArenaBowl XXVIII
         
1 Philadelphia 47
4 Cleveland 35
1 Philadelphia 56
American Conference
3 Jacksonville 61
2 Orlando 33
3 Jacksonville 55
3 Jacksonville 47
1 San Jose 68
1 San Jose 55
4 Portland 28
1 San Jose 70
National Conference
2 Arizona 67
2 Arizona 72
3 Spokane 41

Conference semifinals
Conference Date Kickoff Away Score Home Game site Recap
National August 14 11:00 p.m. EDT Portland Thunder 28–55 San Jose Sabercats SAP Center at San Jose [4]
American August 15 5:00 p.m. EDT Cleveland Gladiators 35–47 Philadelphia Soul Wells Fargo Center [5]
American August 15 7:30 p.m. EDT Jacksonville Sharks 55–33 Orlando Predators Amway Center [6]
National August 15 9:00 p.m. EDT Spokane Shock 41–72 Arizona Rattlers Talking Stick Resort Arena [7]

Conference finals
Conference Date Kickoff Away Score Home Game site Recap
National August 22 8:00 p.m. EDT Arizona Rattlers 67–70 San Jose SaberCats Stockton Arena[8] [9]
American August 23 5:00 p.m. EDT Jacksonville Sharks 61–56 Philadelphia Soul Wells Fargo Center [10]

ArenaBowl XXVIII
Main article: ArenaBowl XXVIII
Date Kickoff Away Score Home Game site Recap
August 29 7:00 p.m. EDT Jacksonville Sharks 47–68 San Jose SaberCats Stockton Arena [11]

All-Arena team
Offense
Position First team Second team
Quarterback Dan Raudabaugh, Philadelphia Erik Meyer, San Jose
Fullback Derrick Ross, Jacksonville Tommy Taggart, Philadelphia
Wide receiver Reggie Gray, San Jose
Donovan Morgan, Los Angeles
Anthony Jones, Jacksonville		 Rod Windsor, Arizona
Joe Hills, Jacksonville
Marco Thomas, Philadelphia
Center Shannon Breen, Philadelphia John Collins, Portland
Offensive lineman Moqut Ruffins, Jacksonville
Adam Smith, Philadelphia		 Rich Ranglin, San Jose
Patrick Afif, Spokane
Defense
Position First team Second team
Defensive end Joe Sykes, Jacksonville
James Ruffin, Spokane		 Mike McAdoo, Arizona
Bryan Robinson, Philadelphia
Nose guard Jason Stewart, San Jose Willie McGinnis, Cleveland
Middle linebacker Tyre Glasper, Arizona Francis Maka, San Jose
Jack linebacker Alvin Ray Jackson, Jacksonville Terence Moore, Orlando
Defensive back Jeremy Kellem, Arizona
James Romain, Philadelphia
Greg Reid, Jacksonville		 Ken Fontenette, San Jose
James Harrell, Tampa Bay
Rayshaun Kizer, Los Angeles
Special teams
Position First team Second team
Kicker Tommy Frevert, Philadelphia Mark Lewis, Orlando
Kick returner Duane Brooks, Portland Brandon Thompkins, Orlando

References
  1. "Vince Neil gets AFL approval". www.espn.go.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. June 20, 2014.
  2. "Iowa Barnstormers Announce Future Plans, Barnstormers Join Indoor Football League, Hire Head Coach". www.theiowabarnstormers.com. Iowa Barnstormers. August 27, 2014.
  3. "VooDoo, Outlaws Cease Operations". www.arenafootballleague.com. Arena Football League. August 9, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-08-11. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  4. "SaberCats Advance to Conference Championship with 55-28 Win Over Thunder". arenafootball.com. August 15, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  5. "Soul Headed to Conference Title Game After 47-35 Victory Over Gladiators". arenafootball.com. August 15, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  6. "Sharks Beat Predators, 55-33, to Advance to Conference Championship". arenafootball.com. August 15, 2015. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  7. "Rattlers Headed to Fifth Straight Conference Championship Game". arenafootball.com. August 16, 2015. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  8. "Local sports digest: SaberCats' potential ArenaBowl clincher would be in Stockton". San Jose Mercury News. mercurynews.com. August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  9. "SaberCats Defeat Rattlers, 70-67, in Dramatic Conference Championship". arenafootball.com. August 23, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  10. "Sharks ArenaBowl-Bound After 61-65 Win in Philly". arenafootball.com. August 23, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  11. "SaberCats Win ArenaBowl XXVIII, 68-47". arenafootball.com. August 29, 2015. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
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