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Caballo Diablo

04-24-2009, 01:44 PM

SIFL Week 2 Game Capsules
April 23, 2009 by Dan Ryan

TEXAS PIRATES AT ACADIANA MUDBUGS
April 25, 2009, Blackham Colisuem, Lafayette, LA. 7:05 p.m.

..............................TEXAS (1-0) ...........ACADIANA (1-0)
Head Coach: ......Leon Thomassen ........John Fourcade
.....................(1st yr w/ team 1-0) ....(1st yr w/ team 1-0)
Scoring Offense: .......46.0 (1) ..................37.0 (2)
Scoring Defense: ......27.0 (1) ...................29.0 (2)
Total Offense ...........165.0 (3) ................143.0 (4)
Total Defense ..........143.0 (1) .................174.0 (3)
Turnover Margin ........+4 (1) .....................+3 (2)
Top Rusher ..............Hayes 14-65-4 .......Logan 8-2-0
Top Passer .........Roy 8-19-2-96-2TD .....Bartik 15-25-0-197-4
Top Receiver ......Townsend 4-48-1 .........Martin 6-76-3
Kicking ..............Maravagolia 4-6PAT ......Murphy 4-5 PAT 1 FG

NOTES: Match-up of inaugural week winners … Texas defeated Houma 46-27 while the Mudbugs won on the road with 37-29 decision at Austin … Mudbugs QB Bo Bartik was the only SIFL quarterback not to throw an INT on opening week … Roland Hayes rushed for 4 TDs for Texas … Pirates forced seven Houma turnovers, Mudbugs had 4 on Austin … Both teams enjoyed leads of over 20 points in the first half in their respective wins.
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PASM FLORIDA KINGS AT LOUSIANA SWASHBUCKLERS
April 25, 2009, Lake Charles Civic Center, 6:30 p.m.

.............................FLORIDA (0-0) ..........LOUISIANA (0-0)
Head Coach: .........Michael Coleman .......Darnell Lee
........................(1st yr w/team 0-0) ......(3rd year, 31-1)

NOTES:
Season opener for both teams and inaugural game for PASM Florida Kings who will play five road games against SIFL teams in 2009 before becoming a full member in 2010 … Kings will play home games against other teams in DeLand, Fla. … Swashbucklers won the final two championships of the Intense Football and posted a perfect 16-0 mark in 2008 … LA will by vying for its 50th victory in franchise history.
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AUSTIN TURFCATS AT HOUMA CONQUERORS
April 26, 2009, Terrebone Coliseum, 5 p.m

...............................AUSTIN (0-1) .......HOUMA (0-1)
Head Coach: ........Chris Duliban .......Franklin Thomas
.........................(1st w/team 0-1) ...(1st w/team 0-1)
Scoring Offense ..........29.0 (3) ..............27.0 (4)
Scoring Defense .........37.0 (3) ..............46.0 (4)
Total Offense ............174.0 (2) ............143.0 (4)
Total Defense ...........193.0 (4) ............165.0 (2)
Turnover Margin ............-3 (3) .................-4 (4)
Top Rusher ...........Ellis 8-76-0 ..............Haugabook 6-4-0
Top Passer ...........Ellis 6-25-4-52-0TD ...Haugabook 17-33-3-146-2TD
Top Receiver ........Smith 3-24-0 ............White 7-51-1
Kicking ................Brown 2 FG ...............Stropolo 2FG, 1PTA

NOTES:
Match-up of inaugural week losers … Houma cut a 39-9 deficit to 39-25 while Austin cut a 20-0 hole to 30-29 … Houma QB Omar Haughabook was the 2006 New Orleans Bowl MVP … Both coaches were NFL draft picks – Duliban with Dallas in 1986 and Thomas with Detroit in 1991 … Austin scored 3 of its 4 touchdowns on returns last week.

Caballo Diablo

05-07-2009, 05:55 PM

SIFL Week 4 Game Capsules
Posted on May 07, 2009 by Dan Ryan

LOUISIANA SWASHBUCKLERS (2-0) AT AUSTIN TURFCATS (1-1) Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CST

............................. LOUISIANA .................... AUSTIN
Scoring Offense ......... 65.5 (1) ...................... 46.5 (2)
Scoring Defense ........ 7.0 (1) ........................ 34.5 (3)
Total Offense ............ 237.5 (1) ..................... 168.5 (4)
Total Defense ........... 71.5 (1) ....................... 178.3 (4)
Turnover Margin ....... +4 (T1) ........................ -2 (4)
Leading Rusher ......... Blackwell ..................... Deron Ellis
............................... (16-98-2) ..................... (16-117-2)
Leading Passer ......... Harrison ........................ Deron Ellis
.............................. (20-36-2-256-10td) ....... (14-37-4-134-1td)
Leading Receiver ....... Knight (10-122-3) ........ Reggie Smith (6-71-1)
Kicker ...................... Hebert(16 XP 3 FG) ...... Darren Brown (7 XP 3 FG)
Defense ................... Bennett (14T 3 SK) ....... Kevin T. Earvine (10.5T 3 SK)

HEAD COACHES:
Louisiana- Darnell Lee (4th year, 41-8.) Austin- Chris Duliban (2nd year 9-7)

NOTES:
LA wraps up 2-game road swing while Austin looking for 1st home win … Game features SIFL’s top two kickers in Tommy Hebert and Darren Brown and two top defenders in Thomas Bennett and Kevin Earvine … Swashbuckler defense has registered seven scoreless quarters … 11 different players have scored the 17 LA TDs … Austin QB Deron Ellis completed 67 percent of his passes against Houma after 4 INT game against Acadiana in opener.
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HOUMA CONQUEORS (0-2) AT ACADIANA MUDBUGS (2-0) 7:05 p.m.

.............................. HOUMA .................. ACADIANA
Scoring Offense ........ 29.5 (4) .................... 37.5 (3)
Scoring Defense ....... 55.0 (4) .................... 20.5 (2)
Total Offense ........... 171.5 (3) ................... 199.5 (2)
Total Defense ........... 164.0 (3) .................. 157.0 (2)
Turnover Margin ....... -5 (5) ....................... +4 (T1)
Leading Rusher ......... Johnson (9-45) .......... Logan (16-19-0)
Leading Passer ......... Haughbook ................ Bartik
............................... (31-58-3-268-5td) ...... (37-62-3-359-7td)
Leading Receiver ....... White (12-124-2) ....... Martin (12-95-3)
Kicker ...................... Stropolo (3XP 2FG) ... Murphy (6 XP 1 FG)
Defense ................... Cesar (9.5T) ............. Lewis (5 INT)

EAD COACHES:
Houma – Franklin Thomas (1st year 0-2), Acadiana – John Fourcade (10th year, 56-98.)

NOTES:
Both teams coming off bye week … QBs Omar Haughbook and Bo Bartik are 1-2 in practically every passing category … Mudbugs have never trailed and Conquerors have never led in their games this season. Conquerors have endured early 20-point deficits in each game … Mudbugs haven’t scored a third quarter TD yet.

Caballo Diablo

05-14-2009, 07:27 PM

Between The Walls
May 14, 2009 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL)

Welcome to the Southern Indoor Football League's E-Newsletter! We're pleased to offer our fans this means of keeping up with the latest developments from indoor football's upstart new league.
This is our biggest week on the field. Can the Acadiana Mudbugs remain unbeaten? Will Louisiana rebound from last week's loss at Austin? Can Houma catch the Turfcats in a letdown after Austin's big win.

Find out Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CST when both games kickoff. If you can't make the games in person, follow all the action on www.southernifl.com which offers the premier gameday communication effort in all of indoor football.

Bartik Leads First Quarter Awards

Bo knows football. Everyone in the Southern Indoor Football League knows what Bo can do.

The veteran Acadiana Mudbugs QB was an unanimous selection as the SIFL's Offense Player Of The Quarter for the first four weeks of the season.

Bartik has as led the Mudbugs to a 3-0 record by completing 55.4 percent of his passes with a touchdown/interception ratio of 11 to 4. His 173.3 yards per game and 180 yards of total offense per game lead the SIFL.

Other winners include:

DEFENSE:

Kevin Earvine, DL, Austin Turfcats and Kimmee Lewis, DB, Acadiana Mudbugs (tie). Earvine is the SIFL's co-leader in sacks with three and sixth in tackles with 15. Lewis had three interceptions in the SIFL's inaugural game and leads the league with six interceptions and 18.5 tackles.

LINEMAN:

John Paul Jones, DL, Louisiana Swashbucklers. Veteran has 14 tackles, 2.5 sacks and six tackles for loss for the Swashbucklers.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Darrick Wallace, WR/KR ,Austin Turfcats. Wallace has two returns for TDs this season and is averaging 22.5 yards per attempt on kickoff returns.

The next "Player Of The Quarter" will cover weeks 5-7 of the season and will be announced Thursday, June 11. Fourcade and Lee: SIFL Coaches Have Different Approaches But Get Same Result Every coach on the field has his own style, his own swagger both on and off the field.

Two of the most notable coaches in the world of indoor football, John Fourcade of the Acadiana Mudbugs and Darnell Lee of the Louisiana Swashbucklers, face off this Saturday in Lake Charles, La. field this Saturday. And their different styles and coaching influences will be evidenced on the sidelines.

SIFL Operations Smoother With Strong Insurance and Rules Enforcement In Place

Launching a start-up indoor football league has provided challenges, but SIFL President Thom Hager's efforts have been aided in two key areas: insurance and football operations.

Gallagher and Koster is the SIFL's official insurance provider, offering protection up to $25,000 per incident.

``It's one of the best deals I've ever been associated with in regards to insurance,'' Hager said. ``This is such a critical aspect to our long-term survival and credibility and I'm grateful for their willingness to work with us in providing the best coverage for our players."

Hager hasn't had to deal with many on-the-field problems and he wants it that way. He and his other owners agreed that Commissioner Dan J. Blum has the final say on all football-related matters and that Blum's decisions can not be overturned by the owners afterwards.

One of those rules is the "Darnell Lee Law" that prohibits an SIFL coach from becoming a player during the season. The rule is named after the LA Swashbucklers coach, who caused a mild firestorm when he activated himself out of necessity when the Bucs' were in Alaska.

