The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL). It was formed by Jeff Spitaleri, his brother Eric, and a third member, Cory Trapp, all from the Canton, Ohio, area.
The CIFL Championship Game was the annual championship game of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). In 2006, it was the meeting of the two semifinal game winners. Following the 2007 and 2008 season, the game was between the Great Lakes Division champion and the Atlantic Division champion. In 2009 the league was divided into an East and West Division.
The Marion Blue Racers were a professional indoor football team based in Marion, Ohio. The Blue Racers began play as an expansion team in the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) in 2011, before moving to the United Indoor Football League (UIFL) for the 2012 season. The Blue Racers returned to the CIFL in 2013. The team had announced that it would be joining the Xtreme Indoor Football League (XIFL) for the 2014, but later re-signed with the CIFL. During the 2015 season, the Blue Racers played as members of X-League Indoor Football.
The 2011 Continental Indoor Football League season was the league's sixth overall season. The regular season started on Saturday, February 26, with the expansion Port Huron Predators defeating the expansion Indianapolis Enforcers 69-12, and ended with the 2011 CIFL Championship Game on June 11, 2011, at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the Cincinnati Commandos defeated the Marion Blue Racers 44-29 to clinch their second consecutive CIFL Championship.
The 2010 Fort Wayne Firehawks season was the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. In November 2009, the FireHawks were announced as the successor team to the Fort Wayne Freedom. Owners J. Michael Loomis and John Christner purchased the assets left from the Freedom franchise, who had played the two seasons before the FireHawks were announced. Christner's first action as General Manager was naming former Freedom head coach Willie Davis as the team's first head coach. On December 9, 2009, it was confirmed that Loomis and Christner would take over the entities that used to run the Freedom. Before the season started, the team announced they had signed Katie Hnida as the team's placekicker. Hnida is best known for becoming the first woman to score a point in an NCAA football game and speaking out during the recruiting scandal at her first school, the University of Colorado.
The 2010 Cincinnati Commandos season was the 1st season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. The Commandos were able to finish the season with a 9–1 record, and qualified for the playoffs as the 1st seed, where they went on to defeat the Wisconsin Wolfpack in the CIFL Championship Game.
The 2011 Cincinnati Commandos season was the 2nd season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise.
The 2010 Chicago Cardinals season was the third season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise, but the team's first as the Chicago Cardinals after relocating from Milwaukee where they were known as the Milwaukee Bonecrushers. The Cardinals were able to finish the season with an 0-10 record, and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Cardinals replaced the Slaughter in the CIFL, after the Slaughter left that league for the IFL due to a dispute with CIFL management. The Cardinals were formerly known as the Milwaukee Bonecrushers, also of the CIFL, and relocated to Villa Park in 2010. The Cardinals use their name with permission from the original National Football League team, now known as the Arizona Cardinals.
The 2010 Marion Mayhem season was the fifth season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise, and the team's last season, as they would fail to be able to finish the season, and forfeit their last 4 games of the 2010 season. On December 24, 2009, team announced their intentions to move the Mayhem franchise to Columbus, Ohio and become the Columbus Aces before the season, citing a lack of attendance as the reason for the move. The move fell through, and the team played the 2010 season in Marion. After starting the season 3-3, the Mayhem folded, rewarding the teams that had yet to play them with victories.
The 2010 Miami Valley Silverbacks season was the fifth season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. The 2010 Silverbacks announced they will continue play in the CIFL as a full travel squad. The team named former Cincinnati Swarm (af2), Louisville Fire (af2) and Cincinnati Marshals (NIFL) assistant Brian Wells as head coach. The 2010 Silverbacks finished the regular season with, at the time, the best winning percentage in team history (.400) and their second ever playoff berth. The Silverbacks were eliminated in the first round by the eventual CIFL Champion Cincinnati Commandos.
The 2010 Wisconsin Wolfpack season was the second season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. For 2010, the Wolfpack chose to move its home games to the Hartmeyer Arena on the northeast side of Madison. 2010 also saw the team stock its roster with more players from the nearby Wisconsin Badgers football program. Joining defensive lineman Kurt Ware and linebacker James Kamoku from the 2009 Wolfpack would be tight end Andy Crooks, safety Josh Nettles, defensive lineman Ricky Garner, offensive lineman Kenny Jones and, following a season-ending injury to quarterback Brian Ryczkowski, Matt Schabert. Under Schabert's guidance, the Wolfpack had its most successful season to date, indoor or outdoor, finishing the regular season 8-2 and becoming the only team to defeat the then-undefeated Cincinnati Commandos. The Wolfpack would win its first-ever home playoff game, beating the Fort Wayne FireHawks, 25-24, before falling to the Commandos in the 2010 CIFL Championship Game, 54-40, in Cincinnati.
