The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to early-summer schedule. The league quickly became known as a development league for players, with many players moving up to the NBA and many more playing in Europe after stints here. In 1996, the league made a stock offering, a rarity among sports leagues. However, in later years, the league declined as rival leagues appeared and USBL had a tougher time replacing teams that folded. In the last two seasons, the league was mainly a midwestern league, with teams mainly in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. After speculation that the USBL might fold after the 2007 season, the league announced that it would sit out the 2008 season and consider its options for the future. In January 2010, the league expressed hopes to resume play in April 2010. However, no further news has surfaced from the league. The final champions are the Kansas Cagerz, who won the title game on July 1, 2007.
The Jacksonville Sharks were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida which competed in the World Football League in 1974. The Sharks folded during the 1974 season due to financial difficulties, and were succeeded by the Jacksonville Express which also folded when the league ceased operations during the 1975 season.
The Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, all but a small portion was razed in 1994 in preparation for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars' inaugural season; the reconstructed stadium became Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, now TIAA Bank Field. The old stadium and its replacement have hosted the Gator Bowl, a post-season college football bowl game, since its inception in 1946. It also hosted the Florida–Georgia game, an annual college football rivalry game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia, and was home to several professional sports teams, including the Jacksonville Sharks and Jacksonville Express of the World Football League (WFL), the Jacksonville Tea Men soccer team, and the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League.
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena is a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. It currently serves as the home arena of the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, the Jacksonville Giants of the American Basketball Association, and the Jacksonville Sharks of the National Arena League.
Paul Edinger is an American former gridiron football placekicker. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.
Siaha Burley is an American former arena football wide receiver and former head coach. He played college football at UCF and was also the head coach of the Jacksonville Sharks from 2017 to 2019 before returning to the team for 2022.
Kristofor Lawrence Griffin is a former American football linebacker. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His younger brother Kirby Griffin played in the Arena Football League. Now he resides in Katy, Texas where he works at Tays Junior high school as a boy's athletic coach.
Michael Shane Hollis is a former American football placekicker. He formerly played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1994-2003, leading the NFL in scoring and becoming the Most Accurate Kicker in NFL History during that time. He signed with the Sharks in 2022 after almost 20 years of retirement. He spent most of his nine-year NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, kicking for the team from 1995–2001 and setting several team records. He then played for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants before initially retiring after an injury in 2003.
Jamarko Simmons is a former American football wide receiver. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2009 but was cut after sustaining a leg injury that sidelined him for several weeks.
The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, playing their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Beginning in 2017, the Sharks began play as charter members of the National Arena League (NAL). They were members of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2010 to 2016 and won the championship of their division in the first four seasons of their existence.
Jeffrey Hughley is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tulsa Talons in 2010. He finished the season with over 1,000 and 28 touchdowns as a receiver.
Sale' Key is a former American football player.. He played as a wide receiver for Idaho State University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2005.
Randy Degg is a former American football player. He played as a center for Northwood University. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Fort Wayne Fusion in 2007.
Isaac Morales is a former American football offensive lineman who is currently a varsity offensive line football coach at Allen D. Nease High School. He played guard for the University of Wyoming.
Justin Parrish is a former American football defensive end. He played as a defensive end and linebacker for Kent State University. He was signed as a free agent by the Jacksonville Sharks in 2010. Parrish attended a workout with the Washington Redskins in 2006, but did not make the team. Parrish began his professional career with the Ohio Valley Greyhounds of United Indoor Football.
Marco Capozzoli is a former American football placekicker who played for the Tulsa Talons and Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League (AFL). He was a placekicker for Montclair State University. He was signed as a free agent by the Jacksonville Sharks in 2010. Capozzoli has been a resident of Bloomfield, New Jersey.
The 2011 Jacksonville Sharks season was the second season for the franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was coached by Les Moss and played their home games at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. In the regular season, the Sharks went 14–4, qualifying for the playoffs as the top seed in the American Conference. After defeating the Orlando Predators in the conference semifinals, they beat the Georgia Force in the American Conference championship. Advancing to ArenaBowl XXIV, the Sharks triumphed over the Arizona Rattlers on a last-second game-winning touchdown pass to win their first ArenaBowl championship.
Les Moss is an American football coach and current head coach of the Northern Arizona Wranglers in the Indoor Football League (IFL). He was the head coach of the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2010 to 2016 and the assistant head coach of the Albany Empire of the AFL from 2018 to 2019. He was the head coach of the IFL's Iowa Barnstormers for the 2021 season. He is the son of former NFL, AFL, CFL and NCAA head football coach Perry Moss, who is enshrined in the AFL Hall of Fame.
Thomas Eric Smith is a former American football running back who played one season with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and one season for the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League (WFL).
Jeff Littlejohn is former American football defensive lineman who played in the Arena Football League (AFL) for the San Jose SaberCats, Jacksonville Sharks and Georgia Force.