View source for Georgia Force

{{short description|Arena football team}}
{{for|the unrelated 2024 team|Georgia Force (2024)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox indoor American football team
| name = Georgia Force
| logo = GeorgiaForceLogo.png
| founded = 2002 (Original incarnation)
| folded  = 2012 (Second incarnation)
| city = [[Arena at Gwinnett Center]]<br> in [[Duluth, Georgia]]
| colors = Blue, black, white<br>{{Color box|#084C9E}} {{Color box|black}} {{Color box|white}}
| coach = [[Dean Cokinos]]
| owner = Doug MacGregor
| president = Corey Remillard
| mascot = Blu
| league =
[[Arena Football League]] ({{AFL Year|2002}}–{{AFL Year|2012}})
*American Conference (2002–2008, 2011–2012)
**[[South Division (AFL)|South]] (1997–2001, 2005–2007)
| team_history =
*'''First franchise'''
**Nashville Kats (1997–2001)
**Georgia Force (2002–2008)
*'''Second franchise'''
**Tennessee Valley Vipers (2000–2004, 2006–2009)
**Alabama Vipers (2010)
**Georgia Force (2011–2012)
| no_conf_champs      = 1
| conf_champs         = 
*{{AFL Year|2005}}
<small>Prior to 2005, the AFL did not have conference championship games</small>
| no_div_champs       = 3
| div_champs          = 
*{{AFL Year|2005}}, {{AFL Year|2007}}, {{AFL Year|2008}}
| no_league_champs    = 0
| league_champs       = 
| playoff_appearances =
*{{AFL Year|2003}}, {{AFL Year|2005}}, {{AFL Year|2006}}, {{AFL Year|2007}}, {{AFL Year|2008}}, {{AFL Year|2012}}
| no_playoff_appearances = 6
| arena_years         = 
*[[Philips Arena]] (2002, 2005–2007)
*[[Arena at Gwinnett Center]] (2003–2004, 2008, 2011–2012)
}}

The '''Georgia Force''' was an [[Arena Football League]] (AFL) team based in [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[United States]] (part of [[Atlanta Metropolitan Area|suburban Atlanta]]) that played in the South Division of the American Conference. The team was owned by Doug MacGregor and Donn Jennings.

Following the termination of operations of the Arena Football League on August 4, 2009, Georgia Force officials quickly followed with a release that indicated that they, too, were ceasing operations.<ref>[http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=133414&catid=40 Following AFL's End, Georgia Force Ceases Operations]</ref>

In 2010, the [[Alabama Vipers]] announced they would leave Huntsville, and would move to suburban Atlanta for the 2011 AFL season, once again playing home games at [[Arena at Gwinnett Center]].

Following the 2012 season, the franchise folded citing, "The market never responded to our extensive marketing and sales campaign," said team president Corey Remillard. "With all of the outreach, marketing, community and public relations that we put forward, it would have been impossible to not know that we were playing here, and the city simply did not respond. Atlanta is simply not a football town."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4499308 |title=Force Fold |date=October 14, 2012 |publisher=OurSports Central |work=www.oursportscentral.com |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>

==History==

===The original Nashville Kats===
<!--[[File:Nashville Kats 1997-2001 Logo.png|150px|left|thumb|Original Nashville Kats Logo (1997-2001)]]-->
The team began as the first [[Nashville Kats]] team from [[1997 Arena Football League season|1997]] to [[2001 Arena Football League season|2001]]. The original Kats played in the Nashville Arena (later known as Gaylord Entertainment Center, now known as [[Bridgestone Arena]]) in downtown Nashville and were initially coached by Eddie Khayat in 1997 and 1998. Khayat was then succeeded by [[Pat Sperduto]] for the balance of the team's time in Nashville. The Kats were the league's "Organization of the Year" for their inaugural year of 1997, and were in the playoffs for every season of their relatively brief existence, even playing in the [[ArenaBowl]] each of their final two seasons, albeit losing both times they reached the AFL's championship game.

Virgil Williams, an Atlanta businessman,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/kats-move-to-atlanta-adams-buys-new-team/n-2708470 |title=Kats move to Atlanta, Adams buys new team |date=September 22, 2001 |publisher=OurSports Central |work=www.oursportscentral.com |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref> purchased the franchise for nearly [[United States dollar|$]]10 million in December 2001, and moved the team to Atlanta after the team's previous owners failed to negotiate a favorable lease with the arena's primary tenant and manager, the [[National Hockey League]]'s [[Nashville Predators]]. The Kats would return to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] as an expansion team in 2005 (in a situation similar to the [[National Football League]]'s [[Cleveland Browns]]). The second '''Nashville Kats''' team would fold after a losing 2007 season.

