Grand Rapids Dragons
The Grand Rapids Dragons (based in Grand Rapids, Michigan) were established in 2014 into the UFFL. Their team colors are green, black (and sometimes red or yellow). Although they have not won any championships, they were set up to do well in recent years under quarterback Terence Curran. The Dragons are also known historically for being the friendliest towards accepting and drafting female athletes.
Twitter Account: @GRDragons_UFFL
| Conference / Division | Continental West |
|---|---|
| City | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| Stadium | Meijer Field -
"The Dragons' Lair" |
| All-Time W-L Record | 31-33-0 |
| 2018 Season Record | 0-0 (0-0) |
| Conference Champions | 1 (2015) |
| FurBowl Championships | 0 |
Management
| Franchise Manager (IRL) | Lazarus_Otter (FA) |
|---|---|
| General Manager (IC) | Mara Cuthbert (Otter - Eurasian) |
| Head Coach | Artemis McKeegan (Dragon, western) |
| Offensive Coordinator | Orran Bostwick (koala) |
| Defensive Coordinator | Sierra Holden (Lion) |
| Special Teams Coordinator | Kristiana Jakobsen (Norwegian elkhound) |
| GM Spreadsheet | -Link here- |
Stadium Capacity: 71,350
Colors*: Dark Myrtle Green (#183116), Red (#FF0000), Golden Yellow (#FFDF00), Ivory White (#FFFFF0)
2014 Season
Football in the West Michigan region was starting to build momentum with the Grand Rapids Foxes when the FAFF was forced to cease operations, and the unsuccessful merger of FAFF with the FFL left open a void in furry football. When the United Furry Football League was announced, it was unknown whether or not the franchise would carry over as the previous ownership had intended to sell the franchise when it was clear that the previous league would not survive.
The franchise was purchased by Crocosaur Sports and Entertainment Ventures at a discounted price (which still to this day remains undisclosed) at the decision of rock 'n roll megastar Croco Chilton. One of the first decisions made was a rebranding of the franchise, and various team names were thrown around and suggested before it would eventually be left to the fans. Out of thousands of entries, there were several who chose Dragons and management decided upon that name. "Dragons are fierce and noble creatures," the press release said, "who are diligent and steadfast, holding their ground on the defensive and never yielding an inch, while at same time attacking with unrelenting precision and fury. Those are the principles upon which we shall build our club."
A new stadium would be built in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids to be ready for the 2014 season and named after the Meijer Brothers, a pair of influential business leaders and philanthropists native to the area who own and run a successful supermarket chain throughout the Great Lakes region. With the excitement building to a fevered pitch, it wouldn't be until Week 3 that Meijer Field would see its first regular season game against the California Dons. And while the first points of the new stadium would go to the Dons on a touchdown pass from Darnell Paige to Koriun Masquarde, the Grand Rapids faithful were starting to warm up to their new home. The first points for the home team would come on an Earl Holley field goal, while the first Dragons touchdown would have to wait until the 4th quarter, when Vern McCauley, filling in for the injured Terence Curran, threw at 28-yard pass to Nathanael Mullen. And even though the Dragons would lose by the score of 30-25, a few of the Dons players said after the game that it was a tough victory. "They did a good job," one offensive lineman said, "It was loud, their fans were really in it, and we really had to work for that one."
The Dragons would lose five of their first six games, but a bright spot in that time would be the emergence of defensive end Tim Gorman as one of the fledgling UFFL's elite pass rushers. Starting the year on the practice squad, the feline got his break when starter Stephen Stovall went down with an injury and needed several weeks to recover. He filled in admirably during the slump, but it was when the Dragons snapped the streak with an impressive 29-0 victory against the Outlaws in Chicago that Gorman's star rose. He terrorized the Outlaws' tackles and recorded three sacks in the win, and got to the quarterback several other times as the league took notice. Gorman followed that up with 6 tackles, including 2 for losses, and a fumble recovery in the 27-24 win against the in-state rival Downriver Waves. But the team couldn't recapture the momentum and ended up finishing the season at 6-10, with the first victory at Meijer Field not coming until Week 13, a 34-31 thriller against the Baltimore Ponies where a healthy Curran threw for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns, while running back and fan favorite Dusty Copperfield picked up 85 yards on the ground and scored twice, and had a 23-yard reception in the game as well.
