2007 Pittsburgh RiverRats season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Shawn Liotta |
Owner | Jeff Hauser |
Home field | Rostraver Ice Garden 101 Gallitin Rd Belle Vernon, PA 15012 |
Results | |
Record | 7-7 |
Division place | 4th |
Playoff finish | Lost North Quarterfinals (Express) 24-42 |
The 2007 Pittsburgh RiverRats season was the 1st season for the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) franchise. The Explosion began play in 2007 as the Pittsburgh RiverRats, playing that season's home games at the Rostraver Ice Garden in Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania. [1] The "RiverRats" name and logo were originally supposed to be used by the Reading Express, but that team chose the Express branding instead, freeing it up for use by another American Indoor Football League (AIFL) team. [2] In August 2006, more arguments came about the RiverRats name as a team in the Eastern Indoor Football League, called the 3 River Rats, had intentions of suing the RiverRats to retain the naming rights of the team. [3]
The 2007 American Indoor Football Association season was the league's third overall season. The league champions were the Lakeland Thunderbolts, who defeated the Reading Express in AIFA Championship Bowl I.
The Rostraver Ice Garden is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in the Pittsburgh suburb of Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania, USA at exit 43, 43a and 43b on Interstate 70.
The Reading Express were a professional indoor football team based in Reading, Pennsylvania. They were most recently a member of the United Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Express began play in 2006, as an expansion team of the American Indoor Football League. The team was originally going to be named the Reading RiverRats, but passed on that name in favor of the "Reading Express." The RiverRats name and logo was moved to an AIFA team in Pittsburgh in 2007. The owners of the Express were Ted & Lisa Lavender. They played their home games at the Sovereign Center.
On August 20, 2006, the RiverRats signed quarterback David Dinkins, formerly of the Erie Freeze of the AIFA, and designated him as the team's franchise player for the 2007 season. [4]
The Erie Freeze was an American indoor football team based in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The RiverRats played their first game on February 3, 2007 on the road in Tupelo, MS, but lost 54-34 to the Mississippi Mudcats. [5] Their first home game was on February 18, 2007 which they lost 35-28 to the Reading Express. Pittsburgh won its first home game by beating the Danville Demolition 47-21 on March 4, 2007, and then won its first away game by beating Danville a second time, on March 9, 2007, by a score of 34-29. [6] On May 19, 2007, the RiverRats set an AIFA single game record when they scored 86 points in a single game. [7]
Tupelo is a city in, and county seat of, Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,114 in 2017, Tupelo is the seventh-largest city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North Mississippi.
The Danville Demolition were an American Indoor Football Association team played in 2007. The team played their home games at the David S. Palmer Arena.
The team finished their inaugural season at a respectable 7-7 record, good for fourth place in the Northern Conference and a wild-card playoff berth. [8] However, the RiverRats were eliminated in the first round, losing 42-24 to the eventual conference champions Reading Express. [9]
Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
---|---|---|---|
February 3 | Mississippi Mudcats | Away | Lost 34-54 |
February 18 | Reading Express | Home | Lost 28-35 |
February 23 | Canton Legends | Away | Lost 11-45 |
March 4 | Danville Demolition | Home | Won 47-21 |
March 9 | Danville Demolition | Away | Won 34-29 |
March 17 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Away | Lost 13-43 |
March 30 | Johnstown Riverhawks | Home | Won 47-42 |
April 14 | Florence Phantoms | Home | Won 66-60 |
April 21 | Huntington Heroes | Away | Lost 34-55 |
April 28 | Canton Legends | Home | Won 62-33 |
May 6 | Reading Express | Away | Lost 40-57 |
May 12 | Erie Freeze | Away | Won 52-45 |
May 19 | Erie Freeze | Home | Won 86-72 |
May 25 | Huntington Heroes | Home | Lost 26-69 |
June 9 | Reading Express (Playoffs) | Away | Lost 24-42 |
Team | Overall | Division | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wins | Losses | Percentage | Wins | Losses | Percentage | |
Northern Division | ||||||
Reading Express | 14 | 2 | 0.875 | 12 | 1 | 0.923 |
Canton Legends | 10 | 4 | 0.714 | 9 | 3 | 0.750 |
Huntington Heroes | 10 | 4 | 0.714 | 9 | 3 | 0.750 |
Pittsburgh RiverRats | 7 | 7 | 0.500 | 6 | 6 | 0.500 |
Johnstown Riverhawks | 6 | 9 | 0.400 | 5 | 6 | 0.417 |
Danville Demolition | 1 | 12 | 0.077 | 1 | 11 | 0.083 |
Erie Freeze | 1 | 13 | 0.071 | 1 | 11 | 0.083 |
Southern Division | ||||||
Lakeland Thunderbolts | 11 | 2 | 0.846 | 9 | 2 | 0.818 |
Mississippi MudCats | 11 | 3 | 0.786 | 9 | 3 | 0.750 |
Tallahassee Titans | 11 | 3 | 0.786 | 9 | 3 | 0.750 |
Carolina Speed | 7 | 7 | 0.500 | 5 | 6 | 0.417 |
Montgomery Bears | 5 | 9 | 0.357 | 4 | 8 | 0.333 |
Florence Phantoms | 4 | 9 | 0.308 | 4 | 7 | 0.364 |
Baltimore Blackbirds | 1 | 12 | 0.077 | 1 | 7 | 0.111 |
Gulf Coast Raiders | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 |