===First dispersal draft===
* 1. OL/DL Mike Lawson- (Miami)-formerly [[Florida Bobcats]]
* 2. WR/DB [[Kusanti Abdul-Salaam]] - (UCLA)-formerly [[Oklahoma Wranglers]]
* 3. FB/DB Scott Byrd Johnson (Ole Miss)-formerly-Knoxville Nighthawks(PIFL)
* 4. OL/DL Marcus Keyes (North Alabama)-formerly- Florida Bobcats
* 5. DS Scotty Lundsey (Stephen F. Austin)-formerly-[[Houston Thunderbears]]
*6. DB Nate Jacks (University of Kansas)-formerly-Lincoln Capitols (NIFL)
<ref>Holcomb, T. (2001, Dec 11). PRO FOOTBALL: ARENA FOOTBALL: Atlanta gets 2-way lineman with top pick. The Atlanta Journal the Atlanta Constitution, pp. C.5-C.5.</ref>

===Georgia Force===
The rechristened Force initially played in Duluth, a suburb of Atlanta, in the [[Arena at Gwinnett Center]] until relocating in the 2004 season to Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta.

The team name was chosen through a contest in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Anthony R Ward submitted the winning name.

Under Williams' three-year tenure as owner, the team made the playoffs one time in 2003. Upon selling the team to [[Atlanta Falcons]] owner [[Arthur Blank]] in September 2004, it was announced that the franchise would return to the downtown Philips Arena for the 2005 season in response to fan desires as expressed in a [[opinion poll|poll]]. However, following the 2007 season, the Force announced they were returning to the Gwinnett Center in 2008 after signing a 10-year lease.<ref name="Georgia Force Sign 10-Year Lease with Gwinnett">[http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3540058 Georgia Force Sign 10-Year Lease with Gwinnett, oursportscental.com; retrieved September 2008]</ref>

The Georgia Force's only rival in the Arena Football League was the New Orleans VooDoo. Previous owners of both teams, owned NFL teams in the same market. The New Orleans Saints rivaled with The Atlanta Falcons & The New Orleans VooDoo rivaled with The Georgia Force.

The 2005 season was, by far, the most successful in team history with highlights including a conference-best 11–5 record, and undefeated home record (8–0), a division title, a National Conference Championship, and a trip to [[ArenaBowl XIX]]. They lost to the Colorado Crush, 51–48.
They also won Southern Division titles in 2007 and 2008.

The Force's official mascot used to be a high-tech runner named '''G-Force''', but was later changed to a blue, cuddly monster named '''Blu'''.<ref>[http://georgiaforce.com/cheerleaders/Blu.asp http://georgiaforce.com/cheerleaders/Blu.asp]</ref>

===Revival===
{{main|Georgia Force (2024)}}
An unrelated traveling team bearing the same name played in the short-lived 2024 [[Arena Football League (2024)|Arena Football League]].

==Season-by-season==
{{Main|List of Georgia Force seasons}}

==Coaches==
: ''Coaches listed are Georgia Force coaches only, not for the Nashville Kats.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;"
![[Head coach]]
!Tenure
!Regular season<br>record (W–L)
!Post season<br>record (W–L)
!Most recent coaching staff
!Notes
|-
|[[Robert Lyles]]
|[[2002 Arena Football League season|2002]]
|1–4<ref name="AFOL">{{cite web |url=http://www.arenafan.com/history/?page=coaches&coach=56 |title=ArenaFan Online: AFL Coaches: Robert Lyles |access-date=2008-10-25}}</ref>
|0–0<ref name="AFOL"/>
|
|
|-
|[[Marty Lowe]]
|2002–[[2004 Arena Football League season|2004]]
|12–15<ref name="AFLO">{{cite web |url=http://www.arenafan.com/history/?page=coaches&coach=62 |title=ArenaFan Online: AFL Coaches: Marty Lowe |access-date=2008-10-25}}</ref>
|1–1<ref name="AFLO"/>
|
|
|-
|[[Bob Kronenberg]]
|2004
|3–2<ref name="AFOK">{{cite web |url=http://www.arenafan.com/history/?page=coaches&coach=72 |title=ArenaFan Online: AFL Coaches: Bob Kronenberg |access-date=2008-10-25}}</ref>
|0–0<ref name="AFOK"/>
|
|
|-
|[[Doug Plank]]
|[[2005 Arena Football League season|2005]]–[[2008 Arena Football League season|2008]]
|43–21<ref name="AFOP">{{cite web |url=http://www.arenafan.com/history/?page=coaches&coach=73 |title=ArenaFan Online: AFL Coaches: Doug Plank |access-date=2008-10-25}}</ref>
|4–4<ref name="AFOP"/>
|
||2x Arena Football League<br>Coach of the Year<br>(2005, [[2007 Georgia Force season|2007]])<ref name="AFOP"/>
|-
|[[Dean Cokinos]]
|[[2011 Arena Football League season|2011]]–{{AFL Year|2012}}
|11–7
|1–0
|Asst./Line Coach: James Clark (2011–present)<br>Asst./Line Coach: Juan Porter (2011–present)<br>Asst./DB Coach: [[Willie Gary (American football)|Willie Gary]] (2011–present)
|
|-
|}

