Grand Rapids Dragons

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Revision as of 22:46, 28 November 2016 by 107.4.121.83 (talk)
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Designed by tusk

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

Conference Continental
City Grand Rapids, Michigan
Stadium Meijer Field
Historical W-L Record (Conf.) 20-22 (9-11)
2016 Season Record 4-6 (3-3)
Championships 0
Conference Champions 1 (2015)

Management

Head Coach Bobby Verde

 (roadrunner)

Offensive Coordinator Orran Bostwick (koala)
Defensive Coordinator Artemis McKeegan (Dragon, western)
Special Teams Coordinator Kristiana Jakobsen (Norwegian elkhound)
Owner / GM croco
Head Coach Stryker_Fox
MASTER SHEET -Link here-

Owner: Crocosaur Sports and Entertainment Ventures, Inc. - This is the company that owns the FHL's Bridgeport Bandicoots, FLB's New Orleans Pelicans, and Crocosaur Racing in the FURCAR Furry Cup Series.
Principal Owner: "Croco" Chilton - A successful rock musician and creator of several clothing lines
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)

2015 Season

The GM will fill this section in with whatever they see fit.

Season Record: 10-6 (6-4)

2016 Season

The GM will fill this section in with whatever they see fit.

Season Record: 4-6 (3-3)

Starting Roster

The table below includes all players currently starting on the Dragons roster.

ROSTER CAP: 40/40

Photo # Name Pos. Species Ht Wt Yr College
9 Terence Curran QB Kangaroo 6'3 239 10
5 Peli Connors QB Skunk 5'9 185 3 Anthro
19 Travis Lockhart QB Panther - Black 6'6 255 R Arkansas Pred Tech
42 Dusty Copperfield RB Civet - Asian Palm 6'3 215 6
34 Serathin Blackfeather RB Wolf / Dragon 6'3 190 3 Nexus Realm
48 Plato Madison RB Dog - Carolina 6'0 225 7
30 Cole Hargrove FB Possum 6'0 250 9
83 Francis Meyer TE Mole- Eastern 6'2 260 5
86 Rueben Gillen TE 6'4 256 1
18 Trevor Eddy WR Kangaroo Rat 6'1 212 5
84 Nathanael Mullen WR Canary 6'2 190 6
87 Royce Herndon WR Horse- Painted 6'5 226 3 Prairie Valley
82 Steven Selvanis WR Cerval 6'2 196 R Florida Feline
85 Adrian Vasquez WR Frog - Tree 6'1 200 12
68 Darren Hibbard G Hippopotamus 6'5 335 3 Cal Furry Tech
INJURED RESERVE 61 Sandy Steward C

Dog - Bluetick Coonhound

6'1 315 9
65 Roberto Hewitt C 6'2 318 1 Harvaardwak
58 Marvin Caldwell C Cow 6'4 321 1
Art by ~Pac
63 Chester Dermitt G Cattle - Belgian blue 6'6 348 2 Texas Bovine
66 Jerald Buckley T Tiger - Bengal 6'3 290 10
74 Ralph Milligan T Dog- Red-handed 6'1 295 3 Chicago Bay
64 Johnnie Hoover T Dog - Cairn terrier 6'1 300 12
96 Alexander Gamble DE Waterbuck 6'5 320 5
98 Leslie Mayberry DT Caracal 6'1 285 6
INJURED RESERVE 90 Joan Connors DT Boar - WIld 6'0 325 6
92 Martin Sapp DT Cow 6'3 300 9 Memphis Bovine
99 Logan Jackman DT Wolverine 6'5 308 2 Michigan Mustelid
93 Stephan Stovall DE Thylacine 6'2 296 6
94 Tim Gorman DE Panther 6'6 258 3 Florida Feline
52 Jasper Watts LB Skunk - Western spotted 6'3 245 4
55 Tomas Mercer LB Chipmunk - Eastern 5'10 240 8
56 Carlton Moser LB Fennec Fox 5'11 246 4
54 Willie Lenz LB 6'5 231 5
28 Isaac Hunt CB Ermine 6'1 190 4
33 Donnell Atwood CB Rabbit- New England Cottontail 6'3 215 9
23 Colleen Kemper CB Albatross 6'1 165 R
45 Daryl Funk CB Antelope- Bates' pygmy 5'10 184 9 Forest Park
31 Ahmed Ball SS Tasmanian Devil 5'9 194 5
41 Alex Weaver SS Skunk 5'11 201 3 Shrewsville
25 Zachary Robinson FS Ferret- Black-footed 6'2 200 10 Rootgers
39 Remone Frederick FS Monitor Lizard - Water 6'1 182 R
3 Earl Holley K Bilby 5'10 200 8
14 Gordon Hensley P Loon - Common 6'0 210 3

Practice Squad

The table below includes players who are currently appointed to the Practice Squad.

PRACTICE SQUAD CAP: 3/6

Photo # Name Pos Species Ht Wt Yr College
69 James Demers DE 6'2 287 R
43 Edward McDuffie FS 6'1 206 R
57 David Sanders C 6'1 286 1