2018 IFL season | |
---|---|
League | Indoor Football League |
Sport | Indoor football |
Duration | February 23, 2018 – June 16, 2018 |
Number of teams | 6 |
Finals champions | Iowa Barnstormers |
Runners-up | Sioux Falls Storm |
The 2018 Indoor Football League season was the tenth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The league played with six teams, after the suspension of operations of three teams, the departure of another two teams, and the addition and subsequent suspension of two teams.
The top four teams made the IFL playoffs with the semifinals consisting of the top seed hosting the fourth seed and the second hosting the third before the winners met in the 2018 United Bowl.
Project Fanchise, the ownership of the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles that joined the IFL in 2017 and also bought the Colorado Crush during the season, announced that they would leave the IFL after one season. [1] For the 2018 season, the Arizona Rattlers, Cedar Rapids Titans, Green Bay Blizzard, Iowa Barnstormers, and Nebraska Danger had all committed to play. [2] However, the Spokane Empire had ceased operations at the close of the 2017 season. [3] The Sioux Falls Storm left the league for Champions Indoor Football on August 30, 2017, [4] with the Wichita Falls Nighthawks to follow soon after. On September 12, 2017, it was announced that the Bloomington Edge and West Michigan Ironmen had joined the IFL for the 2018 season. [5]
The CIF then attempted to sue the IFL, Edge, and Ironmen for leaving the CIF after the two teams had already signed league affiliation agreements with the CIF for 2018. The IFL then threatened to sue the CIF, Storm, and Nighthawks in return despite neither former IFL team signing an affiliation agreement with the IFL for 2018. [6] The CIF then retracted their lawsuit with the IFL but also removed the Storm and Nighthawks from their 2018 schedule. [7] After the IFL meetings in October 2017, the Storm returned to the IFL [8] but the Nighthawks had to suspend operations. [9] While the CIF did drop the lawsuit against the IFL, it filed for an injunction against the Edge and Ironmen teams from participating in the IFL for breaking the terms of their signed affiliation agreements. A temporary injunction from participation was granted on January 31, 2018, with the court ruling determining that both teams had been offered bribes from the owner of the Arizona Rattlers to break their contracts with the CIF. [10] [11] The schedule was revised in February for the six participating teams stating the Edge and Ironmen were to return in 2019. [12]
Team | Location | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Rattlers | Phoenix, Arizona | Talking Stick Resort Arena | 15,505 | 1992 | 2017 | Kevin Guy |
Cedar Rapids Titans | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | U.S. Cellular Center | 6,900 | 2012 | 2012 | Marvin Jones |
Green Bay Blizzard | Green Bay, Wisconsin | Resch Center | 8,600 | 2003 | 2010 | Chris Williams (until March 29) Corey Roberson (interim) |
Iowa Barnstormers | Des Moines, Iowa | Wells Fargo Arena | 15,181 | 1995 | 2015 | Dixie Wooten |
Nebraska Danger | Grand Island, Nebraska | Eihusen Arena | 6,000 | 2011 | 2011 | Mark Stoute (until May 20) Adam Shackleford/Pig Brown (interim co-coaches) |
Sioux Falls Storm | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Denny Sanford Premier Center | 10,678 | 2000 | 2009 | Kurtiss Riggs |
2018 Indoor Football League | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | PCT | PF | PA | GB | STK | ||
y- Iowa Barnstormers | 11 | 3 | .786 | 648 | 493 | — | W1 | |
x- Arizona Rattlers | 11 | 3 | .786 | 746 | 567 | — | W1 | |
x- Sioux Falls Storm | 11 | 3 | .786 | 724 | 577 | — | W5 | |
x- Nebraska Danger | 4 | 10 | .286 | 525 | 592 | 7 | L9 | |
Cedar Rapids Titans | 3 | 11 | .214 | 543 | 733 | 8 | L1 | |
Green Bay Blizzard | 2 | 12 | .143 | 421 | 645 | 9 | L4 |
y - clinched regular season title
x - clinched playoff spot
Semifinal | 2018 United Bowl | ||||||||
1 | Iowa | 48 | |||||||
4 | Nebraska | 17 | |||||||
1 | Iowa | 42 | |||||||
3 | Sioux Falls | 38 | |||||||
2 | Arizona | 68 | |||||||
3 | Sioux Falls | 69 (OT) |
Award | Winner | Position | Team |
---|---|---|---|
Most Valuable Player [13] | Drew Powell | Quarterback | Iowa Barnstormers |
Offensive Player of the Year [14] | Darrell Monroe | Running back | Arizona Rattlers |
Defensive Player of the Year [14] | Bryce Enyard | Defensive back | Iowa Barnstormers |
Special Teams Player of the Year [14] | B.J. Hill | Kick returner | Green Bay Blizzard |
Offensive Rookie of the Year [15] | Jeff Ziemba | Quarterback | Arizona Rattlers |
Defensive Rookie of the Year [15] | Ricarlo Bell | Defensive lineman | Cedar Rapids Titans |
Coach of the Year [13] | Dixie Wooten | Head coach | Iowa Barnstormers |
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 Sioux Falls Storm are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Storm joined the original Indoor Football League as an expansion team in 1999 as the Sioux Falls Cobras, and first took the field for the 2000 season. They currently participate in another iteration of the Indoor Football League; prior to that, the Storm were in United Indoor Football (UIF), where they won all four of the league's championship games. In the newer IFL, the Storm have won seven of the eleven championships in the league as of 2019.
