Kentucky Horsemen | |
---|---|
Established 2002 Folded 2009 Played in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky | |
League/conference affiliations | |
NIFL (2003–2004)
UIF (2005–2007)
| |
Current uniform | |
Team colors | Royal blue, black, white |
Mascot | Spike |
Cheerleaders | Fillies |
Personnel | |
Owner(s) | Horsemen Charitable Foundation |
Head coach | Tommy Johnson |
Team history | |
| |
Championships | |
League championships (1) | |
Conference championships (0) | |
Division championships (4) | |
Playoff appearances (8) | |
Home arena(s) | |
|
The Kentucky Horsemen (known as the Lexington Horsemen from 2003 to 2009) was an indoor football team based in Lexington, Kentucky. The team played its home games at Rupp Arena. The organization began as a 2003 expansion member of the National Indoor Football League, where they were successful. Following the 2004 season, where they defeated the Sioux Falls Storm to win Indoor Bowl IV, the Horsemen and other NIFL teams joined the new United Indoor Football (UIF) as a charter member, where they made the playoffs. They lost to the Sioux Falls Storm. They made the playoffs again in 2006 and advanced to United Bowl II where they lost to the Sioux Falls Storm. From 2008 to 2009, the Horsemen played in the AF2. The team announced intentions to compete in the new Arena Football League following the dissolution of the AF2, but instead ceased operations in October 2009.
During the 2007 season, the Horsemen finished with an 8–7 regular season record and then advanced through the playoffs to United Bowl III. They faced the undefeated Sioux Falls Storm and lost the game 62–59 after Collin Barber missed the potential game-tying field goal. The game was Head Coach Mike Zuckerman's final game.
The team's official mascot is Spike, a hero-like horseman.
On August 22, 2007, Horsemen owner Lennie House announced that the Horsemen had played their final game. He cited poor attendance and lowered revenue, a fate not unusual for UIF teams.
However, on October 16, 2007, House opted to remain in operations by announcing that he changed his mind and the Horsemen would be playing the 2008 season in arenafootball2, where they would have an in-state rivalry ("The War on I-64") with the Louisville Fire. The Horsemen adopted new jerseys that included a slight change in their blue color scheme. [1]
The Horsemen saw numerous changes occur after the 2008 season. Most notably, ownership changed hands from the House family to the newly formed non-profit Horsemen Charitable Foundation. The foundation was spearheaded by former Horsemen general manager Brian Boehm in an effort to keep Central Kentucky from losing yet another professional sports team.
Just when they were about to play in the new Arena Football League in 2010, the team shut down operations due to financial situations. However, on the team's official website, a newly designed logo is shown with "Don't count us out yet!" underneath, possibly hinting at the team making a comeback. [2]
Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lexington Horsemen (NIFL) | |||||
2003 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 2nd Atlantic Eastern | Lost Round 1 (Ohio Valley 51–42) |
2004 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1st Atlantic North | Won Round 1 (Atlantic City 54–25) Won Atlantic Semi-Final (Houma 70–63) Won Atlantic Conference Championship (Ohio Valley 35–34) Won Indoor Bowl IV (Sioux Falls 59–38) |
Lexington Horsemen (UIF) | |||||
2005 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1st South | Won Round 1 (Evansville 55–50) Lost Semifinals (Sioux Falls 62–58) |
2006 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1st East | Won Semifinals (Rock River 47–34) Lost United Bowl II (Sioux Falls 72–64) |
2007 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3rd East | Won Round 1 (River City 48–33) Won Eastern Championship (Bloomington 67–49) Lost United Bowl III (Sioux Falls 62–59) |
Lexington Horsemen (af2) | |||||
2008 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 3rd AC Midwest | Lost AC Round 1 (Green Bay 65–37) |
Kentucky Horsemen (af2) | |||||
2009 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 3rd AC South | Won AC Round 1 (South Georgia 66–63) Lost AC Semifinal (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 82–49) |
Totals | 79 | 42 | 0 | (including NIFL, UIF, & AF2 playoffs) |
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League and were the third oldest active franchise in the AFL until their departure in 2016. They play their home games at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. They previously played at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. The Rattlers are led by head coach Kevin Guy. Since the team's establishment in 1992, the Rattlers have won ten division titles and have played in nine ArenaBowl Championship games, winning championships in 1994, 1997, 2012, 2013, 2014. The Rattlers also won the 2017 United Bowl in their first season in the IFL.
