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Minnesota Monsters (AF1)

The Minnesota Monsters are a professional Arena football team based in Duluth, Minnesota that competes in Arena Football One. They were announced as the Duluth Harbor Monsters, one of the four inaugural teams of The Arena League (TAL) on April 5, 2023. This is the second professional arena/indoor football team to the Duluth area, the first being the Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks of the IFL. The Monsters play their games at AMSOIL Arena.

History
Duluth was announced as the second team on April 5, 2023, to be a part of the inaugural season of The Arena League. The announcement was made at a press conference at the Garden Event Center in Duluth and included notable figures including the city mayor, Emily Larson, and the league commissioner, Tim Brown. The DECC Arena agreed to a 3-year lease to be the home field for the team. The Harbor Monsters concluded their first season with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses, earning them a spot to host a playoff game against the Ozarks Lunkers. Following their victory against the Lunkers, the Harbor Monsters advanced to host the championship game—the inaugural ArenaMania—where they faced off against the Iowa Woo. The coin toss for ArenaMania I was conducted by Duluth's newly elected mayor, Roger J. Reinert, and the halftime show featured a performance by the rock band, Palisade. ArenaMania I was a thrilling contest, with the Harbor Monsters narrowly defeating the Iowa Woo 46–44 to become champions of The Arena League. This historic win marked the Harbor Monsters as the first professional football team in Minnesota to claim a championship in the modern era. On September 24, 2025, the Monsters announced that they would be joining Arena Football One and rebranding as the Minnesota Monsters, reviving a brand that was last used in indoor football in 1998 with the original Minnesota Monsters. The change coincided with TAL opening an investigation into head coach Tony O'Neil and GM Steven Walters for “actions that are detrimental to the integrity of The Arena League”. The league had suspended O'Neil indefinitely just prior to the announcement of the team's move to AF1, and refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the team's move or its sale, stating it did not have contact with the Monsters' new owner, would continue to recognize the previous owner, and does not allow teams to leave TAL as a matter of policy, stating all teams are bound to TAL "in perpetuity." Head coach Tony O'Neil resigned his position due to a mental breakdown on October 23, 2025, with former Cedar Rapids River Kings head coach Daron Clark assuming the position. On December 18, the Monsters announced they were leaving DECC Arena in favor of AMSOIL Arena for the 2026 season. Team name and logos On July 27, 2023, team owner, Brent LaBrie, announced the four finalists for the team name: Sasquatch, Norsemen, Harbor Monsters, and Lakers. The represented city name was also narrowed down to four finalists: Twin Ports, Minnesota, Lake Superior, and Duluth. The Duluth Harbor Monsters’ team name and logo were officially unveiled on August 24, 2023, during a press conference at the DECC. The name originated from a "Name-the-Team" contest that garnered nearly 2,000 submissions. The final four names underwent a fan vote, resulting in an almost three-way tie between Sasquatch, Norsemen, and Harbor Monsters, with Harbor Monsters emerging victorious. The team's logo, created by Ryan Foose of Foose Sports, draws inspiration from the mythical Mishipeshu, the legendary underwater panther of Lake Superior. The design incorporates blue and gold, paying tribute to Minnesota's state colors. Minnesota resident Ian Thorpe, who submitted the winning name, earned the honor of naming the team. ==Roster==
Roster
On December 18, 2023, the Harbor Monsters signed Ja’Vonte Johnson, the franchise's first player. The Harbor Monsters' first open tryouts were held on January 6, 2024. The team's second open tryouts were held on February 2, 2024. On May 14, 2024, the Harbor Monsters signed Terrance Wenzel and Moe Strong, both former players for the Minnesota Myth of the Arena Football League. The pair joined the team following the dissolution of the Myth franchise. On March 7, 2025, the Harbor Monsters signed Dan Williams III; he previously was on several NFL practice squads and most recently played for the Orlando Guardians of the XFL. ==Season-by-season==
Management
On July 27, 2023, Kramer Sports and Entertainment was announced as the owner of the team, led by Brent LaBrie, Dan Manor, Becca Ress, and Candyce Sorensen were announced as the team operations managers. On October 2, 2023, Steven Walters was named as the team's general manager. Walters previously served as Channel Marketing Manager at Fasetto, a technology start-up originally based in Superior, Wisconsin, where he oversaw both the marketing and sales teams under CMO Dan Bruck and CEO Coy Christmas. Tony O'Neil was announced as the team's inaugural head coach on October 16, 2023. O'Neil previously was an assistant coach at Duluth Denfeld and also played professional arena football for three years. Over the 2025 season, Kramer Service Group is processing in handing their ownership of the team to J&B Manufactured Homes, led by Jacob and Brianna Lambert. == External links ==
Source: Wikipedia ↗
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