Tampa Bay Cannons

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Jacksonville Cannons)
Tampa Bay Cannons
SportUltimate
Founded2015 (as Jacksonville Cannons)
DivisionSouth
Based inSt. Petersburg, Florida
StadiumGibbs High School[1]
ColorsYellow and black
   
Head coachMike Taylor
Overall record35-45 (regular season)
0-2 (playoffs)
Websitetheaudl.com/cannons

The Tampa Bay Cannons (formerly the Jacksonville Cannons) were a professional ultimate team in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Cannons were active from 2015 to 2022.

History[edit]

Bill Kilgannon purchased American Ultimate Disc League franchise rights for Jacksonville, Florida in 2012; the team, called the Cannons, debuted in the 2015 season and made the playoffs in its inaugural season.[2] The team drew from many former college during its inaugural season, including those from the University of Florida, Florida State University, and the University of Central Florida.[3] After the team's 2017 season, ownership decided to relocate to Tampa, citing better community interest for games.[4] It was later revealed that Kilgannon had sold the team to the AUDL, and that the league planned the move to Orlando. However, a group of owners from Tampa Bay made the purchase in time for the 2018 season and moved the team to Tampa.[5] The Cannons also rolled out a redesigned logo coinciding with the move to Tampa.[6] After playing two years in Tampa, the team expressed interest in moving to St. Petersburg, Florida for the 2020 season, citing more community support than Tampa.[7] The team was realigned to the short-lived Atlantic Division for the 2021 season, [8] which became the South Division again in 2022. The Cannons ceased operations after the 2022 season.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Graddy, Tyler (January 7, 2020). "Catching up with the Tampa Bay Cannons". TheIdentityTB. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  2. ^ Dixon, Drew (July 18, 2015). "Professional ultimate Frisbee? Jacksonville has one of those". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Jesson, Nathan (April 11, 2015). "AUDL Offseason Grades: South". Skyd Magazine. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Eisenhood, Charlie (December 12, 2017). "Jacksonville Cannons Relocating To Orlando". Ultiworld. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Eisenhood, Charlie (January 4, 2018). "Less Than A Month After Move To Orlando, AUDL's Cannons Relocate To Tampa". Ultiworld. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "Tampa Bay Cannons (AUDL) Update Logo". Sludge Output. March 6, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. ^ Manning, Margie (November 12, 2019). "Professional ultimate disc team wants to move to St. Pete". St. Pete Catalyst. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "2020 AUDL Divisional Realignment". American Ultimate Disc League. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "Houston Set To Join League In 2023". AUDL. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2022-11-20.

External links[edit]