The East Division was a division of the Arena Football League's American Conference. It was first formed in 1995 as part of the National Conference when expansion led to the creation of divisions.
Since the division's enfranchisement in 1995, as the Eastern Division of the National Conference, the division sent representatives to five ArenaBowls (most recently the Philadelphia Soul in 2013's ArenaBowl XXVI), with two wins (most recently the Philadelphia Soul in 2008's ArenaBowl XXII).
Division lineups 1995–1996 Albany Firebirds Charlotte Rage Connecticut Coyotes
Eastern Division in the National Conference. Albany moved in from American Conference. Connecticut Coyotes enfranchised.
1997 Albany Firebirds (from American Conference) Nashville Kats New Jersey Red Dogs New York Cityhawks Charlotte and Connecticut folded. Nashville, New Jersey, and New York are enfranchised.
1998 Albany Firebirds New Jersey Red Dogs New York Cityhawks Nashville moved to National Conference's Southern Division.
1999–2000 Albany Firebirds Buffalo Destroyers New England Sea Wolves New Jersey Red Dogs Buffalo Destroyers enfranchised. New York moved to Hartford, Connecticut as New England Sea Wolves.
2001 Buffalo Destroyers Carolina Cobras New Jersey Gladiators New York Dragons Toronto Phantoms As Indiana Firebirds, Albany moved to Indianapolis, Indiana as part of the American Conference's Central Division. Carolina moved in from Southern Division. Iowa Barnstormers moved to Uniondale, New York as New York Dragons. New England moved to Toronto as the Phantoms. New Jersey Red Dogs renamed the Gladiators.
2002 Buffalo Destroyers New Jersey Gladiators New York Dragons Toronto Phantoms Carolina moved back to Southern Division.
2003 Buffalo Destroyers Detroit Fury Las Vegas Gladiators New York Dragons Detroit moved in from Central Division. New Jersey moved to Las Vegas. Toronto Phantoms folded.
2004 Carolina Cobras Columbus Destroyers Dallas Desperados New York Dragons Philadelphia Soul Buffalo moved to Columbus, Ohio. Dallas moved in from Central Division. Detroit moved back to Central Division as well. Las Vegas moved to American Conference's Western Division. Philadelphia Soul enfranchised.
2005–2007 Columbus Destroyers Dallas Desperados New York Dragons Philadelphia Soul Carolina Cobras folded.
2008 Cleveland Gladiators Columbus Destroyers Dallas Desperados New York Dragons Philadelphia Soul Las Vegas moved back from Western Division as Cleveland Gladiators. After the 2008 season, Columbus, Dallas, and New York folded while Philadelphia is suspended and the AFL is put on a one-year hiatus. Also, the Cleveland Gladiators joined the Central Division (now part of the National Conference) for the 2010 season when that division was known as the Midwest Division.
2010 Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings Dallas Vigilantes Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz Tulsa Talons The Eastern Division moved to the American Conference as Southwest Division for this season. Dallas Vigilantes enfranchised while the other three teams come from the defunct af2.
2011–2012 Cleveland Gladiators Milwaukee Mustangs Philadelphia Soul Pittsburgh Power The Southwest Division changed its name back to Eastern Division. Bossier-Shreveport moved to New Orleans as the VooDoo. Cleveland Gladiators and Milwaukee Iron (renamed Mustangs) moved in from the Central Division (known as Midwest in 2010). Dallas and Tulsa moved to Central Division. Oklahoma City folded. Philadelphia Soul returned. Pittsburgh Power enfranchised.
2013 Cleveland Gladiators Philadelphia Soul Pittsburgh Power Milwaukee Mustangs suspended operations.
2014 Cleveland Gladiators Iowa Barnstormers Philadelphia Soul Pittsburgh Power Iowa joined the East Division after the League's expansion into Los Angeles and Portland, and the removal of the Utah Blaze and Chicago Rush.
2015 Cleveland Gladiators New Orleans VooDoo Philadelphia Soul Iowa left to play in the Indoor Football League and Pittsburgh folded because of low attendance.
Due to the reduced number of participating teams, all AFL conferences and divisions were discontinued after the 2015 season.
