Sport | Ultimate |
---|---|
Founded | 2015 (as Jacksonville Cannons) |
Division | South |
Based in | St. Petersburg, Florida |
Stadium | Gibbs High School [1] |
Colors | Yellow and black |
Head coach | Mike Taylor |
Overall record | 35-45 (regular season) 0-2 (playoffs) |
Website | theaudl |
The Tampa Bay Cannons (formerly the Jacksonville Cannons) were a professional ultimate team in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Cannons were active from 2015 to 2022.
Bill Kilgannon purchased American Ultimate Disc League franchise rights for Jacksonville, Florida in 2012; the team, called the Cannons, debuted in the 2015 season and made the playoffs in its inaugural season. [2] The team drew from many former college during its inaugural season, including those from the University of Florida, Florida State University, and the University of Central Florida. [3] After the team's 2017 season, ownership decided to relocate to Tampa, citing better community interest for games. [4] It was later revealed that Kilgannon had sold the team to the AUDL, and that the league planned the move to Orlando. However, a group of owners from Tampa Bay made the purchase in time for the 2018 season and moved the team to Tampa. [5] The Cannons also rolled out a redesigned logo coinciding with the move to Tampa. [6] After playing two years in Tampa, the team expressed interest in moving to St. Petersburg, Florida for the 2020 season, citing more community support than Tampa. [7] The team was realigned to the short-lived Atlantic Division for the 2021 season, [8] which became the South Division again in 2022. The Cannons ceased operations after the 2022 season. [9]
The U.S. state of Florida has three National Football League teams, two Major League Baseball teams, two National Basketball Association teams, two National Hockey League teams, two Major League Soccer teams and 13 NCAA Division I college teams.
The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) is an ultimate disc league in North America. The AUDL was founded in 2010, and played its inaugural season in 2012 with eight teams. Regular season games are played April through July. The playoffs consist of three rounds: divisional wild card round, division championships, and finally culminating in a final four style showcase known as AUDL Championship Weekend in August. The winner of each division's championship game advances to Championship Weekend, with semifinals on Saturday and the championship game played on Sunday.
The Philadelphia Spinners were a professional ultimate team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were founded in 2012 by Katrel Kelly and David Fitzgerald as a team in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), but then moved to Major League Ultimate (MLU) in 2013. They played in the MLU until the league was suspended in 2016. The team played in various stadiums throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
Major League Ultimate (MLU) was a North American semi-professional Ultimate league from 2013 to 2016. It was composed of eight member teams, seven in the United States and one in Canada. It was formed in 2012, and began its inaugural season in April 2013. The season concluded with championship games for the Western and Eastern divisions and a cross-divisional championship game.
The New York Empire is an ultimate team in the American Ultimate Disc League based in New York City. The team is in the East Division of the league, and won its first AUDL title in 2019 and its second in 2022. The Empire played its first season in 2013.
Brodie Smith is a former American Ultimate Disc League player, and current professional disc golf player and YouTube personality best known for his frisbee trick shot videos.
The Cincinnati Revolution was a professional ultimate disc team, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, which competed in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). It was one of the eight charter teams in the AUDL, having competed in the league's Midwestern Conference since its inception in 2012. Originally based in Lexington, Kentucky, and playing as the Bluegrass Revolution, the Cincinnati Revolution moved to Cincinnati before the 2013 season. They played their home games at Sheakley Athletic Center, at the University of Cincinnati. As The Bluegrass Revolution, they played at Henry Clay High School in Lexington KY.
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The Carolina Flyers, formerly the Raleigh Flyers, are a professional ultimate team from Durham, North Carolina playing in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team was founded in 2015. From 2015 through 2018, the Flyers played most of their home games at Crusader Stadium on the campus of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, with some home games at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. In 2019, the team has played home games at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, and other venues. After the 2020 AUDL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team moved their home games to Durham County Stadium beginning in 2021. In 2021, the Flyers won the national title. In 2022, the team announced that it was changing its name to the Carolina Flyers.
The DC Breeze is an open professional ultimate team based in the District of Columbia, competing in the East Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team first played in the 2013 season. The Breeze play at Carlini Field.
The 2015 American Ultimate Disc League season was the fourth season for the league. Each team played a 14-game schedule. The San Jose Spiders won the AUDL Championship over the Madison Radicals at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spiders won the championship despite entering the final four with the lowest seed after a regular-season finish of 10-4.
The Atlanta Hustle is a professional ultimate frisbee franchise based out of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. They compete as one of 25 teams in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), playing in the league's South Division.
Beau Kittredge is a semi-professional Ultimate player for the New York Empire of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), author, illustrator, and mobile video game entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the greatest Ultimate players of all time, noted for his top-end speed and athleticism. As of 2020, Kittredge has won one college title, six USA Ultimate club titles, seven world championships, and five AUDL titles. He is popularly known for a video in which he jumped up over an opponent to catch the disc while playing with the University of Colorado.
The 2018 American Ultimate Disc League season was the seventh season for the league. The Madison Radicals won the championship, the team's first. Rowan McDonnell of the DC Breeze won league MVP after the season.
The 2019 American Ultimate Disc League season was the eighth season for the league. It began on April 5, 2019, and concluded on August 11, 2019, when the New York Empire defeated the Dallas Roughnecks to earn the team's first title. Ben Jagt of the Empire won his first league MVP award after the season. The season marked Steve Hall's first as league commissioner, and was the first with an all-star game for the league.
The Dallas Legion, formerly the Dallas Roughnecks are a professional ultimate team that competes in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). Founded in 2015, the team played their first year in the 2016 AUDL season, wherein they won the championship title.
The Los Angeles Aviators are a professional Ultimate team that competes in the West Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The Aviators played their first season in 2015.
The San Diego Growlers are a professional Ultimate team that plays in the West Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). They played their first season in 2015.
The Premier Ultimate League (PUL) is a professional women's ultimate disc league that formed in 2019. The mission of the PUL is "to achieve equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to the sport for, and visibility of women, transgender, intersex, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid people through high-quality competition, leadership experiences, and community partnerships". The league strives for gender, racial, and economic diversity in the sport of ultimate frisbee. PUL players are paid $40 per league game.
The Boston Glory is a professional ultimate team that plays in the East Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The team was announced on December 4, 2019, and played its first season in 2021 owing to the Covid-related cancellation of the AUDL 2020 season.