Chicago Knights

Last updated
Chicago Knights
Established 2007
Folded 2011
Played in Victory Sports Complex in Loves Park, Illinois
Chicago Knights.PNG
League/conference affiliations
Continental Indoor Football League (2008–2011)
  • Great Lakes Conference (2008)
    • West Division (2008–2009)
Current uniform
Team colorsBlack, Blue, Silver, White
    
Personnel
Head coachJohn Burns
Team history
  • Milwaukee Bonecrushers (2008–2009)
  • Chicago Cardinals (2010)
  • Chicago Knights (2011)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (1)
Home arena(s)

The Chicago Knights were a professional indoor football team based in Loves Park, Illinois. The Knights were founded in 2010 as a member of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL), playing their home games at the Victory Sports Complex.

Contents

The Knights were the third Indoor Football Team based in Northern Illinois. The Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League were based in Rosemont, and the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League are based in Hoffman Estates. The Knights replaced the Chicago Cardinals as the Illinois-based CIFL team, which had replaced the Slaughter after they left for the Indoor Football League after a dispute with CIFL management.

Franchise history

2008-2009: Milwaukee Bonecrushers

Quarterback Ryan Maiuri taking a snap against the Chicago Slaughter in 2008. Ryan Maiuri.jpg
Quarterback Ryan Maiuri taking a snap against the Chicago Slaughter in 2008.

The Milwaukee Bonecrushers were a team in the Continental Indoor Football League. They played their home games at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Bonecrushers were Milwaukee's second indoor football franchise, following the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League.

The franchise made an immediate splash in Milwaukee when it announced former Green Bay Packer Gilbert Brown signed a three-year contract to be the team's first head coach. [1] However, the optimism quickly faded when Brown announced he was resigning from the position after just three games on April 8, 2008. Much of the team's staff and many of the team's players also left at the same time, raising eyebrows among the Milwaukee media and fans. [2] The Bonecrushers finished 2008 with a hodgepodge of players and coaches, winning just one game, a 51-46 road contest against the Muskegon Thunder featuring a 26-yard touchdown by Bonecrushers' quarterback Brian Ryczkowski with seconds left to set up a 1 yard game winning TD run by Ryczkowski on the final play of the game.

Milwaukee Bonecrushers Logo Bonecrushers.jpg
Milwaukee Bonecrushers Logo

The rumored reasoning behind the exodus of many of the original members of the franchise was the team's inability to pay its bills or personnel. This was confirmed when a judgment was entered against the Bonecrushers in favor of Challenger Industries, the company that sold the team its game field AstroTurf, in the amount of $29,539.29 on October 15, 2008. Challenger resolved its claim against John Burns, one of the owners of the Milwaukee Bonecrushers, prior to the matter going to trial. [3]

The Bonecrushers returned to action in 2009 with renewed optimism after signing LeRoy McFadden, brother of NFL player Darren McFadden, as its new head coach, as well as the previous year's CIFL Offensive Player of the Year, Randy Bell. However, McFadden also chose to resign after just three games, [4] leaving assistant coach, John Burns, to take over as head coach. The Bonecrushers survived the 2009 season in Milwaukee with minimal attendance and finished 3-8.

Prior to the 2010 season, the Bonecrushers management reorganized and the team elected to cease operations in Milwaukee. Many of the individuals involved with the Bonecrushers, including Burns, moved onto be part of the new Chicago Cardinals franchise based in Villa Park, Ill. [5]

While the Bonecrushers franchise is generally regarded as having failed in the eyes of Milwaukeeans, their existence did help create two other CIFL franchises: The Cardinals and the Wisconsin Wolfpack. Plans had already been in place for the Wolfpack to field its first outdoor team in the summer of 2008 when Brown left the Bonecrushers. Eventually, many members of the Wolfpack's staff were brought in to help the Bonecrushers complete the indoor season, including current Green Bay Blizzard Offensive Coordinator Dave Mogensen. In 2009, the Wolfpack fielded a CIFL team of its own in Madison, Wisconsin. The Bonecrushers would play the Wolfpack twice in their final season in Milwaukee, losing both times.

2010: The move to Chicago

Chicago Cardinals Logo ChicagoCardinalsCIFL.png
Chicago Cardinals Logo

The Cardinals replaced the Slaughter in the CIFL, after the Slaughter left that league for the IFL due to a dispute with CIFL management. [6] The Cardinals were formerly known as the Milwaukee Bonecrushers, also of the CIFL, and relocated to Villa Park in 2010. [7] The Cardinals use their name with permission from the original National Football League team, now known as the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals only season was one of utter disappointment. After starting 0-2, they signed Kicker Julie Harshbarger, the 2nd female Kicker in the CIFL history. (The other being Katie Hnida of the Fort Wayne Firehawks) After a successful soccer career at Benedictine University and Rockford College, where she was named to several all-conference teams. Well Harshbarger was not the first woman to score a point in an indoor football game, but she was the first woman ever to score a field goal in an indoor football game. [8] After a 20-58 loss on May 22, and seeing their record drop to 0-8, the Cardinals let several of their best players, including the All-Purpose Player of the Year (Brandon Wogoman), leave the team for the nearby, and contending, Wisconsin Wolfpack.

