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Arena football is a variety of eight-man indoor gridiron football. The game is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as a standard North American ice hockey rink, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game that can be played on the floors of indoor arenas. The sport was invented in 1981, and patented in 1987, by Jim Foster, a former executive of the National Football League and the United States Football League. The name is trademarked by Gridiron Enterprises and had a proprietary format until its patent expired in 2007.
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.
The Green Bay Blizzard is a professional indoor football team based in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, founded in 2003. The Blizzard began play in the Indoor Football League in 2010, after having played the previous seven seasons in af2, the now-defunct minor league of the Arena Football League. They play their home games at the Resch Center. The team's logo represents Bruiser, the team mascot.
The La Crosse Center is a multi-purpose arena in downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin, built in 1980. The arena can seat between 5,000 and 7,500, depending on the type of event.
Kyle Moore-Brown is a former Arena Football League (AFL) offensive lineman/defensive lineman for the Albany/Indiana Firebirds and the Colorado Crush. He is currently the offensive line coach for the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He was the head coach of the Cedar Rapids Titans of the IFL.
The Spokane Shock were a professional indoor American football team based in Spokane, Washington, that played their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member of arenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won division titles in all four seasons and ArenaCups in 2006 and 2009 before they joined the Arena Football League (AFL) in its 2010 relaunch. The team advanced to the playoffs three times after joining the AFL, winning ArenaBowl XXIII in their first season, making them the only arena football franchise to win both the ArenaCup and the ArenaBowl.
Gilbert Jesse Brown is an American former professional football nose tackle who played for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League, Brown played 125 Packers games recording 292 tackles and seven sacks. Nicknamed "The Gravedigger" in honor of his celebratory dance following a thunderous tackle, Brown played in 15 Packers playoff games. He was a major contributor on strong defenses during the mid-1990s. His most successful season was in 1996, when he started all 16 games and Green Bay won Super Bowl XXXI. He was also part of the Kansas team that won the 1992 Aloha Bowl and was selected for the All-Academic Big Eight team in 1991.
The Green Bay Bombers was an indoor football team that played in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998, and in the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 1999 and 2000. The Bombers franchise was owned by Keary Ecklund. The team office was based in Neenah, Wisconsin, and played their games at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena. The Bombers were coached by Mario Russo for the 1998 PIFL season and part of the 1999 IFL season and by Bud Keyes for the remainder of the 1999 and 2000 IFL seasons.
The Madison Mad Dogs were an indoor football team that played in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998, and in the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 1999 & 2000. The Mad Dogs franchise was owned by Keary Ecklund. The team office was based in Madison, Wisconsin, and played their games at the Dane County Coliseum, now Veterans Memorial Coliseum, at the Alliant Energy Center. The team colors were: Red, Silver, and Black. The Mad Dogs were coached by Richard "Dick" Adams for the '98 PIFL season.
The Cigar Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game held in Tampa, Florida that featured teams from smaller college programs. There were nine editions of the bowl, which was usually played on or around New Year's Day each season from 1946 through 1954. It was played at Phillips Field, which was located across the Hillsborough River from downtown Tampa at the current site of Tampa Preparatory School and Julian Lane Riverfront Park. Its name was inspired by the local cigar industry, which had been the main driver of Tampa's growth from an isolated village to a prosperous city around the turn of the 20th century.
Xzavie Lee HeBron Jackson [ex-ZAY-vee] is a professional gridiron football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the Cedar Rapids Titans of the Indoor Football League (IFL).He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Missouri. He also played in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2009.
Darnell Terrell is a professional American and Canadian football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns in 2008. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers. He has also been a member of the RiverCity Rage and Edmonton Eskimos.
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams among indoor football leagues. As of the 2023 season, the league consists of 14 teams in two conferences with each team playing 16 games over 19 weeks.
The La Crosse Spartans were a professional indoor football team based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. They were a member of the Great Lakes Division, of the United Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They played their home games at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
The La Crosse River Rats were an indoor football team based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. They were members of the original Indoor Football League (IFL) and played their home games at the La Crosse Center.
The 2011 La Crosse Spartans season was the team's second season as a professional indoor football franchise and second in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of twenty-two teams competing in the IFL for the 2011 season, the La Crosse, Wisconsin-based La Crosse Spartans were members of the Great Lakes Division of the United Conference.
The 1959 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 1959 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth season under head coach Duffy Daugherty, the Spartans compiled a 5–4 overall record, finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference, and were ranked #16 in the final Coaches Poll.
The 2011 Omaha Beef season was the twelfth season as a professional indoor football franchise and third in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of twenty-two teams competing in the IFL for the 2011 season, the Omaha, Nebraska-based Omaha Beef were members of the Great Lakes Division of the United Conference.
Antonio Mauricio O'Neil is an American football coach. He is currently an assistant coach at Denfeld High School and will be the inaugural head coach of the Duluth Harbor Monsters in The Arena League (TAL), which are to begin in 2024. O'Neil is also a former arena football player.
Ryan Maiuri is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for the University of Dubuque, a position he has held since 2024. He also coached for Lakeland, Winona State, Adrian, Minnesota, Central (IA), and the La Crosse Spartans of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played college football for Lakeland as a quarterback and professionally for the Hamburg Blue Devils of the German Football League (GFL), the RiverCity Rage of the United Indoor Football (UIF), and the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL), and the La Crosse Spartans of the IFL.