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.
 | |
| Sport | Ultimate |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 (as Jacksonville Cannons) |
| Division | South |
| Based in | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Stadium | Gibbs High School[1] |
| Colors | Yellow and black |
| Head coach | Mike Taylor |
| Overall record | 35-45 (regular season) 0-2 (playoffs) |
| Website | theaudl |
History
editBill 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- ^ Graddy, Tyler (January 7, 2020). "Catching up with the Tampa Bay Cannons". TheIdentityTB. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Dixon, Drew (July 18, 2015). "Professional ultimate Frisbee? Jacksonville has one of those". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Jesson, Nathan (April 11, 2015). "AUDL Offseason Grades: South". Skyd Magazine. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Eisenhood, Charlie (December 12, 2017). "Jacksonville Cannons Relocating To Orlando". Ultiworld. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Eisenhood, Charlie (January 4, 2018). "Less Than A Month After Move To Orlando, AUDL's Cannons Relocate To Tampa". Ultiworld. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Cannons (AUDL) Update Logo". Sludge Output. March 6, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Manning, Margie (November 12, 2019). "Professional ultimate disc team wants to move to St. Pete". St. Pete Catalyst. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ "2020 AUDL Divisional Realignment". American Ultimate Disc League. 2 December 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "Houston Set To Join League In 2023". AUDL. 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
External links
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