Rio Grande Valley Dorados
The Rio Grande Valley Dorados were a professional arena football team. They began play in 2004 as an expansion member of af2, the minor league to the Arena Football League. They played their home games at Obra Homes Field at Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
| Rio Grande Valley Dorados | |
|---|---|
| Established 2003 Folded 2009 Played in Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
af2 (2004–2009)
| |
| Team colors | Navy blue, red, gold, white |
| Personnel | |
| Head coach | Gary Gussman (2004) Kevin Guy (2005) Marty Hammond (2006–2009) |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
Division championships (1)
| |
| Playoff appearances (3) | |
| |
| Home arena(s) | |
| |
They had been fairly successful in their existence, including a 15–1 regular season in 2007 before losing to Bossier-Shreveport in the American Conference semifinals.
The team folded in 2009 after the af2 folded, at which point the relaunched Arena Football League (AFL) then owned the rights to the Dorados name and logo.[1] The AFL let the trademarks lapse and a new team using the same branding was launched in 2019 as part of a regional league called the International Arena Football League. The new team, owned by Juan and Erika Arevalo, markets itself as a continuation of the defunct af2 team.
Season-by-season
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 4th NC Southwest | — |
| 2005 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd NC West | Won NC Quarterfinal (Quad City) Won NC Semifinal (Tulsa) Lost NC Championship (Memphis) |
| 2006 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 4th NC Midwest | — |
| 2007 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1st NC Southwest | Won Round 1 (Alabama) Lost AC Semifinals (Bossier-Shreveport) |
| 2008 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NC Southwest | — |
| 2009 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 3rd NC Southwest | Lost NC Round 1 (Bossier-Shreveport) |
| Totals | 57 | 45 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
Notable players
- Mike Duncan – WR/DB
- Eddie Moten – DS – 2012 member of the Orlando Predators
- Dustin Bell – K
- Chris Canty – WR/DB
- Torry Joubert – WR/DB
- Dontae Saulter – WR
- Quincy Carter – QB
- Joe McClendon – CB/S
- Ramonce Taylor – WR-left Dorados in 2009 for the CFL. Came back to play the rest of the season with Dorados.
- Jake Bauer – K
2009 RGV Dorados roster
| Uniform # | Player | Position | Height | Weight | College | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rod Windsor | WR/LB | 6'2 | 208 | Western New Mexico | R |
| 2 | Travis McAlpine | WR/LB | 6'2 | 210 | Saginaw Valley St. | 5 |
| 3 | Anthony Chambers | WR/DB | 6'1 | 200 | Purdue | 3 |
| 5 | Donnell August | FB/LB | 6'3 | 240 | Western St. | R |
| 6 | Marcus Harris | FB/LB | 6'2 | 270 | East Central Oklahoma | 1 |
| 7 | Derrick Harris | WR/DB | 5'10 | 185 | Sam Houston St. | 2 |
| 8 | Rubio Radamez | K | 6'0 | 225 | Iberodamericana (Intl.-Mexico) | R |
| 9 | Bret Smith | WR/DB | 6'3 | 195 | Tennessee | R |
| 12 | Tiger Lyon | QB | 6'2 | 190 | Middlebury College | 1 |
| 17 | Nick Hill | QB | 6'3 | 215 | Southern Illinois | R |
| 22 | Dahnel Singfield | DB | 6'1 | 190 | Buffalo | 3 |
| 23 | Craig Turner | WR/DB | 5'9 | 197 | SIU Carbondale | R |
| 24 | Riley Swanson | WR/DB | 5'11 | 185 | Wake Forest | R |
| 34 | Alvertis Gatlin | FB/LB | 6'2 | 255 | Harding | 2 |
| 51 | Valentine Chude | FB/LB | 6'2 | 250 | Western New Mexico | R |
| 66 | Raushan Rowser | OL/DL | 6'4 | 300 | Tennessee St. | 2 |
| 71 | Darren Marquez | OL/DL | 6'4 | 295 | Southern Illinois | R |
| 72 | Garrett Mason | OL/DL | 6'5 | 315 | Duke | 1 |
| 77 | Walter Thomas | OL/DL | 6'5 | 350 | Oklahoma St. | R |
| 79 | Robert Nelson | OL/DL | 6'10 | 350 | Oklahoma St. | R |
| 90 | Christopher Eccles | OL/DL | 5'11 | 285 | Delta St. | R |
| 99 | David Miller | LB/DL | 6'4 | 260 | UAB | R |
Rivalry between RGV and Corpus Christi
This rivalry started heating up when Corpus Christi became a team in the AF2, in 2007. The Inaugural game for Corpus Christi was on April 7, 2007. They hosted the heavily favored Rio Grande Valley Dorados. The Dorados romped the Sharks 66-28 in the first game ever for the Corpus Christi Sharks.
- The Dorados lead the series (9-1) against the Sharks
2007
- RGV won 66-28 April 7, 2007
- RGV won 45-20 May 11, 2007
- RGV won 78-17 June 30, 2007
2008
- CC won 61-54 April 12, 2008
- RGV won 53-52 May 3, 2008
- RGV won 48-26 July 14, 2008
2009
- RGV won 40-33 March 28, 2009
- RGV won 77-50 April 25, 2009
- RGV won 51-48 June 13, 2009
- RGV won 78-51 July 25, 2009
Head coaches
- 2004: Gary Gussman, 6–10 in the regular season
- 2005: Kevin Guy, 10–6 in the regular season; 2–1 in playoffs
- 2006–2009: Marty Hammond, 38–26 in the regular season; 1–1 in playoffs
References
- "Statement Regarding Future of Dorados". Rio Grande Dorados, 2009-09-15