Division champions Season Team Record Playoff Results National ConferenceEastern Division 1995 Albany Firebirds 7–5 Won Quarterfinals (at Stampede) 51–49 Lost Semifinals (at Storm) 49–56 1996 Albany Firebirds 10–4 Won Quarterfinals (Mustangs) 70–58 Lost Semifinals (at Barnstormers) 55–62 1997 Nashville Kats 10–4 Lost Quarterfinals (Storm) 49–52 1998 Albany Firebirds 10–4 Lost Quarterfinals (Red Dogs) 59–66 1999 Albany Firebirds 11–3 Won Quarterfinals (Rampage) 55–45Won Semifinals (Rattlers) 73–47Won ArenaBowl XIII (Predators) 59–48 2000 Albany Firebirds 9–5 Lost Quarterfinals (Rattlers) 50–53 2001 Toronto Phantoms 8–6 Won Wild Card Round (Dragons) 64–57 Lost Quarterfinals (at Kats) 38–45 2002 New Jersey Gladiators 9–5 Lost Quarterfinals (Predators) 46–49 2003 New York Dragons 8–8 Won Wild Card Round (Rush) 48–45Lost Quarterfinals (at Predators) 62–69 2004 New York Dragons† 9–7 Did not qualify 2005 New York Dragons 10–6 Lost NC Semifinals (Predators) 42–47 2006 Dallas Desperados 13–3 Won NC Divisional Playoffs (Force) 62–27Lost NC Championship (Predators) 28–45 2007 Dallas Desperados 15–1 Lost NC Divisional Playoffs (Destroyers) 59–66 2008 Philadelphia Soul 13–3 Won NC Divisional Playoffs (Dragons) 49–48Won NC Championship (Gladiators) 70–35Won ArenaBowl XXII (vs. SaberCats) 59–56 American ConferenceSouthwest Division 2010 Tulsa Talons 10–6 Lost AC Semifinals (Storm) 38–68East Division 2011 Cleveland Gladiators 10–8 Lost AC Semifinals (Force) 41–50 2012 Philadelphia Soul 15–3 Won AC Semifinals (VooDoo) 66–53Won AC Championship (Sharks) 89–34Lost ArenaBowl XXV (vs. Rattlers) 54–72 2013 Philadelphia Soul 12–6 Won AC Semifinals (Predators) 59–55Won AC Championship (at Sharks) 75–59Lost ArenaBowl XXVI (vs. Rattlers) 38–49 2014 Cleveland Gladiators 17–1 Won AC Semifinals (Soul) 39–37Won AC Championship (Predators) 56–46Lost ArenaBowl XXVII (Rattlers) 32–72 2015 Philadelphia Soul 15–3 Won AC Semifinals (Gladiators) 47–35Lost AC Championship (Sharks) 56–61 † – Despite winning the division in 2004, the New York Dragons failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Wild Card qualifiers Season Team Record Playoff Results National ConferenceEastern Division 1997 New Jersey Red Dogs9-5 Lost Quarterfinals (at Predators) 37–45 1998 New Jersey Red Dogs8–6 Won Quarterfinals (at Firebirds) 66–59Lost Semifinals (at Storm) 23–492000 New England Sea Wolves 8–6 Lost Wild Card Round (Wranglers) 38–52 Buffalo Destroyers 5–9 Lost Wild Card Round (at Rattlers) 34–412001 New York Dragons 8–6 Lost Wild Card Round (at Phantoms) 57–64 Carolina Cobras 7–7 Lost Wild Card Round (at Firebirds) 41–58 2002 Buffalo Destroyers6–8 Lost Wild Card Round (at Predators) 27–322003 Detroit Fury 8–8 Won Wild Card Round (at Rampage) 55–54 Lost Quarterfinals (at Storm) 48–52 Las Vegas Gladiators 8–8 Lost Wild Card Round (at Rattlers) 26–692006 New York Dragons 10–6 Lost NC Wild Card Playoffs (Force) 69–72 Philadelphia Soul 9–7 Won NC Wild Card Playoffs (at Wranglers) 52–35 Lost NC Divisional Playoffs (at Predators) 27–312007 Philadelphia Soul 8–8 Won NC Wild Card Playoffs (Predators) 41–26Lost NC Divisional Playoffs (at Force) 39–65 Columbus Destroyers 7–9 Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Storm) 56–55Won NC Divisional Playoffs (at Desperados) 66–59Won NC Championship (at Force) 66–56Lost ArenaBowl XXI (vs. SaberCats) 33–552008 Dallas Desperados 12-4 Lost NC Wild Card Playoffs (Dragons) 63–77 Cleveland Gladiators 9–7 Won NC Wild Card Playoffs (Predators) 69–66 Won NC Divisional Playoffs (at Force) 73–70 Lost NC Championship (at Soul) 35–70 New York Dragons 8–8 Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Desperados) 77–63Lost NC Divisional Playoffs (at Soul) 48–49 American Conference2014 Pittsburgh Power 15–3 Lost AC Semifinals (at Predators) 48–56 Philadelphia Soul 9–9 Lost AC Semifinals (at Gladiators) 37–39 2015 Cleveland Gladiators 8–10 Lost AC Semifinals (at Soul) 35–47
