SALEM, Ore. — The Arena Football League (AFL) is returning to Oregon, with the Oregon Blackbears set to play their games in Salem starting in April 2024.
The league announced the franchise on Wednesday. The Blackbears will play their games at Salem Pavilion Arena at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.
The ownership group for the Blackbears is led by former Oregon Ducks and current New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux. The team will be coached by Chuck Jones. The Oregonian reported that Jones, who played college football at Kansas and professional indoor football for more than a decade, previously coached the Oregon High Desert Storm, an indoor football team in the American West Football Conference.
"Oregon is renowned for having a rabid football fanbase, so we're absolutely thrilled to bring a new franchise to this market," said AFL Commissioner Lee Hutton in a news release. "There's no better person to lead the Oregon Blackbears than a true Oregon star like Kayvon who understands the fans' insatiable appetite for success."
The AFL is attempting a comeback after it shut down operations in 2019. The league announced locations for 16 teams, including Oregon, earlier this year. Other franchises already announced by the league include the Iowa Rampage, Wichita Regulators, Salina Liberty, Southwest Kansas Storm, Rapid City Marshals, Albany Firebirds, Orlando Predators, Billings Outlaws and the West Texas Desert Hawks.
The Oregonian reported that the Blackbears will hold an open tryout on Nov. 4 at the Capitol Indoor Soccer Facility, and have scheduled their first game against the Everett Hawks on April 11, 2024.
This will be Oregon's third AFL team, with the previous two playing in Portland. The Portland Steel, originally named the Thunder, played at the Moda Center from 2014 to 2016 before it was shut down by the league. The Portland Forest Dragons played here from 1997 to 1999.
