The Marshals (NIFL)

Last updated
The Marshals
TheNIFLMarshals.PNG
Founded2004
Arena Hara Arena
Based in Dayton, Ohio
ColorsBlack, blue, silver
League National Indoor Football League
Principal Owner/General Manager Doug Hortman
Head coachDerrick Davidson
Director of Football Operations P.J. Conboy
Official Dance TeamDiamond Deputies
MascotTouchdown
2004 Waco Marshals vs Beaumont Drillers 2004 Waco Marshals vs Beaumont Drillers.jpg
2004 Waco Marshals vs Beaumont Drillers

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.

Contents

History

The Marshals started out as the Waco Marshals in 2004, but finished their inaugural season with a disappointing 2–8 record. For the next season they relocated to Cincinnati and became the Cincinnati Marshals.

Waco/Cincinnati Marshals players and coaches of note: Brett Dietz, Ickey Woods, Ray Jackson, Wayne Walker, Ed Biles, Lew Carpenter, Odell James, Ron Carpenter, Hubbard Alexander, Rayshawn Askew, Louis Fite. [1]

The 2004 season

The NIFL took over operations midway through the 2004 season after realizing that the ownership had "floated" a phony check for the franchise and the league had to assume financial burden to a team that had never paid a penny to even join the league due to the fraudulent payment by ownership. The league then agreed to sell the rights to Tony Williams and Manuel Ramos, who was serving as the Defensive Coordinator and Special Teams Coordinator respectively, at the time. Williams and Ramos reign as owners didn't last much longer after it was found that they could not make payments either to the H.O.T. and had bounced employee paychecks, did not pay bills to companies for services and did not have the required insurance for the players; same as their predecessors. Several new players were signed, as the NIFL managed the Marshals for the remainder of the 2004 season.

The 2005 season

In 2005, owner H. P. Patterson first surrendered the team after he did not pay players for well over a month, and then fled the United States entirely after being suspected of money laundering. The mismanagement resulted in the resignation of the team's head coach, former Houston Oilers head coach Ed Biles, and the dissolution of the Diamond Deputies cheerleading squad, after they claimed weeks of unpaid game checks. In addition, the Assistant Coaches Hubbard Alexander and Lew Carpenter, as well as the Equipment Director Josh Reasoner followed Coach Biles out.

Despite all this, new head coach Tony Wells, quarterback Brett Dietz and running back Rayshawn Askew led the team to the finish of an 8–6 record, which tied them for 2nd in their division with the Dayton Warbirds. In the First round of playoffs they upset the River City Rage, who was ranked first in the same division as the Marshals with the Marshals with 67 points and the Rage with 64 points. In the next playoff round they defeated the Fayetteville Guard 70 to 69. In the Atlantic Conference Championship they had no such luck, falling to the Rome Renegades 51 to 41.

In 2005, Rayshawn Askew broke or tied many league records that year en route to being named an All-Star. He tied the single season touchdown record of 46 when he scored three touchdowns against Wyoming on July 4, 2005. The three touchdowns allowed Askew to set a new league record for scoring with 282 points, overcoming the mark of 276 points set by Baron Dockery of the Ohio Valley Greyhounds in 2002. Askew finished the regular season leading the league in scoring (282 points), touchdowns (46), rushing yards (719 yards) and all-purpose yards (2236 yards) [2]

Former Cincinnati Marshals quarterback Brett Dietz would move up to play for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. He won Co-Rookie of the Year in the AFL for the 2007 season. The Marshals have been mentioned on ESPN when they talk about Dietz's career.

The 2006 season

In the following months, the team's status was left largely undetermined. On December 20, 2005, after many months of speculation, the Marshals announced a return to the NIFL for the 2006 season with a new ownership group led by Doug Hortman and P.J. Conboy, a new coaching staff led by head coach Steve Carpenter and the return of the Diamond Deputies. Former NFL star Ickey Woods served as an assistant coach in 2006 and former Tennessee Titan Ray Jackson led the Marshals in rushing. The team matched their 2005 regular season output, going 8–6 in the season, and clinched the #5 seed in the Atlantic Conference playoffs.

2006 playoffs

The Marshals could not avoid the game of "musical teams" that seemed to doom the league (the consequence of a failed expansion project) even before the playoffs began. Cincinnati's 5th seed was supposed to equal a road trip to a rematch of a late-season loss to Osceola. Osceola, however, commenced a tug-of-war with the league and the Marshals regarding the site of the game. Osceola's home arena was hosting a rodeo the weekend of the first round, and asked Cincinnati to host the game. However, Cincinnati had been thrown out of their arena due to setup for a concert. Osceola offered a compromise, where the Marshals would travel to Lakeland, Florida, but team ownership shot down the idea and forfeited the game.

A few days after the announced forfeit, it was revealed that Osceola failed to file paperwork so they could advance into the playoffs. Osceola was given a choice: either play Cincinnati in St. Louis with the winner playing the River City Rage the next night, or forfeit the game and allow Cincinnati to advance to play River City. Osceola declined, and Cincinnati was allowed to advance. With only three days and one practice to prepare for the game, Cincinnati traveled to St. Louis, where the Rage defeated the Marshals at Scottrade Center, 43–30, ending the Marshals' season.

