A dog set a world record after catching a frisbee at a football game.
The dog ran 83 yards at halftime as the frisbee flew above him, for the record-setting catch at the Alliance of American Football (AAF) league football game, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The Feb. 23 game featured the Orlando Apollos at their home stadium, the Spectrum Stadium at the University of Central Florida, against the Memphis Express, in the inaugural season of the AAF football league.
Greatest non-football thing I have ever seen at a football game. Here at Orlando Apollos game, and Gary and his frisbee dog set the world record with an 83 yard throw and catch by a dog. pic.twitter.com/pEkl5avwQX
— Robert Weiner (@plantfball) February 24, 2019
The dog is part of a performing troupe called the Halftime Dogs Flying Disc Show. The team of dogs and the dog trainers perform at sporting events all over North America, according to their website.
The founder of the group, Todd Murnan, is based in the Denver area and lives with his pack of 11 dogs. He started out training service dogs, before going into disc dog competition.
After winning the Ashley Whippet World Championship, he toured with the Incredible Dogs Show and was on the Purina Pro Plan Performance Team.
He is also the captain of Team Hero North America, a team sponsored by Hero Disc USA. Hero Disc makes dog-friendly frisbees.
Even better from this angle pic.twitter.com/XiHbavpPLY
— Tim Meyer (@tim_meyer2) February 24, 2019
Besides bringing his dogs out for sports halftime disc throwing, Murnan also offers his dogs for hire in TV, film, and print, as well as various kinds of events.
The dog that made the record catch was Eurie, who made the catch after a few tries from trainer Gary Duke. Duke directs the Central Florida Disc Club.
“Greatest non-football thing I have ever seen at a football game. Here at Orlando Apollos game, and Gary and his frisbee dog set the world record with an 83-yard throw and catch by a dog,” Robert Weiner said in a tweet and also posted a video clip.
“Thanks for capturing this moment, that place was electric! Eurie did the hard work and I just become a spectator like everybody else after I let it rip! What a rush!” said Duke’s tweet in response.
Though Eurie and Duke set the record for longest frisbee catch by a dog at a live sporting event, the longest flying disc catch by a dog ever is 134 yards, a record set in 2012 by Rob ”Frisbee Rob” McLeod, according to the Sentinel.
Halftime Dogs has performed at professional basketball games, both men’s and women’s, as well as in college basketball competition.
The group has also performed at NFL games, arena football games, and college football games.
Other sporting events the group performed in include indoor soccer and NCAA women’s soccer, major league, minor league, and college baseball, rugby, horse shows, and more.
The Orlando Apollos is one of eight AAF teams. The Apollos is one of two teams in the AAF right now that has no losses after three games.
The AAF avoids directly competing for viewers with the NFL by having the season start just after the Super Bowl, and that ends in a championship game at the end of April.
The league was founded by Bill Polian, an award-winning football team manager, and TV and film producer Charlie Ebersol, according to the AAF website.
Ebersol’s father helped create the first XFL football league when he partnered with WWE chairman Vince McMahon in 2001 when the league played its only season, Forbes reported.
McMahon is reviving the XFL in 2020, without Dick Ebersol, according to ESPN.
