Founded 1987 Team history Miami Vise (1987) Colors Black, Gold, White | League Arena Football League Based in Miami, Florida Owner(s) Jerry Kurz | |
The Miami Vise were an arena football team formed by Arena Football League (AFL) founder Jim Foster for the purposes of playing a "showcase game" on February 27, 1987 at the Rosemont Horizon against the Chicago Bruisers. Chicago's Eddie Phillips scored three touchdowns, including one in the last minute, but the Bruisers fell to the Vise by a score of 33-30. Today, this contest is known as the "showcase" game, as it had far more prestige and fanfare than the original 1986 test game between the Rockford Metros and Chicago Politicians.
This was the only game the Vise (whose name was a take on the popular TV series Miami Vice) ever played, and Miami didn't get a team in the AFL until 1993. The Vise weren't even a Florida-based team to begin with, as they were created out of Foster's imagination and consisted mostly of college players located in the Midwest. (One of the Vise players, former University of Hawaii star Rich Salzer, played for the Chicago Politicians in the previous year's test game and later suited up for the Chicago Bruisers.) At the time, the players were sworn to secrecy so fans would believe the team was located in Miami. Current Arena League Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz coached the Metros and Ray Jauch coached the Vise.