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| Founded | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Team history |
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| Based in | San Jose, California at theSAP Center |
| Home arenas |
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| League | Indoor Football League (2020–present)
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| Colors | Black, gold and white |
| Personnel | |
| Head coach | Rob Keefe[1] |
| Team president | David Eisenberg[2] |
| Owners | Marshawn Lynch and Roy Choi[2] |
| Championships | |
| League titles (1) | |
| Conference titles (1) | |
| Division titles (2) | |
| Playoff appearances (3) | |
| Website | BayAreaPanthers.com |
 Current season | |
TheBay Area Panthers are a professionalindoor football team based inSan Jose, California, that competes in theIndoor Football League (IFL). The team was to begin play in 2020 atOakland Arena as theOakland Panthers.[3] Due the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic, the Panthers' inaugural season was canceled, and the team withdrew from the following 2021 season. Prior to the 2022 season, the Panthers announced they would instead play their home games atSAP Center in San Jose and were renamed after theBay Area.
The Panthers are co-owned by Oakland native and NFL All-Pro running back,Marshawn Lynch, and by Roy Choi, who previously owned the IFL'sCedar Rapids River Kings andSan Diego Strike Force.[2] The Panthers are the Bay Area's first arena/indoor football team since theSan Jose SaberCats, who played in theArena Football League from1995 until2008, and again from2011 until2015, winning fourArenaBowl championships.
With the scheduled departure of theNational Football League'sOakland Raidersrelocation toLas Vegas in2020 and theGolden State Warriors move toSan Francisco in the2019–20 season, on April 17, 2019, it was first reported that Roy Choi was in talks to bring an expansionIndoor Football League (IFL) team to Oakland for the 2020 season. Choi had previously purchased theCedar Rapids River Kings and launched the expansionSan Diego Strike Force in the IFL.[4] The Panthers were officially announced as an IFL expansion team on September 10, 2019, along with their logo, color scheme, and coaching staff by co-owners Roy Choi and former NFL All-Pro running backMarshawn Lynch. The team planned to play out the Warriors' former home, theOakland Arena. The Panthers' name references the indigenous Bay Area cougar, Oakland's involvement in the rise of theBlack Panther Party in the 1960s, and the blockbusterOscar-winningMarvel Studios movieBlack Panther, directed by Oakland nativeRyan Coogler. A team of the same name had originally been announced to play in the proposedFreedom Football League in December 2018, though no news had come from that league after the initial announcement.[5] Because of the rising cost of living in the Bay Area, the Panthers stated they would provide lodging and meals to their players in addition to their regular salary.[2] The team hired Kurt Bryan, best known for devising theA-11 offense, as their inaugural head coach.
However, the2020 IFL season was curtailed in the midst of theCOVID-19 pandemic before the Panthers could play a game. After initially announcing it would return in 2021,[6] the team subsequently also withdrew from the 2021 season due to the on-going restrictions during the pandemic.[7] On August 16, 2021, the team held a press conference to announce it would not play in Oakland, instead relocating to theSAP Center inSan Jose, California, as the Bay Area Panthers without ever playing a game in Oakland.[8]
The Panthers went 1-15 their inaugural season (2022), losing their last 15 games in a row. However in their second season on August 5, 2023, they beat theSioux Falls Storm by a score of 51-41 to win their firstIFL National Championship at theDollar Loan Center. Quarterback Dalton Sneed of the Bay Area Panthers was named the game’s MVP.
| League champions | Conference champions | Playoff berth | League leader |
| Season | League | Conference | Regular season | Postseason results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | ||||
| 2020 | IFL | Season cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2021 | IFL | Dormant year | ||||
| 2022 | IFL | Western | 7th | 1 | 15 | |
| 2023 | IFL | Western | 2nd | 10 | 5 | Won First Round (Tucson) 46–34 Won Western Conference Championship (Northern Arizona) 68–46 Won 2023 United Bowl (Sioux Falls) 51–41 |
| 2024 | IFL | Western | 1st | 13 | 3 | Lost First Round (San Diego Strike) 49-40 |
| Totals | 24 | 23 | All-time regular season record | |||
| 3 | 1 | All-time postseason record | ||||
| 27 | 24 | All-time regular season and postseason record | ||||
On February 27, 2020, it was announced that the radio home of the team would beKNBR AM 1050 out of San Mateo.KPYX broadcasts all home games on television. Dave Lewis is the play by play voice on the television broadcasts with Steve Papin or Aaron Garcia on color commentary. Lewis also calls the games on radio.[9]
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| Franchise | |
| Arenas | |
| Key personnel |
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| Division championships (1) | |
| Conference championships (1) | |
| League championships (1) | |
| Current league affiliations |
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