November 2000 The arenafootball2 league
awarded a franchise to the Louisville Fire. (13 other teams
were in the class of 2001-Lafayette Roughnecks, Lincoln
Lightning, Rochester Brigade, Witchita Stealth, Columbus
Wardogs, Memphis Xplorers, Macon Knights, Florida Firecats,
Iowa Barnstormers, Peoria Pirates, and the Bossier City
Shreveport Battle Wings. Only 4 of the teams from the 2000
class still remain.) Ron Selesky was hired to be the Head
Coach of the Fire
April 6, 2001 Louisville Fire played its
inaugural game in Wichita, Kansas against the Wichita Stealth.
April 14, 2001 Louisville Fire played
its inaugural home game at Freedom Hall against the Birmingham
Steeldogs in front of 12,520 fans. The Fire lost 39-21.
April 20, 2001 The Louisville Fire defeated
the Peoria Pirates in Freedom Hall 42-39. This was the first
win in team history.
August 2001 The Fire ended the inaugural
season with a 6-10 record and in 6th place in the National
Conference Midwest Division.
September 2001 Jeff Brohm was named Head
Coach of the Louisville Fire. Currently Brohm is the Assistant
Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator at the University of Louisville.
April 6, 2002 The Louisville Fire hosted
the Memphis Xplorers in front of the largest crowd to see
an Arena Football game in Freedom Hall with an attendance
of 12,835.
August 2002 The Fire ended the 2-14 and
in 4th place in the National Conference Midwest Division.
April 7, 2003 Tommy Johnson was named
Head Coach of the Fire. Previously he was the defensive
coordinator.
August 2003 The Fire ended the 5-11 and
in 3rd place in the National Conference Midwest Division.
August 7, 2004 The Louisville Fire went
to Quad City for their first af2 playoff game. The Fire
won 53-48. The Fire went on to lose to the Tulsa Talons
49-42 in the second round of the playoffs.
August 2004 Takuya Furutani was named
af2 International Player of the Year.
August 2004 The Fire ended the season
at 9-7 and in 2nd place in the National Conference Midwest
Division.
