2003 NIFL season | |
---|---|
League | National Indoor Football League |
Sport | indoor American football |
Regular season | |
Season champions | Ohio Valley Greyhounds |
Playoffs | |
Atlantic champions | Ohio Valley Greyhounds |
Atlantic runners-up | Lake Charles Land Sharks |
Pacific champions | Utah Warriors |
Pacific runners-up | Omaha Beef |
Indoor Bowl III | |
Champions | Ohio Valley Greyhounds |
Runners-up | Utah Warriors |
The 2003 National Indoor Football League season was the third season of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The league champions were the Ohio Valley Greyhounds, who wrapped up a perfect season by defeating the Utah Warriors in Indoor Bowl III and becoming the first team in league history to win back-to-back titles.
The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, AF2, however, that changed briefly with their expansion into AFL markets such as Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles, and AF2 markets such as Fort Myers and Houston. The league folded in 2008.
The Ohio Valley Greyhounds were a professional indoor football team. They began play in 1999 as the Steel Valley Smash, a charter member of the IFL. After the league folded, they moved to the NIFL, became a charter member, and renamed themselves as the Ohio Valley Greyhounds. After four successful years in the league, they moved to the UIF in 2005 and became a charter member to the new league. However, the Greyhounds failed to reach the same level of success from the NIFL years. Their home games were played at the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia, which is also the home to the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers. After three dismal years in the UIF, the team folded in October 2007.
The Utah Warriors were an indoor football team based in West Valley City, Utah. The Warriors played in the National Indoor Football League. The Warriors joined the NIFL in 2004 as an expansion team. The Warriors were the fourth indoor football team to be based in the Salt Lake City area, the first being the Indoor Professional Football League members, the Utah Catzz in 1998, the Utah Rattlers, who had an ownership change, and the name changed to the Utah Express, also of the NIFL in 2001. The Warriors played their home games at the E-Center in the suburb of West Valley City, Utah.
Team | Overall | Conference | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wins | Losses | Percentage | Wins | Losses | Percentage | |
Atlantic Conference | ||||||
Eastern Division | ||||||
Ohio Valley Greyhounds | 17 | 0 | 1.000 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 |
Lexington Horsemen | 9 | 6 | 0.600 | 6 | 4 | 0.600 |
Fort Wayne Freedom | 8 | 6 | 0.571 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 |
Myrtle Beach Stingrays | 6 | 8 | 0.429 | 5 | 6 | 0.455 |
Tennessee Riverhawks | 6 | 8 | 0.429 | 4 | 6 | 0.400 |
Evansville BlueCats | 1 | 13 | 0.071 | 0 | 10 | 0.000 |
Southern Division | ||||||
Lake Charles Land Sharks | 13 | 3 | 0.812 | 8 | 2 | 0.800 |
Houma Bayou Bucks | 10 | 5 | 0.667 | 7 | 3 | 0.700 |
Austin Rockers | 7 | 7 | 0.500 | 6 | 4 | 0.600 |
Beaumont Drillers | 6 | 8 | 0.429 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 |
Oklahoma Crude | 2 | 12 | 0.143 | 2 | 8 | 0.200 |
Tupelo FireAnts | 2 | 12 | 0.143 | 2 | 8 | 0.200 |
Pacific Conference | ||||||
Northern Division | ||||||
Omaha Beef | 12 | 4 | 0.750 | 9 | 1 | 0.900 |
Lincoln Capitols | 9 | 5 | 0.643 | 7 | 3 | 0.700 |
Sioux City Bandits | 6 | 8 | 0.429 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 |
La Crosse Night Train | 4 | 10 | 0.286 | 4 | 6 | 0.400 |
Show-Me Believers | 4 | 10 | 0.286 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 |
Tri-City Diesel | 4 | 10 | 0.286 | 2 | 8 | 0.200 |
Western Division | ||||||
Utah Warriors | 13 | 4 | 0.765 | 7 | 3 | 0.700 |
Sioux Falls Storm | 10 | 5 | 0.667 | 7 | 3 | 0.700 |
Bismarck Roughriders | 9 | 6 | 0.600 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 |
Rapid City Red Dogs | 7 | 7 | 0.500 | 5 | 5 | 0.500 |
Billings Outlaws | 6 | 8 | 0.429 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 |
Wyoming Cavalry | 4 | 10 | 0.286 | 3 | 7 | 0.300 |
Round 1
Semifinals
The RiverCity Rage were a professional indoor football team. They played home games at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri, part of the metropolitan area of St. Louis, Missouri, in past seasons, played in the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis in the 2006 season, and returned to the Family Arena for the 2007 UIF season.
The West Texas Roughnecks were a professional indoor football team based in Odessa, Texas that plays in the Lone Star Football League. The team's nickname is a tribute to the oil industry, which has been the source of Odessa's wealth over the past century.
The Wyoming Cavalry were an American professional indoor football team based in Casper, Wyoming. They were most recently members of the Intense Conference in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Cavalry began play in 2000 as an expansion member of the original Indoor Football League as the Casper Cavalry. The Cavalry became a charter member of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) in 2001 following the original IFL's purchase by the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators. The move in 2001 also brought a franchise name change to the current Wyoming Cavalry. The team then joined the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) in 2008 after the NIFL's demise. With the AIFA's presence in the Western United States dwindling, the Cavalry joined the IFL in 2011. In September, 2014, majority owner Mitch Zimmerman announced that the team would cease operations.
The Omaha Beef is an indoor football team and a charter member of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Beef play their home games at Ralston Arena in nearby Ralston.
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American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.
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The 2001 National Indoor Football League season was the first season of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The league champions were the Mississippi Fire Dogs, who defeated the Wyoming Cavalry in Indoor Bowl I.
The 2002 National Indoor Football League season was the second season of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The league champions were the Ohio Valley Greyhounds, who defeated the Billings Outlaws in Indoor Bowl II.
The 2004 National Indoor Football League season was the fourth season of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The league champions were the Lexington Horsemen, who defeated the Sioux Falls Storm in Indoor Bowl IV.
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The 2006 National Indoor Football League season was the fifth season of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The league champions were the Billings Outlaws, who defeated the Fayetteville Guard in Indoor Bowl VI.
The Indoor Bowl was the main championship game of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). In 2001, it was played between the top two teams who survived the eight-team playoff format. Since 2002, it has been played between the Atlantic Conference champion and the Pacific Conference champion.
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The Mississippi Fire Dogs were a professional indoor American football team based in Biloxi, Mississippi. They played their home games at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. They were a charter member of the Indoor Professional Football League. They played from in the 1999-2000 IPFL seasons before joining the National Indoor Football League in 2001. Their final season was in 2002.