The 2009 Arkansas Twisters season was the franchise's tenth season as a football franchise, last in the arenafootball2 league, and final season as the "Arkansas Twisters". The National Conference team, led by head coach Chris Siegfried, played their home games on Allstate Field at Alltel Arena (which changed names to "Verizon Arena" mid-season) in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Diamonds finished the 2009 regular season with an 11-5 record and 2nd place in the Southwest Division. The team's playoff run ended with a 36-77 loss to the Boise Burn in the first round.
Off-field moves After two seasons in the Central Division of the National Conference, the Twisters were realigned to the Southwest Division for the 2009 season. They joined the Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings, Corpus Christi Sharks, and Rio Grande Valley Dorados in the Southwest Division.
The Twisters re-signed head coach Chris Siegfried for a second season after leading the team to a winning record and a short playoff run in 2008. The assistant coaches for 2009 were former Dallas Cowboys fullback and first-year coach Robert Thomas, four-time ArenaBowl champion player and 2004 ArenaBowl Defensive MVP Omar Smith, plus veteran assistant coach and East Tennessee State University alum Travis Crusenberry.
In April 2009, the team was alerted that two active players had been assigned the "retired" jersey numbers of former Twisters players Reggie Swinton and Kahlil Carter. The team blamed the error on a "former employee" who had ordered the team's new uniforms without checking with veteran front office staff.
2009 was the final year for Arkansas in arenafootball2 (af2) as the league was merged with remnants of the original Arena Football League to create Arena Football 1. Although they signed on as a charter member of Arena Football 1, Twisters ownership soon had issues with league restructuring and financial stability so they jumped to the Indoor Football League. To avoid buying the rights to the team's name and logo, the Arkansas franchise held a "name the team" contest and became the Arkansas Diamonds for the 2010 season, their last before relocating to Texas. Arkansas is the site of the only diamond mine in the United States.
Roster moves When pre-season training camp began on March 6, 2009, players included the 2008 AF2 Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Kyle Rowley, plus defensive back Lawrence Richardson, wide receiver Robert Johnson, kicker James Paul, and prospect Xavier Lee.
Receiver Rod Harper left the team mid-season in June 2009 when he signed with the NFL's New Orleans Saints. Harper was the second Twisters player to jump directly from AF2 to the NFL. (The first was Reggie Swinton who played for the Twisters in 2000 before being signed by the Dallas Cowboys in 2001.)
Schedule
Pre-season Week Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Final Score Team Record1WednesdayMarch 187:05pmat Spokane ShockL 28-35---Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
Regular season Week Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Team Record1SaturdayMarch 287:05pmBossier–Shreveport Battle WingsW 39-381-0Alltel Arena 3,8192SaturdayApril 47:00pmat Amarillo DustersW 45-242-0Amarillo Civic Center 2,4483SaturdayApril 117:05pmRio Grande Valley DoradosW 77-643-0Alltel Arena 3,4554SaturdayApril 187:05pmTennessee Valley VipersL 60-613-1Alltel Arena 3,7395FridayApril 247:30pmat Green Bay BlizzardW 62-474-1Resch Center 5,8656SaturdayMay 27:00pmat Bossier–Shreveport Battle WingsL 61-694-2CenturyTel Center 2,9787SaturdayMay 97:05pmFlorida FirecatsW 55-425-2Alltel Arena 3,6988SaturdayMay 169:00pmat Central Valley CoyotesW 68-516-2Selland Arena 1,8569 Bye10SaturdayMay 307:05pmat Corpus Christi SharksW 82-597-2American Bank Center 3,84211SaturdayJune 67:05pmOklahoma City Yard DawgzL 54-567-3Alltel Arena 4,26312SaturdayJune 137:00pmat Tulsa TalonsL 47-567-4BOK Center 5,51113SaturdayJune 207:05pmAmarillo VenomW 63-628-4Alltel Arena 3,14214SaturdayJune 277:05pmat Rio Grande Valley DoradosW 57-549-4Dodge Arena 4,41015 Bye16SaturdayJuly 117:05pmCorpus Christi SharksW 57-4710-4Verizon Arena* 3,25017SaturdayJuly 187:05pmTulsa TalonsW 81-5511-4Verizon Arena* 4,26118SaturdayJuly 257:00pmat Bossier–Shreveport Battle WingsL 50-6411-5CenturyTel Center 5,612 Because of the sale of Alltel to Verizon Wireless, the Alltel Arena was renamed "Verizon Arena" on July 1, 2009.
Playoffs Round Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Team Record1SaturdayAugust 17:00pmat Boise BurnL 36-77---Qwest Arena 2,887
Roster 2009 Arkansas Twisters roster Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen Linebackers
Defensive backs
Kickers Injured Reserve currently vacant
Exempt list currently vacant
rookies in italics Roster updated July 25, 2009 20 Active, 0 Inactive
→ More rosters
References
External links 2009 Arkansas Twisters Team History at ArenaFan.com Texas Revolution official website