The Bakersfield Blitz
were a professional arena football team based in Bakersfield, California. They are a 2004 expansion member of the af2 and play their home games at Rabobank Arena.
In 2002, the original Blitz was owned by Casey Wasserman, owner of the Arena Football League team Los Angeles Avengers, who owned and managed the team for two seasons. In 2004, the team was sold to an investment group that moved the team to Fresno to become the Central Valley Coyotes, while a new Bakersfield Blitz was formed. In 2005, the af2 owned the team, and was operated by the owner of the Bakersfield Condors.
In 2006, a combination of local Bakersfield and professional sports investors bought the franchise from the af2. Since that time, season ticket sales increased by over 25% per year, and the team won their first-ever playoff game in 2006. However, the Blitz unexpectedly folded after the 2007 season. Although this followed a season in which two players faced rape charges, it is unclear what role, if any, this played in the Blitz's folding.
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BAKERSFIELD BLITZ TICKETS
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Owners
These were the owners at the time the Blitz ceased operations:
Jeff Allen, Dr. Vip Dev, William Edwards, Scott Erwin, Dr. Todd Farrer, Scott Garrison, Scott Hacker, Clayton Koerner, Paul Press, Fred Prince, Joel Shaddy, Andrew Watkins, SportsGelt,LLC among others.
Season-by-season
Note:
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties''
| Season
| W
| L
| T
| Finish
| Playoff results
|
| 2004
| 11
| 5
| 0
| 1st NC West
| Lost NC Semifinals (Peoria 38-36)
|
| 2005
| 6
| 10
| 0
| 4th NC West
| --
|
| 2006
| 9
| 7
| 0
| 3rd NC West
| Won NC Round 1 (Central Valley 45-37)
Lost NC Semifinals (Spokane 50-47)
|
| 2007
| 6
| 10
| 0
| 7th AC West
| --
|
| Totals
| 33
| 33
| 0
| (including playoffs)
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Notable Players
- Nick Onaindia - FB/LB
- Bobby Pesavento - QB
- Rennard Reynolds - OS
- Alex Wallace - DS
- Leo Sullivan - OL
- Chad Elliot - QB
- Maurice Troutman- DL
- Eric Mahanke - WR/LB
- DeRonn Finley- WR/DB
- Nathan Munson- WR/DB
- Ben R. McCombs- DL
- Wil Goff- DL
steve wofford
Rape Allegations
While in
Boise, Idaho playing the
Boise Burn, two members were arrested and charged with crimes related to the July 8, 2007 rape of a young woman in a hotel room in Boise. The players arrested were Maurice Ronald Troutman, 25 and Rennard Reynolds, 30 both of Long Beach, California. Boise police arrested Troutman on July 8, for the alleged rape and Reynolds on July 9, for an alleged burglary connected to the alleged rape. The Blitz team cooperated with Boise police and delayed leaving Boise until the investigation was completed.
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