The Georgia Force is the name of three separate versions of Arena Football League (AFL) teams based in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area of Georgia, United States, that played in the South Division of the American Conference.
The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, AF2, however, that changed briefly with their expansion into AFL markets such as Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles, and AF2 markets such as Fort Myers and Houston. Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson, New Orleans Saints quarterback John Fourcade and Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl running back Bam Morris, all played in the NIFL. The league folded in 2008.
United Indoor Football (UIF) was an indoor football league in the United States that operated from 2005 to 2008. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion and two from arenafootball2 (af2) took their franchises and formed their own league. The league was based in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Bakersfield Blitz were a professional arena football team based in Bakersfield, California. They were a 2002 expansion member of the AF2 and played their home games at Rabobank Arena.
The Marshals were a professional indoor football team based out of Dayton, Ohio. They played their 2007 home games out of Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, but are more famous for playing as the Cincinnati Marshals at U.S. Bank Arena for two seasons. The Marshals played their 2004 inaugural season in Waco, Texas, as the Waco Marshals.
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 Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena, known in indoor football circles as "The Well".
The Spokane Shock were a professional indoor American football team based in Spokane, Washington, that played their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member of arenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won division titles in all four seasons and ArenaCups in 2006 and 2009 before they joined the Arena Football League (AFL) in its 2010 relaunch. The team advanced to the playoffs three times after joining the AFL, winning ArenaBowl XXIII in their first season, making them the only arena football franchise to win both the ArenaCup and the ArenaBowl.
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 Billings Outlaws were a professional league indoor football team based in Billings, Montana. They were a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL), of which they were the 2-time defending champions. They played their home games at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark. Their games were broadcast live locally on News Talk 910 KBLG AM and online through Teamline.
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.
The Huntington Heroes were a professional indoor football franchise and member of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). The Heroes played their home games during their inaugural 2006 season at the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse in Huntington, West Virginia, before moving to the larger Big Sandy Superstore Arena for the 2007 and 2009 seasons. The Heroes were the second indoor football franchise for Huntington, following the River Cities LocoMotives, who played one season (2001) in the National Indoor Football League, and were followed by the Huntington Hammer in 2011. The Heroes were usually known for featuring many former Marshall University football players from the Marshall Thundering Herd program located in Huntington.
The Indoor Bowl was the main championship game of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). In 2001, it was played between the top two teams who survived the eight-team playoff format. Since 2002, it has been played between the Atlantic Conference champion and the Pacific Conference champion.
The 2007 United Indoor Football season was preceded by 2006 and was succeeded by 2008. It was the third season of the UIF.
The 2005 United Indoor Football season was the very first season of the UIF and was succeeded by 2006. The league champions were the Sioux Falls Storm, who defeated the Sioux City Bandits in United Bowl I.
The 2006 United Indoor Football season was preceded by 2005 and succeeded by 2007. It was the second season of the UIF. The league champions were the Sioux Falls Storm, who defended their title by defeating the Lexington Horsemen in United Bowl II and acquired a perfect season.
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.
The Cincinnati Commandos were a professional indoor football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team suspended operations for the 2013 season, with hope of returning in 2014. They began play in 2010 as an expansion team in the Continental Indoor Football League before moving to the United Indoor Football League in 2012. The Commandos then left the UIFL after winning Ultimate Bowl II and re-joined the CIFL, but never took the field after its announcement. The Commandos were the fifth arena or indoor football in Cincinnati, after the Cincinnati Rockers, Cincinnati Swarm, Cincinnati Marshals, and Cincinnati Jungle Kats. The owners of the Commandos are Dennis Whitman and Paul Napier. The Commandos played their home games at Cincinnati Gardens.
The IFL National Championship is the Indoor Football League's championship game. It has been played every year since 2009, except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current champions are the Bay Area Panthers, who won their first IFL National Championship in 2023, their second season in the league. The Sioux Falls Storm won six straight United Bowls from 2011 to 2016.