[citation needed] In October, an ownership group, which included Primerica executive Ed Randle as majority owner and Mike Sammond, a former Columbus sportscaster with WRBL TV who helped launch the league's Birmingham Steeldogs a year earlier, were approved and granted an af2 expansion franchise for the city.
The team's name was in recognition of the nearby major college football schools of Auburn University (War Eagle battle cry) and the University of Georgia (Bulldogs), while also honoring the nearby army post of Fort Benning, a main training ground for military war dogs.
After losing their first game of the 2002 season on the road, the Wardogs claimed their first franchise victory the following week on April 20 at home with a 19–14 win over the Jacksonville Tomcats.
The Wardogs opened the 2003 season with two straight wins, beating the Memphis Xplorers 26–25 on the final play of the game and then defeating Rochester 47–32 the following week.
[6] On March 28, the Wardogs played a preseason exhibition game, named Freedom Bowl 2 against Team Down Under, made up of players from Australia and New Zealand.
The team was unable to play the 2006 af2 season due to damage to the Mississippi Coast Coliseum caused by Hurricane Katrina.
[11] Disotell announced plans to build a new 12,000-seat arena for his team in Pearl, (a suburb of Jackson) but ultimately he was unable to secure funding and never played.