The Bloomington Edge was a professional indoor football team based in Bloomington, Illinois. While it was in operation, the team hosted home games at Grossinger Motors Arena. Originally named the Bloomington Extreme, the team was a member of United Indoor Football (UIF), and joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 2009 during the UIF and Intense Football League merger. They left the IFL for the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) in 2013, and in 2015 the CPIFL merged with the Lone Star Football League (LSFL) to create Champions Indoor Football (CIF), where Bloomington did not follow and joined X-League Indoor Football (X-League). Following the 2015 season the Edge joined the CIF. The Edge then announced it had rejoined the IFL for the 2018 season, but a court ruling prevented the team from joining the league until 2019, however, they were not included in that season's schedule.
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 2024 season, the league consists of 16 teams in two conferences with each team playing 16 games over 19 weeks.
The 2009 Indoor Football League season was the inaugural season of the Indoor Football League, a league formed as a merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. The regular season began on Friday, March 13 and ended on Saturday, July 11. The league champions were the Billings Outlaws, who defeated the RiverCity Rage in the 2009 United Bowl.
Mike Anthony Tatum is an American football coach who is the head coach and offensive coordinator for the Omaha Beef of the National Arena League (NAL). He is former indoor American football wide receiver for the Nebraska Danger, Bismarck Bucks, and the Sioux Falls Storm of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played college football at Oxnard College. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Marion Mayhem in 2009. He played with the Mayhem until their disbanding during the 2010 season. Tatum then finished the 2010 season with the Fort Wayne FireHawks. Tatum then returned to Marion in 2011, when a new franchise called the Marion Blue Racers expanded into the CIFL. Tatum has also played for the Everett Raptors of the IFL.
Claude Davis is an American professional football linebacker for the Sioux City Bandits of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played college football at the University of South Florida.
John D. Griggs is an American football defensive end for the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played college football for the University of Akron. He went undrafted during the 2013 NFL draft, and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Daron Clark is an American football coach and former wide receiver. He played college football at Stillman College.
Champions Indoor Football (CIF) was a professional indoor American football minor league created in 2014 out of the merger between the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) and Lone Star Football League (LSFL), plus one team from the Indoor Football League and two expansion teams.
The Wichita Falls Nighthawks were a professional indoor American football team. They were based in Wichita Falls, Texas. The team was headquartered in Wichita Falls and played its home games at Kay Yeager Coliseum. The Nighthawks first joined the Indoor Football League as an expansion team in 2015. The Nighthawks were announced as a member of Champions Indoor Football (CIF) for 2018, however, due to litigation, the team ceased operations for the season.
The West Michigan Ironmen are a professional indoor football team based in Muskegon, Michigan, the Ironmen play their home games at Trinity Health Arena. The team joined American Indoor Football (AIF) in 2016. The AIF ceased operations following the 2016 season, leaving the Ironmen without a league. They joined Champions Indoor Football for the 2017 season. For the 2018 season, the team was originally announced to have joined the Indoor Football League, however, the team was forced to sit out the 2018 Indoor Football League season. The team was then sold and played in the regional Midwest Professional Indoor Football for the 2018 season until they could rejoin the CIF in 2019. However, they were not among the list of members for the 2019 CIF season and instead joined the American Arena League.
Jonathan Bane is an American football quarterback for the West Texas Desert Hawks of the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Dakota Wesleyan.
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. As of the end of the 2024 season, the league consisted of five teams.
The 2017 Indoor Football League season was the ninth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Playing with ten teams in two conferences spread across the midwestern and western United States, the league's regular season kicked off on February 16, 2017, when the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles hosted the Nebraska Danger. The regular season ended 18 weeks later on June 18, 2017, with the defending league champion Sioux Falls Storm visiting the Iowa Barnstormers and the Wichita Falls Nighthawks visiting the Nebraska Danger. The playoffs were held in two rounds, with the top two seeds in each conference playing against each other in the conference championships. The winner of those games met in the United Bowl.
The 2017 Spokane Empire season was the second season for the professional indoor football franchise in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Empire were one of ten teams that competed in the IFL for the 2017 season and were members of the Intense Conference.
The 2017 Colorado Crush season was the eleventh season for the professional indoor football franchise and ninth in the Indoor Football League (IFL). It was the second season of the franchise being labeled the Crush after playing nine seasons under the Ice moniker. The Crush were one of ten teams that competed in the IFL for the 2017 season. The Crush were members of the Intense Conference.
Jarien Moreland is a former American football offensive lineman. He played college football at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and attended Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida. He was a member of the Spokane Shock, Tampa Bay Storm, Spokane Empire, Portland Steel, Sioux Falls Storm, and Washington Valor.
David Lefotu is an American football offensive lineman who is a free agent. He played college football at University of Hawaii at Manoa and attended Pearl City High School in Pearl City, Hawaii. He has been a member of the Spokane Empire, Tampa Bay Storm and Albany Empire.
The 2018 Champions Indoor Football season was the fourth season of the CIF. The regular season began on March 3, when the Wichita Force traveled to Salina Liberty, losing 17–15. The regular season concluded on June 10. This was the second season in which four teams per conference advanced to the Champions Bowl playoffs, with the top seed in each conference hosting their conference's fourth seed, and second seeds hosting third seeds in the first round.