| Team: | Albany Firebirds |
| Year: | 1996 |
| Record: | 10–4 |
| Division Place: | 1st, Eastern |
| Coach: | Mike Hohensee |
| Stadium: | Knickerbocker Arena |
| Playoffs: | W Quarterfinals vs. Milwaukee L Semifinals vs. Iowa |
The 1996 Albany Firebirds season was the seventh season for the Albany Firebirds. They finished the 1996 Arena Football League season 10–4 and finished the season with a loss in the semifinals of the playoffs to the Iowa Barnstormers.[1]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site (attendance) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||||
| 1 | Bye | |||||||
| 2 | May 4 | Charlotte Rage | W 63–32 | 1–0 | Knickerbocker Arena (13,029) | |||
| 3 | May 10 | at San Jose SaberCats | L 40–69 | 1–1 | San Jose Arena (15,561) | |||
| 4 | May 18 | Minnesota Fighting Pike | W 85–30 | 2–1 | Knickerbocker Arena (11,712) | |||
| 5 | May 24 | at Connecticut Coyotes | W 58–26 | 3–1 | Hartford Civic Center (7,539) | |||
| 6 | June 1 | St. Louis Stampede | L 56–66 | 3–2 | Knickerbocker Arena (12,015) | |||
| 7 | June 8 | Memphis Pharaohs | W 67–21 | 4–2 | Knickerbocker Arena (11,764) | |||
| 8 | June 15 | at Iowa Barnstormers | L 46–55 | 4–3 | Veterans Memorial Auditorium (11,411) | |||
| 9 | June 21 | at Charlotte Rage | W 88–36 | 5–3 | Charlotte Coliseum (6,898) | |||
| 10 | June 29 | Connecticut Coyotes | W 59–45 | 6–3 | Knickerbocker Arena (11,117) | |||
| 11 | July 6 | Orlando Predators | W 53–41 | 7–3 | Knickerbocker Arena (11,079) | |||
| 12 | July 12 | at Tampa Bay Storm | L 52–65 (OT) | 7–4 | ThunderDome (13,202) | |||
| 13 | July 20 | at Florida Bobcats | W 66–63 | 8–4 | West Palm Beach Auditorium (3,601) | |||
| 14 | July 27 | Texas Terror | W 86–24 | 9–4 | Knickerbocker Arena (12,345) | |||
| 15 | August 2 | at Milwaukee Mustangs | W 54–49 | 10–4 | Bradley Center (16,411) | |||
The Firebirds were awarded the No. 4 seed in the AFL playoffs.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site (attendance) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Playoff record | |||||
| Quarterfinals | August 10 | (5) Milwaukee Mustangs | W 70–58 | 1–0 | Knickerbocker Arena (11,613) | |
| Semifinals | August 17 | at (1) Iowa Barnstormers | L 55–62 | 1–1 | Veterans Memorial Auditorium (11,411) |
| Position | Player | Award | All-Arena team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive specialist | 1st | |||
| Wide receiver/defensive back | 2nd | |||
| Kicker | Kicker of the Year | 2nd | ||
| Quarterback | - | 2nd | ||
| Offensive/defensive lineman | - | 2nd |