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2001 Season
It all started one cool Saturday morning
in February of 2001. That's when Catherine Masters (NWFA CEO &
founder) held tryouts for the first women's football team in
Pensacola. Ray Quinn (Head Coach & owner of the Alabama
Renegades)
and Tim Smart (Power Head Coach Candidate) were on hand to greet the
first batch of football hopefuls. Over 120 women tried out for
the team
over the next three weekends but only 60 could make the squad.
After a
laborious selection process, 60 women were chosen and the team was
ready to get started.
The Power had less than 2 months to
select a team, get in shape, order equipment and learn the fundamentals
of the game. Expectations for the first season were
understandably
moderate. With 4 games against teams from Nashville and
Huntsville,
(teams with 8 games under their belts) the Power was optimistically
hoping for a 4-4 season. No one was prepared for what happened
next ...
The Power burst on the
NWFA scene with a
vengeance setting records for attendance ranging from a reported 2,500
to 5,000 fans per game. No one was disappointed. During the
course of
their first season the Power recorded the first ever undefeated regular
season, earned the Southern Division Title with the 2nd ranked defense
and the 2nd ranked offense in the league, had the leagues first and
only 1,000 yard rusher (Jill Penderghest), the league leader in
interceptions (Jodi Albright), the leagues’ best punter and field goal
kicker (Emily Morgan) and earned a berth in the first ever NWFA
National Championship game. While the Power lost the championship
game
to nerves and the overwhelming size and strength of the Philadelphia
Liberty Belles, no one could have asked for a better start.
While the team was dominating the
playing field the administrative side of the program struggled.
Due to a
desire to do things in a “big way”, some questionable business
decisions and very shaky accounting methods the team with the largest
fan attendance rate found itself $25,000 in debt and questioning if
there would be a next season ...
2002 Season
The 2002 season began under a heavy
cloud of doubt. After an awesome 8-1 inaugural season but a huge
debt
many wondered if the team would survive long enough to have a second
season. Fortunately fate stepped in. Just a few
weeks
before the opening of the 2002 season, the Pensacola
Power was sold to a local boxing champion and the
message
was simple: "Here is your second chance. Now make it work."
Bolstered by new ownership and
confidence, the Power prepared for the 2002 season. With about 25
returning veterans the Power had a solid core to build on. The
NWFA had
added another 10 teams to the league and had recreated itself into five
conferences. The Power found itself in the new Gulf Coast
Division with
teams from Biloxi, Panama City and New Orleans. The Power was
quick to
use experience and strength to dominate divisional opponents and
wrapped up the teams 2nd consecutive undefeated season and division
title. They outscored their opponents 421-19. They had the #1
rated
offense and the #2 rated defense in the league for the season. The Power
defeated the
Alabama Renegades 12-8 in the first round of the play-offs but lost in the next
round to
the eventual national champions, the Detroit Danger (now known as the
Detroit Demolition), by a score of 14-7. The Power had achieved a 17-2 (.894 winning percentage)
record over the last two years.
Unlike the 2001 season, the 2002 season
was a success on and off the field. With new management and solid financial
principles, the Power ended the year with zero debt and the
ability to start the 2003 season with a small balance in the bank.
2003 Season
Head Coach Tim Smart - who is an officer in the United States Air Force (when he's not coaching football) receives orders at the
beginning of the 2003 season and knows he'll have to leave before his
job is finished with the team. The Power warms up with a home
pre-season game against the Nashville Dream, winning 37-12. Coach Smart takes the Power to a 7-0
record before he has to pack up for the left coast. Coach Mike Thomas
(defensive coordinator) takes over as head coach and the transition is
smooth. Coach Thomas'
first official game as head coach was a victory and sealed up an
incredible record of 8-0, outscoring opponents 480-10. The Power is now undefeated in regular season play for the third
consecutive year.
Entering the playoffs with an official bye and home field advantage, the Power is ranked No.
1 in the Southern Conference. The
first match-up was against the Alabama Renegades. With a victory of
32-12, the Power advanced to play Oklahoma City . Again, the team was successful with a victory of 26-14 and went on to the championship
in Nashville, TN. Although the Power played a head to head game at
Vanderbilt against the Detroit Demolition, Detroit made wise use of the
clock and went on to win the championship title with a score of 28-21. The Power holds a
record of 10-1 for the 2003 Season and are the reigning Gulf Coast
Division Champions and Southern Conference Champions. They were
rated #1 Defense and #2 Offense in the league for the season, according to Massy
Ratings. The
franchise record stands at 27-3 (.894), not including pre-season
scrimmages. The national title has so far managed to slip out of their grasp, but the Power has
without a doubt established themselves as a national contender.
2004 Season
With Coach Mike Thomas leading the way, the Power has some new division
competition, as the Alabama Renegades are shifted into the Gulf
Coast Division from the Southern Division. Although the games
were tougher as the competition gets more experienced, the Power has
their 4th consecutive 8-0 regular
season. New playoff rules which
were put into place made the scenario such that you must beat each
opponent by more than 30 points to ultimately gain the home field
advantage. Teams who were given forfeits automatically were
credited with a 30 point spread win. Although 8-0 and outscoring
their opponents 398-57,
the Power lost the home field advantage, was seeded #3 and was forced
to travel for 2 out of 3 playoff games.
The Power breezed it's way
through the first round defeating the Ashville Assault 61-0. The
team met the always competitive Chattanooga Locomotion in the next
round. This was the first time the two teams had met again since
the 2001 season. The game began slowly with both teams showing
some strengths and weaknesses but the Power opened things up in the
second half and defeated the Locomotion 35-20.
The final playoff
game and Southern Conference Championship was next, against the Lightning in
Oklahoma City. The Power, however, were disappointed as they aren't able to
take the team to the final game with a loss to OKC. The franchise
record now stands
at 36-4 (.894) not including pre-season scrimmages.
2005 Season
The biggest question of the year
is; after the hard loss in Oklahoma City, can the Power
continue their regular season winning streak? The now annual
pre-season game against the Nashville Dream gave the team a bit of
confidence as they win 38-0. The New Orleans Blaze starts the
season strong but the Power starts it's streak again. The next
7 games are won without question that the Power is back for
more. They post their FIFTH undefeated regular season.
Earning a #1 seed going into playoffs. Both Oklahoma and the
Power survive to meet each other again to claim the Southern
Conference Championship. The game itself is delayed by a week
by a very active hurricane season which made travel
impossible. The weather the following week abated enough
to schedule the game although the final decision was in doubt almost
until kickoff. The game went forward and this time they met in
Pensacola's house and the Power beat Oklahoma with a field goal in
overtime earning a third appearance at the Championships. The Power
travel the very next week to Louisville, KY to play the Detroit
Demolition for the NWFA Championship but they were literally out of
their league as the were overpowered by a painful 74-0 loss.
2006 Season
Limping home after their loss, the
Power never quite recovered and suffered their first regular season
loss in the franchise history to the Austin Outlaws. They ended the
2006 season 6-2 but still captured their Southeast Division Title.
After a bye in the first round, the Power were beaten by the
Columbus Comets in the 2nd round of playoffs to end their 2006
season.
They plan to rebuild and be a revitalized team in
the 2007 season.
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