Rochester Raiders

Last updated
Rochester Raiders
Established 2006
Folded 2014
Played in Brighton, New York at Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex
RochesterRaiders.jpg
League/conference affiliations
Great Lakes/Continental Indoor Football League (2006–2008)
  • Atlantic Division (2007)
  • Atlantic Conference (2008)
    • West Division (2008)

Indoor Football League (2009–2010)

  • United Conference (2009)
    • Atlantic Division (2009)
    • Atlantic East Division (2010)
American Indoor Football (2014)
Current uniform
Team colorsSilver, Black
  
CheerleadersRochester Raiderettes
Personnel
Head coachJeff Cooper (2006-2010) Mark Thurston (2014
Team history
  • Rochester Raiders (2006–2010, 2014)
Championships
League championships (1)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (1)
Playoff appearances (6)
Home arena(s)

The Rochester Raiders were a professional indoor football team based in the Rochester, New York area. They played their home games at Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex in Rochester. The Raiders were previously a member of the Continental Indoor Football League from 2006 to 2008 and the American Indoor Football Association for two exhibition matches in 2008. In 2014, the Raiders came back and played as a member of American Indoor Football (AIF).

Contents

The Raiders played in the CIFL championship game twice, both times against the Port Huron / Michigan Pirates. They lost to Port Huron in 2006 but defeated Michigan in 2007. Rochester finished the 2008 regular season undefeated at 12–0; however, the team resigned after their final regular season opponent, the Flint Phantoms, did not show for the game and forfeited.

History

2006

The Rochester Raiders were founded in 2006 as a charter member of the newly created Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL). The Raiders derived their name from a local flag football team. There were a small number of fans concerned with copyright between the team's logo and the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. However, since the Rochester team never played in California, this was not believed to be of real concern. The Raiders were one of two 2006 teams in the GLIFL that held a television contract, at the time with WBGT-CA, a local low-power station. Games have since been moved to Time Warner Cable SportsNet.

The Raiders' first home venue was the ESL Sports Centre in Brighton (a suburb of Rochester, now known as Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex). The team's 2006 roster featured Syracuse University standout wide receiver Maurice Jackson (who won the inaugural GLIFL Wide Receiver of the Year Award), quarterback Matt Cottengim (the league's inaugural MVP), Darius Smith (the league's inaugural Return Man of the Year), and in January 2006, they signed 2-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXVI Most Valuable Player Mark Rypien to a one-game contract. Rochester went 8–4 under head coach Dennis Greco (on loan from East Rochester High School) during the 2006 regular season and advanced to the postseason. However, they would ultimately fall to the Port Huron Pirates by a score of 40–34 in Great Lakes Bowl I, the GLIFL championship game. After the season, the Raiders moved from the 2,500-seat ESL Sports Centre to the 5,000-seat Main Street Armory in downtown Rochester.

2006 GLIFL standings

2006 Great Lakes Indoor Football League
TeamWLTPCT
Port Huron Pirates-y10001.000
Rochester Raiders-x730.700
Lehigh Valley Outlawz-x550.500
Battle Creek Crunch-x460.400
Marion Mayhem 460.400
New York/New Jersey Revolution 0100.000

2007

In 2007, ultimately the Raiders' only season in the Armory, they finished the regular season with a 10–2 record under new head coach Eddie Long, good for first in the Atlantic Division. In the playoffs, Rochester won the CIFL championship by defeating the previously-unbeaten Michigan Pirates 37–27 in the CIFL Indoor Championship Game on July 28, 2007. Mike Condello was named the game's Most Valuable Player. The game was held at the Blue Cross Arena (a venue with roughly double the capacity of the Main Street Armory) due to a pro wrestling show which was being held at The Armory. The Raiders moved to the Blue Cross Arena full-time beginning with the 2008 season. [1]

DateOpponent Home/Away Result
March 17 Port Huron Pirates Home Lost 30-62
March 24 New England Surge Home Won 77-40
March 30 Port Huron Pirates AwayLost 13-60
April 14 Lehigh Valley Outlawz AwayWon 63-25
April 21 Chesapeake Tide AwayWon 89-49
April 28 Chesapeake Tide HomeWon 52-16
May 5 Chicago Slaughter AwayWon 49-40
May 19 New York/New Jersey Revolution HomeWon 62-0
May 26 Lehigh Valley Outlawz HomeWon 77-49
June 2 Steubenville Stampede HomeWon 81-6
June 9 New York/New Jersey Revolution AwayWon 56-21
June 16 New England Surge AwayWon 49-40
July 7 Chesapeake Tide (Playoffs)HomeWon 76-43
July 14 New England Surge (Playoffs)HomeWon 80-45
July 28 Michigan Pirates (CIFL Indoor Championship Game)Home (BCA)Won 37-27

