Southern Indoor Football League

Last updated
Southern Indoor Football League
Most recent season or competition:
2011 SIFL season
SIFL.jpg
Sport Indoor football
Founded2008
Founder Thom Hager
First season2009
CEO Thom Hager
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		 Albany Panthers
Related
competitions		 AIF
Official website SouthernIFL.com

The Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in 2009 [1] and the American Indoor Football Association, which traces its roots to the founding of the Atlantic Indoor Football League in 2005. The SIFL broke up into three regional leagues after the 2011 season.

Contents

History

2009 season

Based in Texas and Louisiana, it had five teams for its inaugural season. The Acadiana Mudbugs, Austin Turfcats, Houma Conquerors, Texas Hurricanes, and Louisiana Swashbucklers are the teams that comprised the first season. The 2009 SIFL staff included Commissioner Dan Blum, Director of Operations Robert Winfrey, Director of Communications Dan Ryan, Director of Quality Control Bryan Shoemaker and Director of Creative Services Scott Blanchard. The first round of the playoffs had #1 Louisiana defeating #4 Houma, and #2 Austin defeating #3 Acadiana. The inaugural SIFL season concluded with the President's Cup Championship Game which saw the Louisiana Swashbucklers defeat the Austin Turfcats 59-38.

2010 season

The second season of the SIFL played with five teams. The loss of the Austin Turfcats, Houma Conquerors, and Texas Hurricanes were countered with the addition of the Albany Panthers, Columbus Lions, and Greenville Force. The Lafayette Wildcatters, who changed its name from the Acadiana Mudbugs, and the Louisiana Swashbucklers returned for the 2010 season. The 2010 SIFL staff included Commissioner Dan Blum, Director of Operations Robert Winfrey, Director of Communications Matthew Hester, and Director of Quality Control Bryan Shoemaker.

2011 season

After the 2010 season, the Greenville Force was dropped from the SIFL. With the exit of the Force, the SIFL added the Alabama Hammers, Houston Stallions, Mobile Bay Tarpons, Rio Grande Valley Magic, and Trenton Steel for the 2011 season. At the same time, the Abilene Ruff Riders and Corpus Christi Hammerheads made the move to the SIFL from the IFL. Gary Tufford took over the reins of the league as Commissioner and built the SIFL into the 16 team league that would compete in the 2011 season.

On November 9, 2010, the SIFL announced its merger with the East Division of the American Indoor Football Association, adding the Carolina Speed, Erie Explosion, Harrisburg Stampede, and Richmond Raiders. [2] It was thought that the Fayetteville Guard would also move to the SIFL but another sports marketing group from Fayetteville announced it would field a new team from the Fayetteville market independent to the Guard. [3] This brought the league total to 16 clubs. In March 2011 it was reported that sports management company Fanteractive was acquiring the league (as well as owning the Trenton and Fayetteville teams), with plans to make it "interactive" by giving fans a voice in team decisions. [4]

The Lafayette Wildcatters suspended operations the day before the 2011 season started [5] and the Mobile Tarpons folded roughly a month into the 2011 season.

Breakup

A June 2011 New York Times article noted the league's instability. [6] In September 2011, the majority of teams in the SIFL broke off to join two new leagues, the Texas-based Lone Star Football League and the Southeast-based Professional Indoor Football League. The remaining three teams were claimed by the revived American Indoor Football Association. The SIFL itself has been silent since July 2011, and its Web site was taken down several months later and it is assumed that the league is completely defunct.

Former teams

Timeline

Trenton SteelRio Grande Valley MagicRichmond RaidersMobile Bay TarponsHouston StallionsHarrisburg StampedeFayetteville ForceErie ExplosionCorpus Christi HammerheadsCarolina SpeedAlabama HammersAbilene Ruff RidersGreenville ForceColumbus LionsAlbany PanthersTexas HurricanesLouisiana SwashbucklersHouma ConquerorsAustin TurfcatsLafayette WildcattersSouthern Indoor Football League

Champions

President's Cup

YearWinnerLoserScore
2009 Louisiana Swashbucklers Austin Turfcats 59-38
2010 Columbus Lions Louisiana Swashbucklers 68-13
2011 Albany Panthers Louisiana Swashbucklers 69-48

Award winners and notable players

2009 SIFL Award winners

2010 SIFL Award winners

2011 SIFL Award winners

Related Research Articles

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi Fury</span> American indoor football team

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fayetteville Guard</span>

The Fayetteville Guard was a professional indoor football team in the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) and American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). They played home games at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum from 2005 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Indoor Football</span> Professional indoor football league

American Indoor Football (AIF) is a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.

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

The Erie Explosion was a professional American indoor football team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007 as the Pittsburgh RiverRats, the Explosion played in the Professional Indoor Football League, the United Indoor Football League, the Southern Indoor Football League, the Continental Indoor Football League and the American Indoor Football Association and operated continuously from 2007 to 2015.

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

The Columbus Lions are a professional indoor football team based in Columbus, Georgia, and are a member of the National Arena League (NAL).

