New_York_Sharks
The New York Sharks were a women's American football team that was based in New York City. Their final season in 2018 was played as a member team of the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). They were the longest running and most winning team in women's football history with the honor of having a signed football in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
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| Founded | 1999 |
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| League | Barnstorming (1999) WPFL (2000) Independent (2001) IWFL (2002–2010. 2014-2016) WFA (2011-13, 2017-2018) |
| Team history | Long Island Sharks (1990s) New York Sharks (2000-2018) |
| Based in | Brooklyn, New York |
| Stadium | Aviator Sports Complex |
| Colors | Black, light blue, silver |
| President | Andra Douglas |
| Head coach | Fabian Alesandro |
| Championships | 2 (2002-IWFL, 2018-WFA) |
| Division titles | 3 conference titles (2002, 2003, 2004 IWFL East) 6 division titles (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 IWFL) |
| Mascot | Sharkie |
Management Staff
- Owner – Andra Douglas
- CFO, Social Media Mgr, former VP of Operations - Dana Sparling
- General manager – Tia Hopkins
- VP - Crystal Turpin
The Final 2018 season Coaching staff:
- Head coach – Fabian Alesandro
- Defensive coordinator – Kyle Copeland
- Receivers Coach - Alan Walls
- O-Line Coach - Yatia Hopkins
- Defensive Backs Coach - Toni Salvatore
- Quality Control - Pat Brown
- Quarterbacks Coach - Fabian Baez
 | This section needs to be updated. (July 2019) |
First full-contact game
The New Yorks Sharks originally started as a women's flag football team called the Long Island Sharks ran by Jacqueline Colon. They played in international tournaments and were national champions.
In 1999, the Women's Professional Football League (WPFL) was formed. It consisted of two teams, the Minnesota Vixens and the Lake Michigan Minx. They traveled the country playing each other on what was called the "No Limits" Tour. They had heard about the success of the Long Island Sharks and challenged them to a full contact, tackle football game.
Jacqueline Colon accepted the challenge and with two months to prepare, converted her flag football team to a tackle football team. On Saturday, December 11, 1999, the Minnesota Vixens came to New York to take on the Sharks. The Vixens were favored having played 4 games already, having a 2–2 record.
The Sharks were coached by former New York Jet Bobby Jackson. Before 300 fans on a windy day at Mitchel Field, Long Island Sharks surprised Minnesota, defeating them 12–6. The Sharks recorded two touchdown passes by quarterback Val Halesworth. One score was on a long pass to Natalie Jufer that led to a 71-yard touchdown. The other score was an 18-yard pass to Valerie Monaco.
Independent Women's Football League
The Sharks played their home games at the Aviator Sports Complex at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. They played an 8-game regular season schedule.
Future
From 2014 to 2015, the Sharks played in the Independent Women's Football League. From 2016 to 2018, the Sharks were a member team in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). In 2018 the team was sold and became the New York Wolves.