"None of our coaches need to do that anymore,'' Blum said. ``The Lee law is helping eliminate any sort of credibility and on-field advantage issues.'' New SIFL E-Publication Debuts

Joining "Between The Walls" as a companion piece is "SIFL Gameday," which supplies readers with the premier collection of game recaps, pictures and stats from all the week's SIFL action.

``SIFL Gameday'' will be sent as promptly as possible upon conclusion of league play.

Caballo Diablo

05-14-2009, 07:31 PM

Florida Kings-Texas Pirates Game Rescheduled

LAKE CHARLES, La. (May 14, 2009) - The Southern Indoor Football League game between the PASM Florida Kings and the Texas Pirates has been rescheduled from Sunday, May 17 to the weekend of June 12-14, Director of Operations Robert Winfrey announced today.

``The Pirates are exploring options for increasing their seating capacity at their present site as well as exploring other options,'' Winfrey said. ``With the Kings' co-operation, switching the date was an effortless process."

Game date and time will be announced as soon as it is finalized.

Week 5 of the SIFL's inaugural season features the Louisiana Swashbucklers (2-1) hosting the first place and unbeaten (3-0) Acadiana Mudbugs while the Austin Turfcats (2-1) host the Houma Conquerors (0-3) one week after the Turfcats ended the Swashbucklers' 20-game winning streak.

Caballo Diablo

05-15-2009, 11:33 AM

Week 5 Game Capsules
May 15, 2009 by Dan Ryan

ACADAIANA MUDBUGS AT LOUISIANA SWASHBUCKLERS, 5/16 6:30 p.m. CST

.................................ACADIANA (3-0)......……LOUISIANA (2-1)
SCORING OFFENSE……………..35.3 (3).....………………….61.3 (1)
SCORING DEFENSE ……………..21.3 (1).....………………..23.3 (2)
TOTAL OFFENSE ………………….199.0 (2).....………………238.7 (1)
TOTAL DEFENSE ………………… 164.7 (2) .....……………..96.3 (1)
TURNOVER MARGIN...………….+5 (1).....…………………….+4 (2)
RUSHER …………………………….Logan (23-36-1).....…… Blackwell (20-124-2)
PASSER……………………………..Bartik .....…………………..Harrison
………………………………………….51-92-4-520-11TD.......27-50-3-343-12TD
RECEIVER…………………………..Parks (17-159-5) .....…. Knight (12-152-3)
KICKING ………………………….Murphy 6-11PAT 1FG....... Hebert 21-22PAT 5 FG

HEAD COACHES:
Acadiana -- John Fourcade, 10th year, 57-98
Louisiana -- Darnell Lee, 4th year, 41-9

NOTES:
Mudbugs remain SIFL’s only unbeaten team while LA had its 20-game winning streak sanpped last week at Austin … Game features league’s three top scorers in Anthony Parks, Sammy Knight and Tommy Hebert, each with 36 points … Knight leads SIFL with 391 all-purpose yards … Mudbugs DB Kimmee Lewis has a pick in all three games.
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HOUMA CONQUERORS AT AUSTIN TURFCATS 5/16 6:30 p.m.

....................................HOUMA (0-3).........…….AUSTIN (2-1)
SCORING OFFENSE……………..27.3 (4).....………………….49.7 (2)
SCORING DEFENSE ……………..47.0 (5).....………………..40.7 (4)
TOTAL OFFENSE ………………….174.3 (3).....………………161.7 (4)
TOTAL DEFENSE ………………… 175.3 (3) .....……………..211.3 (5)
TURNOVER MARGIN...………….-6 (5).....…………………….+2 (4)
RUSHER …………………………….Haughbook (15-28-2).....…… Ellis (26-134-4)
PASSER……………………………..Haughbook .....…………………..Ellis
………………………………………….50-91-6-428-8 TD.......26-52-5-252-4 TD
RECEIVER…………………………..Landry (20-162-4)..... …. Smith (10-110-22)
KICKING ………………………….Stropolo 6-9 PAT 2 FG....... Brown 15-18 PAT 4 FG

HEAD COACHES:
Houma – Franklin Patterson, 1st year 0-4
Austin- Chris Duliban, 2nd year 10-8

NOTES :
Houma enjoyed its first leads of the season last week at Acadiana … Turfcats are league’s least penalized team … Turfcats lead league in team rushing but are last in passing .. .Houma QB Omar Haughbook has the league’s best pass efficiency rating (101.4) and his receivers Gerald Landy and Clevan White are 1-2

indoor fan

05-15-2009, 03:19 PM

daytonadan

05-15-2009, 04:03 PM

How much you wanna bet?

indoor fan

05-15-2009, 07:24 PM

How much you wanna bet?

I'll bet two 2010 Florida Kings season tickets.

So you are telling us that the Pirates had such a mad rush of fans buying tickets to see the Kings (only 250 showed up for their first game) they were forced to postpone the game to find a bigger arena?

daytonadan

05-15-2009, 09:45 PM

I'll bet two 2010 Florida Kings season tickets.

So you are telling us that the Pirates had such a mad rush of fans buying tickets to see the Kings (only 250 showed up for their first game) they were forced to postpone the game to find a bigger arena?

Well, that and the Elvis-James Brown post-game concert logistics were an absolute b----.

indoor fan

05-15-2009, 10:06 PM

Well, that and the Elvis-James Brown post-game concert logistics were an absolute b----.

Huh????? This is the response from the leagues directior of communications? lol

I guess I won the bet.

phydeaux72

05-15-2009, 10:20 PM

So you are telling us that the Pirates had such a mad rush of fans buying tickets to see the Kings (only 250 showed up for their first game) they were forced to postpone the game to find a bigger arena?

Considering that the Pirates have been playing their home games at an indoor soccer facility that only holds 250, then yeah, I'd say they probably need a bigger arena to play in.

I guess you lost the bet.

daytonadan

05-15-2009, 10:42 PM

Indoor Football Fan wins a free SIFL T-shirt courtesy of me and my failed attempt at humor. I'm actually serious. Send me a PM with your address.

exit322

05-16-2009, 07:52 AM

Indoor Football Fan wins a free SIFL T-shirt courtesy of me and my failed attempt at humor. I'm actually serious. Send me a PM with your address.

Are you sure the SIFL really wants to pay for shirts and postage every time you crack a bad joke?

trifecta

05-16-2009, 08:50 AM

Help me understand...

Are you telling me that the Pirates started the season in a "Temporary" arena in HOPES that better facilities would appear during the season???

Why would you do this??? The only reason I can think of is that the League had too few teams to make a league and the Pirates are more or less FILLER for the rest of the teams.

If I am wrong I am wrong but if true this degrades the league itself.

daytonadan

05-16-2009, 09:55 AM

Are you sure the SIFL really wants to pay for shirts and postage every time you crack a bad joke?

We could be in a lot of trouble when it comes to that.

Caballo Diablo

05-16-2009, 10:05 AM

Hmmmmm...searching for a new arena half way through the season? And the visiting traveling team lost 81-0 and is half way across the country.

I bet there is a lot more to the story.

Yeah, there was a mad rush on tickets for this game.
Everyone wants to see a garunteed win.;)

indoor fan

05-16-2009, 10:06 AM

Considering that the Pirates have been playing their home games at an indoor soccer facility that only holds 250, then yeah, I'd say they probably need a bigger arena to play in.

I guess you lost the bet.

I thought their "arena" could be configured to hold 2000 "fans".

Since, the only response from the SIFL was a very lame joke, then I guess I have won the bet: Two season tickets for the 2010 Florida Kings.

Caballo Diablo

05-19-2009, 11:37 AM

The Tuesday After: Hebert's Near-Perfection Overlooked?
May 19, 2009 by Dan Ryan

Article includes;

Record returns:

INDOOR FOOTBALL'S MOST ACCURATE PAT KICKERS:

TURFCAT TURNER TURNS TO DB ROLE :

STATS AND STUFF:

GAME MVPS:

the VIDSWAP.com player of the week balloting

FULL ARTICLE at:
www.southernifl.com

Caballo Diablo

05-19-2009, 01:09 PM

2009 Tribute to Freedom Fighters
May 19, 2009 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) Louisiana Swashbucklers

LAKE CHARLES - The Louisiana Swashbucklers are proud to pay tribute to our men and women in uniform who have secured our freedom. In celebration of our independence, the Louisiana Swashbucklers have orchestrated a half time event entitled Salute to Freedom Fighters which includes field participation from each branch of our armed forces as well as state and local law enforcement.

Confirmed participation to date includes police departments from Westlake, Iowa, Vinton, Sulphur, the Calcasieu Sheriff's Department, and Marshall's office, Marines, National Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard/Marine Safety Office, Immigration, Lake Charles Harbor police, and the Lake Charles Fire Department.

In additional, all who wear their uniform to the game will enjoy free admission and ticket discounts for their immediate family members.

Each season the Louisiana Swashbucklers dedicate one game in appreciation to those who courageously serve our nation, our state, and our community. Come meet your Freedom Fighters during this year's static display before the game beginning at 5:00 PM.

Caballo Diablo

05-22-2009, 06:06 PM

SIFL Week 6 Preview: 3-1 Teams All At Home
May 22, 2009
By Jessica Lantz, PRISM/Freelantz

As the inaugural season of the SIFL nears the halfway point, three teams sit tied atop the standings with a 3-1 record. And as the scheduling gods would have it, the trio of Turfcats, Mudbugs and Swashbucklers are playing as host in the Week 6 matchups.
.........................................
For the Austin Turfcats, a meeting with the Texas Pirates will take place on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the Travis County Expo Center.

Austin has been home for the entirety of the month of May, winning their last two games against Louisiana and Houma after putting up 56 points on the board in both contests. The Austin crowd was in full force when the Turfcats knocked off the Swashbucklers two weeks ago, and as SIFL President Thom Hager put it “absolutely” helped propel the home team to victory with the “great fan base that really knows the indoor game.”

