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20-568: The Xplosion was formed in 2003 as an IWFL exhibition team ("X-Team") from the players and staff of the defunct Atlanta Leopards team which played the NWFA . The Beniamino family was involved in all aspects of the team; in addition to the breadwinner Phil owning the team, his wife Denise played for the Xplosion (she played her husband's typical position of linebacker and wore his #33 uniform number). Even their daughter Kylie had her own unique role, as she

40-802: A first-round playoff home game. Their playoff run also saw success, winning the Eastern Conference Semifinal over the Jacksonville Dixie Blues by a score of 26-12 and later dethroning the reigning IWFL Champion New York Sharks 3-0 for the Eastern Conference Championship and the right to advance to the IWFL Championship Game in Manchester, New Hampshire (hosted by the Manchester Freedom ). Unfortunately,

60-458: A solid 6–2 record, for the first time since 2005, the Xplosion failed to win the conference title, for the first time since 2004, failed to win the division title, and for the first time since becoming a fully licensed team, failed to make the playoffs. For 2009, the Xplosion moved to their new home of James R. Hallford Stadium in Clarkston and their new head coach Maurice Tyler. Once again, despite

80-542: A strong 7–1 record, the Xplosion failed to make the playoffs once again because of a lower Team Rating than the wild-card winners Pittsburgh Passion . Once again, the Xplosion finished at 7–1, which was the best record in the division. However, because of the IWFL's Team Ratings system, the 5-3 D.C. Divas won the Southeast Division title. The two teams will play in the first round of the playoffs on June 12. In March 2011,

100-602: A windy day at Mitchel Field , Long Island Sharks surprised Minnesota, defeating them 12–6. The Sharks recorded two touchdown passes by quarterback Val Halesworth. One score was on a long pass to Natalie Jufer that led to a 71-yard touchdown. The other score was an 18-yard pass to Valerie Monaco. The Sharks played their home games at the Aviator Sports Complex at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York . They played an 8-game regular season schedule. From 2014 to 2015,

120-639: A women's flag football team called the Long Island Sharks ran by Jacqueline Colon. They played in international tournaments and were national champions. In 1999, the Women's Professional Football League (WPFL) was formed. It consisted of two teams, the Minnesota Vixens and the Lake Michigan Minx. They traveled the country playing each other on what was called the "No Limits" Tour. They had heard about

140-793: The Eastern Conference Semifinals (over the Bay State Warriors , 41–0) and Finals (over the New York Sharks , 35–14), but they also made history in the following IWFL Championship in Long Beach, California (hosted by the Long Beach Aftershock ). Their opponent, the Detroit Demolition , had won 42 consecutive games dating back to their inaugural season of 2002, and had won four straight NWFA championships before joining

160-466: The IWFL Championship Game which this time they were hosting against their opponent from the year before, the Detroit Demolition . Though it was the highest-attended title game in IWFL history, the Xplosion were not as successful this time around, losing 17–7 to the Demolition (who avenged their defeat in the previous year's game). 2008 was a disappointing year by Xplosion standards; despite finishing with

180-427: The IWFL. Needless to say, the Xplosion put that streak to a quick end, defeating the Demolition 21-14 and becoming 2006 IWFL World Champions. 2007, like the seasons before it, was a year of change. Moving into Roswell High School , the Xplosion promoted offensive line coach Mario D'Ella to head coach, leading to a revamping of the coaching staff; gone were Beniamino, Vance, and Couchoud, leaving only Zeric Foster from

200-600: The South Atlantic Division and a playoff spot. Their playoff run would end soon after it began with a 21-8 divisional playoff loss to their South Atlantic divisional rivals the Tampa Bay Terminators , who had beaten the Xplosion twice in the regular season but would go on to lose to the eventual IWFL Champion New York Sharks in the Eastern Conference Finals. 2005 was a year of many changes for

220-474: The Xplosion. In addition to moving to Campbell High School in nearby Smyrna , the Xplosion moved on without past coaches Marcus Dawson and John Singleton, hiring Charlene Vance , Craig Couchoud , and offensive line (who would later be head) coach Mario D'Ella . On the field, the Xplosion did even better than they had done in '04, finishing the regular season at a perfect 10–0, winning their first division title (Eastern Conference, South Central), and clinching

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240-412: The first round of the playoffs. The upcoming season is very promising for this young Xplosion team. Coach Zeric Foster has returned and the coaching staff has also been enriched with the addition of Gerald "Boo" Mitchell as offensive coordinator, and the return coach Vinson Brown. ** Won by forfeit National Women%27s Football Association The National Women's Football Association (NWFA)

260-633: The following notable exceptions: New York Sharks The New York Sharks were a women's American football team that was based in New York City . Their final season in 2018 was played as a member team of the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). They were the longest running and most winning team in women's football history with the honor of having a signed football in the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Management Staff The Final 2018 season Coaching staff: The New Yorks Sharks originally started as

280-403: The previous coaching staff and adding Charmaine Chin , Ronald Rankin , Jody Kerse and Marco McInness . Otherwise, not much had changed from prior seasons; again finishing 8–0, winning the South Atlantic Division title, and breezing through the Eastern Conference Semifinals (defeating the D.C. Divas ) and Championship (for the third straight year, defeating the New York Sharks ) to advance to

300-596: The success of the Long Island Sharks and challenged them to a full contact, tackle football game. Jacqueline Colon accepted the challenge and with two months to prepare, converted her flag football team to a tackle football team. On Saturday, December 11, 1999, the Minnesota Vixens came to New York to take on the Sharks. The Vixens were favored having played 4 games already, having a 2–2 record. The Sharks were coached by former New York Jet Bobby Jackson . Before 300 fans on

320-524: The team announced that the name of the team was changed from the Atlanta Xplosion to the Atlanta Ravens. The Ravens were undefeated the entire year to win a world championship. 2012 was a rebuilding year for the Xplosion. With a strong rookie class, a few dedicated veterans, and the addition of coach Vinson Brown (Defensive Line Coach), the team went 5–2 on the season, winning their division and making

340-516: The title game was not as successful, as the Xplosion lost to the Sacramento Sirens , 9–6. In 2006, Phil Beniamino sold the Xplosion to Takela Corbitt , who herself had played running back and fullback for the team for three years. Beniamino and his staff would remain as coaches, leading the Xplosion to a season even better than the one before it. Not only did they finish the regular season 7–1, win another division title (South Atlantic), and win

360-574: Was a full-contact American football league for women headquartered in Nashville , Tennessee . The league was founded by Catherine Masters in 2000, as the two benchmark teams, the Alabama Renegades and the Nashville Dream played each other six times in exhibition games. The opening season was in 2001 featuring ten teams. The NWFA did not officially field any teams for the 2009 season. The NWFA

380-692: Was originally called the National Women's Football League , but changed its name after the 2002 season. The name change came after pressure from the National Football League . The NFL also required the league to change the logos of some teams whose logos resembled those of NFL teams. League founder Catherine Masters was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. NWFA teams played according to standard National Football League rules with

400-448: Was the one who first thought up the Xplosion name. Coached by Phil, Marcus Dawson , Craig Couchoud and John Singleton and playing on the campus of Clark Atlanta University , the Xplosion had a successful exhibition season, finishing with a 9–1 record. 2004 was the Xplosion's first year as a fully licensed IWFL team. Adding Zeric Foster and Adrian "ACE" Carney to the coaching staff, the Xplosion finished 5–3, good for second place in

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