John Charles Fourcade, Jr. is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and recent head coach of the New Mexico Stars of American Indoor Football (AIF). 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 to 1981, breaking the career record of Archie Manning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Turfcats</span> Professional indoor football team

The Austin Turfcats were a professional indoor football team based in Austin, Texas. The Turfcats were a member of the Indoor Football League (IFL) during the 2010 season, after being a charter member of the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) during their inaugural 2009 season. The Turfcats played their home games at Luedecke Arena at the Travis County Exposition Center. This was Austin's fourth attempt at an indoor football team; the prior three were the Indoor Professional Football League's Texas Terminators (1999), the National Indoor Football League's Austin Knights/Rockers (2002–2003), and the Arena Football League Austin Wranglers (2004–2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Wildcatters</span>

The Lafayette Wildcatters were a professional indoor football team based in Lafayette, Louisiana and a charter member of the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL). They played their home games at the Cajundome, the Wildcatters are Lafayette's second attempt at an indoor/arena football team following the af2's Lafayette Roughnecks, the Roughnecks folded after their single season of 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houma Conquerors</span>

The Houma Conquerors were a professional indoor football team and a charter member of the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL). Based in Houma, Louisiana, the Conquerors played their home games at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center. This was Houma's second attempt at an indoor football team following the National Indoor Football League's Houma Bayou Bucks. The Bucks also played their games at the Houma Civic Center from 2002 to 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany Panthers</span>

The Albany Panthers were an indoor football team based in Albany, Georgia. The team joined the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) during their inaugural season in 2010. When the SIFL folded, the team joined the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 2012. The Panthers' home games were played at the Albany Civic Center until 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenton Steel</span> Former indoor American football team

The Trenton Steel was a professional indoor football team that began play in the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) in the 2011 season. The team suspended operations December 27, 2011. The Steel were based in Trenton, New Jersey, with home games played at the Sun National Bank Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile Bay Tarpons</span>

The Mobile Bay Tarpons were a professional indoor football team in the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL). Based in Mobile, Alabama, the Tarpons were to play their home games at the Mobile Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama Hammers</span> Former indoor American football team

The Alabama Hammers were a professional indoor football team based in Huntsville, Alabama. The team played in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) from 2012 to 2015. The Hammers originally began play as an expansion team in the Southern Indoor Football League in 2011. The Hammers are the fourth indoor football team to play at the Von Braun Center; these were the Alabama Vipers of the AFL (2010), the Tennessee Valley Vipers of the af2, and the Tennessee Valley Raptors of the United Indoor Football league (2005). The owner of the Hammers is Southern Sports Entertainment, LLC. The Hammers play their home games at the Von Braun Center. Their name comes from the Yellowhammer, the state bird of Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional Indoor Football League</span>

The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) was a professional indoor football league that played four seasons from 2012 to 2015. Like the Lone Star Football League, the PIFL was mainly composed of teams formerly part of Southern Indoor Football League. Despite the name, this PIFL had no connections to the original Professional Indoor Football League.

Benjamin McLaughlin is an American college football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach for Louisiana Christian University, a position he has held since 2024. He was the head football coach for Buckeye High School from 2022 to 2023. He played college football for Louisiana College—now known as Louisiana Christian—and is a hall of fame inductee. He also played for the Louisiana Swashbucklers of the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) and the United States national American football team where they won 2011 gold medal.

The 2011 Erie Explosion season was the 5th season for the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) franchise.

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The 2011 Albany Panthers season was the second season as a professional indoor football franchise and their second in the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL).

References

  1. ↑ Ponthieux, Mickel (2008-11-19). "Southern Indoor Football League is born - Sulphur, LA - Southwest Daily News". Sulphurdailynews.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  2. ↑ "SIFL and AIFA Announce Merger - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  3. ↑ "New indoor football team coming to Fayetteville". FayObserver.com. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  4. ↑ Kitchenman, Andrew (March 14, 2011). "Getting fans out of seats, and behind bench". NJBIZ. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  5. ↑ "Lafayette Wildcatters Not Fielding a Team This Season | KATC.com | Acadiana-Lafayette, Louisiana". KATC.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  6. ↑ Tanier, Mike (June 27, 2011). "Staying in the Game on Football's Fringe". The New York Times . Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  7. ↑ "SIFL finds new team to replace Florida Kings". The Houma Courier . May 27, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  8. ↑ Cassandra McAboy. "End of the line for Mobile Bay Tarpons? Coach Willie Gaston says team didn't make last game". al.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  9. ↑ "Erie Explosion joins new league | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News". Goerie.com. 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 RGV Magic Get Arena League Of Their Own by Clay Williams (2011-09-13). "RGV Magic Get Arena League Of Their Own : Sports". ValleyCentral.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  11. ↑ Michael Mancuso / The Times of Trenton. "Trenton Steel throw in the towel (with video)". NJ.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  12. ↑ "Kimmee Lewis named 2009 SIFL MVP - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2009-07-25. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  13. ↑ "LA's Jones Named SIFL Lineman Of The Year; SIFL Names Fans Of The Year - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  14. ↑ "Lee Named SIFL Coach Of The Year". southernifl.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07.
  15. ↑ "SIFL Lists 2009 Front Office Winners". 2009-12-04. Archived from the original on 2009-12-04.
  16. ↑ "Lester and Daniels Top List of 2010 SIFL Award Winners - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2010-07-13. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  17. ↑ "Lions, Panthers Rivalry Resumes This Saturday - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  18. ↑ "Sifl Names 2011 MVPs, Coach of the Year - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
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