The 1-3 Pirates are coming off two consecutive bye weeks and looking to get back to the offensive production that led them to victory in the first week of the season. Since the opening weekend, the Pirates are averaging just 13 points per game. This will be the first time Texas will take the field since the recent coaching change that slotted Troy Esprit at the helm as interim head coach.
This will be the first of two back-to-back meetings between the two Texas-based teams.
.........................................
Also kicking off at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, the Louisiana Swashbucklers play host to the Houma Conquerors.

This season – as with past years – Louisiana’s fans do their part in propelling the team forward. The Swashbucklers are 2-0 at home thus far, with their only loss on the season coming at the hands of the Turfcats. In past weeks, head coach for the Bucs, Darnell Lee, has been quick to recognize that “no team in the league should be underestimated” and this week they will face the task of playing a team hungry for their first win of the season.

The Conquerors are on a tough three-game road stretch, with their last home game coming on April 26th. Houma faced the stiff competition of Acadiana and Austin in their last two games, and it’s not going to get any easier this week. The Swashbucklers are a formidable foe that will make it hard for the youthful Houma team to grab their first win. Coach Franklin Thomas has been working with the group to play more “disciplined, mistake-free football” and this was shown in the close game against the Mudbugs two weeks ago, where the Conquerors fell just short of grabbing that first notch in the win column.

“The SIFL is developing savvy indoor football fans and they know when to get loud and how important their roll is as the 9th man on the team,” Hager notes.
..........................................
The last pair to take the field on this action packed weekend in the SIFL will see the Acadiana Mudbugs hosting the PASM Florida Kings at 7:05 p.m on Memorial Day.

Acadiana’s first loss in the season came just last week as they traveled to Lake Charles to meet the Swashbucklers. The Mudbugs were down quick and could not overcome the 21-point halftime deficit in that contest, but are hoping to get back on track in their own backyard, where the team has a 2-0 home record.

“It’s fun to win, but after a loss you go home and the cat kicks you,” said Mudbugs coach John Fourcade, whose team will be shaking off the sting of defeat this week and continue to “leave it all on the field” in their quest to maintain their three-way tie.

The PASM Florida Kings will be looking not only for their first win of the season, but their first points. In their only game thus far, the Kings were blanked by the Swashbucklers on April 25th, 81-0, and have had the better part of a month to get ready to get back on the field and face some SIFL action. Acadiana, nor any team other than Louisiana, has seen what the Kings will place on the field come Monday night.

Caballo Diablo

05-24-2009, 09:25 PM

SIFL Expells Kings, Reschedules Monday Game
May 24, 2009 by Dan Ryan

LAKE CHARLES, La. (May 24, 2009) -- The Southern Indoor Football League has expelled the PASM Florida Kings, President Thom Hager announced today.

The Kings were scheduled to play road games only against SIFL opponents in addition to their home games at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in DeLand, Fla. against non-league competition in 2009 before becoming a full-fledged SIFL member in 2010.

They played one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers on April 25 and were scheduled to face the Acadiana Mudbugs Monday.

``It’s regrettable that it has come to this,’’ Hager said. ``I sincerely wish the Kings' front office, coaches and players good fortune in their future endeavors.

``There comes a time when you have to make very hard decisions, and this is one of them,’’ Hager said. ``The SIFL is not going to subjugate its staff and teams to unneeded financial and unprofessional burdens that do not have any long-term benefit for its teams or the league.

``I regret that we’ve caused the entire sport of indoor football to take yet another credibility hit, but rather than justify our first-year problems by comparing and contrasting the trials other entities are enduring, we vow to focus our energy on solving these problems expediantly and working to ensure the long-term success of the SIFL,’’ Hager concluded. ``We WILL complete our inaugural season schedule.''

A replacement for the Kings’ remaining four games, included Monday’s game, is being finalized and will be announced this week.

Caballo Diablo

05-24-2009, 09:32 PM

Kings and SIFL Part Ways
May 24, 2009 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) Florida Kings

Volusia County, Florida- May 24, 2009-The Florida Kings are officially responding to the ludicrous expulsion from the SIFL. The SIFL cannot provide any documentation substantiating an expulsion. The Kings formally initiated this separation in writing, based on a series of documented and serious discrepancies. The Kings discretely reported each discrepancy to SIFL owner, Thom Hager. It is unfortunate that the SIFL responded in a retaliatory manner. The Kings vow to remain positive in order to maintain a level of integrity, professionalism, and excellence in order to carry out our mission.

It is unfortunate that the behaviors displayed by the SIFL support the series of serious discrepancies reported. Specifically, the Kings reported a player that shoved his private part in front of staff. However, the same player played throughout the game and was not included on the Swashbuckler's roster. Indeed, the imaginary expulsion justifies our justifiable initiation to part ways with the SIFL. Therefore, Florida Kings negate the slanderous press release informing the world that we were expelled. The Kings have marketed and made several accommodations on the behalf of the SIFL.

"The Kings may have experienced a loss on the football field but we have gained momentum off the field. The initiation to part ways is a burden lifted off of the Kings so that we can adhere to our true mission. The Kings are not focused on the traditional norms of Professional Indoor Football. We are more focused on the lives affected. This behavior by the SIFL is typical and doesn't separate them from the rest."

Caballo Diablo

05-24-2009, 09:45 PM

SIFL Reviewing Saturday Incident
May 24, 2009 by Dan Ryan

LAFAYETTE, La. (May 24, 2009) -- The Southern Indoor Football League is reviewing an incident that occurred in Saturday’s Austin Turfcats-Texas Pirates game Saturday, Commissioner Dan J. Blum stated today.

Texas pulled its players off the field with less than a minute remaining in Austin’s 38-20 victory.

``We’re going to hear all sides of the story, the Pirates’ version, the Turfcats’ version and the head official’s version,’’ Blum said. ``A situation like this has to be addressed and will be addressed properly to insure future incidents will not happen.’’

Big Easy

05-25-2009, 02:20 AM

The SIFL is experiencing some early drama...I wish that wasn't the case. Critics will certainly site issues like these as business as usual for Indoor Football....especially a new league trying to get going. Let's hope they can clean this stuff up.

kicker27

05-25-2009, 08:55 AM

has anyone heard what team they plan on rescheduling for the rest of the season

Caballo Diablo

05-25-2009, 12:04 PM

Sources say - lol - I couldn't resist.

I've heard the North texas Crunch (formerly the Kaufman County Crunch)
The Crunch are the defending champs of the IIFA (Independent Indoor Football Alliance)
They are undefeated at 4-0 so far this season.

http://www.crunchfootball.net/home]http://www.crunchfootball.net/home

Caballo Diablo

05-25-2009, 12:14 PM

This looks fishy, they were expelled yesterday (ok Saturday) and have already formed an Alliance/League of their own?

Many of their accusations and attempts to ruffle some feathers were totally made up and long stretches of the imagination. It's almost like this was premeditated. I think the Kings owner/management group are in over their head and their style of business is questionable.

I had always wondered why they felt it necessary to be the "PASM" Florida Kings. Now you have it, they had loftier aspirations and it looks like they were trying to use this season to set up their own gig and get some exposure in the Florida area. Waiting until next season when the SIFL was looking to put a division in Florida would have put a kink in their plans to establish their own league. Those sly dogs, err, I mean Kings - lol
..................................................

PASM Florida Kings Proudly Announce Pan-American Sports Leagues
May 25, 2009 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) Florida Kings

The PASM Florida Kings Professional Indoor Football Team is proud to announce the Pan-American Sports Leagues! Through the years, the owners have diligently worked in order to build a competent non traditional alliance; specifically, a system in Professional Indoor Football. The Kings deviated away from its original mission but are now back on track. Pan-American Sports Leagues is here to empower in order to build and lift the lives affected.
From this point forward, the Kings will advance under the auspices of this alliance. The Pan-American Sports Leagues is a grass roots alliance; and we sincerely welcome independent team owners, sponsors, and partners from all regions, markets and demographics.

"This is not a typical traditional entity. It is a sincere effort to foster independence within an organization; and to initiate a positive movement in order to set precedence."

Caballo Diablo

05-25-2009, 12:21 PM

Mudbugs' opponent expelled from SIFL
From staff reports • May 25, 2009

The Southern Indoor Football League has expelled the Florida Kings, league president Thom Hager announced Sunday.

The Kings were scheduled to play road games only against SIFL opponents during the 2009 season, in addition to their home games against non-league competition at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in DeLand, Fla. The franchise was to become a full-fledged SIFL member in 2010.

They played one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers on April 25, and were scheduled to face the Acadiana Mudbugs tonight at Blackham Coliseum. That game has been canceled. Mudbugs owner Bentley Turner said Sunday a rescheduled game with the Kings' replacement will take place on Saturday, June 20. Tickets for Monday's game will be honored.

"We apologize for any inconvenience," Turner said. "We're having a great inaugural season and look forward to the continued support. We also want to offer our support for the league - in this case, they're doing the right thing."

"There comes a time when you have to make very hard decisions, and this is one of them," Hager said. "The SIFL is not going to subjugate its staff and teams to unneeded financial and unprofessional burdens that do not have any long-term benefit for its teams or the league.

"I regret that we've caused the entire sport of indoor football to take yet another credibility hit, but rather than justify our first-year problems by comparing and contrasting the trials other entities are enduring, we vow to focus our energy on solving these problems expediantly and working to ensure the long-term success of the SIFL. We will complete our inaugural season schedule."

With the cancellation of tonight's game, the next scheduled date for the Mudbugs is June 1 in Lake Charles against the Louisiana Swashbucklers. In the current SIFL standings, the Swashbucklers and Austin Turfcats are tied for first place with 4-1 records. The Mudcats sit one-half game back at 3-1.

"I've seen stuff like this happen before - kudos to the league for getting rid of the riff-raff - and it could be a very good thing for us,'' said veteran Mudbugs coach John Fourcade. "I'm not bragging, but it would have been a blowout where we risked suffering an unnecessary injury with two games coming against the Louisiana Swashbucklers. It's a crazy sport we're in, but I know we're trying to do it right with the Mudbugs."

trifecta

05-25-2009, 02:54 PM

Caballo Diablo

05-25-2009, 03:30 PM

One team without an arena

One team with an arena that seats 250

A team walks off the field with a minute left.....

