Columbus Destroyers The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League ( AFL ) team based in Columbus , Ohio . The team was founded in as the Buffalo Destroyers , based in Buffalo , New York , and relocated to Columbus in . They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season , after a total of ten seasons of play . The Destroyers played their home games in Columbus ' Nationwide Arena . Their last coach was Pat Sperduto . History . Buffalo Destroyers ( 1999 - 2003 ) . The Buffalo Destroyers began play during the 1999 AFL season , playing their home games at HSBC Arena , and were owned by Buffalo - area businessman Mark Hamister . The team was founded , in part , because of fears that a lease expiration could have led to the demise or relocation of the NFL ' s Buffalo Bills , the city ' s largest sports franchise . Those fears were unfounded as a multiyear lease deal to keep the Bills in Western New York was signed shortly thereafter and remained in effect long after the Destroyers left Buffalo . The name " Destroyers " came from a naming contest and alluded to the naval ship of the same name , one of which sits outside the HSBC Arena in the nearby Buffalo Naval and Serviceman ' s Park . The Destroyers initially attracted high attendance levels , but a lack of winning early on caused attendance to decline , something the team never recovered from . The first head coach , Dave Whinham , was fired in the middle of the Destroyers ' second season after an abysmal 1 - 17 record . Former Buffalo Bills player Ray Bentley was selected as his replacement ; however , he couldn ' t lead the Destroyers to a winning season . The closest he came was in 2001 , when his team started 6 - 3 but would end the season on an 0 - 5 skid to just barely miss the playoffs . The team had another 6 - 8 season , this time enough to make the playoffs but lost in the first round , in 2002 . Bentley abruptly resigned after that season to take a job in broadcasting , and Ron Selesky , a respected personnel man was hired to replace him . Selesky ' s record in 2003 was a lackluster 5 - 11 . Jerry Crafts , former Bills offensive lineman , played for the Destroyers in 2001 and served most notably as nose tackle , anchoring one of the league ' s better defenses . After the 2003 season concluded , talks of a re - location began , as the Destroyers had lost $ 5 million over five years , went nearly unnoticed by the media ( NBC had blacked out all of their games in 2003 ) , and suffered from a lack of local support reflected in low attendance levels . At the time , Destroyers owner Hamister was also in the running , along with partner Todd Berman , to buy the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL , but a deal for a state incentive package fell through and the team was instead sold to Rochester - area entrepreneur and politician B . Thomas Golisano . Shortly after the Sabres deal fell through , in September 2003 , Hamister announced that he was relocating the Destroyers to Columbus , Ohio for the 2004 season . On May 24 , 2008 the Arena Football League announced that it was returning to Buffalo with a new franchise to be owned by Bills alumni Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas along with Rochester Raiders owner Bob Bartosiewicz . That team will play in the AFL ' s minor league system , af2 . The team was originally scheduled to begin play in 2009 , but did not materialize in time for that season , and with the dissolution of the AFL as well as af2 , the proposal appears to be dead , since Arena Football 1 has shown no interest in the Buffalo market . Columbus Destroyers ( 2004 - 2008 ) . The Buffalo Destroyers moved to Columbus after the 2003 Arena Football League season . They played their home games in downtown ' s Nationwide Arena , which they shared with the National Hockey League ' s Columbus Blue Jackets . The Destroyers were sold to John H . McConnell , founder of Worthington Industries and majority owner of the Blue Jackets , and accountant Jim Renacci . Also owning a stake in the team is NFL wide receiver and former Ohio State football standout Joey Galloway . Mark Hamister , who owned the team during the Buffalo tenure , initially stayed on as a minority owner , but would eventually sell his share . The Columbus Destroyers , over their first two years , would often market people with the team who are also associated with The Ohio State University football program , rather than the team itself . In the 2004 season , it relied heavily on head coach , former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce , and front office worker Chris Spielman . In the 2005 season , Spielman became head coach of the team and much of the Destroyers merchandise bore his name . However , as the 2006 season approached , the team appeared to have dropped marketing Ohio State personalities , instead promoting the Destroyers playing " Fast - forward football " . Since then , the Destroyers have enjoyed more success , finishing 7 - 9 in 2006 and making a run all the way to ArenaBowl XXI in 2007 . Despite high hopes the 2008 Destroyers weren ' t able to capitalize on the previous two years success and finished with a 3 - 13 record . It was announced at the end of the season that Destroyers ownership and Doug Kay had reached a decision that he would not return as head coach . The Destroyers mascot ' s name was Bruiser . The Destroyers had been better received in Columbus than they were in Buffalo , as their attendance levels were some of the highest in the AFL , and they were regularly covered in the media . Home games were televised locally on Columbus Sports Network , but this coverage ceased after the network folded . All games were broadcast on their radio partner Wink 107 . 1 FM . The rights to the " Columbus Destroyers " and " Buffalo Destroyers " brands are currently held , along with the rest of the league , with Arena Football League . So far , there have been no discussions to place an AFL team in Columbus or Buffalo despite Buffalo receiving the af2 bid for 2010 . Memorable Destroyers Moments . First Game First Playoff Game Last Game in Buffalo Last Game as Buffalo Move to Columbus Road to Arena Bowl XXI