The Philadelphia Soul was a professional arena football team from Philadelphia that played in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2004 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2019. The team participated in five ArenaBowl games. They won their first game in 2008 against the San Jose SaberCats. They lost their next two games in 2012 and 2013 to the Arizona Rattlers. The Soul won their fourth game in 2016 against the Rattlers with a score of 56–42. They also won their fifth game in 2017 against the Tampa Bay Storm with a score of 44–40.

The team was created in 2004 when a group led by Jon Bon Jovi got the rights to an AFL team in Philadelphia. The AFL stopped operating before the 2009 season began but was bought and started again in 2010. After two years without games in 2009 and 2010, the Soul returned in 2011 with Ron Jaworski as their leader. After the 2019 season, the AFL stopped operating once more.

History

The team was owned by main owners Jon Bon Jovi and Craig Spencer, along with other owners Richie Sambora, Ron "Jaws" Jaworski (a former quarterback for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles), and Leo Carlin, Jr. The Soul began playing in February 2004, and their home games were held at the Wells Fargo Center (then called the Wachovia Center), which is also home to the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL and the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. When games conflicted with the NBA or NHL schedules, matches were played at the now-demolished Wachovia Spectrum, which was previously home to the Flyers, 76ers, Philadelphia Phantoms (an AHL hockey team), and the Philadelphia KiXX (an MISL soccer team). The Soul played in the Eastern Division of the National Conference in the AFL. The name "Soul" referred to the Philadelphia soul music genre, a nod to Bon Jovi's career as a musician, even though his pop rock style did not match the Philadelphia soul genre. The team's official mascot was the Blues Brother-like "Soul Man."

In 2005, the Soul started the season by defeating the Austin Wranglers 66–35. However, after five games, the team had only two wins and three losses, which led to the firing of head coach Michael Trigg.

The Soul signed Tony Graziani as the highest-paid player in Arena League history. This decision left the team with little money under the salary cap to improve their defense, making it difficult for them to compete for the playoffs. Despite having 14 games scheduled for national or regional television by NBC, the team was not in playoff contention.

In 2006, the Soul started the season with a 2–0 record. They beat the Dallas Desperados (who finished the season with a league-best 13–3 record) twice and ended the season with a 9–7 record, earning their first playoff berth through the wild card. In the wild card playoff game, the Soul defeated the Austin Wranglers 52–35. The score was tied 21–21 at halftime, but the #5 seed Soul outscored the #4 Wranglers 21–7 in the third quarter and won the game. The Soul lost their Divisional Round Playoff game 31–27 to the Orlando Predators in a game known as the "round of golf," because viewers missed much of the first quarter due to a PGA Golf tournament being televised on NBC at the same time.

In 2007, the Soul started the season 4–0 before losing to the Georgia Force 57–49. They then lost to their division rival, the Dallas Desperados, 51–41. During that game, Tony Graziani left early with a separated left shoulder from a sack by OL/DL Rickie Simpkins. He missed the next four weeks, during which the team lost all games, dropping their record to 4–6. Graziani returned in week 12 against the New Orleans VooDoo and led the team to its highest scoring output in franchise history, winning 78–34. In a Week 16 "win-and-in" matchup with the Columbus Destroyers, Graziani led the Soul down the field and threw a touchdown pass to Charles Pauley with seven seconds left, giving the Soul a 56–53 win and their second trip to the playoffs in four years. In the playoffs, they defeated the Orlando Predators 41–26, then traveled to Atlanta to face the Georgia Force in the Divisional Round, but lost 65–39.

In 2008, the Soul signed WR Chris Jackson during the off-season. He joined former teammate Tony Graziani. Many expected the Soul to win the championship that year. However, Graziani was injured again early in the season and was replaced by Matt D'Orazio. Unlike previous years, the backup quarterback was able to keep the team competitive. When Graziani returned, the coaching staff allowed D'Orazio to keep the starting job. The Soul finished the 2008 season with a 13–3 record and earned a first-round bye. In the Divisional Round, the Soul defeated the New York Dragons. In the conference finals, they beat the Cleveland Gladiators to earn their first berth to the ArenaBowl. They then won their first ArenaBowl on July 27, 2008, defeating the San Jose SaberCats 59–56 in ArenaBowl XXII.

The team suspended operations along with the rest of the Arena Football League in 2009. Five years later, Bon Jovi formed another ownership group with members of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to try to buy the NFL's Buffalo Bills. This group was outbid by Terry and Kim Pegula.

On February 17, 2010, the Arena Football League offered the Soul a chance to return to arena football. The team accepted, and they returned in 2011, playing all their home games at the then-recently renamed Wells Fargo Center. Jaworski and Spencer returned from the previous ownership group, and Pete Ciarrocchi (owner of Chickie's and Pete's) and Cosmo DeNicola (former owner of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers) joined the new ownership group. Jon Bon Jovi was not part of the new group, as he cited his tour schedule as the reason. He still supports the Soul and their new ownership. The team hired Mike Hohensee, a future Arena Football Hall of Famer, to lead the revived team. Despite high expectations, the Soul struggled early in the season and finished 6–12, last place in the East.

In 2012, the Soul started the season with new head coach Doug Plank. They finished the regular season with the league's best record at 15–3 and advanced to ArenaBowl XXV, but lost to the Arizona Rattlers 72–54. Less than a week later, Plank announced his resignation.