Does anyone have any control of this league.

Was there any type of vetting before teams were allowed in the league or was the process just holding a mirror to prospective owners mouths to see if they were breathing.

Credibility called and wants to know when it can come back!!!
Umm, you need to work on some of your own credibility first.

Team without arena you say = Texas Pirates
Team with an arena that seats 250 = Texas Pirates
Team that walks off the field with 43 seconds left = Texas Pirates
Seems to be more of a team problem than a wide spread league problem.

Now to your question, does anyone have any control of this league?
Sure, the League office has confronted their problems head on and quickly.
They're not the league that let a team play 5 games while undermining the leagues insurance rules. they didn't have to penalize a team by taking 5 wins away.

Pirates walk off the field, the league issues a statement publicly almost immediately that they will be reviewing the situation. they didn't hide from the problem or try to cover it, they are in the process of dealing with it. What would you propose differently that they should have done?

The Kings were a road team only to fill in the home game already sold in season ticket packages. This was an outstanding move by the league to fill in the void at the last minute to secure all of the games and give the fans the games they had paid for.

And before you throw out, losing a team was one of their first mistakes do you understand the reason for the teams pull out?

A second team was supposed to start play in the Houston area this season.
The owner became deathly ill, he still planned on fielding a team in 2009 and completing his obligations to the league. it was his family that was unsure if it would be prudent to attempt this endeavor while seriously ill and bed ridden.
He and the league came to a mutual agreement that his health and the welfare of his family was the priority for him to deal with. At the moment he still plans on fielding a team next season.

So the Kings renigged on some of their obligations and leveeld accusations against the league, the other teams, and their fans. Once again, the issue was addressed and resolved whether it was mutual or not.

All business has problems, all people make mistakes, it's how you respond and deal with the adversity that counts in the long run. The SIFL has shown so far that they are willing to deal with these things up front.

Existing business is having a difficult time in this economy, so why would people be surprised that a brand new corporate entity wouldn't have bumps along the way? The Entire AFL cancelled the 2009 season. The af2 Quad City Steamwheelers were having major financial problems, this is their 10th season. The league just removed their ownership group. Rumor has it that Saginaw in the IFL is struggling and staff and players are unpaid.

I could list many more difficult situations through out the minoe league sport of the 50 yard game. Heck, the Big 4 major leagues have been reducing staff and cutting costs because sponsor/advertising revenue is down.

You've seen me speak out on things I disagreed with within the SIFL before, I'm not just a Homer blindly protecting them. But I think you are way to negative and critical of them.

Now a question for you.............
You were offered FREE tickets to check them out and never even responded with an answer. Why is this? You refuse to look at the product first hand but have no problem sucker punching them, is this how it should done?

indoor fan

05-25-2009, 04:41 PM

How much you wanna bet?

So Dan, how does your foot taste? I guess I won the bet. Nice deception attempt.

This officially drops the SIFL below the APFL.

robster2001

05-25-2009, 04:42 PM

To the Florida Kings: I have a quarter in my pocket and big dreams - can I start an indoor football league, too?

Seriously... does everyone think it's as easy to open a minor pro sports league as it is to open a pop-top soda can?

*sigh* There are quite a few that, apparently, do. PASM joins a long and illustrious list... of future failures. Let's hope that, for their sake, PASM doesn't hire Duane Jenkins to write its schedule.

At least the SIFL didn't put up with disruption from the Kings any longer than necessary. You wonder if the Texas franchise will learn from this example... or if the SIFL will be down to 4 teams in the near future.

trifecta

05-25-2009, 05:15 PM

daytonadan

05-25-2009, 05:54 PM

Trifecta:

You can say what you want to say. Today is Memorial Day and there are a lot of white crosses lining Normandy for the right to give you the opportunity to do so.

Are we having some issues? Of course. But rather than justify them by comparing and contrasting with other teams and leagues, I'll say that we're trying to resolve them and insure the long-term success of the league and the sport. If we succeed, it means our business plan was solid and we caught some breaks along the way. If we fail, then we failed with an honest, sincere attempt. That how I wish to be viewed. Again, Trifecta, you are more than entitled to your opinion, and I appreciate your interest.

And to everyone on the board, my apologies for my recent misfires at humor. Ever since those 3 1/2 flips on black ice in Idaho and a cardiologist telling me that a heart transplant may be needed if the new meds don't work, my game has been way off lately. I'll strive to be both more professional and entertaining as the season progresses.

Have a good day, everyone. Appreciate every day.

Caballo Diablo

05-25-2009, 06:49 PM

This officially drops the SIFL below the APFL.
BLASPHEME YOU SAY !

haha, put the Bong back on the table.

Caballo Diablo

05-25-2009, 06:53 PM

To the Florida Kings: I have a quarter in my pocket and big dreams - can I start an indoor football league, too?

Seriously... does everyone think it's as easy to open a minor pro sports league as it is to open a pop-top soda can?

*sigh* There are quite a few that, apparently, do. PASM joins a long and illustrious list... of future failures. Let's hope that, for their sake, PASM doesn't hire Duane Jenkins to write its schedule.
I expect they'll try and court the potential Florida owners that have showed interes in joining the SIFL next season.

At least the SIFL didn't put up with disruption from the Kings any longer than necessary. You wonder if the Texas franchise will learn from this example... or if the SIFL will be down to 4 teams in the near future.
The odds of the Texas Pirates owner purchasing another franchise are better than them not finishing the season.

Caballo Diablo

05-25-2009, 07:09 PM

Caballo,
I don't have to go to Detroit to know that the Auto industry needs help.....

I don't have to go to my bank to realize the banking industry is in trouble.....

I don't have to go to California to realize that the State is about to go under....

I certainly don't have to attend a SIFL game to be able to have an opinion about the League.

Granted, Austin seems to be a gleaming beacon in this 6 team errrrrr 5 team league.

From an outsiders view it just looks like not a whole lot of thought was given to the creation of the SIFL. I am sure you are going to have a few sentences on why I am WAY off base with my opinion.

Congrats to the 4-1 Turfcats....They are definitely the class of the SIFL.
We can know and figure out lots of things without first hand knowledge, but that still leaves room for error when relying on other people opinion and not having all of the facts to produce our own opinion.

You still discount reality, more leagues have dissolved than have succeeded. and that's in good economic times. Starting a league in bad economic times just multiplies the struggles. Am I betting the farm on what will happen over the next few years, no.

Since I love the sport and the T-Cats are the closest to me and the best dollar for dollar entertainment value it's a no brainer to be a fan. I don't know how to do things halfway, I was the AFL Wranglers fan of the year in 2006 and the af2 Wranglers fan of the year in 2008, it's just my style to give 100% support for the things I enjoy and/or believe in.

If the league or team leaves next season what has it cost me, nothing. Life is short, I can't wait for a garuntee before enjoying it. This is what I enjoy and the support comes naturally.

The question isn't whether you think the league is in trouble, it's about what you've said several times in the past. You told us you enjoy the sport, and even though you're skeptical because of the numerous teams that came before the T-Cats you would give them a chance. All I've seen is negativity from you.

You were offered free seats and didn't even say "No thanks." There are only 2 home games left and you haven't "given it a chance" in person yet. I'm not smacking you, just having a discussion.

Caballo Diablo

05-25-2009, 10:28 PM

Some people on the outside looking in seem to think they know what's going on. They like to blame crooked team owners or shoddy leagues for their demise when all too often it's just a poor market. Please don't pass this post on to the Austin sponsors or investors, but Austin is one of those markets with a weak fanbase and fickle population.

The masses here have never excepted anything not the University of Texas Football, and I even remember the days when they struggled for attendance. UT has National Championship calibre teams in baseball, softball, mens and womens basketball, swimming, track, and no one cares.

Austin has the minor league baseball team owned by Nolan Ryan & family that are the farm team for the Astros, they've been both Double and Triple A. They've got the NBA-D league Toro's affiliated with the Spurs. They had the Ice Bats for over a decade where the players moved up to the AHL Houston Aeros then the NHL. They've all struggled at the gate.
The Bats folded because next year the Dallas Stars are puting an AHL team in Austin. But the owner Randy Sanders didn't give up, he bought the Amarillo Gorillas (CHL- same league the Bats were in) and the Amarillo Dusters (af2).

How many even know the football teams that have gone through Austin?
1999 the Texas Terminators of the IPFL
2002 the Austin Knights of the NIFL
2003 the Austin Rockers of the NIFL - they folded when it was announced an AFL team would be in Austin in 2004
2004-2007 the Austin Wranglers of the AFL
2008 the Austin Wranglers of the af2
2008 the Centex Barracudas of the Intense Football league - sure they played in Belton, not Austin, but it's still pretty darn close.

I've lost all of those teams, plus in 1995 my beloved Cleveland Browns moved away to become the Baltimore Ravens, THEN THEY WON THE DANG SUPERBOWL - GRRRRR!!!!

I've had plenty of ups and downs in my life as a football fan, that doesn't mean I should quit loving the sport. it just means I need to work harder at it and cherish the time I get with the game. If a store stops selling a product do you quit using it, no you just find another store that sells it.

Do people even realize there are two other football teams currently playing in the Austin area?
the 2009 season is underway for the semi-pro team the Austin Gamebreakers of the NAFL, they're 1-0
The Austin Outlaws- a womens full contact football team and defending league champions from 2008.

Sometimes it is the masses living in the market that keeps teams and league from surviving. You know the ones, they say yeah, I've been meaning to make it out to a game. Then they never show and a couple of years later they ask, what ever happened to that team that used to play here.

You can make the best product and be the best businessman in the world but if no one ever tries it you're garunteed to fail. How can people say on a given day they're interested and want to check it out. They say I'll give it a chance, then every other comment is negative. Who are they trying to fool? I might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night.

The success of minor league sports has more to do with NON-FANS in the market than it does the league or team.