==Notable players==
{{seealso|Category:Georgia Force players}}

===Individual awards===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
| colspan="4" style="background:#084C9E; color:#FFF;"| '''Breakout Player of the Year'''
|-
!  style="width:50px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Season
!  style="width:150px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Player
!  style="width:100px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Position
|-
|{{AFL Year|2011}}||[[Maurice Purify]]||[[Wide receiver|WR]]
|}

{{col-3}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
| colspan="4" style="background:#084C9E; color:#FFF;"| '''Kicker of the Year'''
|-
!  style="width:50px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Season
!  style="width:150px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Player
!  style="width:100px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Position
|-
|{{AFL Year|2011}}||[[Carlos Martinez (American football)|Carlos Martinez]]||[[Placekicker|K]]
|}

{{col-3}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
| colspan="4" style="background:#084C9E; color:#FFF;"| '''AFL Rookie of the Year'''
|-
!  style="width:50px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Season
!  style="width:150px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Player
!  style="width:100px; background:black; color:#FFF;"| Position
|-
|{{AFL Year|2005}}||[[Troy Bergeron]]||[[Offensive Specialist|OS]]
|-
|{{AFL Year|2011}}||[[Maurice Purify]]||[[Wide receiver|WR]]
|}

{{col-3}}
{{col-end}}

===All-Arena players===
The following Force players were named to [[All-Arena]] Teams:
* '''QB''' [[Matt Nagy]] (1), [[Chris Greisen]] (1)
* '''WR/LB''' [[Derek Lee (American football)|Derek Lee]] (1)
* '''WR''' [[Chris Jackson (wide receiver)|Chris Jackson]] (1), [[Troy Bergeron]] (1), [[Maurice Purify]] (1)
* '''OL/DL''' [[Jermaine Smith]] (3), [[Gillis Wilson]] (1)
* '''OL''' [[Marcus Keyes]] (1) [[Shane Grice]] (1)
* '''DL''' [[Jermaine Smith]] (1)
* '''LB''' [[Umar Muhammad]] (1)
* '''DB''' [[Tracy Belton]] (1)
* '''DS''' [[Kevin Gaines (American football)|Kevin Gaines]] (2)
* '''K''' [[Carlos Martinez (American football)|Carlos Martinez]] (1)

===All-Ironman players===
The following Force players were named to All-Ironman Teams: 
* '''FB/LB''' [[Travis Reece]] (1), [[Scott Byrd Johnson]] (1), [[Matt Huebner]] (1)
* '''WR/LB''' [[Darryl Hammond]] (1), [[Derek Lee (American football)|Derek Lee]] (1)
* '''WR/KR''' [[C. J. Johnson (American football)|C. J. Johnson]] (1),

===All-Rookie players===
The following Force players were named to All-Rookie Teams:
* '''QB''' [[Leon Murray]]
* '''FB/LB''' [[Robert Thomas (fullback)|Robert Thomas]]
* '''WR/LB''' [[Derek Lee (American football)|Derek Lee]]
* '''OL/DL''' [[Jermaine Smith]]
* '''OS''' [[Troy Bergeron]]
* '''WR/CB''' [[Tiger Jones (American football)|Tiger Jones]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Georgia Force}}
* [http://beta.arenafan.com/teams/?page=clubhouse&team=95 Georgia Force on ArenaFan]

{{Georgia Force}}
{{Defunct Arena Football League franchises}}

[[Category:Georgia Force| ]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:2008 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:2011 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:2012 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]