Cincinnati Rockers

The Cincinnati Rockers were an arena football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They began play in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League and competed through the 1993 season before they suspended operations due to low attendance. The Rockers played their home games at the Riverfront Coliseum.

History

1992

Template:Main The Rockers were announced in 1991 as successful restaurant owner Ted Gregory was granted the Arena league expansion the franchise. As one of four expansion teams for 1992, the Rockers sold 5,700 season tickets.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In a bid to give the new franchise some credibility, the league persuaded the league's strongest team, the Detroit Drive, to trade Art Schlichter to Cincinnati. Schlichter had grown up in nearby Bloomingburg and had starred at Ohio State, and still had some name recognition in the area.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Busted>Template:Cite book</ref>

Additionally, the compulsive gambling that had derailed Schlichter's NFL career had continued unabated during his two years with the Drive, to the point that he had to leave Detroit for his own safety.<ref name=ColumbusMontly>Template:Cite news</ref> Schlichter signed a one-year $40,000 contract.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Soon after that, he was arrested for passing a bad check, and admitted suffering a gambling relapse. Gregory worked out a deal in which the team put most of Schlichter's paycheck into an account to pay off his gambling debts, except for $300 that they gave to his wife, Mitzi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was to no avail; police were frequently waiting for Schlichter in the locker room.<ref name="ColumbusMontly" />

The Rockers finished their first season in the league with a surprising 7–3 record, but lost in the first round of the playoffs 41–36 to the Tampa Bay Storm.

1993

Template:Main The Rockers suffered a major blow in the 1992-93 offseason when Schlichter was forced to retire. League officials learned that Schlichter was betting on AFL games. League commissioner Joe O'Hara recalled in 2020 that when he learned this, he called Gregory and told him Schlichter had to go. Facing the prospect of being banned from the league, Schlichter was allowed to publicly save face by retiring.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Even before then, the Rockers were losing patience with Schlichter's gambling; they had asked him to take a substantial pay cut to return for 1993.<ref name=Busted/>

The team ceased operations following a 2–10 season in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The team's attendance fell by almost 50%, leading to Tom Gregory's decision to drop out of the AFL for the 1994 season.<ref name=suspend>Template:Cite news</ref> Gregory attempted to find additional sponsors to re-launch the team in 1995,<ref name=suspend /> but he instead sold the franchise to the Hartford Sports & Entertainment Group, who moved the franchise to Hartford, Connecticut and became known as the Connecticut Coyotes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Season-by-season

Template:Start NFL SBS |- |1992 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 2nd Northern || Lost Week 1 (Tampa Bay 41-36) |- |1993 || 2 || 10 || 0 || 5th Am. Conf. || – n/a – |- !Totals || 9 || 14 || 0 |colspan="2"| (including playoffs) |}

Logos & uniform

The team color scheme incorporated bright yellow and green.

Notable players

Arena Football Hall of Famers

Cincinnati Rockers Hall of Famers
No.	Name	Year Inducted	Position(s)	Years w/ Rockers
1	Gary Mullen<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	1998	WR/DB	1993

Other players

• Chris Barber, Defensive specialist 1992
• Tony Collins, Fullback/linebacker 1992
• Art Schlichter, Quarterback 1992
• David Smith, Fullback/linebacker 1992
• Jackie Walker, Offensive/defensive lineman 1992
• Vince Hale, Offensive/defensive lineman 1992

Head coaches

Name	Term	Regular Season				Playoffs		Awards	Reference
		W	L	T	Win%	W	L
Fran Curci	Template:AFL Year	7	3	0	Template:Winperc	0	1		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Joe Haering	Template:AFL Year	2	10	0	Template:Winperc	0	0		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notes

• The team appeared on the game EA Sports Arena Football and Arena Football: Road to Glory as a hidden bonus team.

External links

• Cincinnati Rockers at ArenaFan.com