Honolulu Stingrays

The Honolulu Stingrays are an expansion team in the United Football Association. Still a young team, they are still establishing a role in the lore of the UFA.

Origins
Shooting for the 2001 season, the UFA wanted a team in a fairly abstract location. Cities that came to mind were Dublin, London, Mexico City, Juneau and Honolulu. Juneau was immediately ruled out due to the constant freezing weather. Mexico City was the next to go due to difficulty coming to an agreement with the city. The league chose Honolulu based on the beauty of Hawaii and the fact that it was an American state.

The new Hawaiian team wanted a name to represent Hawaii, but not something too obvious. They built a new stadium for the team that would be completed in 2003 (the team played at the University of Hawaii's football field until the stadium was ready). With uniforms and a logo ready, they used the attractiveness of living in Hawaii to persuade free agents to play for them.

Early Years/Establishing a Role
In 2002, the Stingrays played their first game. And, as with most expansion teams, they struggled in their first five years. Poor drafting and coaching consistently made the Stingrays a pushover.

The Stingrays seemed to have been cursed early on. Whatever talent they could find often had issues with the law. They could never find a starting quarterback. Drafting a player in the first or second round was like a kiss of death. But, in 2007, the Stingrays drafted linebacker Cooper Hendricks 4th overall out of Colorado State. Hendricks made an impact immediately and became one of the most feared pass rushers and tacklers in the league. The Stingrays decided to build their team around Hendricks and use him to win games.

Reputation
As a newer franchise, the reputation of the Stingrays is unclear. Opposing teams love playing in Hawaii, but they frequently maul the consistently inconsistent offense of the Stingrays. The only player who has instilled fear in the hearts of opponents is Cooper Hendricks and one player does not make too much of a difference in football. Overall, the Stingrays are viewed as a pushover by their opponents, but could easily become a force to be reckoned with.

Notable Players
These are the most notable players in Stingrays' history...

Cooper Hendricks: Linebacker: The clear best player in the early years of the Stingrays, Hendricks is known for his brutal hits and lightning quick feet and was the only player opponents took seriously in their first decade and a half.

Uniforms
These are the uniforms of the Stingrays