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 Richmond Bandits were a professional indoor football team based in Richmond, Virginia. They were a charter member of the Atlantic Indoor Football League. In 2005, the Bandits defeated the Erie Freeze to win the AIFL's first-ever American Bowl, completing the year with a combined record of 11-1. On February 7, 2005, ownership announced that the team would be nicknamed the "Bandits", and that the would be coached by Rik Richards. During that inaugural year, head coach Rik Richards, offensive coordinator Brent Williams, and line coach Steve Criswell led one of the league's most potent offenses and a defense that led the league in takeaways. Starting quarterback Will Burch led the team to a 4-1 record, including a 94-point outburst at Johnstown, before being replaced by Robbie Jenkins due to ineffectiveness in game 6. Damon "Redd" Thompson, Bryan Still, DeAndre Green, and Marcel Willis were the team's top receivers. Lawrence Lewis and Julian Graham anchored the defense. The Bandits played their home games in the Richmond Coliseum. Also affiliated with the team are the Bandivas, the dance team for the Bandits, and mascot Billy the Bandit.
American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.
The Johnstown Riverhawks was a professional indoor American football team based out of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. They were a charter member of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). They played their home games at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
The Carolina Ghostriders were an indoor football team and charter member of the American Indoor Football League.
The Huntington Heroes were a professional indoor football franchise and member of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). The Heroes played their home games during their inaugural 2006 season at the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse in Huntington, West Virginia before moving to the larger Big Sandy Superstore Arena for the 2007 and 2009 seasons. The Heroes were the second indoor football franchise for Huntington, following the River Cities LocoMotives, who played one season (2001) in the National Indoor Football League, and were followed by the Huntington Hammer in 2011. The Heroes were usually known for featuring many former Marshall University football players from the Marshall Thundering Herd program located in Huntington.
The Erie Explosion was a professional American indoor football team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007 as the Pittsburgh RiverRats, the Explosion played in the Professional Indoor Football League, the United Indoor Football League, the Southern Indoor Football League, the Continental Indoor Football League and the American Indoor Football Association and operated continuously from 2007 to 2015.
The Arizona Adrenaline were a professional indoor American football team based in Prescott Valley, Arizona. They were members of the Mountain West division of the Intense Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Adrenaline were founded in 2008 as an expansion member of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). After two years of dormancy, the Adrenaline returned for 2011 in the IFL. The team played its home games at the Tim's Toyota Center.
The Wheeling Wildcats were a professional indoor football team located in Wheeling, West Virginia. The team began play in the Continental Indoor Football League during the 2009 season as an expansion team. The Wildcats were the second indoor football team to be based in Wheeling. The team filled the void left by the demise of the Ohio Valley Greyhounds, who played their final down of football in 2007. The owner of the Wildcats was Dave Bender. The Wildcats played their home games at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia.
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Shawn Liotta is an indoor football head coach who most recently coached the Erie Explosion. Over the past 8 seasons as a Head Coach at the professional indoor level, Liotta has established himself as a consistent winner and producer high scoring offensive units as evidenced by his team establishing 26 league and national records. Following the conclusion of the 2014 season, Liotta holds a 76% win percentage (58-19) during his tenure in Erie and has led his teams to 7 playoff berths in 8 seasons. Liotta holds a (35-5) record at the Erie Insurance Arena, and his teams have finished as the number one ranked offense in three different professional indoor leagues. For his accomplishments at the indoor level, Liotta has twice been named Coach of the Year and in 2007 was selected to coach the AIFA All-Star Game held in Florence, SC.
The 2011 Erie Explosion season was the 5th season for the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) franchise.
The 2010 Erie Storm season was the 4th season for the American Indoor Football Association franchise.
The 2009 Erie RiverRats season was the third season for the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) franchise.
The 2008 Erie RiverRats season was the 2nd season for the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) franchise.
The 2010 Richmond Raiders season was the first season as a professional indoor football franchise and their first in the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). One of 13 teams competing in the AIFA for the 2010 season.