The 2007 season

On October 18, 2006, it was announced that the AF2 had granted a new expansion team to the U.S. Bank Arena, in the form of the Cincinnati Jungle Kats, who took over the indoor football contract for the arena. As a consequence, the Marshals had no arena to call their own. It was originally thought that they were moving to Wall2Wall Soccer in nearby Mason for 2007, . However, they moved to Hara Arena in Dayton for 2007, and changing their name to The Marshals. .

The announcement was even more of a shock to players and staff, seeing as no formal conference was given, no owner-team meeting was ever held, and all but owner Doug Hortman and his assistant were made to research the information through a short press release on a skeletal form of the Marshals website, leaving fans irate. The Marshals went quietly up to Dayton, a move similar to the 1983 overnight move of the Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis.

The 2007 season was played, but was not completed in full, due to the collapse of the NIFL. At the time the team was 2–4. Owner Doug Hortman was interviewed by the Dayton Daily News , in which he accused the NIFL of lying to him and other owners about league development and scheduling. Hortman would then go on to promise the return of the team for 2008, which proved to be a lie. This was the same promise Hortman had made when he announced during halftime of the final home game in 2006 that the team would return to Cincinnati in 2007.

However, the promise was once again kept unfulfilled, and the team went away quietly, along with the rest of the NIFL.

Season-by-season

Season records
SeasonWLTFinishPlayoff results
Waco Marshals
20042805th Atlantic Southern
Cincinnati Marshals
20058603rd Atlantic EasternWon Atlantic Conference Quarter Final (River City)
Won Atlantic Semi-Final (Fayetteville)
Lost Atlantic Final (Rome)
20068602nd Atlantic EasternWon Atlantic Quarter Final (Osceola Football) (Forfeit)
Lost Atlantic Semi-Final (River City)
The Marshals
20072503rd Atlantic
Totals23270(including playoffs)

Team history

2004 season roster

2004 Waco Marshals roster
Quarterbacks
  • 5Odell James
  • 8Eric Stanford
  • 8Martin Reyna

Running backs

  • 45David Banks
  • 3John Henry
  • 7Louis Fite

Wide receivers

  • 88Chris Isedore
  • 83Christopher Allen
  • 80Lee McCormick
  • 9Darrell Wilkins
  • 89Franklin Paul
  • 87Reginald Boyd
Offensive/Defensive linemen
  • 90Chris Gonzales
  • 91Adrian Barnes
  • 66Jody Cantu
  • 67Kenneth Hopkins
  • 52Louis Arenas
  • 77Chad Franklin
  • 55Juan Henry
  • 51Wade Merindina
Linebackers
  • 47Jason Haliburt
  • 41Michael Bangs
  • 40Mark Ricker
  • 9Ben Carter

Defensive backs

  • 22Damon Bouie
  • 25Corey Mathis
  • 21Corey Bennett
  • 3Hallart Keaton
  • 37Lance Goree
  • 21Willie Freeney
  • 2Anthony Harden

Kickers

  • 1Brandon Diebolt
  • 1Danny Magana
  • 6Rolf Shaefer
Injured reserve

Practice Squad

2004

DateOpponentResultAtt.Record
Regular Season
March 20Wichita Falls ThunderL, 32–391,7000–1
March 27Evansville BlueCatsL, 7–594,5040–2
April 10Oklahoma CrudeW, 54–44N/A1–2
April 17Tupelo Fire AntsL, 41–611,9281–3
April 24Lake Charles LandsharksW, 32–29N/A2–3
May 1Beaumont DrillersL, 42–44N/A2–4
May 23Beaumont DrillersL, 3–731,0432–5
June 12Oklahoma CrudeL, 12–67N/A2–6
June 19Houma Bayou BucksL, 0–742,2502–7
June 26Lexington HorsemanL, 18–1164,9202–8

2005

DateOpponentResultAtt.Record
Regular Season
March 26BeaumontL, 24–366,5810–1
April 2River CityL, 53–553,1630–2
April 9FayettevilleW, 57–544,2081–2
April 16at BeaumontW, 59–52N/A2–2
April 23DaytonW, 81–74N/A3–2
April 30New JerseyW, 65–133,6894–2
May 9at DaytonL, 30–63N/A4–3
May 21at DaytonOTL, 53–563,8004–4
May 28at FayettevilleL, 34–481,6344–5
June 4RomeW, 43–333,6825–5
June 10at River CityL, 54–753,6815–6
June 18at New JerseyW, ForfeitN/A6–6
June 25Tri-CitiesW, 52–423,5017–6
July 4at WyomingW, 47–453,4968–6
First Round
July 10at River CityW, 67–64N/A9–6
Divisional Round
July 16at FayettevilleW, 70–693,44310–6
Atlantic Conference Championship
July 23RomeL, 41–51N/A10–7

