Boston Dragons

The long-awaited announcement of the Boston AFL identity would come when owner Robert McNamara invited nearly every major newspaper across the Northeast to a press conference at the Parker House hotel to reveal the new team. McNamara and the Boston Globe had already put out a “name the team contest” to determine potential names for the team. McNamara was open to pretty much any suggestion, though he asked those sending in that they try to stray away from nicknames relating to the American Revolution, as the other football team in town (Boston Rebels) was already using a similar theme. Names ranged anywhere from the Wolfhounds, Bishops, Dragons and Gaels, to the Golden Griffons, Unicorns, and Red Devils. The finalists would come down to the Dragons, Gaels, and Wolfhounds after consideration from both the mail-in votes and those around McNamara. The Gaels were thrown out almost immediately after due to an Irish-themed name already existing in the AFL in Pittsburgh, and realized that niche was too small to be filled by two teams. There were multiple write-ins for the Wolfhounds, which would have represented the city’s Irish heritage in a less pronounced way like Gaels or other submissions like the Irish or Harps. The remaining option was submitted by significantly fewer people, but the Dragons option comes from the former Green Dragon Tavern, a meeting place for Freemasons and the Sons of Liberty, and held planning meetings for the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere’s ride. One submission also noted how Dragons can easily defeat a bunch of rebels, a nod to the other team’s apathetic hatred within the city. And so, McNamara proudly introduced the Boston Dragons into the world in front of nearly every reporter that came from all across the Northeast and from across the country.


The Dragons were formed as an “all-star” team of NEFL talent, though McNamara wanted to focus primarily on building the team young. The defense seems to be the strongest part of this young team, with DL Ralph Stark and LB Leonard Schmitz joining from the Portland Lumberjacks, LB Harvey Crowe staying in Boston, and DB Jim Downs coming in from Providence. RB Jackie Muller is the main offensive talent that the Dragons acquired from the NEFL, signing him from Hartford to be their main offensive playmaker, barring anyone gained from either the rookie draft or the expansion draft. QB Dave Spencer will remain with the team after being the starter for the Boston Bards the past 5 years, and should suffice as a starter in the short term while the front office finds a longer-term option. McNamara will remain as the general manager and head coach for his Boston team, as it had already worked in the NEFL and hopes that it will continue to do well in the AFL. The Dragons will share the historic Lansdowne Field with NBL team Boston Whales as their home stadium, able to seat just around 35,000 fans.


With the team name coming from something called the “Green Dragon Tavern”, the natural choice for the primary color would be some shade of green. The Dragons will pair a dark shade of green to represent both the city’s Irish population and the name of the tavern with a dark gold to represent “a dragon’s wealth and riches” in order to stand out from the other primarily green team in Pittsburgh. Their primary logo features a gold heraldic styled dragon within a green shield. McNamara wanted the team to represent the city of Boston, and he did even more so with the uniforms, which use the same over-the-shoulder stripe pattern as his alma mater Armitage, located in nearby Cambridge. While the Armitage Blues are just blue and white, the Dragons replace some of the white with the gold, with gold pants for both the home and away jerseys and gold instead of white for the striping. 

 

Brand:

 

1955-present

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