2011: Becoming the Knights

The Knights started the season with a painful 7-53 loss to the defending champions, the Cincinnati Commandos. After almost a complete month off, the Knights were back in action on April 2 against the Port Huron Predators, and came away with a 45-29 win. The Knights were led by Brandon Wogoman, the reigning CIFL All-Purpose Player of the Year, who had a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown and a kick-return touchdown to lead the Knights to their first win since the franchise moved to their present location in 2010. [9] After a conflict with the Odeum Expo Center, the Knights played what was supposed to be a home game in Indianapolis against the Indianapolis Enforcers. Then on April 7, 2011 it was announced that the Knights would play the rest of their games in Loves Park, Illinois in the Victory Sports Complex. [10]

Notable players

Final roster

2011 Chicago Knights roster
Quarterbacks
  •  8Brandon Jewett
  • 13Ron Ricciardi

Running backs

  • 22Darnell King
  • 24Michael Hayden

Wide receivers

  • 12Rafu Armour
  • 45Shawn McKeown
  •  1Willie Tolon
Offensive linemen
  • 94Lawrence Ancahas
  • 88Daryl McNeil
  • 93Evan Page

Defensive linemen

  • 14Gemayel Cowser
  • 26Jeremy Robinson
Linebackers
  • 18Zontavius Johnson
  •  6Zac Pederson

Defensive backs

  • 21Harvey Allen
  •  5Mike Keeton
  • 24Ryan Robinson
  • 27Martel Taylor

Kickers

Inactive
  •  6 Shonn Bell DL
  • --Mike Brockman OL/DL
  • --Dino Cardone DB
  • --Foster Chambers RB
  • 88Simon Chandler OL
  • --Tyler Honeck LB
  • 12Rick Lahrman WR
  • --Justin Miles WR
  • --Jason Mitchell OL/DL
  • --Alex Nunez QB
  • --Mathew Odigie DB
  • 90Jeremy Shedrick DL
  • 26Tony Smidl K
  • --Ricky Soto OL/DL
  • --Brian Tait WR
  • 87Neil Wilcox WR
  •  2Brandon Wogoman WR

Injured reserve Injury icon 2.svg

Updated April 26, 2011 [11]

Rookies in italics
19 Active, 17 Inactive

Awards and honors

The following is a list of all Bonecrushers/Cardinals/Knights players who won individual awards and honors.

SeasonPlayerPositionAward
2010 Adrian Henry DL 2nd Team All-CIFL
2010 Ricky Emery DB 2nd Team All-CIFL
2010 Brandon Wogoman KR 2nd Team All-CIFL
2010 Brandon Wogoman All-Purpose Player 1st Team All-CIFL
2010 Matt Rahn OL 1st Team All-CIFL
2010 Brandon Wogoman All-Purpose Player All-Purpose Player of the Year

Head coaches

NameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwards
WLTWin%WL
Gilbert Brown 2008 030.00000
Michael Tumbleson 2008 180.11100
LeRoy McFadden 2009 120.33300
John Burns 2009–2011 6220.21401

Season-by-season results

League ChampionsConference ChampionsDivision ChampionsWild Card BerthLeague Leader
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
FinishWinsLossesTies
2008 2008 CIFL Great LakesWest3rd1110
2009 2009 CIFLWest4th380
2010 2010 CIFL6th0100
2011 2011 CIFL4th460Lost CIFL Semifinals (Commandos) 13–71
Totals8350All-time regular season record (2008–2012)
01-All-time postseason record (2008–2012)
8360All-time regular season and postseason record (2008–2012)

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">Chicago Slaughter</span> Professional football team

The Chicago Slaughter were an American professional football team based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Having been inactive since 2013, the franchise was a part of the CIFL from 2007 to 2009, winning the championship in 2009. The Slaughter joined the Indoor Football League at the start of the 2010 season. The Slaughter played their home games at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

Russell Walter Michna is a former arena football quarterback. A two-time league champion of the United Football League (UFL), he has played several leagues, the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), UFL and AFL. Michna also played in the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Wolfpack</span>

The Wisconsin Wolfpack was an American football franchise based in Wisconsin. The Wolfpack name and brand was used for two teams: an indoor football team in the Continental Indoor Football League and a traditional (outdoor) football team in the Mid Continental Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Continental Indoor Football League season</span> Sports season

The 2010 Continental Indoor Football League season was the league's fifth overall season. The regular season started on Saturday March 13 with the expansion Cincinnati Commandos defeating the Miami Valley Silverbacks 38-32, and ended with the 2010 CIFL Championship Game, on June 26, 2010, at the Cincinnati Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio where the Commandos defeated the Wisconsin Wolfpack 54-40.

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 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Indianapolis Enforcers season</span>

The 2011 Indianapolis Enforcers season was the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise.

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.

Julie Harshbarger is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. She is most known for being the first woman to score a field goal in Indoor football, as a member of the Chicago Cardinals of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL), and, at seven seasons and counting, having the longest documented career for a woman playing professional football in leagues dominated by men.

