Austin Wranglers

Wranglers Turn 2006 Into Best Season in Team History

The Austin Wranglers enjoyed the most successful season in team history in 2006, finishing tied for the Southern Division lead to earn the franchise’s first playoff berth. Austin hosted a playoff game and ended up with a 10-6 regular season record, a dramatic improvement over the Wranglers’ 2005 mark.

Wrangler FB/LB Dane Krager, a local product from Leander, was honored by the Arena Football League for his performance. Krager was named to the AFL’s All-Ironman team for his standout play on both sides of the ball. Krager led the League with 197 rushing yards in the regular season.

Another big announcement was the addition of multi-talented athlete and respected businessman Deion Sanders as an owner of the Austin Wranglers. Sanders will have an active role in all operational aspects of the team reaching from football operations to the team’s front office.

Standout offensive specialist Derrick Lewis was definitely a bright spot during the 2006 season. Lewis broke Troy Bergeron’s 2005 AFL record for receiving yardage by a rookie, recording 1,411 yards. Starting in all 16 games this season for the Wranglers, Lewis managed 113 receptions for 23 touchdowns.
May 7 will go down in Wrangler history as the day Austin clinched its first playoff berth in franchise history in front of a rowdy home crowd. The Wranglers jumped out to an 18-point halftime lead and never trailed in a 57-38 victory over Grand Rapids.

The Wranglers’ playoff fever only intensified in the final game of the regular season when Austin went into Orlando and defeated the Predators to earn a home playoff game. Despite scoring a season-high 67 points and winning by 24, Austin lost the Southern Division tiebreaker based on division record.

Austin made its playoff debut in front of a home crowd and NBC television audience, but despite four touchdowns from Lewis, the Wranglers fell, 52-35, to the Philadelphia Soul and finished the season with a 10-7 record. Lewis was a key factor in the Wranglers’ first home playoff game, finishing the game with eight receptions for 108 yards and four touchdowns.

The Wranglers can’t wait until next January
to create even bigger headlines during the
2007 season.