Season results Denotes team that won the ArenaBowl Denotes team that won a Conference Championship, but lost ArenaBowl Denotes team that qualified for the Playoffs Season Team (record) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1995: Eastern Division in the National Conference. Albany Firebirds joined from the American Conference. Connecticut Coyotes enfranchised. 1995Albany (7–5) Charlotte (5–7) Connecticut (1–11) 1996Albany (10–4) Charlotte (5–9) Connecticut (2–12) 1997: Charlotte Rage and Connecticut folded. Nashville Kats, New Jersey Red Dogs and New York CityHawks are enfranchised. 1997Nashville (10–4)New Jersey (9–5) Albany (6–8) New York (2–12) 1998: Nashville left to join the Southern Division. 1998Albany (10–4)New Jersey (8–6) New York (3–11) 1999: Buffalo Destroyers enfranchised. New York relocated and became the New England Sea Wolves. 1999Albany (10–4) New Jersey (6–8) New England (5–9) Buffalo (1–13) 2000Albany (9–5)New England (8–6)Buffalo (5–9) New Jersey (4–10) 2001: Albany, who relocated and became the Indiana Firebirds, left to join the American Conference's Central Division. Carolina Cobras joined from the Southern Division. Iowa Barnstormers, who relocated and became the New York Dragons, joined from the Central Division. New England relocated and became the Toronto Phantoms. New Jersey Red Dogs were renamed the New Jersey Gladiators. 2001Toronto (8–6)New York (8–6)Carolina (7–7) Buffalo (6–8) New Jersey (2–12) 2002: Carolina left to rejoin the Southern Division. 2002New Jersey (9–5)Buffalo (6–8) Toronto (5–9) New York (3–11) 2003: Detroit Fury joined from the Central Division. New Jersey relocated and became the Las Vegas Gladiators. Toronto folded. 2003New York (8–8)Detroit (8–8)Las Vegas (8–8) Buffalo (5–11) 2004: Buffalo relocated and became the Columbus Destroyers. Dallas Desperados joined from the Central Division. Detroit left to rejoin the Central Division. Las Vegas left to join the American Conference's Western Division. Philadelphia Soul enfranchised. Carolina rejoined from the Southern Division. 2004 New York (9–7) Carolina (6–10) Dallas (6–10) Columbus (6–10) Philadelphia (5–11) 2005: Carolina folded. 2005New York (10–6) Dallas (8–7–1) Philadelphia (6–10) Columbus (2–14) 2006Dallas (13–3)New York (10–6)Philadelphia (9–7) Columbus (8–8) 2007Dallas (15–1)Philadelphia (8–8)Columbus (7–9) New York (5–11) 2008: Las Vegas, who relocated and became the Cleveland Gladiators, rejoined from the American Conference's Western Division. After the 2008 season, Columbus, Dallas, and New York folded while Philadelphia is suspended and the AFL is put on a one-year hiatus. Also, Cleveland joined the Central Division (now part of the National Conference) for the 2010 season when that division was known as the Midwest Division. 2008Philadelphia (13–3)Dallas (12–4)Cleveland (9–7)New York (8–8) Columbus (3–13) 2010: The Eastern Division moved to the American Conference as Southwest Division for this season. Dallas Vigilantes enfranchised while Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings, Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz and Tulsa Talons come from the defunct af2. 2010Tulsa (10–6) Oklahoma City (6–10) Dallas (3–13) Bossier–Shreveport (3–13) 2011: The Southwest Division changed its name back to Eastern Division. Bossier-Shreveport who relocated and became the New Orleans VooDoo, left to join the Southern Division. Cleveland rejoined from the National Conference's Central Division (known as Midwest in 2010). Milwaukee Iron, who were renamed the Milwaukee Mustangs, also joined from the Central Division. Dallas and Tulsa left to join the Central Division. Oklahoma City folded. Philadelphia Soul returned. Pittsburgh Power enfranchised. 2011Cleveland (10–8) Pittsburgh (9–9) Milwaukee (7–11) Philadelphia (6–12) 2012Philadelphia (15–3) Cleveland (8–10) Milwaukee (5–13) Pittsburgh (5–13) 2013: Milwaukee suspended operations. 2013Philadelphia (12–6) Cleveland (4–14) Pittsburgh (4–14)