2006

DateOpponentResultRecord
Regular Season
March 26at River CityL, 34–760–1
April 1DAYTONW 62–281–1
April 9at DaytonL, 32–541–2
April 15at Big SkyW, 41–142–2
April 22RIVER CITYL, 43–622–3
April 29WEST PALM BEACHW, 47–443–3
May 5at TennesseeW 34–244–3
May 13at FayettevilleL 24–704–4
May 20MONTGOMERYOTW, 47–465–4
May 27TENNESSEEW, 82–06–4
June 10OSCEOLAL, 26–586–5
June 17at ArkansasW, 27–127–5
June 25GREENSBOROW, 64–418–6
July 1at GreensboroL, 24–398–6
First Round
DNP(at) OsceolaW, Forfeit9–6
Divisional Round
July 16at River CityL, 30–439–7

2007

DateOpponent Home/Away Result
March 17 Columbia Stingers Away Won 49–34
March 24 Columbia Stingers Home Won 31–19
March 31 Greensboro Revolution Away Lost 54–64
April 14 Fayetteville Guard Away Lost 14–77
April 28 Fayetteville Guard Home Lost 27–53
May 5 Greensboro Revolution Home Lost 30–43

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">Ickey Woods</span> American football player (born 1966)

Elbert L. "Ickey" Woods is an American former football player who was a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1988 through 1991. He played college football for the UNLV Rebels. He is best remembered for his "Ickey Shuffle" end zone dance, performed each time he scored a touchdown. After a rookie season in which he set numerous rookie franchise records, a series of injuries shortened his NFL career and he retired after four years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dayton Warbirds</span>

The Dayton Warbirds was an indoor football team in Dayton, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coralville Chaos</span>

The Coralville Chaos are a professional indoor football team based in Coralville, Iowa, and are currently members of American Indoor Football. They will play their home games at the Xtream Arena in Coralville starting in 2025.

<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">Sioux Falls Storm</span> Indoor American football team

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.

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

The Kentucky Horsemen 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.

<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">Port Huron Pirates</span> American indoor football team

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Bayou Beast</span>

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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Jungle Kats</span> Arena football team in Ohio, U.S.

The Cincinnati Jungle Kats were an arena football team based in Cincinnati. The Jungle Kats were members of the Midwest Division of the American Conference of AF2. The Jungle Kats played its home games at the U.S. Bank Arena. Their only year in existence was 2007. The team is not to be confused with the Marshals, the NIFL club that was the arena's former tenant, who changed their name to "The Marshals" and moved to Hara Arena in nearby Dayton, Ohio for the 2007 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Dietz</span> American football player and coach (born 1981)

Brett Dietz is American football coach and former quarterback. He is the head football coach at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, a position he has held since 2020. Dietz played college football at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana and professionally with several teams including the Turku Trojans in Finland Vaahteraliiga and in Arena Football League (AFL), Af2, and the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) for the Cincinnati Marshals, Louisville Fire, Tampa Bay Storm and California Redwoods.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Commandos</span> Indoor football team based in Ohio, US

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 2012 Continental Indoor Football League season was the Continental Indoor Football League's seventh overall season. The regular season started on Saturday March 10, with the expansion Port Huron Patriots defeating the expansion Chicago Vipers 52–49 at McMorran Arena, and ended with the 2012 CIFL Championship Game, the league's championship game, on June 2, 2012, at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan where the Saginaw Sting defeated the Dayton Silverbacks 35–7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Indianapolis Enforcers season</span>

The 2012 Indianapolis Enforcers season was the second season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Dayton Silverbacks season</span>

The 2012 Dayton Silverbacks season is the seventh season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dayton Silverbacks</span> Dayton Silverbacks, an Indoor Football Team based in Dayton, Ohio

The Dayton Silverbacks were a professional indoor football team based in Dayton, Ohio. The team was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). The franchise started as the Miami Valley Silverbacks and joined the CIFL in 2007 after playing their inaugural season as an expansion team in the American Indoor Football Association. The Silverbacks were the fourth indoor football team to be based in Dayton, the first being the Dayton Skyhawks of the original Indoor Football League. The Skyhawks were followed by the Dayton Warbirds, who later became the Dayton Bulldogs, of the National Indoor Football League and the third being the Cincinnati Marshals who played their 2007 season in Dayton. The Silverbacks played their home games at Hara Arena in nearby Trotwood, Ohio.

The Dayton Wolfpack were a professional indoor football team and a charter member of the National Arena League (NAL) in its inaugural 2017 season. Originally to be based in Dayton, Ohio, the Wolfpack had announced their home venue as the Nutter Center but apparently failed to reach a lease agreement. The Wolfpack were then listed as a traveling team by the NAL.

The Dayton Bulldogs was an indoor football team in Dayton, Ohio. They were members of the National Indoor Football League that played during the 2006 season. They played their home games at the Nutter Center.

References

  1. "Marshals announce training camp schedule and roster – OurSports Central".
  2. "Rayshawn Askew Named to NIFL All-Star Game – OurSports Central".