The beginnings of the Cavaliers is at times a difficult one to nail down, but officially the team was re-born in 1998 when Bill Booth reorganized the team in Kelso, Washington as an independent team following the shut down of the Cowlitz County Cavaliers followng the 1996 season. 
 
Booth was also co-operating the Vancouver Posse in 1997 and 1998 with Larry Jobe.  By 1999 the Posse was reformed into the Vancouver Cougars, however the Northwest Football League would only recognize the Cavaliers name which bred the term "Cougaliers".  In essence the 1999 "Cavaliers" was in fact the Vancouver Posse, sold to become the Columbia Cougars, playing in Cougar uniforms under the Cavalier name.  It would be the only winning season in Cavalier history until 2012-2013.  In 2000 the "Cougaliers" officially became the Columbia Cougars, and the Cavaliers would begin to migrate operations north towards the Olympia area.
 
**1999 season: The Cavaliers/Cougars were basically one in the same in 1999.  The Cavaliers were the recognized team according to the NWFL, but the team was made up of players known as the Cougars, formerly the Posse.  Depending on which view one takes, the Cavaliers could have been a non-existent team, or the Cougars would be the non-existent team of 1999.  The GNFA puts the season results under both franchises, but recognizes the post-season awards here under the Cavaliers page.

Through the early 2000's, the Cavaliers mustered just 11 wins, but started out 2-1 in 2004 with high hopes.  Future GNFA founder Mark Meadows debuted with the Cavaliers after relocating from California where he played safety with the San Jose Jaguars, Team USA Gladiators and the New Zealand Haka.  Meadows led the Cavaliers in interceptions through the three game stretch until a teammate rolled up his leg from behind and shelved the safety with an ACL tear during the Renton Raven game.  Meadows would form the South Sound Shockers in 2005, while the Cavaliers posted a 5-8 season, the best showing in half a decade followed by another 5-win season in 2006.  The 2007 season would crash back down to 2-10 scoring two wins by a total of four points over the West Sound Saints (3-0) and the Multnomah Buccaneers (13-12).  In 2002, linebacker Robert Jelvik earned NWFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, a bright spot on the 1-9 season.  Owner Bill Booth would be inducted by Dick Suess into his Minor League Hall of Fame in 2006.

The 2008 season would open with a cross-town rivaly game against the Shockers, but the season was a frustrating one as the hopeful Cavs finished 1-10 in the final season of the Northwest League.

Following the 2008 season, the Cavaliers decided to explore an independent schedule after longtime general manager Don Orton left to help form the Grays Harbor Bearcats taking a sizeable chunk of the Cavaliers playing talent with him.  The Cavaliers left their home field in Olympia, for Yelm and Tenino.  The move was not fruitful as the Cavaliers lost all of the games on the schedule.
 
The Cavaliers dropped four straight to open the 2010 season before squeaking out a 1-point win over the Raiders, a "home" game played in Kelso and won a second consecutive game over the Thunder of the Western Washington Football Alliance, the first time since 2006 that feat was accomplished.  The Cavs beat WWFA runner up Tacoma before losing to Professional Developmental League bottom dweller Oregon to close out the 2010 season.  With the loss to the Thunderbolts, the Cavaliers earned the dubious honor of becoming the fastest franchise in history to lose 100 games.
 
Longtime Cavalier defenseman James King was named head coach for the 2011 season after being the interim coach midway through 2010 when Jamie Roberts left the team.  The Cavaliers finished 3-6.
 
In 2012, the Cavaliers fresh off a solid move to the Chehalis/Centralia region, once again played an independent schedule and early on ventured into the deep end against former Cavaliers now playing with the Grays Harbor Bearcats, the Clark County Vipers and the Wenatchee Valley Rams.  All three games were losses.  Once through that portion of the schedule the Cavaliers faced longtime rival Pierce County and WWFA foes.  Washington won five home games in a row and squeaked out wins in the final 2 road games to finish a 7-0 run to end the season and the first winning record in Cavalier franchise history.
 
In November it was announced the Cavaliers would join the WWFA after 2012 Champion Seattle announced they were leaving for the Pacific League.  The Cavaliers, with victories over 5 of the league members in 2012 were immediately tabbed as contenders for the 2013 championship.
 
Coach King took advantage of the opportunity in the WWFA in 2013 running the Cavaliers record to 9-1 and avenging the only loss of the season to Renton by blanking the Ravens 23-0 in the Championship for the Cavs only title in team history.
 
2014 was a return to reality as King and his followers left to form the Thurston County Mayhem and play closer to the Olympia area, while the Cavaliers remained further to the south on I-5.  The season devolved into an almost first-to-worst season as the Cavaliers fell to 2-7 with the perennially bad Thunder and the upstart Cowlitz County Blackhawks providing the only wins of the season.

2015 would be a repeat as the Thunder and Blackhawks (now the Cobras) would provide the only victories in a 2-8 campaign.  The Cavaliers were not getting better, while the WWFA was gaining strength from the recruitment of PFL and Washington League teams.  The Kings and Rams would provide blowouts to start the season to a tune of 133-6.
 
2016 had the look of a promising season with a double overtime loss to rival Thurston County and close victories over the Cobras and Ravens, but a back-loaded second half of the season saw the Cavs drop their remaining games including 3-consecutive bombings to finish against the Bellingham Bulldogs, Puyallup Nation Kings and Spokane Wolfpack by a combined 222-32. The Kings game would see the Cavaliers victimized by stand-out quarterback Adam Kruse to the tune of 10 touchdown passes for 625 passing yards, both Northwest Records.
 
The Cavaliers would not return for the 2017 season, bringing an end to one of the longer surviving teams, but also one of the losingest. (In 18 seasons, the Cavs had a winning record in only 3.  However, 1999 was a blended team of the Cavaliers name and Vancouver Cougars players that finished 5-4 and would play on as the Columbia Cougars in 2000 winning 10 games).  The franchise finished with a 61-133 record and only one appearance in post season playoffs (2013).
 
Bill Booth sold his interests in the Cavaliers in 2017 to Rick Winkley, a former Portland Thunderbolt in the 1990's.  The team would be rebranded the Pacific Northwest Cavaliers with hopes of hitting the field in 2018 which they did playing in both the Pacific Northwest League out of Portland, and the Western Washington Alliance sporting an overall 1-12 record from January to July.

In 2024, Booth would be nominated by longtime Snohomish County Vikings owner and coach Wes Fischer to the American Football Association Hall of Fame.  The Cavaliers and Vikings played in three consecutive post-season benefit games hosted by Snohomish from 2004-2006.  The Vikings held a 15-3 all-time record in head-to-head games with the Cavaliers with two of the Cavalier victories coming in the post-season games.  Booth helped to maintain a southern Washington presence with the Cowlitz Cavaliers, Vancouver Posse, and Washington Cavaliers from 1993 through 2016 with the combined efforts accounting for a 89-174 overall win-loss record, four playoff appearances and the 2013 WWFA Championship. 

DO YOU HAVE INFORMATION TO CONTRIBUTE?  CONTACT US! (email)