The Chicago Bruisers were one of the four original teams in the AFL’s inaugural season. A miserable 2-4 first year turned around into a 10-1-1 regular season in 1988. The first ever tie in the AFL came between the Bruisers and LA Cobras, as they finished at a 37-37 deadlock in the final game of the regular season. The Bruisers would defeat the Cobras in their first playoff game, but became the first victim of the Detroit Drive, 24-13, in the second Arena Bowl game. In 1989, it was a return to less than mediocre for the Bruisers, with a 1-3 record. The Bruisers would fold following the 1989 season and the AFL would not return to Chicago until 2001, with the Rush.