(not including Long Island Sharks flag football seasons)
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Sharks (No Limits Barnstorming) | |||||
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -- | Won Exhibition Game (Minnesota) |
| New York Sharks (WPFL) | |||||
| 2000 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2nd NC East | Lost National Conference Qualifier (New England) |
| New York Sharks (Independent) | |||||
| 2001 | 6 | 1 | 0 | -- | -- |
| New York Sharks (IWFL) | |||||
| 2002 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1st East | Won IWFL Championship (Austin) |
| 2003 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1st EC Mid Atlantic | Won Eastern Conference Championship (Bay State) Lost IWFL Championship (Sacramento) |
| 2004 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1st EC Mid Atlantic | Won Eastern Conference Wildcard (Chicago) Won Eastern Conference Championship (Tampa Bay) Lost IWFL Championship (Sacramento) |
| 2005 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1st EC Mid Atlantic | Won Eastern Conference Wildcard (Southern Maine) Lost Eastern Conference Championship (Atlanta) |
| 2006 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1st EC Mid Atlantic | Won Eastern Conference Wildcard (Miami) Lost Eastern Conference Championship (Atlanta) |
| 2007 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1st EC North Atlantic | Won Eastern Conference Wildcard (Manchester) Lost Eastern Conference Championship (Atlanta) |
| 2008 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2nd Tier I EC North Atlantic | -- |
| 2009 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3rd Tier I EC North Atlantic | -- |
| 2010 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2nd Tier I EC Northeast | Lost Northeast Division Championship (Boston) |
| New York Sharks (WFA) | |||||
| 2011 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2nd NC North | -- |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2nd NC Division 2 | Won National Conference Wildcard (Keystone) Lost National Conference Quarterfinal (Boston) |
| Totals | 92 | 27 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
* = current standing
| New York Sharks roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterback
Running backs
Wide receivers
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Offensive line
Defensive line
Linebackers
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Defensive backs
Special teams
Multiple Positions
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Injured reserve
Exempt List
Practice squad
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Season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 11 | New York Nemesis | Away | Won 21-7 |
| April 25 | Boston Militia | Home | Lost 7-21 |
| May 2 | Philadelphia Firebirds | Away | Won 33-14 |
| May 9 | Connecticut Crushers | Home | Won 40-7 |
| May 16 | D.C. Divas | Home | Lost 7-21 |
| May 30 | New England Intensity | Away | Won 44-0 |
| June 6 | D.C. Divas | Away | Lost 18-34 |
| June 13 | Pittsburgh Passion | Home | Lost 33-34 |
Season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 10 | Philadelphia Firebirds | Away | Won 64-0 |
| April 17 | D.C. Divas | Home | Won 19-13 |
| April 24 | Connecticut Crushers | Home | Won 65-14 |
| May 1 | Jersey Justice | Away | Won 50-8 |
| May 8 | Pittsburgh Passion | Home | Won 12-8 |
| May 15 | Boston Militia | Away | Lost 0-31 |
| May 22 | Baltimore Nighthawks | Home | Won 38-6 |
| June 5 | Pittsburgh Passion | Away | Won 27-10 |
| June 12 | Boston Militia (Northeast Division Championship) | Away | Lost 6-25 |
Standings
| 2011 WFA North Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | GB | STK | |
| y - Boston Militia | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.875 | 364 | 72 | 5-0 | --- | W7 |
| z - New York Sharks | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.625 | 212 | 177 | 3-2 | 2.0 | L1 |
| Northeastern Nitro | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 46 | 243 | 2-3 | 3.0 | L1 |
| New England Nightmare | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0.000 | 28 | 264 | 0-5 | 7.0 | L8 |
y - clinched division title
z - clinched playoff berth
Season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2 | Philadelphia Liberty Belles | Away | Won 34-20 |
| April 16 | Boston Militia | Away | Lost 7-28 |
| April 30 | New England Nightmare | Home | Won 48-12 |
| May 7 | Northeastern Nitro | Home | Won 27-21 |
| May 21 | Boston Militia | Home | Lost 6-43 |
| June 4 | New England Nightmare | Away | Won 28-8 |
| June 11 | Northeastern Nitro | Away | Won 46-7 |
| June 18 | D.C. Divas | Home | Lost 16-38 |
Standings
| 2012 WFA Division 2 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | GB | STK | |
| y - Boston Militia | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 458 | 139 | 4-0 | --- | W8 |
| z - New York Sharks | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | 104 | 227 | 2-2 | 4 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Liberty Belles | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0.250 | 30 | 234 | 0-3 | 6 | L3 |
y - clinched division title
z - clinched division title
Season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 14 | Boston Militia | Away | Lost 6-64 |
| April 21 | Maine Lynx | Away | Won 6-0** |
| April 28 | D.C. Divas | Away | Lost 12-41 |
| May 5 | Philadelphia Liberty Belles | Home | Won 25-8 |
| May 12 | D.C. Divas | Home | Lost 13-41 |
| June 2 | Philadelphia Liberty Belles | Away | Won 31-0 |
| June 9 | New England Nightmare | Home | Won 72-14 |
| June 16 | Boston Militia | Home | Lost 12-55 |
** = Won by forfeit