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 07:10 AM

SIFL Day of Reckoning
by Danny Burnham
May 25, 2009 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL)

On Sunday morning on Memorial Day weekend, the Acadiana Mudbugs and the SIFL got an e-mail from the Florida Kings. The Kings demanded that their travel expenses be picked up by the league or the Mudbugs and the demand came on a Sunday morning before a Monday night game on a holiday weekend.

Sounds like a last straw to me.

The SIFL press release Sunday really didn't get into specifics on why they kicked out the Kings, but that was because they don't want to get into match, but a couple of e-mails and IMs bring some additional light to the situation.

"I got sick to my stomach when I saw that e-mail and saw phone calls from the Mudbugs on my cell," said SIFL Director of Operations Robert Winfrey. "At that point, we were all at 'the hell with it' point."

Winfrey said that all season long Kings management was miffed at a misunderstanding by some media that the Kings were a travel team only and were not playing home games against non SIFL opposition at a fairgrounds arena near DeLand, Fla. So they played their travel team card and said if you're going to consider us a travel team, then you can foot the travel bill.

SIFL home teams arrange accommodations and meals for visiting teams, but the bill for the bus lies exclusively with the road team. The Mudbugs' response? Memorial day weekend, Monday game. Small crowd. Another 81-0 type game. Waste of money and potential injuries. Forget it.

Then the Kings wanted the same deal from Austin. Imagine what happened next.

At first, the SIFL was intrigued by having a Florida presence so early as well as the Kings' PR about community service and each player donating 100 hours of service. When one of the Houston teams dropped out, the temporary fix seemed to be good.

"Truthfully, there were some scheduling issues and I'll give the Kings credit for being accommodating," Winfrey said. "But at the same time, they also were rude and condescending to staff. Their approach was their deal was with [SIFL President] Thom Hager and not the staff. Well, we work for Thom."

Other fun stuff that led to Sunday.

The Kings travelled to Louisiana and got destroyed 81-0. Two first downs and no play longer than eight yards. But that was just for starters.

The Kings said the 81-0 loss was a result of "home cooking" from the Swashbucklers and accused Swashbuckler GM Richard Dow of cheating. There's also an accusation that a Swashbuckler exposed himself to Kings GM Natalie Coleman.

"If that did happen, we regret it," Winfrey said. "But we couldn't find any proof that it did happen. It wasn't cool what they said about Rich. You don't make those kind of statements after your first game and accusations on one of the best-ran teams in the sport."

The Kings overreacted to the now-famous leaked memo from IFL commissioner Tommy Benizio that trashed all the other leagues, including the SIFL. Since it mentioned the term "travel team," the Kings went postal and said that the information was leaked from within the SIFL. "The phone calls would also come late at night," Winfrey said.

Florida also accused SIFL Director of Communications Dan Ryan of posting on message boards using the "Caballo Diablo" screen name, one that is recognized as that of an avid Austin fan. "That was actually pretty funny," Winfrey said. "But it shows what we were having to deal with."

Then came Sunday morning. After everyone got home from church and Hager spent a hour or so on the phone, the SIFL had a conference call. Winfrey said it lasted less than 10 minutes. The longest discussion was whether or not to use the term "expel" or something not as strong such as "part ways."

Winfrey said that Commissioner Dan J. Blum said that "expel" was the perfect word choice. It was strong and made a statement. It was Memorial Day weekend and everyone was on a conference call rather than enjoying the holiday. It was the last straw.

trifecta

05-26-2009, 07:47 AM

Caballo,

You are blaming the people of Austin for the failure of the many teams of the past in Austin???? Do the teams/leagues themselves have any responsiblity?

Since you seem to point the finger I will tell you that I have supported the following teams in the Austin area with Ticket purchases and in many case Merchandise purchases:

Ice Bats
Express
Toros
Wranglers AFL
Wranglers AF2
Rockers
Terminators

I have NOT yet been to a Turfcats game and still hope to do so ..Maybe June 6th IF there is a game.

Sports teams are NOT like products on store shelves that you just go to another store if they are not available.....Sports teams are much more.

The teams themselves can't expect fans to embrace them automatically. New leagues have to understand that the graveyard of the past IS a factor that is very difficult to overcome.

The people that actually know that the Turfcats are in town MAY be weary of investing in the latest team to hang a shingle in the area. It may be different if it was a different sport but the Turfcats are one of a STRING of Indoor football teams that have blown through the area. Other people dont even know that the Turfcats are even here due to the limited marketing budget. It is a very difficult proposition. Each team that fails makes it that much more difficult for the next one to try.

New leagues cant blame some Austin fans for taking a wait and see attitude on the Turfcats....The business plan should include the fact that it may be tough to win over fans.

I doubt ANYONE will attend OR not attend a Turfcats game based on what they see on a messageboard. If anything the attention received either Postitive or Negative is better than having no attention at all.

Dont be afraid to shine the spotlight of criticism on the League/owners/management....Dont hate the fans of Austin because they dont buy a product.....The risk is there..Don't just hang a shingle and expect people who have been disappointed before to just run to buy tickets.

I will wait for your stern condemnation

mwhite212

05-26-2009, 08:40 AM

Volusia County, Florida- May 25, 2009- The PASM Florida Kings would like to take the time out to personally thank the SIFL for the slander and libel. Once again, this action supports the allegations that the league consists of a series of serious issues and discrepancies. Most importantly, it provides a collection of documentation for the Kings. Although, the articles written by the SIFL are unethical and conduct unbecoming professionals; the Kings refuse to deviate away from their primary mission.
The SIFL should keep in mind that inspiring owners, current owners, sponsors, and the media are observing their actions. People from all walks of life are most impressed by the mission of the SIFL, but their behaviors are conflicting. Current and inspiring owners may pretend as if this doesn't affect them but it really does. Eventually, people will get tired and pull out. Individuals are not crazy and are aware if it's done for one it's done for the other. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out. In addition, the SIFL should remember that there are also legal and moral consequences to their inappropriate behaviors.

League Owner, Thom Hager made a valid point. Hager, stated that his support staff has been in the business a while but they have never owned teams. Therefore, they are not as versed. This is true. In other words, the negative article SIFL Day of Reckoning quoting, Operations Director, Robert Winfrey supports Hager's comment. The Kings are humble and positive. The status quo is critical and people are wounded, vulnerable and unemployed. Therefore, we are here to build, lift, and heal. The SIFL doesn't realize that they have sabotaged themselves and slowly increasing the demise of their entity. No Weapons Formed Against Us Shall Prosper....
------------------
Oh...so this is how one gets 20,000 posts! I see now! Just busting your balls Caballo.

...this was apparently a "press release" from the Kings and NOT a forum rant. LOL. Wow, what can you say to this? Two school boys insulting each other. The Kings and the SIFL - back and forth. I think this league is toast. You now have the issue with the Pirates looming and I really don't think the Conquerors are going to last much longer financially. We'll see if we're even left with 3 teams by post season.

I really suggest that perhaps the two top quality teams in the league in terms of talent and resources- the Turfcats and the 'Bucs - should just join the AF2 and be done with it. I really think the could be competitive in that league and they wouldn't have to deal with this absurd drama. It's a shame really. Maybe the SIFL can pull it off, but it's gonna take a miracle in this econmoic climate.

mwhite212

05-26-2009, 09:14 AM

Note to Kings . . . it's ASPIRING not INSPIRING. Oh, man.

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 10:29 AM

You are blaming the people of Austin for the failure of the many teams of the past in Austin???? Do the teams/leagues themselves have any responsiblity?
Tri, Tri, Tri, sometimes you do baffle me.
Certainly, any business has to accept responsibility for it's failures. If nothing else they had a history of failed teams to look at in the Austin area and entered the market place fully aware.

So you have been a good follower of the Austin minor league scene, that means you are well are of the attendance problems throughout years. The AFL has been the most well known and highest franchise budget of all of them and I still meet people that had never heard of them.

It's impossible to spend over a million dollars a year on an advertising budget, then couple it with the local media ignoring local teams. The only reason the Express gets attention is because of Nolan Ryan.

If you don't agree that the Austin masses could care less about the local minor league sports you really haven't been paying attention. Did you actually use those tickets you bought and notice all of the fans dressed as empty seats? -lol

This is not an Austin problem, it's a national problem. Minor league sports struggle in most markets, they are a niche and it can be very difficult reaching the niche fans without blowing away your budget on the masses that don't care. Once again, this is a common problem all of the leagues and investors SHOULD previously be aware of. Fans of the higher AFL have always complained about the lack of acceptence and being ignored by their local media.

Notice I put the AFL above the SIFL, unlike those other leagues that pretend to be the PREMIER league of the 50 yard game.

Since you seem to point the finger I will tell you that I have supported the following teams in the Austin area with Ticket purchases and in many case Merchandise purchases:

Ice Bats
Express
Toros
Wranglers AFL
Wranglers AF2
Rockers
Terminators
That's FANtastic (geez, I sure hope the NBA doesn't sue me over copyright infringement). Once gain, this should make you fully aware of the the empty seats for all of those. You can call it pointing a finger if you like, but can you tell me there's no credibility in the non-existant acceptance by the masses? I don't understand why so many people feel disagreeing is attacking. Just because we say things people don't like doesn't make it wrong. I served in the military and understand we fought for the right of freedom of opinion for both of us.

I have NOT yet been to a Turfcats game and still hope to do so ..Maybe June 6th IF there is a game.
Don't you worry none, the North Texas Crunch will be in the house and the game will be played. Come join us.

Sports teams are NOT like products on store shelves that you just go to another store if they are not available.....Sports teams are much more.
This is true, it's easy to find another local store with what you like. It's not that easy to find another team close enough to be a season ticket holder.
That's why if you pretend to be interested you need to go while you still can.
If you like what you see then you're obligated to return and support them hoping it'll make a difference and keep them here.

The teams themselves can't expect fans to embrace them automatically. New leagues have to understand that the graveyard of the past IS a factor that is very difficult to overcome.
I disagree, FANS should be expected to embrace them, but not the masses. The graveyard should compell the FANS to come out and support to help prevent another death.

In my mind there are real differences in the catagories we can break down the Butts in seats.

