King County Jaguars
The King County Jaguars are a semi-professional football team located in Kent, Washington and founded in 1999. They are a member of the Northwest Football League and also play independently in the west division of the Minor League Football Association. They play their home games at French Field at Kent-Meridian High School.
History
Former football player Jeff Scott began his Northwest Football League (NWFL) career as the Defensive Coordinator for the NWFL Seattle Blue Devils, a position he held from 1996-1999. Prior to the start of the 1999 NWFL season, Coach Scott began purchase negotiations with the Seattle Blue Devils organization. An agreement could not be reached and Coach Scott left the Seattle Blue Devils to form the King County Jaguars.
In their maiden season of 1999, Owner and Head Coach Scott lead the Jaguars to a 4-6 record. The 2000 season saw the Jaguars finish with the same 4-6 record.
The Jaguars first winning season came in 2001 with a 6-4 record.
During the 2002 season, the Jaguars went 4-4 for the season and French Field, located at Kent Meridian High School in Kent, became the official home field of the King County Jaguars. In 2003 the King County Jaguars won the NWFL regular season title and won their first ever NWFL playoff game against the Multnomah County Buccaneers on September 6, 2003, by the score of 24 to 7. The Jaguars then advanced to the NWFL Championship game. The Jaguars came up short of the NWFL title loosing to the Eastside Hawks, (owned by the then Seattle Seahawk, Sam Adams), with a score of 27 to 17.
The 2003 season also brought the King County Jaguars their first ever North American Football League (NAFL) playoff game against the South Ogden Rhino-Raiders in Utah. The Jaguars traveled to Utah and lost by the score of 20-2.
In 2004 the Jaguars finished the NWFL regular season with an 8-2 record and an 8-4 overall record. The Jaguars again traveled to play the South Ogden Rhino-Raiders in a national playoff game and lost 34-18.
In 2005 the Jaguar organization brought on a new General Manager, Lorrie Jean Rarey. Ms. Rarey, a Certified Public Accountant with a firm in Auburn Washington, was a valuable addition to the business side of the organization. Rarey brought on a skilled (volunteer) staff to help with the organizations administrative duties and game day preparations. With the business administration, staffing and finances of the organization being handled by Rarey, Coach Scott was able to focus his full attention on the team. He then compiled a team of football players with outstanding ability, and a coaching staff with years of football experience. This nucleus of combined talent produced the greatest team in King County Jaguar history.
2005 saw the Jaguars win the NWFL Championship 21 to 6 over the West Sound Saints of Silverdale, WA. As NWFL champions the 2005 King County Jaguar team entered into the NAFL national tournament and advanced all the way to the NAFL Championship game at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida, where they competed against the three time NAFL Champion Central Pennsylvania Piranha team. The Piranha defeated the Jaguars by the score of 28 to 3.
The 2005 Jaguars advanced to the NAFL championship game by defeating two undefeated teams: the Dallas Diesel 27-24 for the NAFL Western Conference championship, and in the NAFL Final 4 the Jaguars defeated the NAFL Southern Conference champion Arkansas Rhinos 55-22. The King County Jaguars ended their 2005 season as the 2005 Minor League Football News #1 AAA Ranked Western Regional Summer/Fall Semi-Professional football team. The Jaguars had their best winning season ever with an overall record of 14-1.
In 2006 the King County Jaguars defended their 2005 NWFL title, again defeating the West Sound Saints in the NWFL Championship with a score of 14 to 7. In that same year the King County Jaguars became members of the Minor League Football Association (MLFA West). The Jaguars played for the MLFA West National Championship against the Bay Tickets Inc. 49ers at Golden Gate Park's historic Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, CA. In this championship game the Jaguars held the lead against the home town 49er team at 14 to 13 for most of the game, but with 7 seconds remaining in the game the 49ers kicked a 25 yard field goal to win the game 16-14. For 2006, the Jaguars were also the champions of the first ever Kent Cornucopia Bowl. Because of a NAFL administrative department playoff scheduling oversite the Jaguars had to withdraw from the NAFL national playoffs. The Jaguars finished their 2006 season with an overall record of 11-1.