Season Record: 6-10 (3-7)
Starting Roster
The table below includes all players currently starting on the Dragons roster.
ROSTER CAP: 33/53
| Photo | # | Name | Pos. | Species | Ht | Wt | Yr | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Travis Lockhart | QB | Panther - Black | 6'6 | 255 | 2 | Arkansas Pred Tech | |
| 49 | Kevin Laroche | RB | 5'9 | 197 | R | |||
| 38 | Robert Purdy | RB | 5'9 | 211 | 3 | |||
| Oliver Smithson | RB | |||||||
| 30 | Kent Strunk | RB | 5'11 | 200 | R | |||
| 36 | Wilson Nelson | FB | 6'4 | 233 | 1 | |||
| 83 | Francis Meyer | TE | Mole- Eastern | 6'2 | 260 | 7 | ||
| 87 | Royce Herndon | WR | Horse- Painted | 6'5 | 226 | 5 | Prairie Valley | |
| 88 | Chantal Larouche | WR | 5'9 | 215 | R | |||
| 19 | Daniel van Baarle | WR | 6'4 | 195 | 1 | |||
| 86 | Wade Winstead | WR | 6'4 | 216 | R | |||
| 68 | Darren Hibbard | G | Hippopotamus | 6'5 | 335 | 5 | Cal Furry Tech | |
| 63 | Chester Dermitt | G | Cattle - Belgian blue | 6'6 | 348 | 3 | Texas Bovine | |
| 76 | Sakira Kheiralla | T | 6'7 | 305 | R | |||
| 74 | Ralph Milligan | T | Dog- Red-handed | 6'1 | 295 | 5 | Chicago Bay | |
| 52 | Steven Bryant | C | 6'3 | 316 | R | |||
| 52 | Damien Smith | C | 6'1 | 310 | 7 | |||
| 98 | Leslie Mayberry | DT | Caracal | 6'1 | 285 | 8 | ||
| 97 | Garrett Devine | DT | 6'1 | 316 | 5 | |||
| 90 | O'Kalinga Miller | DT | 6'4 | 320 | 2 | |||
| 93 | Stephan Stovall | DE | Thylacine | 6'2 | 296 | 8 | ||
| 94 | Tim Gorman | DE | Panther | 6'6 | 258 | 5 | Florida Feline | |
| 52 | Jasper Watts | LB | Skunk - Western spotted | 6'3 | 245 | 6 | ||
| 55 | Tomas Mercer | LB | Chipmunk - Eastern | 5'10 | 240 | 10 | ||
| 33 | Donnell Atwood | CB | Rabbit- New England Cottontail | 6'3 | 215 | 11 | ||
| 23 | Colleen Kemper | CB | Albatross | 6'1 | 165 | 2 | ||
| 31 | Ahmed Ball | SS | Tasmanian Devil | 5'9 | 194 | 7 | ||
| 41 | Alex Weaver | SS | Skunk | 5'11 | 201 | 5 | Shrewsville | |
| 21 | Jennifer Rippon | SS | 6'0 | 186 | 1 | |||
| 25 | Zachary Robinson | FS | Ferret- Black-footed | 6'2 | 200 | 12 | Rootgers | |
| 41 | Sheldon Slone | FS | 6'4 | 224 | 1 | |||
| 12 | Terry Benson | K | 6'0 | 250 | 6 | |||
| 7 | Robert Hansen | K | 5'8 | 160 | R | |||
| P |
Practice Squad
The table below includes players who are currently appointed to the Practice Squad.
PRACTICE SQUAD CAP: 0/X
| Photo | # | Name | Pos | Species | Ht | Wt | Yr | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
