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Milwaukee Mustangs (1994–2001)

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This article is about the original Milwaukee Mustangs franchise. For the later franchise, see Milwaukee Mustangs (2009–2012).
Milwaukee Mustangs (original)
Established 1994
Folded 2001
Played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
League/conference affiliations
Arena Football League (1994–2001)
Current uniform
Team colorsDeep purple, teal, white
     
Personnel
Owner(s)Andrew Vallozzi
Head coachRick Frazier
Team history
  • Milwaukee Mustangs (1994–2001)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Prior to 2005, the AFL did not have conference championship games
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (4)
  • 1996, 1997, 1999 & 2000
Home arena(s)

The Milwaukee Mustangs were a professional arena football team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The team was a member of the Arena Football League, playing from 1994 to 2001. The owner of the Mustangs was Andrew Vallozzi. The Mustangs played their home games at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

History

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Expansion

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The team was founded in August 1993, when Andrew Vallozzi was approved by the league for expansion.[1] The city of Milwaukee became football hungry, after renovations to Lambeau Field led to speculation that the Green Bay Packers would soon stop playing games in Milwaukee, something they'd been doing since 1933. Later that year, the Packers would confirm the rumors and announced that their December 1994 contest at Milwaukee County Stadium would be their last.

For many in the Milwaukee area, the Mustangs helped fill the void left by the Packers. The team never finished lower than eighth in seasonal attendance, regularly drawing in the 14,000's and 15,000's (at a time when average attendance was approx. 8,500). The Mustangs even led the AFL in attendance in 1996.

Ending

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After the 2001 season, the Mustangs lost their lease at the Bradley Center. When it was unable to find a replacement facility, the league folded the team.[2] Milwaukee was left without an arena football team until 2008, with the formation of the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League, who played their home games at the U.S. Cellular Arena. A year later, the Milwaukee Iron began play in the Arena Football 2 League across the street at the Bradley Center. In January 2011, it was announced that the Milwaukee Iron, now of the Arena Football League would be changing its name to the Milwaukee Mustangs.[3]

In 2018, the Milwaukee Mustangs' intellectual properties were acquired by Counterbalance Sports & Entertainment, LLC, the sports-entertainment division of Counterbalance Group Inc. Additionally, Counterbalance Sports began using the Milwaukee Iron / [Second] Milwaukee Mustangs branding in 2021.

Season-by-season

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Main article: List of Milwaukee Mustangs (1994–2001) seasons

Players of note

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Final roster

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Milwaukee Mustangs roster
Quarterbacks

Wide receivers/Defensive backs

Running backs/Linebackers

Offensive linemen/Defensive linemen

Defensive specialist

Kickers

Rookies in italics
[1] updated January 21, 2013
28 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS

Retired uniform numbers

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Milwaukee Mustangs retired numbers
N° Player Position Seasons Ref.
2 Gary Compton WR 1994–2001 [4]
5 Todd Hammel QB 1994–99 [4]
8 Kenny Stucker K 1994–99 [4]

Note: These players' numbers were retired by the Milwaukee Iron in 2009.

Arena Football Hall of Famers

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Milwaukee Mustangs Hall of Famers
No. Name Year Inducted Position(s) Years w/ Mustangs
1 Gary Mullen 1998 WR/DB 1995
?? Carl Aikens, Jr. 2000 WR/DB 1994

Individual awards

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All-Arena players

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The following Mustangs players were named to All-Arena Teams:

All-Ironman players

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The following Mustangs players were named to All-Ironman Teams:

All-Rookie players

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The following Mustangs players were named to All-Rookie Teams:

Head coaches

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Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
W L T Win% W L
Lou Saban 1994 0 4 0 .000 0 0
Art Haege 1994 0 8 0 .000 0 0
Michael Trigg 1995-1997 22 18 0 .550 0 2
Rick Frazier 1998-2001 24 32 0 .429 0 2

References

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  1. ^ Andy Olson (August 10, 1993). "Milwaukee franchise will join indoor league for 1994 season". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  2. ^ Don Walker (November 22, 2001). "Mustangs won't field an arena team in 2002". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  3. ^ Don Walker. "Iron will be Mustangs". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  4. ^ a b c "Iron Retiring Numbers on Opening Night". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. March 23, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
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