Albany Attack
Introduction
The Albany Attack was the name of a franchise which played in National Lacrosse League from the 1999-2000 season through the 2002-2003 season. The Albany Attack played in the Pepsi Arena in Albany NY (not to be confused with the Pepsi Center, in Denver Colorado).
Summary of Attack's Record:
| Season | Wins | Losses | Coach |
| 1999-2000 | 6 | 6 | Terry Sanderson |
| 2000-2001 | 5 | 9 | Terry Sanderson |
| 2001-2002(*) | 14 | 2 | Bob McMahon |
| 2002-2003 | 8 | 8 | Bob McMahon |
(*) Made NLL playoffs
In the 2001-2002 season:
| 1. With a regular season record of 14-2, and overall record of 15-3, the Albany Attack established a new NLL records for most regular season wins and most overall wins. |
| 2. Josh Sanderson, son of Terry Sanderson, established a new NLL record for most assists (68). |
| 3. The Attack finished first in the Central Division, one game ahead of the Rochester Knighthawks who had finished with a regular season record of 13-3, the second best in the NLL that season. |
| 4. In the playoffs, the Albany Attack had a bye during the first round. They then hosted and defeated the Rochester Knighthawks in a semifinal game with an attendance of over 5000. On 13 April 2002, the Albany Attack hosted the Toronto Rock for the Champion's Cup, but they lost to Toronto by a score of 13-12 in front of over 9800 fans. |
| 5. Five Albany Attack players were selected to play in All-Star team played at the end of the season at the Mohican Sun casino in Uncasville CT. |
Attendance Problems
For various reasons, the Albany Attack were plagued by poor attendance most of their existence with average attendances in the 3000-4000 range. This was not enough for the franchise to be profitable, so, throughout the 2001-2002 season, owner Herb Chorbajian, a banker with CharterOne Bank, had considered selling the Albany Attack. However, the success of the playoffs encouraged him to keep the team for another season.
In the 2002-2003 season, according to Albany Attack General Manager Michael DeRossi, season ticket sales did go up considerably over the previous season, but the marketing actually decreased. Furthermore, the Attack went only 2-6 in their first eight games, losing all four home games to that point. While the Attack did have a second half record of 6-2, they never recoved enough to return to the playoffs nor have sufficient attendance to be profitable.
Move to San Jose
With no significant improvement in attendance throughout the 2002-2003 season, the Albany Attack were destined to be a financial loss for a fourth consecutive year. During that season, there were numerous rumors that Mr. Chorbajian was going to sell the franchise, in particular to a group from San Jose CA.
On 09 June 2003, the rumors were confirmed when an announcement was made that the Albany Attack franchise was sold and relocated to San Jose CA where it is currently (2005) located. For more information, see the "LEAGUE PLACES TEAM IN SAN JOSE" article at NLL.com.
During the summer of 2003, the new owners had a "Name the Team Contest". On 16 September 2003, the franchise was then renamed to the San Jose Stealth. For more information, see the "SAN JOSE: HOME OF THE 'STEALTH'" article at NLL.com.
Sources and Links
| Source: Personal experience of author from 1999 through present. |
| Source of 2002-2003 Albany Attack season ticket sales and marketing effort: Conversation between author and Albany Attack General Manager Michael DeRossi. |
| Source of franchise movement rumors: National Lacrosse League Message Board |
| Sources of Data and Additional Links: |
| Official Website of the National Lacrosse League |
| Media Guide of the National Lacrosse League, available from the National Lacrosse League. |
| Entry for National Lacrosse League at the Major League Sports Almanac |
| Outsider's Guide to the National Lacrosse League |
| Albany Attack page at the Outsider's Guide. |
| San Jose Stealth page at the Outsider's Guide. |
| National Lacrosse League page at OurSportsCentral.com |
Author: Vincent Ree, Albany Attack fan, Albany Attack Pack fan club member, 2002-2003 Albany Attack season ticket holder.