Remember When? The Pittsburgh Gladiators

A lot of fans around here who root for the Pittsburgh Power may not realize that this is actually the second time Pittsburgh has played in the AFL.  Our city was directly involved in the inaugural season of the Arena Football league all the way back in 1987.

The Pittsburgh Gladiators were one of the original four franchises of the AFL, along with the Washington Commandos, Denver Dynamite, and the Chicago Bruisers.



The Gladiators were coached by Joe Haering, a local football standout who was elected to the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall Of Fame in 2010.   Haering currently serves as the linebackers coach at SMU.

Haering was a tough as nails, old school coach who would get on you even when you were winning.  In a 1989 game in Sacramento, as part of the "Travelling Circus" promotion to show the game to new fans,  Chicago Bruiser quarterback Ben Bennett was ejected from the game for starting a brawl, but AFL commissioner Jim Foster overruled the decision.  Haering proceeded to punch out the commissioner and earn himself a suspension.

The Pittsburgh Gladiators practicing at Robinson Township Community Park

Pittsburgh began that 1987 season 4-0, before losing their final two regular season games.  They still finished as one of the top two teams and earned the right to play the Denver Dynamite in Arena Bowl I.  The game was held in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena but the Gladiators lost 45-16 to become a footnote in Arena Bowl history.

The Gladiators featured league MVP Russell Hairston, who played wide receiver and linebacker.  Hairston finished the season with 67 receptions for 1126 yards and 18 TD's.  He also had four interceptions for 50 yards and a TD.  In addition to league MVP, he was named first team all arena.

Pittsburgh Gladiator Uniforms

Offensive/defensive lineman Craig Walls was also a first team all arena player by virtue of his league leading 13 sacks in that 1987 season and WR/DB Mike Stoops was named second team all-arena.  Current Iowa Barnstormers head coach Mike Hohensee was the starting quarterback for the Gladiators.

1988 saw the team finish with a 6-6 regular season record and once again qualify for the playoffs.  This time the team lost in the first round to eventual champion, the Detroit Drive, by the score of 34-25.

Quarterback Mike Hohensee led the league in completion percentage (58.6%) and QB rating (104) and threw 32 touchdowns versus only 3 interceptions.    Lineman Craig Walls was once again named first team all-arena after recording a league leading 12 sacks.  He would later go on to become one of the members of the AFL Hall of Fame in 1998.  Julius Dawkins, out of the University of Pittsburgh, led the team in receiving with 61 receptions for 927 yards and 21 TD's.  

1989 saw the AFL play a shorter schedule.  The Gladiators finished the regular season 3-1 and beat the Denver Dynamite 39-37 in the first round of the playoffs to advance to face the Detroit Drive in Arena Bowl III.  Pittsburgh once again fell short in their quest for a championship, falling 39-26.  

Standouts in that '89 season included a few first team all-arena players in quarterback Willie Totten and wide receiver Alvin Williams.  

1990 would be the franchise's final season in Pittsburgh.  The team did not have as much success on the field that year, finishing 3-5, but still made the playoffs, making them 4 for 4 in that category during their time in the Steel City.  They would lose 61-30 to the eventual champion Detroit Drive. WR/DB Thomas Monroe was named Ironman of the Year and first team all-arena.  WR/DB Julius Dawkins and OL/DL Keith Browner would earn second team all-arena nods.

The franchise relocated to Tampa Bay for the 1991 season and would go on to win four of the next six Arena Bowls and five titles overall.  They remain active today.

Gone, but not completely forgotten.

Special thanks to former Gladiators equipment manager Chuck Botta and ArenaFan.com for stats and stories.  

Remember When? The Pittsburgh Spirit

The wife and I were looking at a house in Lower Burrell for sale yesterday.  We had already ruled it out as a possibility about halfway through but felt we should at least look at everything in the house.  We went into a sports themed room and to my utter surprise I saw a fan pennant for the Pittsburgh Spirit. 

I thought I was the only one who still had a Spirit pennant in Pittsburgh.  Needless to say it was kind of neat to see, and got me thinking about the former teams we've had here in Pittsburgh.

I'm going to write a few more posts in this series, but I figured after seeing the pennant yesterday I should start with the Spirit.

I remember going to a Spirit game when I was a kid.  Mind you my sports priorities at the time went Pirates, Steelers and Penguins in that order.  Even still, I loved watching any kind of sport and it was a fun afternoon with my dad. 

The team was founded in 1978 and was one of the original six members of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL).  The first season (1978-79) saw head coach Bruno Schwarz oversee a 6-18 season.   There wasn't much to be proud about as they oversaw a group of inexperienced players try to find their way in a league that had imported talent from the North American Soccer League (NASL).  Sid Nolan was the leading scorer for the Spirit with 44 points (21 goals, 13 assists)

The 1979-80 saw the Spirit start 5-10 under head coach Alex Pringle.  They relieved Pringle of his duties and hired Len Bilous who promptly lead the Spirit to a record 13-game winning streak.  The team finished second in their division with an 18-14 record and defeated The Buffalo Stallions 5-3 in the first round of the MISL Playoffs.  They would fall in round two to the eventual MISL champion New York Arrows.  Bilous was named co-coach of the year for his efforts, the only Spirit coach to ever win the award.

Stan "The Man" Terlecki
1981-82 MISL Co-MVP

The Spirit took a season off before returning for the 1981-82 season.  It was a great return for the Spirit as the team went 31-13 and finished in second place in the Eastern Division.  The team would get upset by the Baltimore Blast in round one of the playoffs.  Leading scorer Stan "The Man" Terlecki finished second in MISL scoring with 117 points (74 goals, 43 assists) and would earn co-MVP honors.  He would also earn a spot on the All-MISL team.

1982-83 was a step backwards for the Spirit, as they finished 24-24 and in 5th place in the Eastern division.  They failed to qualify for the playoffs.  Terlecki had another strong season, finishing 4th in the league in scoring with 105 points (65 goals, 40 assists)

The 1983-84 squad rebounded nicely, posting a 32-16 record and once again filling the role of bridesmaid (second place) in the Eastern division.  They would lose to the Cleveland Force in the first round of the playoffs.  Midfielder Kevin Maher was named the MISL Rookie of the Year.

1984-85 was a major disappointment for the Spirit.  Stan Terlecki returned to the team after one season with the Golden Bay Earthquakes, but he was not able to help the team have much success on the field.  He still managed to lead the team in scoring with 71 points (39 goals, 32 assists).  This would mark the final season for head coach John Kowalski.

1985-86 would prove to be the final season for the Spirit.  Although they finished in last place in the Eastern division, they only finished four games out of first place in an extremely tight Eastern division.  Goaltender David Brcic would finish the year by being named to the All-MISL team, the second and final Spirit player to earn that honor in franchise history. 

The team folded after the season and became a footnote in Pittsburgh sports history.

Gone but not completely forgotten.   Do you have any memories to share of this team?  Feel free to share them in the comments below.