Battle Creek Crunch

Last updated
Battle Creek Crunch
Established 2005
Folded 2006
Played in Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan
Crunch-Logo.png
League/conference affiliations
Great Lakes Indoor Football League (2006)
Current uniform
Team colorsBlack, Orange, White
   
CheerleadersIllegal Motion
Personnel
Owner(s)Mike Powell
General managerMike Powell
Head coachBob Kubiak
Team history
  • Battle Creek Crunch (2006)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (1)
Home arena(s)

The Battle Creek Crunch were a professional indoor football team based in Battle Creek, Michigan. The team was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League joining the league in 2006 as an expansion team. The Crunch were the first professional indoor football team to be based in Battle Creek. The Crunch were owned by Mike Powell. They played their home games at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Contents

Franchise history

The Crunch were announced to the City of Battle Creek in September 2005 that they would begin play in 2006 as an expansion team in the newly formed Great Lakes Indoor Football League by owner and general manager, Mike Powell. On September 27, 2005 the team named Bob Kubiak as their head coach. [1] The Battle Creek Crunch office is officially open to the public on January 16. [2] In their first ever game, the Port Huron Pirates defeated the Crunch by the score of 62-22. [3] The team was also featured on ESPN.com, as writer Ted Kluck tried out for the team. He participated in the first game as a long snapper for two extra point attempts. [4] Kluck wrote a book called, Paper Tiger which captured the entire 2006 season from a player's prospective. [5] Despite the team's lackluster 4-6 record, the team qualified for the playoffs as the league's 4th and final seed. The team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Port Huron Pirates by a score of 74-3. Despite the team's struggles on and off the field, Eric Gardner was named the inaugural GLIFL Defensive Back of the Year.

2006 GLIFL standings

TeamWLTPCT
Port Huron Pirates-y10001.000
Rochester Raiders-x730.700
Lehigh Valley Outlawz-x550.500
Battle Creek Crunch-x460.400
Marion Mayhem 460.400
New York/New Jersey Revolution 0100.000

Even though they hoped to play in 2007, financial troubles and the forming of the Kalamazoo Xplosion marked the end of the Crunch's only year of existence. [6] [7]

Logos

The team name refers to Battle Creek's position as the corporate headquarters of the Kellogg's cereal company. The tiger in the logo is derivative of Tony the Tiger.

Players of note

Roster

Battle Creek Crunch roster
Quarterbacks
  • 14Ken Kubiak
  •  7Tim Kubiak

Running backs

  •  2Chesaurae Rhodes

Wide receivers

  •  4Richard Gills
  • 15Brian Wright
Offensive linemen
  • 61Kyle Lacksheide
  • --Chris Gillette

Defensive linemen

  • 37Anthony Allsbury
  • 87Chris Montgomery
  • 92Harry Petaway

Linebackers

  • 25Ted Kluck
Defensive backs
  •  1Shawn Blackmon
  • 10Eric Gardner
  • 27 Herb Haygood
  •  5L. J. Parker
  •  6Chris Roberson

Kickers

  • 18Brent Selent
Injured reserve
  • currently vacant

Exempt list

  • currently vacant

Practice squad

  • currently vacant

rookies in italics
updated June 24, 2006
18 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS

[8]

Awards and honors

The following is a list of all Battle Creek Crunch players who won GLIFL awards.

SeasonAwardPlayerPosition
2006 Defensive Back of the YearEric Gardner WR/DB

Coaches of note

NameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwards
WLTWin%WL
Bob Kubiak 2006 460.40001

Season-by-season results

League ChampionsConference ChampionsDivision ChampionsWild Card BerthLeague Leader
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
FinishWinsLossesTies
2006 2006 GLIFL 460Lost GLIFL semifinals (Pirates) 3–74
Totals460All-time regular season record (2006)
01-All-time postseason record (2006)
470All-time regular season and postseason record (2006)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental Indoor Football League</span> US indoor football league

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh Valley Outlawz</span>

The Lehigh Valley Outlawz were a professional indoor football team based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The team began play as a semi-pro team in the Labelle Community Football League as the Philly Outlawz. The team was later a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League joining the league in 2006 as an expansion team. The Outlawz and the Reading Express were the first professional indoor football team to be based in Lehigh Valley. The Outlawz were owned by Jim DePaul. They played their home games at the Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Mayhem</span>

The Marion Mayhem were a professional indoor football team based in Marion, Ohio. The team was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL), later renamed the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL), joining in 2006 as an expansion team. The Mayhem were the first professional indoor football team to be based in Marion, but were the second pro football team to be based in the area since the NFL's Oorang Indians. The team folded during the 2010 season due to financial problems. The Owners of the Mayhem were Michael Burtch and Stanley Jackson. They played their home games at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Marion, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Huron Pirates</span> American indoor football team

The Port Huron Pirates were a professional indoor football team based in Port Huron, Michigan. The team was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL) joining the league in 2006 as an expansion team. The Pirates were the first professional indoor football team to be based in Port Huron. They played their home games at McMorran Arena in Port Huron, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochester Raiders</span> American indoor football team

The Rochester Raiders were a professional indoor football team based in the Rochester, New York area. They played their home games at Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex in Rochester. The Raiders were previously a member of the Continental Indoor Football League from 2006 to 2008 and the American Indoor Football Association for two exhibition matches in 2008. In 2014, the Raiders came back and played as a member of American Indoor Football (AIF).

