Huntsville Tigers

Last updated

The Huntsville Tigers is a women's American football team located in Huntsville, Alabama. The Tigers played their first season of full-contact football in the spring of 2012. This was the Tigers' first season as a new team. The team consists of former Alabama Renegades and Tennessee Valley Tigers players as well as a number of new players.

Contents

History

Alabama Renegades

Women's football has existed in the Huntsville area since the fall of 2000 when the Alabama Renegades first came into existence. The Renegades were one of the founding teams of the National Women's Football Association (NWFA). In the fall 2000, the Alabama Renegades and the Nashville Dream played a six-game exhibition season to determine the viability of a women's full-contact football league. The exhibition games were a huge success and the National Women's Football Association (NWFA) expanded to 12 teams in its first full season of play in the spring of 2001. Ray Quinn was the man who first brought full-contact football to Huntsville and he owned the team for two years. [1]

Nancy Byrd, a Renegades player, took over the team from Quinn in 2003. Byrd continued to play for the Renegades while owning the team. At the end of the 2008 season Byrd retired from playing and put the team up for sale. Byrd later stated: "I decided to retire from playing and no one was willing to take on the responsibility of running this team. I appreciate the opportunity Ray and Catherine Masters (NWFA founder) gave me to play football", stated Byrd.[ citation needed ] The NWFA league ceased operations that same year. [2]

Tennessee Valley Tigers

Huntsville Tigers
TVTigers Logo.png
ColorsBlack, Silver, Purple
OwnerCarlos Mathews

Carlos Mathews, the former offensive coordinator for the Renegades, realized the potential for women's football in the Huntsville area and decided to explore ways to bring the game back for a 2009 season. Mathews researched several leagues but only found one with the stability needed to support women's football in the Huntsville Area. The Tigers officially joined the Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) on August 12, 2008, as a Tier II team. On October 24, 2011, after learning that Carlos Matthews wasn't bringing the team back, former player Carmelesia Sullivan looked into forming a team. [3] [4] [5]

Huntsville Tigers

Sullivan formed the Huntsville Tigers from former Tennessee Valley Tigers players. In the first season of play, the Tigers finished with a 5–3 record, losing twice to the Chattanooga Locomotion - another Tier II team - and once to the Atlanta Xplosion - a Tier I team in 2009. The Tigers also defeated then ranked number seven Clarksville Fox who in the 2008 season had competed for the Independent Women's Football League Tier II championship. The Tigers played their home games at Milton Frank Stadium in Huntsville, Alabama. Because of the devastating effects of the 2011 Super Outbreak, the Tigers had to forfeit their final two regular-season games. On August 30, the Tigers announced they had left the IWFL to join the WSFL.

Season-by-season

Season records
SeasonWLTFinishPlayoff results
2000330Exhibition Season--
20015302nd Southern--
20027201st CentralLost Southern Conference Semifinal (Pensacola)
20037402nd Southern CentralWon Southern Conference Quarterfinal (Asheville)
Lost Southern Conference Semifinal (Pensacola)
20046302nd Southern Gulf Coast--
20055307th Southern--
20064403rd Southern Southeast--
20073503rd Southern Central--
20082604th Southern East--
Totals42330
Season records
SeasonWLTFinishPlayoff results
Tennessee Valley Tigers (IWFL)
200953010th Tier II--
20104403rd Tier II East Southeast--
20111705th East Mid-South--
Tennessee Valley Tigers (WSFL)
2012*----------
Totals10140

* = Current Standing

2011 schedule

DateOpponent Home/Away TimeEvent TitleResult
April 9 Memphis Belles Away7pmN/AL, 12-16
April 16 Clarksville Fox Away7pmN/AL, 6-32
April 23Georgia PeachezHome7pmTBAW, 2-0**
April 30Bye
May 7 Memphis Belles Home4pmTBAL, 6-32
May 14 Clarksville Fox Home7pmN/AL, 6-12
May 21 Clarksville Fox Home7pmTBAL, 6-22
May 28 Chattanooga Locomotion Away7pmBattle for the Border Rivalry GameL, 0-2***
June 4Bye
June 11 Atlanta Xplosion Home7pmTBAL, 0-2

** = Won by forfeit *** = Forfeited

Single season records

DateNameRecordResult
2009Alber, MartySeason Passing Leader917 yards
2009Alber, MartySeason Passing TD Leader15
2009Bady, StarrySeason Receiving TD Leader4
2009Harvey, StephanieSeason Receiving Leader210 yards
2009Suttles, MarshekaSeason Rushing TD Leader6
2009White, KatieField Goal Leader2
2009White, KatieExtra Point Completed16
2009Bady, StarryInterception Yards55 yards
2009Hendrix, DanielleLeading Tackler41
2009Team OffenseMost Points in a Single Game68
2009Team DefenseMost shutouts in a season4
2010White, KatieLongest Kickoff Return for TD70 yards
2010Eatman, DionneSeason Rushing Yards Leader496 yards
2010Eatman, DionneSingle Game Rushing Yards174 yards

2011 roster

PlayerPositionNumber
Carmela SullivanDB22
Carmelesia SullivanDB23
Carson WakefieldOL84
Cheronda "Rock" PhillipsRB50
Christina WhitneyDB/K51
Lauren "LC" ColemanDB9
Sharessa "TJ" AllenDB82
Sonia LeggsRB/WR34
Franchesca AtkinsQB/WR/CB
Nina CookRB/WRTBA
Shelley DrakeDETBA
Chasity HerronWR/LBTBA
Becky HenselQB/WRTBA
Hayley HowardLB55
Monique JeffersonOL/DTTBA
Shana LevettCBTBA
Heidi McQuireDL/OL/FBTBA
Mosheda PettusTE/DETBA
Yvette PriceTBATBA
Aisha RobinsonC/OLTBA
Jayme TruittWR/CBTBA
Liz WilsonQB/WR/CBTBA

2012 season

Reg ScheduleHomeAwayScore
4/28Huntsville Tigers Memphis Dynasty 16-6 L
5/28Huntsville Tigers Arkansas Rampage 32-0 W
5/12 Carolina Queens Huntsville Tigers22-19 L
6/2Arkansas RampageHuntsville Tigers41-0 W
6/9 Cape Fear Thunder Huntsville Tigers40-0 W
6/23Huntsville TigersCape Fear Thunder50-0 W
6/30 Tri-State Bruisers Huntsville Tigers2-0 W
7/7Huntsville TigersTri-State Bruisers2-0 W
Playoffs
7/21Game won due to forfeit of other team2-0 W
7/28 New Jersey Titans Huntsville Tigers26-6 L

Staff

Notes

  1. ↑ Goodson, Mike (July 23, 2004). "Women's football alive in Alabama". Gadsden Times . p. B3. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
  2. ↑ Rozendaal, Neal (January 20, 2016). The Women's Football Encyclopedia. Rozehawk. p. 120. ISBN   978-0-9970637-0-7.
  3. ↑ "Official website of the WSFL". Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  4. ↑ Pretty Tough.com
  5. ↑ Boo's Unofficial Guide to Women's Tackle Football
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.