In 2003, Indoor football made its way to Boardwalk Hall with the formation of the Atlantic City Cardsharks. The team competed in the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) and was a member of the Atlantic Conference in the Eastern Division.
As part of the campaign, Trump Plaza issued commemorative casino chips featuring the Cardsharks. All of the home games were played on Saturday nights.
The head coach and general manager of the team was former Oakland Raiders wide receiver and Villanova grad Mike Siani. The Cardsharks won their first game in franchise history on April 10, 2004, over the Greenville Riverhawks 77-37 in front of 4,123 fans. They would go on to finish in second place with a 9-5 record, 6-2 in conference play, and qualified for the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Cardsharks were eliminated in the first round of the NIFL playoffs 54-25 to the eventual NIFL champions Lexington Horseman. The Cardsharks were averaging 1,719 a game for all home games at Boardwalk Hall. Not long after the season ended, the Cardsharks folded up shop.
Some notable players to play for the Cardsharks were quarterback Tony Racioppi, running back Ron Lewis, wide receiver/defensive back Chonn Lacey, wide receivers Mike Osborne, Eric Magrini, Rocco DeMaise, Greg Muckerson, cornerback Terry Owens, free safety Quincy Baker, and cornerback Jermain Johnson.
At the time of the Cardsharks demise, Atlantic City as a whole was losing teams as the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies played their final season in 2004-05 before heading to Stockton, CA, the Surf was still a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball but would fold in 2009.
The Cardsharks’ lone year provided some exciting entertainment for the fans and giving them hope that they would stick around, but it wasn’t meant to be. While football did return fifteen years later with the Atlantic City Blackjacks of the AFL, they too only went one year before the AFL folded.
If there is one thing that the Cardsharks did that the Blackjacks couldn’t do. It made it to the playoffs in its first year. The Blackjacks only had to play five other teams while the Cardsharks had to battle thirteen other teams in the eastern conference to get into the playoffs. The Cardsharks may be gone, but they won’t be forgotten.
