Michigan Admirals

The Michigan Admirals are a minor league football team whose offices are located in Flint, Michigan.

{| class="infobox" cellpadding="4" width="300" style="font-size: 95%;"
+ style="margin-left: inherit; font-size: medium;" |Michigan Admirals
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colspan="2" align="center" | NAFL2 Great Lakes Regional and Northern Conference Champions: 2005NAFL Eastern Lakes Division Champions: 2006
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History

The Admirals began their history at Hamady Field in the summer of 2002 as members of the North American Football League, moved to Russ Reynolds Field at Flint Beecher High School.

In 2003, the Ads had one of the toughest defenses in the region, but they didn't get very far after an early playoff elimination.

The following season, the Admirals got better, but still could not get very far in the playoffs.

Seeing the need for restructuring, the 2005 campaign saw a dramatic change for the Admirals. The team was almost completely dismantled and rebuilt. The regular season was average, but they surprised everyone in the playoffs winning the NAFL2 regional (over McHenry County Gladiators 20-14 in Algonquin, Illinois) and northern conference championships (over the Dakota Lawdawgs 26-0 in Salem, South Dakota), and were one game away from the NAFL2 Championship Game in Orlando, FL, before falling to defending NAFL2 champion Maryland Marauders 10-0 in Landover, Maryland, on a muddy field. After the season, Admirals wide receiver and double All-American Justin McHugh signed a professional contract with the Florence Phantoms in the American Indoor Football League.

In 2007, after the Beecher School District decided at the last minute not to host games and Lake Fenton and Pontiac reneged on stadium deals, the Admirals barnstormed their way through the season, compiling a 6-3-1 record despite playing only two home games.

After the regular season, a dispute with the NAFL led to the team being left out of the playoffs. The dispute ultimately led to the team resigning from the league in October. In late November, the team accepted membership in the United States Football Allianace for the 2008 season.

Webcasting

In 2004, the team became the first Michigan minor league football team to webcast their games, tape-delayed, on Live 365. In 2005, the team began broadcasting their games and a coach's show on terrestrial radio, on Kettering University's WKUF 94.3, which they continue to do today. The Admirals are one of the few minor league football teams in the country to have such an agreement. In addition, their games are webcast live.

In 2007, the Admirals announced that they would stream their games live on SixHits Digital Radio in the UK. Later, the Admirals formed their own radio network, and currently offer their game broadcasts to other terrestrial and Internet stations. The Admirals are heard on stations in Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, as well as the United Kingdom.

External links

* [http://michiganadmirals.com Michigan Admirals Official Site]
* [http://www.wkuf.org WKUF 94.3 Home of the Admirals]
* [http://www.thelockerroom.us Admirals Coaches Show Website]