Big fans of the sport
Big fan of the team (many don't follow the entire league and are unaware of the differing leagues)
casual fans of the sport
casual fan of the team - possibly knows someone that works for them
Fans of affordable entertainment
the curious- many times with a free or discounted ticket
Then I guess you've got some reluctant family members of a big fan supporting their family instead of the sport itself.

The people that actually know that the Turfcats are in town MAY be weary of investing in the latest team to hang a shingle in the area.
In my mind that's a copout for the ignorant. If had "INVESTED" as you say in the previous teams they have already made a decision if they like the 50 yard game or not. If not, all the advertising in the world won't change their mind. If they do like it they'll return to watch the next team because the enjoy it, they won't stay home because there's the possibility of the team not being here for ever. (Psst- none of Austin's team will)

I feel using the word "INVESTING" is a little strong when you can aquire season tickets for $4 per game. I'm only trying to get you to purchase a shingle, not the whole dang roof! Possibly you were referring to the emotional investment, but that's unavoidable. If you really like something you do get an emotional attachment, whether it's sports, music, the arts, or whatever hobby/recreation you prefer. Oh yeah, then there's that human to human relationship thing. Can you actually believe someone would go through a less than desireable relationship, or even divorce and be dumb enough to get into another one - SHEESH, how dumb can people be - lol

It may be different if it was a different sport but the Turfcats are one of a STRING of Indoor football teams that have blown through the area. Other people dont even know that the Turfcats are even here due to the limited marketing budget. It is a very difficult proposition. Each team that fails makes it that much more difficult for the next one to try.
Like I said above, many didn't know about the Wranglers and they had a much larger budget and business plan. it is a dfficult thing getting the news out to the masses when the local media doesn't care. There are over 450 people/companies/media outlets, etc. that get the Turfcats media releases. most ignore them but you need to keep trying.

The statesman told me they don't have it in their budget to assign someone to the T-cats. that's garbage, with the press releases and websites it's only a couple of clicks away. They are just lazy and prefer stories off the wire, it's too difficult to pay attention to the Austin area and actually write your own stuff. They never cared about the Wranglers either. They told me their subscriber base was not interestes in minor league sports. Maybe that's why their subscriber pool has shrunk so much, they refuse to follow the local sports and the fans have quit paying for the rag.

We can get our national and world news from a thousand places with a few clicks for free. why should you pay to read the statesman reprint what was on the net for free? Maybe they're the ones that need to try and win back the local population with local sports and news.

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 10:30 AM

New leagues cant blame some Austin fans for taking a wait and see attitude on the Turfcats....The business plan should include the fact that it may be tough to win over fans.
hey, are you in the Florida Kings investment group? - lol

Let me post a disclaimer:
I do not work for the SIFL
I do not work for the TurfCats
I am not an investor in either
I am in no way affilated with a company that is directly connected to either
All of my posts are strickly my own opinion and not necessarily endorsed by either. It should not be inferred or implied otherwise. ;)

So, the league hasn't pointed a finger or blamed anyone for anything. It was I, Caballo Diablo (aka Steve .......not Dan) with the crooked finger in the air.

I never blamed any Fans, I blamed the masses, you know, the NON-FANS - lol

Real fans of the sport or just exciting entertainment do not take a wait and see attitude before spending $4, crap- a starbucks coffee costs more than that. Do you get 3 hours of entertainment in that? Real fans grab the opportunity to enjoy the entertainment while it's available.

yes, it is a fact it's tough to win over NEW fans and it is known before the business plan is developed. It's even tough to attract the pessimist and all the marketing in the world would still be lost on them.

I doubt ANYONE will attend OR not attend a Turfcats game based on what they see on a messageboard. If anything the attention received either Postitive or Negative is better than having no attention at all.
These are facts. Many real fans have never gone to the websites or forums. these message boards are frequented by a small percentage of the fans of the sport. the sponsors/advertisers are more concerned with the over all image of the league/sport portrayed here than the fans are. I don't understand why a pessimistic Non-fan would even come here, let alone post.

Dont be afraid to shine the spotlight of criticism on the League/owners/management....Dont hate the fans of Austin because they dont buy a product.....The risk is there..Don't just hang a shingle and expect people who have been disappointed before to just run to buy tickets.
I guess you missed the lengthy thread where I was butting head with daytonadan (a league front ofice director). I disagreed with some stuff and publicly said so, in a harsher tone than I probably should have. There's a difference in real criticism and pessimistic negativity.

I'm not hating on the fan's, they are buying tickets. I'm not even hating on the non-fans, just pointing out how manyof them live in the Austin area.
If prople just give up because of previous disappointment that's sad. there's a word for them in the dictionary - losers. Successful people have gone through many disappointments and failures before becomming successful. The lessons learned and wisdom gained through failure is part of the reason they finally became successful. Hiding from disappointment is dangerous, learning from it is wise.

Now you'll probably say that means it would be wise for you to wait and see.
That all depends, for a fan it would be wise to spent the $4 ($8 for single game, but I can get you $2 off that - lol). Just looking for a good entertaiment value regardless of what, you should be at the Expo center.
The only ones wise to avoid coming to a game would be if you acally hate sports and fun.

but you don't havr to run, or even walk to buy a ticket. It's either just a phone call or click away. Using previous disappointment or previous teams leaving is BS IMHO.

I will wait for your stern condemnation
see, this is one of your problems. Yep, I'm long winded. Yep, I'm opinionated. Yep, I disagree with you often.

But I haven't condemed you, I've been trying to enlighten you.
I've discussed our differing opinions, I haven't said you're an idiot or full of crap. I haven't been anywhere near as negative to you as you have been towards the TurfCats.

just friendly discussion.

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 10:41 AM

Oh...so this is how one gets 20,000 posts! I see now! Just busting your balls Caballo.
as the Beatles said on the White Album.............

I'VE GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS !!! - lol

...this was apparently a "press release" from the Kings and NOT a forum rant. LOL. Wow, what can you say to this? Two school boys insulting each other. The Kings and the SIFL - back and forth. I think this league is toast. You now have the issue with the Pirates looming and I really don't think the Conquerors are going to last much longer financially. We'll see if we're even left with 3 teams by post season.

I really suggest that perhaps the two top quality teams in the league in terms of talent and resources- the Turfcats and the 'Bucs - should just join the AF2 and be done with it. I really think the could be competitive in that league and they wouldn't have to deal with this absurd drama. It's a shame really. Maybe the SIFL can pull it off, but it's gonna take a miracle in this econmoic climate.
yeah, truly sad for a group trying to pretend they're taking the high road.
This further validates what type of people the SIFL was trying to deal with.
They get upset over a remark by the commish OF ANOTHER LEAGUE and try to renig on their contractual obligations over it? Telling the league the day before a road trip (on a holiday weekend) they won't go to the game unless someone else covers the expense? Give me a break, even with the 81-0 Butt whoopin in their only game I think the team still produced above the ownership group. Kings - ?, lol - more like the Court Jesters

I'm not sure this has any affect on their home sched because the Colemans have not signed any contracts or made any payments to the Volusia County Fairgounds... no home games for the King either way.

IMO it's just a ruse to cover their own problems once they realized they were in over their heads.

PASM - a sports management company? PFFFT, yeah right.
I'll bet their childish acts and press releases are sending people running to their door to sign up - lol

gonzo13

05-26-2009, 11:06 AM

I'd like to take time out to thank the Kings for mentioning my "ARTICLE" in their "PRESS RELEASE" ....But before this thing goes any further, does anyone have any questions about the differences between a press release and an article? There seems to have been confusion...

mwhite212

05-26-2009, 11:15 AM

The Kings are a semi-pro team at best. And I think you are right that they were in WAY over their heads as are the Conquerors and the Pirates in my opinion though to a lesser degree. The Mudbugs at least have some reasonable talent and pretty good coaching though they are a little behind the curve in the presentation department - but not embarassingly so. Clearly the 'Cats and the 'Bucs both put the resources into their organizations for a proper launch of the league. Both teams have professional looking venues to play in with logos and uniforms that feel polished. Add to this internet media streaming and regularly updated websites, and these two organizations more or less complete the package. But, does it drive anyone else nuts that players are allowed to go bare legged? LOL

But you can't make a league out of two teams or even three. I just don't know how they're going to make it.

mwhite212

05-26-2009, 11:24 AM

....But before this thing goes any further, does anyone have any questions about the differences between a press release and an article? There seems to have been confusion...

Is this the right answer?

"A news release, media release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value."

gonzo13

05-26-2009, 11:34 AM

Congratulations, you are now the proud owner of an indoor football team to play in the league of your choosing! Not prepared to undertake such a task? It's ok, you're not alone...

CoachSMB05

05-26-2009, 11:46 AM

If this is a press release from the Kings, then where is the Press? All I see is forum posts.

mwhite212

05-26-2009, 11:52 AM

Well, if this counts -

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3829511

CoachSMB05

05-26-2009, 12:00 PM

well., i was thinking more of an actual news paper, not taking anything away from OSC. If this is their only mode of getting out "their side" of the story, they have a tough battle ahead.

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 12:09 PM

i was thinking more of an actual news paper,
Newspaper?
That's so 80's man - lol

not taking anything away from OSC. If this is their only mode of getting out "their side" of the story, they have a tough battle ahead.
This is how they all get info to the outside world. Everyone has a media list, which OSC is one, and all of their press releases and articles are sent out enmass to the entire list.

OSC supports minor league sports and gives us tons of info daily, newspapers ignore minor league sports and copy & paste from the AP wire.

CoachSMB05

05-26-2009, 12:22 PM

I think your missing the point "dan" lmao, Im saying its the only mode of information right now. Im not saying its a bad mode,

daytonadan

05-26-2009, 12:41 PM

For the last time, I am not Caballo Diablo. But I am glad that the Austin Turfcats have a fan such as Caballo Diablo

I am in fact, Nacho Libre.

CoachSMB05

05-26-2009, 12:54 PM

haha, yea, thats why "Dan" is in quotations

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 01:11 PM

Dan, just work hard and pray.
You've still got the possibility to be like me someday. :mrgreen:

daytonadan

05-26-2009, 01:18 PM

See? Much more enjoyable thread.

preeths

05-26-2009, 01:21 PM

well., i was thinking more of an actual news paper, not taking anything away from OSC. If this is their only mode of getting out "their side" of the story, they have a tough battle ahead.

