The Indoor Football League (IFL) began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an "entity league"; teams were owned by the league and franchised out to management groups. NFL Hall-of-Famer Kellen Winslow was brought in as commissioner. The league was successful enough for a major expansion in 2000. Expansion was done regionally to cut down on travel expenses. Hence, the majority of the teams were in the Midwest. Their championship game was known as the Gold Cup.
| Sport | indoor football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Keary Ecklund |
| First season | 1999 |
| Ceased | 2000 |
| CEO | Kellen Winslow |
| Motto | Wall to Wall War |
| No. of teams | 13 |
| Country | United States |
| Last champion(s) | Green Bay Bombers (1999) Peoria Pirates (2000)[1] |
Midway through the 2000 season, the Topeka Knights changed management and nicknames and became the Kings. After the season, the entire league was purchased by the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators. Two teams, the Lincoln Lightning and Peoria Pirates, as well as many players, became a part of their developmental ("farm") league, the AF2.[2] The Wichita Warlords were rebranded the Wichita Stealth. Other teams resurfaced with new names in the Indoor Professional Football League (which consisted of the remnants of the PIFL that Ecklund left in 1999) and the National Indoor Football League.
Teams edit
1999 teams edit
North Division
1. y-Peoria Pirates, 11-1
2. x-Green Bay Bombers, 9-3
3. Madison Mad Dogs, 6-6
4. Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks, 1-11
South Division
1. y-Lincoln Lightning, 7-5
2. x-Dayton Skyhawks, 6-6
3. Topeka Knights, 6-6
4. Steel Valley Smash, 2-10
- y – clinched division
- x – clinched wild card
2000 teams edit
Eastern Conference edit
Northern Division
1. z-Peoria Pirates (14-0)
2. x-Green Bay Bombers (10-4)
3. x-Madison Mad Dogs (8-6)
4. Minnesota Purple Rage (5-9)
5. Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks (2-12)
6. La Crosse River Rats (2-12)
Southern Division
1. y-Steel Valley Smash (9-5)
2. x-Erie Invaders (6-8)
3. x-Dayton Skyhawks (6-8)
4. Johnstown Jackals (3-11)
5. Flint Flames (2-12)
Western Conference edit
Northern Division
1. z-Bismarck Blaze (11-3)
2. x-Black Hills Machine (10-4)
3. x-Casper Cavalry (9-5)
4. Billings Thunderbolts (8-6)
5. Fargo Freeze (1-13)
Southern Division
1. y-Topeka Knights/Kings (10-4)
2. x-Lincoln Lightning (10-4)
3. x-Sioux City Attack (9-5)
4. Sioux Falls Cobras (8-6)
5. Wichita Warlords (4-10)
- z – clinched conference
- y – clinched division
- x – clinched wild card
Failed Franchises/Expansion edit
- Iowa Voltage - announced as member of, but never actually played, in the league. [3] [4]
Playoffs edit
1999 Playoffs edit
| Semifinals | 1999 Gold Cup | ||||||||
| 3 | Lincoln | 34 | |||||||
| 2 | Green Bay | 44 | |||||||
| 2 | Green Bay | 63 | |||||||
| 1 | Peoria Pirates | 60 | |||||||
| 4 | Dayton | 40 | |||||||
| 1 | Peoria | 41 | |||||||
2000 Playoffs edit
| Rapid City, South Dakota | Topeka, Kansas | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Casper | 32 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Black Hills | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Black Hills | 75 | Bismarck, North Dakota | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Topeka | 26 | ||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lincoln, Nebraska | 2 | Topeka | 29 | |||||||||||||||
| Bismarck, North Dakota | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Bismarck | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Sioux City | 52 | Western Conference Championship | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Sioux City | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Lincoln | 38 | Peoria, Illinois | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Bismarck | 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| Wild Card playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Divisional playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin | W1 | Bismarck | 42 | |||||||||||||||
| Wheeling, West Virginia | ||||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Peoria | 69 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Dayton | 23 | 2000 Gold Cup | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | Green Bay | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Green Bay | 64 | Peoria, Illinois | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Steel Valley | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| Madison, Wisconsin | 2 | Steel Valley | 55 | |||||||||||||||
| Peoria, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Peoria | 75 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Erie | 22 | Eastern Conference Championship | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Madison | 13 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Madison | 34 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Peoria | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
References edit
- ^ "Various Football League Champions". World of Football. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ Paul Reeths (October 20, 2000). "arenafootball2 acquires IFL". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- ^ Iowa Voltage logo, LogoShak.com
- ^ Iowa Voltage Minor League Football, Our Sports Central
