The are an
Arena Football League team.
They are based in suburban
Uniondale, New York at the
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum , also home to the
New York Islanders of the
National Hockey League .
They had been based in
Des Moines, Iowa from
1995 to
2000 , as the . The team had been successful in Iowa, having reached the
ArenaBowl in
1996 and
1997 , but the need for a more modern venue as well as the league's desire for a larger market led to the move despite two failed past attempts in New York, the
New York Knights (
1988 ) and the
New York CityHawks (
1997 -
1998 ), both of which played at
Madison Square Garden in
Manhattan . The team was purchased by
Charles Wang , who is also the Islanders' majority owner.
The Arena Football organization did award an
Af2 franchise to Iowa for the
2001 season also called the
Barnstormers , but that team folded after that season. The Barnstormers were noted for their unique uniforms, which in keeping with the aviation theme included the depiction of goggles on the helmets, wings on the shoulders of the jerseys, and propellers on the pants legs. The primary figure in the original Iowa organization was
Jim Foster , the inventor of
Arena Football .
Aside from the league's desire to re-enter the New York market, another major reason cited for the team's relocation was the inadequacy of their Des Moines venue, the
Iowa Veterans Memorial Auditorium , also known as "The Barn". All seating in this venue was located directly along the sidelines as is typical of
High School sports venues. The Barnstormers organization constantly lobbied for the construction of a better facility during their time in Des Moines, to no avail. Ironically, in
2005 , the
Wells Fargo Arena will open in Des Moines, directly across from what the locals call "Vets", as part of the
Iowa Events Center .
Nassau Coliseum, where the franchise relocated, is generally regarded as one of the most marginal venues currently used in major American professional sports, and is often proposed for replacement, so the improvement of the situation with regards to a venue has been fairly minimal to this point. In late
September of
2004 , Islanders' ownership announced an ambitious project to renovate the Coliseum, surrounding it with housing units and construction of an adjacent tower, resembling a
Lighthouse , at a total cost of over
$ 200 million (US).
The New York Dragons currently compete in the Eastern Division of the National Conference. They are coached by former Barnstormer defensive back
Weylan Harding .
The Dragons have one of the biggest stars in
Arena Football today,
Aaron Garcia . Garcia, a quarterback, has the honor of most touchdown passes in a game (11), and most touchdown passes in a season (104, set in 2001). Through his 10 year career, he has thrown over 750 touchdown passes.
The Dragons set the league record for most points in a game, scoring 99 against the
Carolina Cobras on
July 7 ,
2001 , surpassing the previous record of 91, which had been set by the
New Jersey Red Dogs in 1997 against the
Texas Terror . It also set a record for the most points scored in one game (167).
On Sunday, February 12, 2006, the Dragons won against the newly-formed
Utah Blaze 84-81 on the road and they made AFL history for the second-most points scored in one game with 165.
The Dragons official mascot is a dragon named
{Link without Title} , who is also the same mascot of the
NHL 's
New York Islanders .
^Despite winning their division in 2004, the Dragons failed to make the playoffs.
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"6" align="center" '''Iowa Barnstormers'''
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"6" align="center" '''New York Dragons'''
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