On April 1, 2007 the structure and ownership of the Jaguars changed. The team became owned and operated by King County Jaguars Football, LLC, an ownership group consisting of Jaguars long time owner, Jeff Scott, General Manager, Lorrie Jean Rarey and Norm Larson, a prominent local businessman. The Kent School District resurfaced French Field during the summer so Auburn (WA) Memorial Stadium became home to the Jaguars. The King County Jaguars members of one local league tournament (NWFL) also became members of three national football tournaments, the MLFA West, NAFL and the FarWest Football Association (FWFA).
The 2007 King County Jaguars won the NAFL Pacific Coast Division title and defended their 2006 NWFL title winning their third straight NWFL Championship by defeating the Oregon Thunderbolts at Auburn (WA) Memorial Stadium 34-0. The Jaguars returned to the MLFA West national playoff finals against the then undefeated Blue Mountain Stars (12-0) of Kennewick WA. This time the Jaguars became the 2007 MLFA West National Champions shutting out the eastern WA champion Stars at Bonney Lake (WA) by the score of 29-0. The Jaguars returned to the NAFL playoffs hosting the defending NAFL National Champion Dallas TX Diesel 13-1 at Sunset Chevolet Stadium in Sumner WA. In this game the Jaguars scored late in the 4th quarter to take the lead on the Diesel 19-18 but on Dallas's next possession the Diesel drove the ball down field enough to kick a 31 yard field goal with 34 seconds remaining in the game to defeat the Jaguars by the score of 21-19 finishing the Jaguars season at 14-1.
King County Jaguars 1999-2007
• Wins - 76 • Losses - 31 • Ties - 0 • Points Fielded - 2859 • Points Allowed - 1388 • Most Points Fielded (14 game season) - 550 (2005) 503 (2007) • Least Points Allowed (14 game season) - 77 (2007) 137 (2005) • Most Points Fielded In A Game - 70 vs. Olympic Peninsula Eagles (2007) • Most Points Allowed In A Game - 48vs. Oregon Thunderbolts (2000) • Longest win streak - 13 games (2005 & 2007) • Longest regular season win streak - currently 37 games • In Playoffs - 2003, 04, 05, 06, 07 • NWFL Regular Season Champions - 2003, 05, 06, 07 • NWFL Champions - 2005, 06, 07 • NAFL Pacific Coast Division Champions 2007 • NAFL Western Conference Champions – 2005 • NAFL Finals - 2005 • NAFL Final 4 – 2005 • NAFL “Elite 8” Western Conference Finals – 2005, 07 • MLFA West National Championship Finals - 2006 • MLFA West National Champions – 2007 • #1 ranking, MLFN Poll Summer/Fall Western Region AAA (Final) 2005 • NWFL Playoff Record 7-2 • MLFA Playoff Record 1-1 • NAFL Playoff Record 3-4 • Overall Post Season Record – 11-7 • NWFL longest yard run from scrimmage - 99, Nathan (Tank) Proctor vs. Snohomish County Vikings 2005 • NWFL record single game average yards per carry - 15.9, Jaguar Delano Edgecomb vs. Snohomish County Vikings 2003 • NWFL longest single game pass completion - 96, Leo Dickerson vs. Bellingham Eagles 2001 • NWFL longest single game pass reception - 96, Akeem McAllister vs. Bellingham Eagles 2001 • NWFL longest single season receiving average per catch - 29.7, Rico Brown 2004 • Coach Of The Year - 2003,05 • Coach Jeff Scott – MLFN Hall of Fame 2007 ....Key....Northwest football League (NWFL) Minor League Football Association (MLFA) North American Football League (NAFL) Minor League Football News (MLFN)