In 2013, the Soul hired offensive coordinator Clint Dolezel to replace Plank. Dolezel's familiarity with the team's players helped the Soul maintain success throughout the 2013 season. The Soul finished the regular season 12–6, winning the Eastern Division for the second consecutive season. Dolezel led the Soul to ArenaBowl XXVI, but the team lost to the Rattlers again 48–39.

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Rivalries

The Philadelphia Soul and Pittsburgh Power were both based in Pennsylvania. The Power began playing in 2011, and both teams were part of the East Division, which no longer exists. As members of the East Division, the Soul and Power played each other twice a year, with one team hosting a home game each time. By the end of the 2014 season, their series was tied 4–4. The Power team ended operations during the 2014–15 off-season because of low attendance. Many of the Power’s important players joined the Soul when the team closed.

The Dallas Desperados were one of the Soul’s main rivals. This rivalry started from the competition between the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys but continued indoors as the Soul and Desperados competed for Eastern Division titles. The Soul lost their first game against the Desperados 51–47 on February 15, 2004. The overall record between the two teams was tied at 5–5 when the Desperados team ended.

Although not as important at first, the Cleveland Gladiators became the Soul’s biggest rival. The rivalry began in 2008 when the Gladiators moved from Las Vegas to Cleveland, placing them in the same division as the Soul. In their first meeting, the Gladiators won 63–35. In 2017, the AFL ended conferences, and the Soul and Gladiators played four games against each other, with the Soul winning all four. The Gladiators announced they would not play in 2018 or 2019 due to renovations at Quicken Loans Arena.

The rivalry with the Jacksonville Sharks began in 2012, the Sharks’ second year in the league and their first year as defending ArenaBowl champions. The Soul hosted the Sharks in the American Conference championship, winning 89–34 to advance to the ArenaBowl. The following season, the Sharks had the best record in the conference and hosted the Soul in the conference championship, which the Soul won 75–59. In the 2015 off-season, Soul players Derrick Ross, Tiger Jones, and Jason Holman joined the Sharks. In 2015, the Sharks defeated the Soul 61–56 to advance to the ArenaBowl. In 2016, the Soul got revenge by beating the Sharks in the American Conference Championship game and advancing to ArenaBowl XXIX. The Sharks left the AFL for the National Arena League after the 2016 season, ending the rivalry.

The Soul’s biggest rival became the Arizona Rattlers. The two teams played in back-to-back ArenaBowls in 2012 and 2013, with the Rattlers winning both games. The Soul finally defeated the Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXIX in 2016. After that season, the Rattlers moved to the Indoor Football League, ending the rivalry.

The Soul’s logo appeared in a 2008 episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia titled “Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life.” Actress Lisa LoCicero played a team representative in the episode. In season 1, episode 4 of The Ranch, Ashton Kutcher’s character, Colt Bennett, wore a Soul T-shirt. In season 5 of Impractical Jokers, Joe Gatto was punished by having to shoot his own clothes into the crowd at a Soul game.

Logo and uniforms

The Soul logo features a music note with a white football inside. Their original home jersey was dark grey, and the road jersey was white. In 2004, they tried white and silver helmets during the preseason but later chose dark grey helmets. In 2008, they introduced a blue alternate jersey with "PHL" on the chest and grey pants. The blue jersey was worn during all games in the 2008 playoffs, including ArenaBowl XXII. However, the blue jerseys were not used again when the Soul returned in 2011. On March 13, 2012, the Soul updated their blue jerseys to be the new home uniforms, with matching white road jerseys and a powder blue helmet for road games. For the 2016 and 2017 seasons, they returned to grey home jerseys. Before the 2019 season, the AFL partnered with Phenom Elite to supply uniforms for the league. The jerseys were blue with a larger black logo on the chest and back.

Notable players

The following Soul players have been named to All-Arena Teams:

• QB Matt D'Orazio (1), Dan Raudabaugh (2)
• FB Derrick Ross (3), Tommy Taggart (1), Jeramie Richardson (1)
• WR Chris Jackson (1), Donovan Morgan (1), Tiger Jones (2), Marco Thomas (1)
• OL/DL Ernest Allen (1)
• OL Phil Bogle (2), Mike Mabry (1), Martin Bibla (1), Brennen Carvalho (1), Christian Johnson (1), Wayne Tribue (1), Shannon Breen (1), Adam Smith (2), Neal Tivis (1)
• DL Bryan Save (1), Gabe Nyenhuis (1), Bryan Robinson (3), Ted Jennings (2), Jake Metz (1)
• LB Joe Goosby (1)
• DB Eddie Moten (2), Kent Richardson (1), Rayshaun Kizer (2), James Romain (1), Tracy Belton (1), Dwayne Hollis (1)
• DS Eddie Moten (1)
• K Carlos Martinez (1), Tommy Frevert (2)

The following Soul players have been named to All-Ironman Teams:

• FB/LB Idris Price (1), Clifton Smith (1)
• WR/DB Mike Brown (1)
• WR/KR Jeff Hughley (1)

The following Soul players have been named to All-Rookie Teams:

• OL Phil Bogle, Martin Bibla
• DL Bryan Save
• K Todd France, Connor Hughes