The 2011 Chicago Knights season is the fourth season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise, and the 1st as the franchise's name change to the Knights.
The 2011 Indianapolis Enforcers season was the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise.
The 2011 Marion Blue Racers season was the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. They took over to fill the void in Marion, Ohio, after the Marion Mayhem folded the year before. The franchise couldn't have asked for a more exciting start than their first game on March 5, 2011. Marion entered the 4th quarter trailing 37-23 to the Port Huron Predators. They started their comeback by scoring a touchdown with 10:31 left in the game. Mike Tatum caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Josh Harris and Tyler Lorenz added the extra point, cutting Port Huron’s lead was cut to 37–30. With 3:27 left in the game, Harris ran in from three yards out to tie the game. The game-winning score came on an eight-yard run by Harris with 27 seconds to play. Port Huron quarterback Jim Roth was intercepted by Bryan Williams as time expired to secure the victory. On April 2, 2011, the Blue Racers set a CIFL record with 8 rushing touchdowns in a single game, against the Indianapolis Enforcers. After the Blue Racers got off to a 3–1 start, Demetrius Ross stepped down from his head coaching position, citing personal reasons. His defensive coordinator, Ryan Terry, took over as head coach, just 2 days before the Blue Racers played their first road game at the Dayton Silverbacks. The Blue Racers went on to an 8–2 regular season record, losing twice to the Cincinnati Commandos. The team defeated the Dayton Silverbacks 53–18 in the league semi-finals, before being defeated by the Commandos again in the 2011 CIFL Championship Game 44–29.
The 2011 Port Huron Predators season was the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. They were the first team in Port Huron since the Port Huron Pirates played there in 2007. On February 26, 2011, the Predators won their first game in franchise history, with a 69-12 victory over the visiting Indianapolis Enforcers. They got off to a quick start after a brief scare and never looked back. After the Enforcers brought back the opening kick-off to the Predators nine-yard line, the Port Huron defense stepped up and picked off the first play from scrimmage. It was the first of seven interceptions by the Predators' defense. On the next play, Predators back-up quarterback Jim Roth, who was filling in for Damon Dowdell, found Robert Height for a 41-yard score to put the team ahead for good. The Predators carried the 7-0 into the second quarter and led 21-6 at the half. In the second half, the flood gates opened as the Enforcers, a first-year team travel team, showed their inexperience with several mistakes. After several interceptions and fumbles, Port Huron took a commanding 47-6 lead into the third quarter before going on to win by the lopsided score. On March 28, the Predators fired their second coach of the season as well as their director of operations. Head Coach Jason Lovelock was let go after Brusate said, "The players wanted something different." As for Director of Operations, Julie Crankshaw, Brusate cited, "We had different ideas on what should be done. She was fired. She didn't live up to her contract; she didn't fulfill it. So there is no need to fulfill my end." Brusate appointed Offensive Coordinator, John Forti, as the Interim Head Coach. On April 2, Forti lead the team into his first game as Head Coach, and lead the team to a 29-45 defeat to the Chicago Knights, who hadn't won a game in over 2 season. The Predators announced on April 28, 2011 that they would be forfeiting the rest of the season.
The 2012 Indianapolis Enforcers season was the second season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise.
The 2012 Dayton Silverbacks season is the seventh season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise.
The 2012 Chicago Pythons season was the first and only season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise.
The 2012 Port Huron Patriots season is the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. After the disappointing end to the Port Huron Predators season in 2011, Dave and Cyndi Kinsman wanted to bring back a team to Port Huron in 2012 and the future. Kinsman stated, "We are aware of the history of teams in this city and the bottom line is that you have to win on and off the field to make this succeed. Other teams could win on the field, but couldn't win off the field meaning they didn't have the front office and leadership it takes to succeed. We are confident in the direction this franchise will head and we are thrilled to be in Port Huron." The team announced that they would be playing at McMorran Arena. In early September 2011, the Patriots signed former Pradators head coach John Forti, as well as re-signed local players who had played for the Predators. On December 24, 2011 the team announced its training camp roster.
The Dayton Silverbacks were a professional indoor football team based in Dayton, Ohio. The team was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). The franchise started as the Miami Valley Silverbacks and joined the CIFL in 2007 after playing their inaugural season as an expansion team in the American Indoor Football Association. The Silverbacks were the fourth indoor football team to be based in Dayton, the first being the Dayton Skyhawks of the original Indoor Football League. The Skyhawks were followed by the Dayton Warbirds, who later became the Dayton Bulldogs, of the National Indoor Football League and the third being the Cincinnati Marshals who played their 2007 season in Dayton. The Owner of the Silverbacks was Various people through the years with the final owner being Corwyn Thomas of Cincinnati. The Silverbacks played their home games at Hara Arena in nearby Trotwood, Ohio.
