| Spokane Shock | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Founded | 2005 | ||||||||||
| Folded | 2021 | ||||||||||
| Headquartered | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena inSpokane, Washington | ||||||||||
| Colors | Blue, orange, gold, white | ||||||||||
| Mascot | Shox The Fox | ||||||||||
| TheSpokaneShock.com | |||||||||||
| Personnel | |||||||||||
| Owner | Sam Adams | ||||||||||
| Head coach | Cedric Walker | ||||||||||
| Team history | |||||||||||
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| Home fields | |||||||||||
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| League / conference affiliations | |||||||||||
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| Championships | |||||||||||
| League championships: 3 | |||||||||||
| Conference championships: 2 | |||||||||||
| Division championships: 8 | |||||||||||
| Playoff appearances (11) | |||||||||||
TheSpokane Shock were a professionalindoor American football team based inSpokane, Washington, that played their home games at theSpokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member ofarenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won division titles in all four seasons and ArenaCups in 2006 and 2009 before they joined theArena Football League (AFL) in its 2010 relaunch. The team advanced to the playoffs three times after joining the AFL, winningArenaBowl XXIII in their first season, making them the only arena football franchise to win both theArenaCup and theArenaBowl.
The AFL franchise was folded in October 2015 and the ownership group obtained a franchise in theIndoor Football League (IFL), known as theSpokane Empire, as the rights to the Shock name still belonged to the AFL.[1] They played in the IFL as the Empire for the2016 and2017 seasons. On July 12, 2017, owner Nader Naini announced that the Empire would cease operations, citing financial issues. About a year after the Empire folded, Naini claims to have traded the Empire branding to the AFL for the original Shock trademarks.[2]
In 2019, formerSeattle Seahawks playerSam Adams announced he was relaunching the team for the 2020 season. Adams had obtained the trademarks of the Shock name from Naini and re-joined theIndoor Football League.[3][4] The Shock were removed from the IFL after failing to reach a lease agreement in 2022.
For many years, there were proposals to bring anarena football team toSpokane. In summer 2005, ownerBrady Nelson teamed up with two additional partners to bring a team to Spokane.[5] On August 26, 2005, duringaf2 league meetings in Bossier City, Louisiana, league commissionerJerry Kurz accepted Nelson's proposal for a Spokane af2 team.[6] The Shock was one of three expansion teams to begin playing in 2006. The other two were theEverett Hawks, and theStockton Lightning.
On October 12, 2005, the Shock announced thatChris Siegfried would be the franchise's inaugural coach.[7] By the end of 2005, 13 players had been signed. On February 28, 2006, the Spokane Shock sold their 2,000th season ticket. On March 22, 2006, 3,000 season tickets had been sold. On March 30, 2006, the Spokane Shock played their inaugural game against the Stockton Lightning and won 41–40.
The Shock put together a significant inaugural season, posting a 14–2 regular-season record and a first-place finish in the National Conference Western Division. During the af2 playoffs, the Shock defeated theBakersfield Blitz and theArkansas Twisters en route to winning the af2 National Conference championship and a berth inArenaCup VII against theGreen Bay Blizzard inSan Juan, Puerto Rico. On August 26, the Shock defeated the Blizzard by a score of 57–34 to winArenaCup VII. The Spokane Shock became the first expansion team in af2 history to advance to, and win, theArenaCup. The Shock led the league in attendance with an average of 10,313 fans per home game.
As a result of the team's excellent play, head coachChris Siegfried was named the af2 Head Coach of the Year for the 2006 season. Four Shock players also earned All-af2 National Conference honors as well. WR/LBCharles Frederick, OLSEd Ta'amu and DSRob Keefe earned first-team honors while OL/DLJerome Stevens earned second-team accolades.
On September 4, 2006, Spokane head coach Chris Siegfried accepted the offensive coordinator position for theAFL'sKansas City Brigade.[8] On September 20, 2006, the Spokane Shock announced that formerLouisville Fire offensive coordinatorAdam Shackleford would become their new head coach.[9] The2007 Shock won their second consecutive division title with a 12–4 record. The Shock then fell in the first round of the af2 playoffs to the Louisville Fire.
In 2008, the Shock fielded another talented team, opening the season with eleven straight wins before losing to theSouth Georgia Wildcats on a last second field goal. It was the only Shock loss during the regular season, qualifying for the playoffs and clinching home field advantage until theArenaCup. The Shock faced theTennessee Valley Vipers on August 25, 2008, inArenaCup IX. Tennessee Valley was forced to play with its backup quarterback for most of the game after their starter was injured during the first drive. The game was close throughout and regulation ended with a tie to send the ArenaCup into its first ever overtime. After the Shock scored a touchdown and a successful extra point, Tennessee Valley matched them with a touchdown, but went for a two-point conversion and succeeded, to capture their first ArenaCup championship.
