The Canton Legends was a professional indoor football team based out of Canton, Ohio. They were a charter member of the American Indoor Football Association, which played their first season under the name Atlantic Indoor Football League, and their second season as the American Indoor Football League. They played their home games at Canton Memorial Civic Center. The team name is in reference to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, since Canton is where the building is located.
| Canton Legends | |
|---|---|
| Established 2005 Folded 2008 Played in Canton, Ohio at the Canton Memorial Civic Center | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
| American Indoor Football Association (2005-2008) | |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Maroon, Old Gold, White |
| Personnel | |
| President | Joe Hoffman |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (1) 2006 | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Playoff appearances (1) | |
| 2006 | |
| Home arena(s) | |
| |
During their inaugural season, the Legends ended up at a mediocre 3–7, just beating the Raleigh Rebels for 4th Place in the league. Since the league only had six teams, everyone (including the Legends) made the playoffs. They won the opening round against the Rebels, but their season ended when they lost to the Erie Freeze in the semifinals.
Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni played for the Legends in 2005.
On Saturday, May 6, 2006, the Legends won 54–41 against the Huntington Heroes on the road, but not without controversy. The Legends were in violation for having an illegal roster, for they added some players to their rosters illegally. At first the AIFL awarded the win to Huntington; later Canton got the win, but had to pay an $800 fine for its actions.[1]
Despite that little controversy, the Legends eventually managed to win the AIFL's ultimate title for 2006, beating the Rome Renegades 61–40.
The Legends also held an AIFA record for longest winning streak (12 games), beginning on May 6, 2006, against the Huntington Heroes (the same Heroes game mentioned above) at Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse, and ending on March 11, 2007, with a 39–36 loss to the Lakeland Thunderbolts at the Lakeland Center. (The Baltimore Mariners later broke this record in 2010.) The Legends are also the last of the six charter AIFL teams to fold, ceasing operations only four seasons after its debut. (Johnstown and Erie folded in 2007 and the other three teams folded in 2006.)
Season-by-season
edit| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton Legends (AIFL) | |||||
| 2005 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 4th League | Won Round 1 (Raleigh) Lost League Semifinals (Erie) |
| 2006 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2nd Northern | Won Round 1 (Erie) Won Northern Division Championship (Reading) Won American Bowl II (Rome) |
| Canton Legends (AIFA) | |||||
| 2007 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2nd Northern | Won Round 1 (Huntington) Lost NC Championship (Reading) |
| 2008 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 4th EC Northern | |
| Totals | 31 | 28 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
Entire 2006 Season Schedule
edit
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 25 | Steubenville Stampede | Home | Win 66-33 |
| March 3 | Erie Freeze | Away | Lost 53-61 |
| March 18 | Reading Express | Away | Win 52-41 |
| March 22 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Home | Win 62-48 |
| March 26 | Syracuse Soldiers | Away | Win 58-39 |
| April 1 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Away | Lost 36-50 |
| April 8 | Miami Valley Silverbacks | Away | Lost 28-44 |
| April 15 | Steubenville Stampede | Away | Win 62-26 |
| April 23 | Reading Express | Home | Lost 18-56 |
| May 6 | Huntington Heroes | Away | Win 54-41 |
| May 13 | Syracuse Soldiers | Home | Win 88-41 |
| May 20 | Erie Freeze | Home | Win 50-27 |
| May 27 | Huntington Heroes | Home | Win 75-49 |
| June 8 | Miami Valley Silverbacks | Home | Win 50-28 |
| June 17 | Erie Freeze (Playoffs) | Home | Win 54-45 |
| June 22 | Reading Express (Playoffs) | Away | Win 44-24 |
| July 3 | Rome Renegades (A.B. II) | Away | Win 61-40 |
2007 Season Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Away | Won 60-46 |
| February 9 | Erie Freeze | Home | Won 43-26 |
| February 17 | Huntington Heroes | Away | Won 69-52 |
| February 23 | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Home | Won 45-11 |
| March 11 | Lakeland Thunderbolts | Away | Lost 36-39 |
| March 23 | Reading Express | Home | Lost 19-50 |
| April 6 | Baltimore Blackbirds | Home | Won 38-2 |
| April 14 | Reading Express | Away | Lost 56-63 |
| April 21 | Erie Freeze | Away | Won 48-44 |
| April 28 | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Away | Lost 33-62 |
| May 6 | Danville Demolition | Home | Won 72-14 |
| May 18 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Home | Won 38-16 |
| May 24 | Danville Demolition | Away | Won 53-19 |
| June 1 | Huntington Heroes | Home | Won 52-50 |
| June 7 | Huntington Heroes (Playoffs) | Home | Won 76-43 |
| June 16 | Reading Express (Playoffs) | Away | Lost 51-66 |
2008 Season Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 15 | Erie RiverRats | Home | Lost 24-38 |
| March 22 | Carolina Speed | Home | Lost 35-38 |
| March 29 | Florence Phantoms | Away | Lost 39-55 |
| April 12 | Augusta Colts | Home | Lost 35-38 |
| April 19 | Huntington Heroes | Away | Lost 6-49 |
| April 25 | Reading Express | Away | Lost 7-36 |
| May 3 | Erie RiverRats | Away | Lost 48-50 |
| May 10 | Reading Express | Home | Lost 54-67 |
| May 17 | Augusta Colts | Away | Lost 38-57 |
| May 23 | Fayetteville Guard | Home | Won 34-22 |
| May 31 | Erie RiverRats | Away | Lost 37-45 |
| June 7 | Baltimore Mariners | Home | Won 59-56 |
| June 14 | Baltimore Mariners | Away | Lost 34-48 |
| June 21 | Huntington Heroes | Home | Won 43-39 |