The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) was the second league to successfully play indoor football as a paid pro-league sport, after the Arena Football League (AFL). Since the AFL had a patent given in 1990 on the gameplay of "Arena Football", the PIFL played with mostly the same rules, but without the endzone nets. The PIFL only lasted one season (1998) under that name.
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 Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) was the new incarnation of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL), which started in 1998. Two of its teams left the league and their owner, Kerry Ecklund, founded the Indoor Football League in 1999. The IPFL led a troubled three-year existence, and died after its 2001 season, with its most successful teams joining up with the National Indoor Football League.
The Louisiana Bayou Beast were a team in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998, in the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) in 1999, and reincarnated in 2001 in the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The Bayou Beast franchise was owned by James (Sr.) and Carolyn Shiver, who currently own and operate the NIFL which is based in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Bayou Beast competed in the PIFL in 1998, playing their home games at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. The team colors were red, black, and white. In 1999, the PIFL changed its name to the IPFL, and the Beast changed arenas, moving to the Riverside Centroplex in downtown Baton Rouge for that season.
The Tucson Mirage played two exhibition games in the Indoor Professional Football League (PIFL) in 1998, losing both. The Mirage was scheduled to join the league as a full-time team in 1999, but this never happened.
The Minnesota Monsters were an indoor football team based in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. The Monsters were charter members of the original Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998. The Monsters franchise was owned by Robert and Joann Edwards. The team office was based in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and played their games at Warner Coliseum on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. The team colors were: Blue, Black, and White/Gold. The Monsters were coached by Ron Simmons for the few PIFL games they did participate in.
The Texas Bullets were a team in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998. The Bullets franchise was owned by Wayne Stigler, who also was the team's head coach. The Bullets played their home games at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, TX., with the team offices located in Temple, TX. The team's color's were: Black, Turquoise, & Silver. The Bullets suffered disappointing attendance and the costs of taking the team on a road trip to Hawaii to take on the Honolulu Hurricanes, proved too much. The team folded after ten regular season games. Of the eight clubs that were in the first batch of PIFL franchises in '98, six still existed. The Bullets franchise was moved to Austin, TX. in 1999 and renamed the Texas Terminators in the renamed Indoor Professional Football League.
The Utah Catzz was a team in the United States Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998. The Catzz franchise was owned by Michael & Carla Curran, who also started a farm club for the Catzz, the Salt Lake Lions. The Catzz played their home games at the David O. McKay Events Center in Orem, UT., with the team office located in Salt Lake City, UT. The team's color's were: Blue, Red, and Purple. Utah's head coach for the 1998 season was Gordon Hudson.
The Colorado Wildcats was a team in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998. The Wildcats franchise was owned by Gary Kozacek, who also was head coach/owner of the same Wildcats team for the previous 9 years, as they competed in semi-pro football in and around Colorado. The Wildcats played their home games at the Denver Coliseum, with the team office also located in Denver, CO. The team's colors were: Old Gold, Purple, and White. Colorado's head coach listed in the 1998 PIFL league media guide was Larry Jobe, but the actual head coach was Collins Sanders.
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.
John Charles Fourcade, Jr. is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and recent head coach of the New Mexico Stars of American Indoor Football. Fourcade was the most valuable player of the 1982 Senior Bowl after passing for 115 yards and running for 33 yards and two touchdowns. He had gained 6,713 yards at Ole Miss from 1978–1981, breaking the career record of Archie Manning.
The Rocky Mountain Thunder was an indoor football team in the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) during the 1999 season. The Thunder was owned by Scott Riddell and played their home games at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Riddell, the CEO of Colorado Springs based Internet company U.S. Telnet, Purchased the team half way through the season when the original owners declared bankruptcy. U.S. Telnet had designed the current logo and website for the team. The team's official colors were: Royal Blue, Silver and Black. The head coach for the Thunder was Collins Sanders, who also served as head coach for the 1998 PIFL Colorado Wildcats and currently is head coach/director of football operations for the Colorado Ice of the UIF.
The Hawaii Hammerheads was an indoor American football team in the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) during the 1999 season. The team was owned by George Hetherington and played home games at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The team's official colors were aqua, silver and black. The head coach for the Hammerheads was Guy Benjamin.
The West Virginia Wizards were announced on October 29, 1997, as a trial member of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL). The Wizards were to play a single exhibition game against the Utah Catzz on December 6, 1997. The PIFL commissioner, Richard "Dick" Suess, scheduled the pre-season indoor football game in Charleston, West Virginia, to gauge fan interest.
The Utah Saints was a team of the American Indoor Football Association that played in 2008. They played their home games at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The Oval is best known for being a venue of the 2002 Winter Olympics, known as the "Fastest Ice On Earth," and was expanded to 2,500 for Saints games.
The Georgia Firebirds were a professional indoor football team based in Albany, Georgia, and played their home games at the Albany Civic Center. Previously, the Firebirds played as an outdoor football team in various semi-pro leagues before going indoor. The Firebirds joined American Indoor Football (AIF) for the 2016 season but the league folded after one season. The Firebirds then joined the new National Arena League (NAL) for the 2017 season.
The Box Lacrosse League (BLL) was a senior men's semi-professional box lacrosse league in the United States. The league consists of five teams with a geographical footprint centered on the Midwest region of the United States and Ontario.
Jay McDonagh is a former American football quarterback who played four seasons in the Arena Football League with the Buffalo Destroyers, New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators and Columbus Destroyers. He played college football at Western Michigan University. He was also a member of the Bologna Phoenix, Green Bay Bombers, Madison Mad Dogs, Quad City Steamwheelers, Colorado Crush and Bologna Warriors.
Richard Adams, known as Dick or Dickie, was a gridiron football defensive back who played for the Houston Oilers of the National Football League and the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. After being signed by the Rough Riders, Adams played in 63 regular season games from 1972 to 1976. He was named an All-Canadian player from 1972 to 1975. Adams became a Grey Cup champion in 1973 after the Rough Riders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 22–18 in the 61st Grey Cup. He also won another Grey Cup with Ottawa in 1976.