The Shock put together another 15–1 regular season in 2009. The Shock again advanced to theArenaCup, defeating theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers 74–27 inLas Vegas, Nevada.[10]
On September 27, 2009, the Spokane Shock became part of theArena Football 1, an entity founded by multiple af2 organizations along with several of the recently defunctArena Football League (AFL) teams, that was created to replace AFL. In November 2009, Arena Football 1 purchased the assets from the AFL's bankruptcy auction and rebranded as a continuation of the Arena Football League.
The Shock promoted defensive backs' coachRob Keefe to the head coaching position. The team continued their success in the relaunched league, finishing the regular season with a 16–3 record claiming the first seed in the playoffs. The Shock advanced toArenaBowl XXIII against the 13–6Tampa Bay Storm. In front of a franchise record crowd of 11,017, the Shock defeated the Storm 69–57 behind nine touchdown passes fromKyle Rowley.[11]
On July 9, 2011, the Shock hosted an outdoor game at Spokane'sJoe Albi Stadium. The Shock went 9–9 for the season, lost in the first round of the playoffs, and fired head coachRob Keefe following the season. The Shock promotedoffensive coordinator,Andy Olson to head coach for 2012 and improved to 10–8, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the team's existence. Prior to the 2013 season, the Shock lost quarterbackKyle Rowley in free agency but quarterbackErik Meyer put together anMVP 2013 season, also winningOffensive Player of the Year.Wide receiverAdron Tennell won Receiver of the Year. The Shock went 14–4 and lost in the conference championship.
In January 2014, it was announced thatBrady Nelson had sold the Shock to Arena Football Partners, LLC., an ownership group led by Nader Naini.[12]
In 2015, after losing former MVP and Offensive Player of the Year,Erik Meyer, and former Wide Receiver of the YearAdron Tennell to division rival, San Jose. The Shock made the playoffs, but lost to the Arizona Rattlers 72–41. Following the season, Olson announced that he would not be returning to coach the Shock in 2016 and the Shock re-hired Adam Shackleford away from theTri-Cities Fever.[13]
Beginning on August 10, 2015, talk began surfacing about a possible move to theIndoor Football League by Shock owner Nader Naini, who was heavily involved with bringingScott Butera to the AFL as its new commissioner. He accused the AFL and some of its teams of cheating, favoring the more established franchises and not fulfilling obligations to improve the product, forcing him to weigh options for the team's future which includes dropping to the IFL, a move that some players expressed unhappiness and disappointment about.[14][15] However, IFL commissioner Mike Allshouse was quick to point out, "At this point, it would be improper to comment about any team that is associated with another league."[16]
The move was officially confirmed on September 1, 2015.[17] This made 2016 the second straight year that an established AFL franchise moved to the IFL following theIowa Barnstormers. However, the Spokane franchise had to operate under a different identity, as the Arena Football League announced on October 12 that the team and league could not reach an agreement for the team's trademark and logos, which are owned by the AFL. A press release from the AFL indicated that the league would retain the rights to the Shock name and logos.[18] However, the team retained the Shock's history and went by a new name for the 2016 season,[1] and a name-the-team contest had the franchise become known as the Spokane Empire.
The2016 Spokane Empire went 12–4 in their inaugural IFL campaign. They advanced to the championship game by winning the Intense Conference championship beating theNebraska Danger 55–44, but fell to theSioux Falls Storm 55–34 in the final. They came close to an achievement that had not been done before; winning three different league championships in their first season in the league with theaf2'sArenaCup, theAFL'sArenaBowl and the IFL'sUnited Bowl.
The following2017 season, the team went 8–8 and missed the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history. On July 12, 2017, owner Nader Naini announced that the Empire had ceased operations, citing financial issues. About a year after the Empire folded, Naini claims to have traded the Empire branding to the AFL, which became theAlbany Empire, for the original Shock trademarks.[2]
In 2019, Naini sold the Shock trademark and remaining assets to formerSeattle Seahawks' playerSam Adams with the intention of relaunching the Shock in the IFL for the 2020 season. The IFL announced the return of the Shock on November 1, 2019. Adams brought in the head coach of theCarolina Cobras as the new head coach of the Shock. However, before the Shock could play a game, the2020 season was postponed and eventually cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic shutting down most venues due tosocial distancing measures.[19] Adams stated the Shock would still play games in 2020 against any other team regardless of schedule once the government allowed venues to re-open,[20] which did not come to fruition.
