| Nashville Kats | |
|---|---|
| Established 2024 Play inNashville, Tennessee atNashville Municipal Auditorium TheNashvilleKats.com | |
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| League/conference affiliations | |
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Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Blue, yellow, black, white |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Fisher Football Ventures, LLC. Jeff Fisher (chairman) Greg Pogue Bobby Devoursney Jon Gruden |
| President | Jeff Fisher |
| Head coach | Darren Arbet |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Playoff appearances (1) | |
| Home arena(s) | |
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TheNashville Kats are a professionalarena football team located inNashville, Tennessee. They are members ofArena Football One (AF1) and play at theNashville Municipal Auditorium. The Kats are based ona previous team by the same name that played in theArena Football League. The new incarnation of the team began play in thenew Arena Football League in 2024. In 2025, they became members of the newly formed AF1.
On November 1, 2023, the revival of theArena Football League announced the return of the Nashville Kats and new ownership structure. The team was originally co-owned by Tamara Dadd Alan, founding partner and CEO; Nancy Eckert, founding partner, COO and general counsel; and Chuck McDowell, largest individual stakeholder and chairman of the franchise.Jeff Fisher, formerTennessee Titans Head Coach, is a partner and president of football operations for the organization (also now-commissioner of the league). Sports talk host Greg Pogue also serves as partner and vice president of community relations. Longtime broadcasterEli Gold, former voice of the original AFL forTNN andNBC Sports and also known as the former voice of theAlabama Crimson Tide andNASCAR, was named the new radio voice of the Kats. The team play atNashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, with one game atF&M Bank Arena inClarksville.[1] They made it to the semi-finals forArenaBowl XXXIII, only to lose to the eventual championBillings Outlaws 35-32.
On September 4, 2024, the Kats, along with the other seven surviving members of the collapsed AFL, joined the newly formedArena Football One. Jeff Fisher was named permanent commissioner of the new league while maintaining his position with the Kats. They will play in the East Division along with theAlbany Firebirds andOrlando Predators. Shortly after switching leagues, head coachDean Cokinos quietly left the team and was named head coach of theBerlin Thunder of theEuropean League of Football. During the schedule revival, Jeff Fisher announced the search for a new head coach. On February 18, 2025, the Kats announced that former four-timeArenaBowl championship head coachDarren Arbet would become the team's newest head coach.
On October 18, 2024, Nashville Arena Sports, LLC, owners of the Kats, filed a lawsuit in Chancery Court ForDavidson County, Tennessee, against chairman Chuck McDowell seeking an alleged delinquent payment which was loaned to the franchise. The suit alleged that McDowell failed to pay on a signed $2.5 million (USD)promissory note to the club. They are also seeking to have McDowell expelled from the franchise ownership group.[2] Jeff Fisher announced that the team still plans to play in the league's inaugural season with its current owners despite this latest legal challenge. McDowell and the remaining owners reached a settlement with each other, culminating in a public reconciliation during the Kats' Week 4 game, in which McDowell led a ceremonialcoin toss, and McDowell's amicable exit from the ownership group.[3]
On May 4, 2025, it was announced that Jeff Fisher was officially named as the new majority owner of the Kats. He is joined by partners Pogue and Bobby Devoursney (who will serve as chief executive officer).[4] The next day, the Kats announced the addition ofJon Gruden, former NFL coach and brother of Arena Football Hall of FamerJay Gruden, to the ownership group leading football operations.[5]
| Championship victory | Championship appearance | Division champions | Playoff berth |
| Season | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | |||||
| 2024 | AFL | N/A | East | 6th | 3 | 4 | 0 | Won Quarterfinals (Orlando) 62-32 Lost Semifinals (Billings) 35-32 |
| Total | 3 | 4 | 0 | (includes only regular season) | ||||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | (includes only the postseason) | |||||
| 4 | 5 | 0 | (includes both regular season and postseason) | |||||
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
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Source:[6]
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
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Sports teams based inTennessee | ||
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| College athletics (NCAA Division I) | ||