The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit in 1988, as the Detroit Drive and was a member of the AFL in and in all subsequent years through. The club then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts in and played in that city through the end of the 1994 season. The franchise has four AFL championships, all while it was based in Detroit. The first three occurred in back-to-back-to-back fashion from 1988 to 1990, and the final one occurred in 1992.
History
Detroit Drive (1988–1993)
Expansion (1988)
In 1987, Mike Ilitch began negotiations with the Arena Football League, to join for the 1988 season. The Drive began play in as a member of the AFL. Under head coachTim Marcum, the Drive finished the regular season 9–3 after starting the season 2–3. Two of the Drive's losses came at the hands of the Chicago Bruisers, who finished the season with one loss. The Drive would get a chance at revenge when they advanced to ArenaBowl II against the Bruisers, and they were able to defeat the Bruisers 24–13.
Back-to-back (1989)
With the AFL suspending operations prior to the 1989 season, the league was revived and decided to play a short season, but that forced the Drive to begin the 1989 season by replacing quarterback Rich Ingold, who didn't want to take the pay cut of the short season. The Drive won ArenaBowl III 39–26 over the Pittsburgh Gladiators.
3-peat (1990)
Head Coach Tim Marcum stepped away from the Drive in 1990 to join the University of Florida's football staff, and was replaced by Perry Moss. The Drive bolstered their offense by signing quarterback Art Schlichter. Moss lead the Drive to a 6–2 regular season record and they remained a dominant force, leading the going toArenaBowl IV, where they defeated the Dallas Texans 51–27.
The return of Marcum (1991)
Marcum returned to coach the Drive in 1991.
A fourth title (1992)
In 1992, the Drive played in the Northern Division. The Drive won ArenaBowl VI, claiming their fourth title in five seasons.
Final season in Detroit (1993)
Ilitch sold the Drive so that they would not compete with the Tigers for attendance. Ilitch still claims that he only kept the Drive because they were constant contenders. The Drive had, arguably, the bestmanagement team in the league. Owner Mike Ilitch, General Manager Gary Vitto, and Head Coach Tim Marcum are all in the AFL Hall of Fame. Following the 1992 season, Ilitch purchased the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball and Vitto was transferred to the Tigers front office. Marcum assumed GM duties for 1993 and led the team to its final Arena Bowl.
Massachusetts Marauders (1994)
The team's on-field success did not mean equivalent business success; although the team was the most profitable in the AFL, setting attendance records, owner Mike Ilitch sold the team following his purchase of the Detroit Tigers in 1993. The team competed in 1994 as the Massachusetts Marauders playing their home games at the Worcester Centrum, but folded after going 8–4 in their first and only season. Whereas the Drive averaged over 14,000 fans a game during their six seasons in Detroit, the Marauders averaged less than 7,400 a game. Nearly three years after the Marauders folded, Dan DeVos purchased the franchise out of bankruptcy court, and in 1998 they became the Grand Rapids Rampage, who played until 2008.
Later AFL in Detroit
Detroit later received a second Arena Football team, the Detroit Fury. The Fury played from 2001 to 2004 in The Palace of Auburn Hills and were co-owned by William Davidson, owner of the Detroit Pistons and William Clay Ford, Jr., son of the owner of the Detroit Lions. The Fury were never as successful as the Drive, compiling a 22–41 record and averaging 8,152 fans per game before they folded in 2004. While the Drive's history was relatively brief, they had an inarguable importance in the history of Arena Football, with ArenaBowl trips every year of their existence, and creating the first dynasty in the Arena Football League.