The Shock played their first game since relaunching on May 15, 2021, in a 36–33 loss to theFrisco Fighters to start their2021 season.[21] Spokane advanced to the 2021 IFL playoffs, but were eliminated on August 28 in a quarterfinal game against Frisco.[22]
On February 15, 2022, it was reported that Adams and the Shock had not signed lease with the arena for the2022 season set to start in March. Adams was required to pay the arena by December 31, 2021, but the wired payment did not clear the bank.[23] He signed the lease later that day, but the arena had yet to be issued the $128,000security bond and Adams had until February 23 or the lease would be terminated.[24] It was extended to February 24, but Adams still did not make the payment in time and the Shock lost their lease for the 2022 season.[25] The Shock were subsequently removed from the IFL later that evening.[26] On February 24, 2022, Adams was ordered to pay two former employees of his Shock franchise $9,342.18 in unpaid wages as well as former assistant general manager (and former AFL Shock player)Patrick Afif in two separateWashington State Department of Labor and Industries legal cases against him.[27] The next day, Adams stated he was applying to join theNational Arena League (NAL), which is mostly based on the east coast, but the NAL quickly dismissed the idea.[28]
On July 22, 2022, all assets of the Shock and Empire past were auctioned off in a liquidation sale where fans took home merchandise, trophies (including af2 and IFL trophies) and other assets left behind by Adams leaving town without warning.[29] Adams has also stated that he hasno plans to sell the Shock name and identity despite various lawsuits against him that are still in litigation.
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Spokane Shock arena football attendance records show the largest crowds: 10,662 vs. Tennessee Valley (Arena Cup 9 - August 25, 2008); 10,659 twice during 2008 regular season, and smallest crowds: 7,267 vs. Stockton 2009 playoffs (August 1, 2009); 9,387 vs. Stockton on March 30, 2006 (inaugural game).
| Year | Total Att | Average | League rank | Sellouts / Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 (af2) | 79,213 | 9,902 | 1st | 4 of 8 |
| 2007 (af2) | 84,556 | 10,570 | 1st | 8 of 8 |
| 2008 (af2) | 84,705 | 10,588 | 1st | 8 of 8 |
| 2009 (af2) | 83,306 | 10,413 | 1st | 5 of 8 |
| Total | 331,780 | 10,368 | — | 25 of 32 |
Total all-time attendance, including playoff games while part of the af2 (2006–2009): 422,584
Total all-time sellouts including playoff games: 27
The Spokane Shock sold out the Spokane Arena for 19 consecutive regular season games starting with the regular season finale in 2006, and continuing to the second game in 2009. The last non-sellout regular season game was on June 26, 2009.
| Year | Total Att | Average | League Rank | Sellouts / Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 82,509 | 10,313 | 5th | 1 of 8 |
| 2011 | 92,497 | 10,277 | 3rd | 0 of 9[a] |
| 2012 | 81,206 | 9,023 | 6th | 0 of 9 |
| 2013 | 83,669 | 9,296 | 3rd | 1 of 9 |
| 2014 | 80,814 | 8,979 | 6th | 1 of 9 |
| 2015 | 72,314 | 8,034 | 8th | 0 of 9 |
| Total | 493,009 | 9,302 | — | 3 of 53 |
The Spokane Shock played the first outdoor arena football game on July 9, 2011, atJoe Albi Stadium in Spokane. A Spokane Shock record crowd of 16,233 watched the Shock beat the Utah Blaze 76–49. Joe Albi Stadium holds between 20,000 and 24,000 for football. The shaded side of the stadium was filled to capacity, while the sunny side was about half full. Daytime temperatures reached over 90 °F (50 °C) that day, and game time was pushed back to 6:00 PM PDT as a result.
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The following Shock players were named toAll-Arena Teams:
The following Shock players were named to All-Ironman Teams:
| Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | ||||
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| W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||
| Spokane Shock | ||||||||
| Chris Siegfried | 2006 | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 3 | 0 | af2 Coach of the Year |
| Adam Shackleford | 2007–2009 | 42 | 6 | 0 | .875 | 7 | 2 | |
| Rob Keefe | 2010–2011 | 22 | 12 | 0 | .647 | 3 | 1 | |
| Andy Olson | 2012–2015 | 42 | 30 | 0 | .583 | 1 | 3 | |
| Spokane Empire | ||||||||
| Adam Shackleford | 2016–2017 | 20 | 12 | 0 | .625 | 1 | 1 | |
| Spokane Shock | ||||||||
| Billy Back | 2020–2021 | 6 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 1 | |
| Cedric Walker | 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
Naini acquired the Shock trademark about a year after the franchise folded, trading the Empire name to the AFL in exchange for the Shock trademark. Adams "worked it out" with Naini to acquire the Shock brand