2007 CIFL standings

2007 Continental Indoor Football League
TeamOverallDivision
WLTPCTWLTPCT
Great Lakes Conference
Michigan Pirates-y12001.00010001.000
Kalamazoo Xplosion-x1020.8331020.833
Chicago Slaughter-x930.750820.800
Marion Mayhem-x660.500650.545
Muskegon Thunder-x480.333470.364
Miami Valley Silverbacks 480.333370.300
Summit County Rumble 1110.083070.000
Springfield Stallions 0120.0000110.000
Atlantic Conference
Rochester Raiders-y1020.83390001.000
New England Surge-x840.667830.727
Lehigh Valley Outlawz-x750.583550.500
Chesapeake Tide-x750.583650.545
Steubenville Stampede 570.417260.250
NY/NJ Revolution 1110.0830110.000

2008

Rochester kept most of its championship-caliber core together, re-signing quarterbacks Mike Mikolaichik, Matt Cottingem, and Omar Baker; running backs Jamil Porter and Dee Glanton; wide receivers Maurice Jackson, Chris Carter, Noah Fahrenbauch, and Derrick Dyer; offensive linemen Mike Kallfeltz and Eric Jendryaszek; linebackers Jason Coley and James Vann; defensive linemen Mike Condello, Terrence Dawson, Steve Marriott, and Tom Parks; defensive backs Chris Shaw, Darius Smith, Makis Whitaker, and Jeff Richardson; and kicker Adam Lanctot. The team also added tight end / defensive end TJ Cottrell (son of Ted Cottrell), wide receiver Darryl Fragger, running back Felix Joyner, defensive lineman Steve Fleming (all three from Port Huron), running back / wide receiver Mark Bly and linebacker Brenton Brady (both from Miami Valley) by way of free agency.

The mix of holdovers from the 2007 club with players from free agency proved to be a winning combination as the team was wildly successful in 2008. They finished the regular season undefeated (12–0; 11–0 in contested games) and won their second straight division title (but first in the Atlantic West Division). However, the Raiders withdrew from the CIFL playoffs on June 8, 2008, after the Flint Phantoms failed to show up for a Sunday afternoon game. [2] The team then immediately moved to the American Indoor Football Association, and played two exhibition matches there, but then announced a move to the Indoor Football League instead.

DateOpponent Home/Away Result
March 21 Chesapeake Tide Away Won 43-36 [3]
March 29 Lehigh Valley Outlawz HomeWon 49-27 [4]
April 5 Marion Mayhem AwayWon 52-19 [5]
April 12 New Jersey Revolution HomeWon 49-3 [6]
April 19 Saginaw Sting HomeWon 59-43 [7]
April 26 New Jersey Revolution AwayWon 59-16 [8]
May 3 New England Surge HomeWon 62-20
May 10 Lehigh Valley Outlawz AwayWon 45-26
May 17 Chesapeake Tide HomeWon 58-13
May 24 Flint Phantoms AwayWon 35-12 [9]
May 31 New England Surge AwayWon 52-25
June 8 Flint Phantoms HomeWon Forfeit [10]

2008 CIFL standings

2008 Continental Indoor Football League
TeamOverallDivision
WLTPCTWLTPCT
Great Lakes Conference
East Division
Kalamazoo Xplosion-y1110.917510.833
Muskegon Thunder-x570.417220.500
Fort Wayne Freedom 570.417240.333
Miami Valley Silverbacks 390.250120.333
West Division
Chicago Slaughter-y840.667310.750
Rock River Raptors-x750.583310.750
Milwaukee Bonecrushers 1110.083040.000
Atlantic Conference
East Division
New England Surge-y830.727510.833
Lehigh Valley Outlawz-x750.583420.667
New Jersey Revolution 390.250250.286
Chesapeake Tide 2100.583020.000
West Division
Rochester Raiders-z12001.0004001.000
Saginaw Sting-y1020.833310.750
Marion Mayhem-x750.583020.000
Flint Phantoms 1110.083040.000

2009

In December 2009, Rochester businessman Bob Bartosiewicz sold his majority share in the team to minority owner and team founder Dave McCarthy; Bartosiewicz, who had backed out of a plan to bring an af2 franchise to nearby Buffalo the year prior, had lost millions of dollars on the Raiders during the team's existence. [11] McCarthy announced that the team would be playing its 2010 home games at the Dome Arena in Henrietta, which has 2,164 seats—the lowest seating capacity of any IFL team, and lower than the previous arenas they used in the GLIFL and CIFL.