The 2009 Milwaukee Bonecrushers season was the 2nd season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. The Bonecrushers returned to action in 2009 with renewed optimism after signing LeRoy McFadden, brother of NFL player Darren McFadden, as its new head coach, as well as the previous year's CIFL Offensive Player of the Year, Randy Bell. However, McFadden also chose to resign after just three games, leaving assistant coach, John Burns, to take over as head coach. While the Bonecrushers survived the 2009 season in Milwaukee, and in spite of bringing in top announcer Dennis J. O'Boyle to handle the public address and master of ceremonies duties at the U.S. Cellular Arena, attendance dwindled to nearly nothing and the team finished with a record of 3-8.

The 2008 Milwaukee Bonecrushers season was the 1st season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) expansion franchise. The franchise made an immediate splash in Milwaukee when it announced former Green Bay Packer Gilbert Brown signed a three-year contract to be the team's first head coach. However, the optimism quickly faded when Brown announced he was resigning from the position after just three games on April 8, 2008. Much of the team's staff and many of the team's players also left at the same time, raising eyebrows among the Milwaukee media and fans. The Bonecrushers finished 2008 with a hodgepodge of players and coaches, winning just one game, a 51-46 road contest against the Muskegon Thunder featuring a 26-yard touchdown run by Bonecrushers' quarterback Brian Ryczkowski on the final play of the game.

The 2009 Wisconsin Wolfpack season was the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. Prior to the Wolfpack franchise's 2008 outdoor campaign, the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League approached the Wolfpack coaches and staff and asked them to assist with the completion of their 2008 season following Gilbert Brown's decision to resign as head coach and the resulting resignation of most of the Bonecrushers' staff. Kopac assumed the role of general manager for the Bonecrushers, and brought with him the core coaches of the Wolfpack outdoor team that would later become the core of the Wolfpack indoor team. Kopac led the team to its only win, a 51-46 victory of the Muskegon Thunder.

Matthew Rahn is a retired American football player and since 2020, the acting head coach of the College of DuPage Chaparrals football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Pythons</span>

The Chicago Pythons were a professional indoor football team based in Homer Glen, Illinois. The team was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). The Pythons joined the CIFL in 2012 as an expansion team under the name "Chicago Vipers". They changed their name to the "Chicago Pythons" four weeks into the season. The Pythons were the third indoor football team based in the Chicago area. The Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League were based in Rosemont, and the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League are based in Hoffman Estates. The Pythons replaced the Chicago Knights, formerly the Chicago Cardinals, as the Illinois-based CIFL team, which replaced the Slaughter after they left for the Indoor Football League after a dispute with CIFL management. The Owner of the Pythons was Michael Duran. The Pythons were supposed to play their home games at The Megaplex in Homer Glen, Illinois, but the team never hosted a home game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kane County Dawgs</span>

The Kane County Dawgs were a professional indoor American football team based in Kane County, Illinois. The team joined the Continental Indoor Football League in 2013 as an expansion team. The Dawgs were one of three indoor football teams based in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League are based in Rosemont, and the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League are based in Hoffman Estates. The CIFL has had the Chicago Pythons which replaced the Chicago Knights, formerly the Chicago Cardinals, as the Illinois-based CIFL team, which replaced the Slaughter after they left for the Indoor Football League after a dispute with CIFL management. The Owners of the Dawgs are Mike Dortch and Macey Brooks. The Dawgs played their home games at the Seven Bridges Ice Arena in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Blitz (indoor football)</span> American indoor football team

The Chicago Blitz were a professional indoor football team based in Villa Park, Illinois. The Blitz were members of American Indoor Football (AIF) in 2015 and 2016 and the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) in 2014. They played their home games at the Odeum Expo Center. The Blitz briefly joined the regional Midwest Professional Indoor Football (MPIF) for the 2018 season, but ceased operations once again after three games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Kowalyshen</span> American football player

Jon "Sackmaster" Kowalyshen is a professional American football player who played 6 seasons with the United Indoor Football (UIF), Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) and the Indoor Football League (IFL).

References

  1. ↑ "Packers Star Gilbert Brown Named Head Coach of Bonecrushers". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 23, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  2. ↑ Rick Braun (April 9, 2008). "Bonecrushers coaches, GM send message to management: We quit". www.jsonline.com. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  3. ↑ Milwaukee County Courthouse, Case No.: 2008-CV-008105
  4. ↑ Don Walker (April 6, 2009). "More Turmoil for Bonecrushers". www.jsonline.com. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  5. ↑ Where are the Bonecrushers?
  6. ↑ "Another indoor team joins the local football market". www.dailyhearld.com. Daily Herald. February 16, 2010. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ Don Walker (November 19, 2009). "Where are the Bonecrushers?". www.jsonline.com. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ Doug Goodman (June 28, 2010). "Hononegah grad Harshbarger makes indoor football history". www.rrstar.com. Gatehouse Media, Inc. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Football: Predators fall to Chicago". Archived from the original on 2013-01-05.
  10. ↑ "Indoor Football Returning 4/11/11 - MyStateLine.com". Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  11. ↑ "Chicago Knights Professional Indoor Football". Chicagoknightsfootball.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.