No offense taken. The release came right from the team.

CoachSMB05

05-26-2009, 01:51 PM

yea, well im sure you will get alot more in the next few days.

Big Easy

05-26-2009, 02:21 PM

Not sure my 2 cents are wanted, but if I were the SIFL I wouldn't bother responding. PASM's "press releases" are virtually irrelevant...unless you provide them a stage/forum to present and discuss them...which is now happening. I don't think the issues the SIFL has had with this team, the Pirates' organization, games starting late, etc. are as damaging as a "he said, she said" argument over the internet. Thats all the "press releases" from either side are at this point, a continuation of a conversation the SIFL would probably be better served not participating in. The SIFL has been virtually transparent in their business so far...I think they have earned a certain degree of benefit of doubt at this point. While things have not gone perfect, they have not dodged the issues. PASM on the other hand, has yet to establish themselves one way or the other...therefore they don't have a history of integrity they can fall back on to justify their current claims. The SIFL's first message of the Kings being expelled from the league should have been enough. It was for me. They have empowered the Kings by participating in the back and forth. Plus, in my opinion, they are participating in a game of back and forth that somewhat tarnishes the benefit of doubt they have earned thus far. Integrity and trust doesn't come easy in the Indoor Football world, why throw away whats so hard to get? I see the SIFL as the big loser in this debate. Not because they had to expel a team, but because of the way they are participating in the aftermath.

suge night

05-26-2009, 02:45 PM

Well said (Big Easy ) the situation is not going to get better , Both sides should move on too bad this happened...

Wish the Kings well and hope the SIFL continues to look at what can be !

The bump in the road is all part of the industry that is Minor League Sports.

It drives you nuts to see the many pit falls of the business but it is not for the High Blood Pressure crowd.

Good Luck to all who take the leap .

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 02:55 PM

yea, well im sure you will get alot more in the next few days.

let me help out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SIFL expels Florida Kings
From Staff Reports @ houma.today
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

LAKE CHARLES — The Southern Indoor Football League has expelled the PASM Florida Kings, President Thom Hager announced on Sunday.

The Kings were scheduled to play road games only against SIFL opponents in addition to their home games at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in DeLand, Fla., against non-league competition in 2009 before becoming a full-fledged SIFL member in 2010.

They played one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers on April 25, and were scheduled to face the Acadiana Mudbugs on Monday.

“It’s regrettable that it has come to this,” Hager said. “I sincerely wish the Kings’ front office, coaches and players good fortune in their future endeavors. There comes a time when you have to make very hard decisions, and this is one of them. The SIFL is not going to subjugate its staff and teams to unneeded financial and unprofessional burdens that do not have any long-term benefit for its teams or the league.”

A replacement for the Kings’ remaining four games, including Monday’s game against Acadiana, is being finalized and will be announced this week. The Kings were scheduled to face the Houma Conquerors on June 27 in the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 03:48 PM

The release came right from the team.

yea, well im sure you will get alot more in the next few days.

I know, I know, my last one was an ARTICLE not a press release.

Look for an OFFICIAL press release tomorrow naming the new replacement team. At that time this episode will be in the past and the SIFL will move forward.

Let's hope Mr PASM Coleman can do the same in a professional manner.

Caballo Diablo

05-26-2009, 07:03 PM

From the SIFL: The Tuesday After - Balanced Scoring A Turfcat Blessing
May 26, 2009 By Dan Ryan - SIFL Director of Communications

Basketball coaches strive to have a balanced scoring attack. If that’s the case, Austin Turfcats coach Chris Duliban may be looking a career in hoops during the off-season.

In five games so far this season, no Turfcat player has scored more than two touchdowns in a game. Quarterback Deron Ellis has a pair of two TD games, but remember, he gets the benefit of the quarterback keep when his team has the ball on the opponent’s goal line.

Austin has benefited from the special teams play of Darrick Wallace and from generating points on returns and defense, but Duliban’s enjoying the balance in the first half of the season.

``We try to play as a team, and let personal achievement take care of itself,’’ Duliban said. ``Balance is good and necessary for long term success. We need that diversity. I am happy with the team chemistry, and the effort so far. This part of the season is when champions are made. ‘’

THE NEW CRIS CARTER?
All Marcus Wilridge did was score touchdown passes Saturday night. All three of Wilridge’s catches went for scores in the Louisiana Swashbucklers’ 48-16 victory over the Houma Conquerors. The monster game moved Wilridge into a tie with teammate Sammy Knight for the SIFL touchdown lead with nine.

ALWAYS A POSITIVE SIDE:
Acadiana Mudbugs coach John Fourcade found the positive of not playing a game Monday night when his team’s game against the PASM Florida Kings didn’t take place.

``It would have been a blowout where we risked suffering an unnecessary injury with two games coming against the Louisiana Swashbucklers,’’ Fourcade said. ``It’s a crazy sport we’re in.’’

NOTES:
Houma K Chris Stropolo matched the league’s best effort when he nailed three field goals Saturday against Louisiana … While Wilridge and Knight are tied for first and touchdowns, Houma WRs Gerald Landry and Clevan White are 1-2 in receptions with 34 and 27 … Texas found a little more offensive in its first game under interim head coach Troy Esprit, registering 20 after scoring 26 in its two previous games.

GAME MVPs:

GAME 11 – AUSTIN 38, TEXAS 20
OFFENSE: Darrick Wallace (A); DEFENSE: Kevin Earvine (A); LINE: Barrett Dallmeyer (A); SPECIAL TEAMS: JR Turner (A)

GAME 12—LOUISIANA 48, HOUMA 16
OFFENSE: Alvin Bartie (L); DEFENSE: Brandon Thomas (L) ; LINE: SPECIAL TEAMS: Tommy Hebert (L)

Wallace, Earvine, Bartie and Hebert are in the running for the VIDSWAP.com Player Of The Week award, which is determined by fan balloting on www.southernifl.com

kadamsbeat

05-27-2009, 08:07 AM

Other than Dan talking on this board, I dont see anyone from the SIFL continuing the conversation. That is our job : )

Caballo Diablo

05-27-2009, 09:07 AM

North Texas Crunch Replaces Kings on Turfcats Schedule

Austin, TX – The Turfcats’ next home game will not be against the PASM Florida Kings but will instead be against the North Texas Crunch. This comes after the announcement from the Southern Indoor Football League that the Kings have been expelled from the league and the Crunch will play the rest of the Kings’ SIFL games.

The Crunch is part of the Independent Indoor Football Alliance. They completed their first season in the IIFA in 2008 with a record of eight wins and three losses. This led to their participation in the IIFA championship game where they defeated the Galveston Thunderstorm 52-50 in Galveston.

“The Crunch have proven themselves as the top team in their league and we are happy to compete against them in ours, they will be a more formidable foe than the Kings” said Turfcats Vice President/General Manager Ronald Oswalt. “We’re ready to give them a Turfcats style welcome to the SIFL.”

The Crunch began their 2009 season on April 11 and has won all four of their games this season. They have won their games by as little as two points and as many as 55.

The Turfcats will host the Crunch first on April 6 at the Adfirmative.com field at the Travis County Expo Center. With the Crunch now participating in the SIFL, the Turfcats have two Texas teams to beat to be considered the best indoor football team in Texas.

Caballo Diablo

05-27-2009, 09:44 AM

SIFL Welcomes Crunch To 2009 Schedule
May 26, 2009 by Dan Ryan

LAKE CHARLES, La. (May 27,2009) – The Southern Indoor Football League welcomed the North Texas Crunch as a replacement for the PASM Florida Kings on the 2009 inaugural season schedule, President Thom Hager announced today, May 27, 2009.

The Crunch are the defending champions of the Independent Indoor Football Association, a second-year league based in the Dallas area. Playing out of The Colony, Tex., the Crunch will play four road games beginning June 6 against the Austin Turfcats. Results and statistics will count in the regular season standings, but the Crunch will not be eligible for the playoffs.

``We appreciate the Crunch’s excitement about joining us in this capacity,’’ Hager said. ``They know their football … a couple of our teams have former IIFA players on their roster. I’m hoping this partnership leads to bigger and better things.

``Our five charter teams will still have their six regular season home games,’’ Hager said. ``It has been a challenging weekend for us and we still have many challenges ahead in completing our inaugural season. We will endure and become a stronger league. In the meantime, we will be blessed by our association with the Crunch.’’

Larry Hendrix, Jr. is the coach of owner of the Crunch and has been actively involved in minor league football. Last year, Hendrix arranged for IIFA teams to play in Dallas’ American Airlines Arena on the morning of Dallas Desperado Arena Football League games and also arranged for IIFA teams to participate in pre-season scrimmages with Intense Football League teams.

North Texas will maintain its status in the IIFA, which is rearranging its schedule to accommodate the Crunch’s SIFL participation.

``It’s an excellent opportunity for us,’’ Hendrix said. ``My players are excited about facing a higher level of play and gaining valuable experience. As a coach, that’s what you want – a chance to help your players improve their skills and advance to the next level.’’

The Kings’ one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers, will remain in the SIFL’s official records.

Caballo Diablo

05-27-2009, 09:53 AM

The Kings’ one game, an 81-0 loss to the Louisiana Swashbucklers, will remain in the SIFL’s official records.

BOOOO - HISSSSSS - BOOOOOO

The Swashsbucklers, the only team in the league with previous experience, coming off back to back Championsips in the Intense league, get to open with a bye, then play a road only team put together just weeks before and put a 81-0 WHOOPIN on them.

These stats are definitely skewed and the rest of the league, all expansion teams have to play a defending champ? Admittedly from a lower league but I'll bet the Crunch could Whoop up on the Kings also.

Is it that difficult to throw out this one game and have the `Bucs play the Crunch like everyone else? Yep, the `Buc would win this one too, but I doubt 81-0. Currently there's 3 one loss teams and two tied for first place in the SIFL, what happens if the season ends with tie breakers needed to seed the playoffs? will that 81 point differential come into play. Will the skewed stats edge out some other players for awards?