Kellogg Arena is a 6,200-seat multi-purpose arena located in Battle Creek, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premier Basketball League</span> American mens basketball minor league

The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived under new management for the 2020 season. The league announced due coronavirus outbreak the season would be put on hold.

The 2006 Great Lakes Indoor Football League season was the first season of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL).

The 2007 Continental Indoor Football League season was the league's second season. The league champions were the Rochester Raiders, who defeated the Michigan Pirates in the CIFL Indoor Championship Game.

Rayshawn Askew is a former American football running back. He has played for the All American Football League, United Indoor Football, Canadian Football League, Continental Indoor Football League and the National Indoor Football League.

Herbert Donta Haygood is an American former college football coach and professional player. He was the head football coach at Madonna University from 2020 to 2023 before accepting a position as assistant director of admissions in 2023. He played professionally as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle Creek, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 52,731. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Calhoun County. Nicknamed "Cereal City", it is best known as the home of WK Kellogg Co and the founding city of Post Consumer Brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Huron Predators</span> Michigan-based Indoor Football Team

The Port Huron Predators were a professional Indoor Football team based in Port Huron, Michigan. The team was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). The Predators joined the CIFL in 2011 as an expansion team. The Predators were the second indoor football team to be based in Port Huron, the first being CIFL charter members and inaugural champions the Port Huron Pirates (2006–2007). The Owner of the Predators was Rachel Brusate. The Predators played their home games at the McMorran Arena.

Michigan–Ontario League was the name of an American professional baseball league. It operated seven full seasons and part of an eighth from 1919 to 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Huron Patriots</span> Defunct indoor football team in Michigan, USA

The Port Huron Patriots were a professional indoor football team based in Port Huron, Michigan. The team was a member of the North Division of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). The Patriots joined the CIFL in 2012 as an expansion team. The Patriots were the third indoor football team to be based in Port Huron, the first being CIFL charter members and inaugural champions the Port Huron Pirates (2006–2007), and the other being the CIFL based Port Huron Predators. The Owners of the Patriots were Jude Carter, Lonnie Nichols, Lance Nichols, David Nichols, Larry Page, Matt Wuchte and Nick Kennedy-Saura. The Patriots played their home games at the McMorran Arena.

The 2012 Continental Indoor Football League season was the Continental Indoor Football League's seventh overall season. The regular season started on Saturday March 10, with the expansion Port Huron Patriots defeating the expansion Chicago Vipers 52–49 at McMorran Arena, and ended with the 2012 CIFL Championship Game, the league's championship game, on June 2, 2012, at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan where the Saginaw Sting defeated the Dayton Silverbacks 35–7.

The 2007 Miami Valley Silverbacks season was the second season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. After the season, the team decided to move to the Continental Indoor Football League, along with their brother franchise, the Steubenville Stampede, signing a three-year contract with the league. Team owner Jeff Kolaczkowski cited, "This will cut down on the team's operating expenses as well as build strong rivalries." The Silverbacks had a rude welcome to the CIFL, when defending league champion, the Port Huron Pirates, defeated the Silverbacks 54-7. The team bounced back and finished with a 4-9 record and a chance to win a qualifying playoff game. They lost 60-28 to the Chicago Slaughter, failing to make the playoffs.

The 2006 Marion Mayhem season was the first season for the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL) franchise. The Mayhem were announced to the public on September 16, 2005, as the fourth expansion team for the newly formed Great Lakes Indoor Football League. Their inaugural owners of the Mayhem were 4th Down and Long LLC, run by R.A. Mallonn, Fred Horner, Tim Cugini, and John Slebodnik. The team hired Tracy Smith as their inaugural coach and general manager on November 2, 2005. The Mayhem suffered a losing inaugural season in 2006 (4-6), however the Mayhem were within one game of the 2006 GLIFL playoffs. The Mayhem missed the playoffs due to the Battle Creek Crunch holding the tie breaker between the two teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dayton Silverbacks</span> Dayton Silverbacks, an Indoor Football Team based in Dayton, Ohio

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 Silverbacks played their home games at Hara Arena in nearby Trotwood, Ohio.

References

  1. "Battle Creek Crunch announce first Head Coach". September 28, 2005. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  2. "Crunch News and Notes - January". January 16, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  3. Randy Snow (April 8, 2006). "Crunch Lose Opener to Pirate" . Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  4. Ted Kluck. "A day in mini-camp" . Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  5. Paper Tiger:One Athlete's Journey to the Underbelly of Pro Football . Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  6. "None". Archived from the original on 2012-04-15.
  7. "None".[ permanent dead link ]
  8. "Quest for Great Lakes Bowl I - Battle Creek Crunch Season Preview". March 28, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2012.