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| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| League | Premier Amateur Football League (2025–present) Tri-Point Football League (2024) Gridiron Developmental Football League (2018–2023) |
| Conference | Tier I |
| Based in | Erie, Pennsylvania |
| Stadium | Dollinger Field (2,000) |
| Colors | Navy, red, silver, white |
| Owners | Paul Pennington (Co-Owner) Anthony Rodrigues II (Co-Owner) Dane Staaf (Director) Damien Lane (Director) |
| Head coach | Charles Porter |
| Championships | (GDFL): 2021 (USA Bowl): 2022 |
| Division titles | 1 (2021) |
| Dancers | Coors Light Girls |
| Mascot | Ronnie |
| Local media | Erie Times-News |
| Website | erieexpressfootball.org |
TheErie Express are an amateurAmerican footballminor-league team based inErie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2011, they are a member of the Premier Amateur Football League. In 2024, the Express played in the Tri-Point Football League (TPFL). From 2018 to 2023, the team played in theGridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL), winning the championship in 2021. The team plays at Dollinger Field, located on the grounds ofCathedral Preparatory School.
The "Express" name reflects Erie's history as a significant hub for trains and rail transport. In 1910,GE Transportation established a locomotive assembly plant in nearbyLawrence Park. The company also designed the entiretown in that area, which remains operational today.[1] Erie also has a storied regional history of trains, especially theErie Gauge War (1853–54).[2]
Before the Erie Express claimed the GDFL national championship in 2021, they had reached the national semifinals twice, in 2018 and 2019.[3]
In 2019, Glen Conner Jr. was a defensive lineman for the Express, wearing number 23. During their 30–6 win over the Westmoreland Wolves on April 22, 2019, Conner was named the team's "Defensive Player of the Week" after recording seven tackles, three tackles for loss (−16 yards), three sacks, and an interception.[4][non-primary source needed] Glen Conner Jr. is the older brother ofNational Football League (NFL) running backJames Conner, an Erie native who played forMcDowell High School before starring at theUniversity of Pittsburgh (2013–2016). James later joined the NFL, playing for thePittsburgh Steelers (2017–2020) andArizona Cardinals (2021–present).[5][6][7]
Since 2016, the Express has annually hosted the Covato Classic, a game played in memory of former Erie player Tyler Covato, who died in a work-related accident.[8]
The Erie Express claimed the Xtreme Conference title by defeating the Columbus Fire fromColumbus, Ohio atErie Veterans Memorial Stadium. This victory earned them their first-ever spot in the GDFL National Championship. On September 5, 2021, they won the championship with a thrilling 42–40 victory over the Inglewood Blackhawks from thegreater Los Angeles area atSaxon Stadium, on the campus ofMercyhurst University.[9]
The Express advanced to the USA Bowl XV Summer National Championship Game, held atDaytona Stadium inDaytona Beach, Florida, where they faced the Iredell Warriors fromIredell County, North Carolina, part of theCharlotte metropolitan area. The Express entered the game with a perfect 13–0 record, while the Warriors had a 12–1 record in the Carolinas Elite Football Alliance. On January 15, 2022, the Express narrowly defeated the Warriors by a single point, 25–24.[10][11][12]
The Erie Express team colors—navy blue, red, silver, and white—reflect the palette of the City of Erie's flag.[13][14] The primary logo features a metallic football player's face, topped with a train's wedge plow and smokestack, in the team's colors. Above this image is the "Erie Express" wordmark. The secondary logo, displayed on the jersey sleeves, shows a navy blue Pennsylvaniakeystone, overlaid with a silver E shaped like an industrial wedge plow.
The team's helmets are silver with a red facemask decorated with navy blue and red horizontal stripes. Both sides of the helmet feature a collegiate-style "E" logo in white on red, a design reminiscent of the2012 Navy Midshipmen football team helmet used in theArmy–Navy Game.[15] The team wears navy blue home jerseys with broad silver and red stripes sweeping over the shoulders, and prominently features the secondary logo on the sleeves. The numbers and player names are in red with a white outline. The pants are silver with navy and red side stripes. The away uniforms feature a white jersey with red stripes and numbers outlined in navy blue. The Express wears either red or white pants for this jersey. For the 2021 USA Bowl, the Express wore red jerseys charged with white and navy blueNorthwestern stripes.[16][14]
In 2023, the Erie Express introduced gray jerseys featuring the "NENE" wordmark across the chest as a tribute to Anthony J. "Nene" Rodrigues III, who drowned inLake Erie on May 21, 2022. Rodrigues was the son of Anthony J. Rodrigues II, co-owner of the Erie Express.[17][18]
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