2010

On April 23, 2010, McCarthy announced that he was looking to sell part of the team. [12] On June 5, 2010, the Raiders hosted the first outdoor IFL game against the Chicago Slaughter at Marina Auto Stadium. The Raiders won that game 43-36.

2011

In November 2010, the Rochester Raiders announced its cessation of operations.

Professional indoor football would return to the city in 2013, with the announcement of the independent Roc City Thunder taking up residence in the city.

2014

For the 2014 season the Rochester Raiders began play in the American Indoor Football League. After initially announcing plans to return to the Main Street Armory, a scheduling issue prompted the team to instead return to Bill Gray's.

The Raiders suspended operations after the 2014 season with the intent of returning in 2016. The Raiders never returned and a new team called the Rochester Kings would start play in 2017.

Season-by-season record

Season records
SeasonWLTFinishPlayoff results
Rochester Raiders (GLIFL)
20068402nd LeagueWon Semifinal (Lehigh Valley)
Lost Great Lakes Bowl I (Port Huron)
Rochester Raiders (CIFL)
200710201st AtlanticWon AD Semifinal (Chesapeake)
Won AD Championship (New England)
Won CIFL Indoor Championship Game (Michigan)
200812001st Atlantic WestQuit league
Rochester Raiders (IFL)
200910402nd United AtlanticLost Divisionals I (River City)
20109502nd Atlantic EastWon Round 1 (Richmond)
Lost Conference Semi-Final (Wichita)
Rochester Raiders (AIF)
20144403rd AIF LeagueLost Round 1 (Baltimore Mariners)
Totals58230(including playoffs)

Notable players

Mark Rypien (2006)

Current roster

Rochester Raiders roster
Quarterbacks
  • Currently vacant

Running backs

  • Currently vacant

Wide receivers

  • Currently vacant
Offensive linemen
  • Currently vacant

Defensive linemen

  • Currently vacant
Linebackers
  • Currently vacant

Defensive backs

  • Currently vacant

Kickers

  • Currently vacant
Injured Reserve
  • Currently vacant

Exempt List

  • Currently vacant
  • Rookies in italics
  • Roster updated October 21, 2014
  • 0 Active, 0 Inactive

→ More rosters

Current staff

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Raiders Move to Blue Cross Arena". R News. Time Warner Cable. November 19, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2008.[ dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Rochester Raiders To Withdraw From CIFL". Our Sports Central.com. June 8, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Indoor football Raiders win opener". Rochester Democrat & Chronicle . Rochester, New York: Gannett Company. March 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-28.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Weinstein, Matt (March 29, 2008). "Indoor football Raiders win opener". Rochester Democrat & Chronicle . Rochester, New York: Gannett Company. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  5. ↑ Putman, Bob. "Champ Raiders maul Mayhem". The Marion Star . Marion, Ohio: Gannett Company . Retrieved 2008-04-23.Archived 2008-04-23
  6. ↑ Weinstein, Matt (April 12, 2008). "Rochester Raiders rout New Jersey". Rochester Democrat & Chronicle . Rochester, New York: Gannett Company . Retrieved 2008-04-28.[ dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Sting suffer first loss". Saginaw News . Saginaw, Michigan: Booth Newspapers. 2008-04-20. Archived from the original (xml) on 2012-09-09. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  8. ↑ "Raiders rout Revolution again". Rochester Democrat & Chronicle . Rochester, New York: Gannett Company. 2008-04-27. Archived from the original (xml) on January 13, 2016. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  9. ↑ Savage, Brendan (2008-05-25). "Phantoms' upset bid fades in second half". Flint Journal . Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2012-09-03. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  10. ↑ Nilsen, Dan (2008-06-08). "Flint Phantoms forfeit CIFL finale; opponent quits league". Flint Journal . Booth Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  11. ↑ Petro, Mike (2023-02-23). "Would an Arena Football League team ever work again in Buffalo?". The Buffalo News . Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  12. ↑ Thomas Adams (April 23, 2010). "Raiders owner looks to sell team". www.rbj.net. Rochester Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
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