Iowa Barnstormers

 The Early Years

In February of 1992, Jim Foster (Founder of the Arena Football League) met with a small group of local investors with the idea of bringing an expansion franchise to Des Moines. One year later, the Arena football League played its first game in Iowa; a pre-season match-up between the Arizona Rattlers and Cleveland Thunderbolts. The teams played in front of a sell-out crowd. Following the success of that game, the AFL brought their All-Star Game to Des Moines that August and in April of 1994, Des Moines was awarded an expansion franchise for the 1995 season.

On February 6, 1995 the Iowa Barnstormers introduced John Gregory as their first ever Head Coach. The Barnstormers kicked off their inaugural season on the road against the Milwaukee Mustangs on May 12 and returned home a week later on May 20 to take on the Miami Hooters at Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

The Iowa Barnstormers team started out as a success, qualifying for playoffs their inaugural season in 1995. This winning atmosphere carried on as the team made it all the way to ArenaBowl X in 1996 followed by an appearance in ArenaBowl XI in 1997.

      
 

Kurt Warner

The Iowa Barnstormers boosted the rise of Kurt Warner in the 1990’s. Warner was working at Hy-Vee Grocery Store bagging groceries before signing on as Quarterback of the Iowa Barnstormers in 1995. Warner was with the team through both of their ArenaBowl appearances before the football star signed a contract to play for the NFL’s St. Louis Rams. Warner would later lead the Rams to a SuperBowl XXXIV victory in January of 2000 and the rest is history.

      
 

The Garcia Era

After Warner’s exit to the NFL, Aaron Garcia became the starting quarterback. Garcia went on to spend four years with the Barnstormers, breaking many of Warner’s records. Under the leadership of Garcia, the Barnstormers returned to the playoffs in 1999 and 2000.

      
 

The New York Dragons

Following the 2000 season, the Iowa Barnstormers franchise was sold to the NHL’s New York Islanders ownership group. They believed the team needed a more modern venue and they were searching to place the team in a larger market. That fall, the AFL approved to move the team from Des Moines to Long Island, New York and renamed the team, the New York Dragons. However, this did not remove the team completely, because the Barnstormers were awarded an af2 franchise carrying the same name. The franchise played one season in af2 before ceasing operations in 2001.

      
 

The Return

Over the next few years, the sports landscape in Des Moines changed drastically, most notably with the opening of Wells Fargo Arena in 2005. With a new facility in place, a group of local investors led by Jeff Lamberti applied for an af2 expansion franchise in 2007 and the Iowa Barnstormers.

The team returned for the 2008 season along with Head Coach John Gregory and the fan support came back as though the team had never left. The Barnstormers got off to a rocky start with their record, but were second in the league in attendance. The 2009 season proved that the Barnstormers could only continue to grow making it to playoffs

       

In 2010, the Barnstormers took the next step forward as they once again became part of the Arena Football League.

       

The IFL

In 2015, the Iowa Barnstormers once again made a change as they joined the Indoor Football League.

       

United Bowl Championship

On July 7, 2018, the Iowa Barnstormers earned their first ever Championship Title after a nail-biting 42-38 victory over the Sioux Falls Storm in the United Bowl Championship on their home turf at Wells Fargo Arena.