Login
Login

New England Steamrollers

{{short description|Arena football team}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox indoor American football team

| name = New England Steamrollers

| logo = New England Steamrollers logo.png

| helmet = New England Steamrollers Helmet Logo.png

| founded = 1988

| folded = 1988

| city = Providence Civic Center
in Providence, Rhode Island

| colors = Black, orange, white
{{Color box|black}} {{Color box|#FF7F00}} {{Color box|white}}

| coach = Babe Parilli

| owner = Frank J. Russo
Robert Andreoli

| league =

Arena Football League ({{AFL Year|1988}})

| team_history =

  • New England Steamrollers (1988)

| no_conf_champs = 0

| conf_champs =

Prior to 2005, the AFL did not have conference championship games

| no_div_champs = 0

| div_champs =

| no_league_champs = 0

| league_champs =

| no_playoff_appearances = 0

| playoff_appearances =

| arena_years =

}}

The New England Steamrollers were a former Arena Football League team based in Providence, Rhode Island. The team played in the AFL's 1988 season. The Steamrollers were one of four teams to enter the AFL in 1988, and along with the New York Knights and Los Angeles Cobras were folded following the season.

The Steamrollers were based out of Providence, Rhode Island and played their home games at the Providence Civic Center. They were the first professional football team of any kind to play in Providence since the Providence Steam Roller folded in 1933 and the first non-minor league professional sports franchise to play in the city since the NBA's Providence Steamrollers folded in 1949.

The coach of the Steamrollers was former Boston Patriots All-Pro quarterback Babe Parilli.

History

{{main|1988 New England Steamrollers season}}

In 1988, Concert and fight promoter, Frank J. Russo, and jeweler, Robert Andreoli, purchased a limited partnership from the Arena Football League to own the rights to a Providence, Rhode Island team.{{cite web |url=http://www.funwhileitlasted.net/2012/02/17/92-new-england-steamrollers/ |title=1988 New England Steamrollers |author=Andy Crossley |publisher=Fun While it Lasted |work=www.funwhileitlasted.net |access-date=February 12, 2013}} The team's first move was the hiring of Head Coach, Babe Parilli in March.{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067508/1/index.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130407231947/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067508/1/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 7, 2013 |title=Off-the-wall Ball |author=Paul Zimmerman |date=July 11, 1988 |newspaper=Sports Illustrated |access-date=February 12, 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-02-sp-196-story.html |title=Names in the News |date=March 2, 1988 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=February 12, 2013}} After a 3-9 season, the Steamrollers didn't achieve the dollar amount that Russo and Andreoli thought they would, and the franchise folded.{{cite web |url=https://www.box.com/s/7528ae80edefa44f1e96 |title=Rob Ekno Interview |author=Andy Crossley |date=April 27, 2012 |publisher=Box |work=www.box.com |access-date=February 12, 2013}}

Notable players

=Roster=

class="toccolours" style="text-align: left;"
colspan="7" style="background:black; border:2px solid #FF7F00; color:white; text-align:center;"| 1988 New England Steamrollers roster
style="font-size:95%; vertical-align:top;"| Quarterbacks

Wide receivers/Defensive backs

-}} Jason Oliver
  • {{player|22}} Jim Pratt
  • {{player|28}} Jim Rafferty
  • {{player|27}} Tony Slaton
  • {{player|45}} Alvin Williams

    • | style="font-size:95%; vertical-align:top;"| Running backs/linebackers

    Offensive linemen/Defensive linemen

    | style="font-size:95%; vertical-align:top;"| Wide receivers/linebackers

    Kickers

    Rookies in italics

    [http://www.arenafan.com/teams/?page=history&team=9&year=1988 Roster] updated February 12, 2013

    29 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS

    =Arena Football League Hall of Famers=

    class="wikitable sortable"
    colspan="5" style="background:black; color:#ff7f00; text-align:center;"| New England Steamrollers Hall of Famers
    style="width:60px; background:black; color:white;"|No.

    !style="background: black; color: white" |Name

    !style="background: black; color: white" |Year inducted

    !style="background: black; color: white" |Position(s)

    !style="background: black; color: white" |Years w/ Steamrollers

    style="text-align:center;"| 68Sylvester Bemberystyle="text-align:center;"| 2011style="text-align:center;"|OL/DLstyle="text-align:center;"| 1988

    =All-Arena players=

    The following Steamrollers players were named to All-Arena Teams:

    Head coaches

    class="wikitable"
    rowspan="2" style="width:140px;"|Name

    ! rowspan="2" | Term

    ! colspan="4" | Regular season

    ! colspan="2" | Playoffs

    ! rowspan="2" | Awards

    W

    ! L

    ! T

    ! Win%

    ! W

    ! L

    style="text-align:center;"|Babe Parilli

    | style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Year|1988}}

    | style="text-align:center;"|3

    | style="text-align:center;"|9

    | style="text-align:center;"|0

    | style="text-align:center;"|{{winperc|3|9}}

    | style="text-align:center;"|0

    | style="text-align:center;"|0

    | style="text-align:center;"|

    Season-by-season

    {{Start NFL SBS}}

    |-

    |1988 || 3 || 9 || 0 || 5th || --

    |}

    References

    {{Reflist}}

    External links

    • [http://www.arenafan.com/teams/?page=history&team=9&year=1988 New England Steamrollers at ArenaFan.com]

    {{New England Steamrollers}}

    {{Defunct Arena Football League franchises}}

    Category:Defunct Arena Football League teams

    Category:American football teams established in 1988

    Category:American football teams disestablished in 1988

    Steamrollers

    Category:American football teams in Rhode Island

    Category:1988 establishments in Rhode Island

    Category:1988 disestablishments in Rhode Island