Can someone give me the address of the league offices so I can take a van full of people over there with signs to march up and down in front of their door chanting silly slogans?

Caballo Diablo

05-27-2009, 10:13 AM

FSM Fan Blog: SIFL's Big Games Overshadowed by Kings issue
May 26, 2009 by Scott Blanchard

Last week I wrote that I would keep this blog about players on the field. We had two really big ball games this week, but yet the biggest story is the removal of the PASM Florida Kings from the SIFL. That is extremely unfortunate that such good play has been overshadowed by a team that did not score a point in the league.

The 81-0 thrashing by the Swashbucklers in the first week of the season was the least of the team’s problems. I will leave the rest to those that like this sort of stuff and move on to the two games that were played this weekend and not worry about what didn’t happen on Monday Night. I will close the situation with this: Good for you Coach Bentley Turner and Coach John Fourcade for not patting the situation. It is good to see some people stand up for their team and themselves when others try to bully them around.

Texas @ Austin-
Well what can I say? The Turfcats are 4-1. Yes, there were several controversial calls in this game that looked to taint the outcome. I got a lot of feedback from e-mails and executives that were there. At first I thought, ``wow how can someone pull a team off the field with forty seconds left in the game in their SIFL coaching Debut?''

I have a lot of respect for Coach Troy Esprit but I was shocked when I read the twitter feed and wanted to know more. Then after hearing all of the different calls that changed plays -- all on fourth down -- I can see how upsetting it would have been. Now honestly, I can’t comment on the details and the referees of a game I did not watch, but there is some confusion on the part of the fans and the rules. The SIFL rules are a little different, including the one foot in the field of play before hitting the wall, which most fans thought was a blown call this weekend in Austin. Some rules of indoor football were changed to help with safety concerns and this one was one of them. Like the outdoor game, a receiver must make contact with the playing surface before hitting the wall or going over for it to be a completion. This had a huge say in the game in Austin as a Pirates receiver hit the wall before the ground and the pass was called incomplete. This was one instance of the chaos that was the Austin-Pirates game.

Now let us look at the positives: Overnight the Texas Pirates because a competitive force and I believe they will win more ball games this year. Right now they are the front runner to take the fourth playoff spot ahead of the Conquerors. Coach Esprit did his job almost instantly and I expect many more competitive ball games from Texas. The Turfcats are 4-1 and tied with the Swashbucklers atop the league, making the date in Louisiana even more distinct.

Houma @ Louisiana-
If you did not see this game you would never have known that the Conquerors were standing toe to toe with the Swashbucklers in the first half. The Conquerors reached the Bucs two yard line before a sack dropped Houma QB Omar Hougabook to the seven. The next play changed the course of the game. Instead of Houma taking a 21-17 lead with a touchdown, Brandon Thomas intercepted his first of two interceptions on the night and returned it 42 yards for a score, putting the Bucs up 24-13. The Swashbucklers tacked on another touchdown and lead 31`-13 at half, the Conquerors never recovered from that turnover and the Swashbucklers’ defense only allowed a field goal the entire second half in route to a 48-16 win. Fans saw a good game and the “experts” saw what they kind of expected. A Houma team that plays much better than their record, but mistakes cost them a chance to upset what I believe is still the team to beat in the SIFL. I said this before though, the gap is closing much more quickly than most had expected.

SIFL MVP Part 2-

Alvin Bartie-
Bartie has 21 touchdowns and would lead every category for quarterbacks if he was not injured the first quarter of the first game with the Kings. Bartie still has thrown more touchdown passes than anyone even missing most of the home opener and the game vs the Pirates. He also missed the first half of the Turfcats game. Bartie, the IFL’s League MVP a year ago is on pace to set all passing records as steep as he can in the SIFL’s inaugural year. He threw 62 touchdowns a year ago missing some time due to injury as well.

Roland Hayes-
Hayes has been the offense in Texas over the first quarter of the season. The Pirates running back has 146 yards rushing and five touchdowns. He could not be stopped in the game against the Conquerors I saw on opening weekend. His production has tapered as of late, but Roland is one of the main reasons the Pirates have a chance at rebounding from their 1- 3 start.

Gerald Landry-
Landry was the go to guy this past weekend in Louisiana, catching 11 passes for 87 yards. He has 34 catches for 294 yards and 5 touchdowns to date. He has 7 more catches than his partner in crime Clevan White, which in indoor is an entire games worth and is only second in yards and touchdowns to Sammy Knight. Landry is the premiere weapon Omar Hougabook will have to take advantage of if Houma wants to contend for a playoff spot.

There are several other stars that could be added to this list, such as Turfcats QB Deron Ellis, who are the top two pass defenders in the league. That is the main reason I am saying it is way too early to tell. We will revisit this list in three weeks after the Swashbucklers and Turfcats square off.

The True Interception Battle-
This is going to be a fun race, but because of the mishaps in a missing stats machine from the Swashbucklers- Mudbugs first meeting, the stats aren’t true, especially in this category. As of now, Kemmie Lewis has 7 Ints and Damien Huren has 6. Damon Richards of the Pirates has 5. Huren and Lewis combined for three interceptions in their teams’ first meeting. They meet again this Monday Night June 1st for another page in their epic battle. Richards quietly is keeping pace and a big game could capture some attention from the others.

Caballo Diablo

05-27-2009, 12:44 PM

Hooters To Sponsor Player Of The Quarter
May 27, 2009 by Dan Ryan

Hooters is on board as the official sponsor for the Southern Indoor Football League’s ``Player Of The Quarter’ awards, it was announced today, May 27, 2009.

Winners of the SIFL’s version of the player of the month award will receive gift cards for the famed restaurant chain. This includes the first set of winners that were announced last month.

Every three weeks, league staff and coaches vote for the offensive, defensive, lineman and special teams players. The second quarter accolades will be announced Thursday, June 4.

``We’re appreciative of Hooters’ participation in our inaugural season,’’ said SIFL President Thom Hager. ``This definitely adds an incentive for our plays to perform at the highest level.’’

exit322

05-27-2009, 12:55 PM

I know why people go to Hooters...but I really, really, really don't like their food.

kadamsbeat

05-27-2009, 01:53 PM

man it was a busy day in SIFL

Caballo Diablo

05-27-2009, 02:52 PM

...but I really, really, really don't like their food.
It depends on the specific restaurant, I've been to some where the wings were pretty nasty and others where they are about the best I've had.
I really don't like Pluckers.

Hooters salads are good and large if you like salads. The buffalo shrimp is butterfly'd and very good, you can get it with different spice/heat levels like the wings. The cajun/new orleans peel and eat shrimp is most excellent and served with toasted garlic bread for soppin up the goodies.

And the beer is ALWAYS cold - lol

Personally I never even notice the hoot, err, I mean wait staff.;)

gonzo13

05-27-2009, 04:08 PM

I know why people go to Hooters...but I really, really, really don't like their food.

You should try the grouper sandwich...If you're into that sort of thing.

Caballo Diablo

05-27-2009, 04:47 PM

You should try the grouper sandwich...If you're into that sort of thing.
would that be a menage a trios ?

gonzo13

05-27-2009, 07:11 PM

No. That would be a fish fillet between two pieces of bread. Let's try to keep it out of the gutter here folks....Gosh.;)

nksports

05-27-2009, 11:08 PM

No. That would be a fish fillet between two pieces of bread. Let's try to keep it out of the gutter here folks....Gosh.;)

Go for beer-battered North Atlantic cod, deep fried, served with tarter sauce and malt vinegar and English-style chips.

mavlax20

05-28-2009, 07:47 AM

Do what I do....try to order the waitress to go!

Caballo Diablo

05-28-2009, 08:34 AM

Do what I do....try to order the waitress to go!
A waitress to go With nothing on it?

agqkindaguy

05-29-2009, 01:45 PM

Caballo Diablo

05-29-2009, 02:48 PM

Your league reminds me of a friggin' circus show playing at fairgrounds, juggling teams, walking off playgrounds and taking your circus show on the road LOL! You mind as well merge with the IFL cause your league is goin' to go broke oh that's right you guys can't even afford to get into the league or pay the insurance to cover player injuries. What league has a team that plays no home games and only plays on the road? Were they a rock band? LOL! That's right their tour got axed! Your league is a joke and not worthy of any news coverage.....:mrgreen:
How would you know, do you work for the circus - lol.
it's evident you haven't followed the 50 yard game, a travel only team has been used by other leagues.

That was a good one about insurance and the IFL in the same statement, didn't they just take 5 wins away from one of their own teams over insurance? Tommy, is that you - haha - and The IFL wanted the Swashbucklers, are you saying they're not a valid franchise?

If it's not worthy why did it catch your attention to where you needed to look it up on a forum to comment.

Have you noticed the AFL canceled their season over financial problems?
All 4 of the "Major" leagues have said revenue is down because of the economy and have let people go. ESPN (are they a real sports company?) just laid off another 100 people and are leaving 200 other jobs vacant because of the economy.

Did you just refill your script for dumb pills, or did mom forget to lock the computer today - lol

Caballo Diablo

05-29-2009, 02:49 PM

From SIFL President Thom Hager

Some of you have probably noticed that the SIFL has had a very challenging past few days. Indeed, they have been.

It's not what happens to you that defines you, it's how you handle it.

I'm blessed to have an incredible team with a Commissioner that knows how to make fair and accurate football rulings; an Operations Director who can handle any logistics situation; and the combined efforts of our Communications and Creative Service Directors that have produced indoor football's premier communications presentation. I've noticed our efforts are now being emulated by other organizations. My hat is off to my experienced staff of professionals.

We've met the wonderful character- building challenges that come with starting a league head on. With the limited timeframe we faced in launching a new league, I am very pleased how our staff has kept issue to a minimum. That comes from experience and attention to detail.

We won't boast about being a premier indoor football league, nor will we make any other boastful or ludicrous claims. We simply believe in what we're doing and we love the sport. Our focus is to secure the long-term success of each member team in the SIFL.

We appreciate the support we've received as well as the constructive criticism. Believing in what you're doing not only helps you endure, it is vital to any successful business.

Caballo Diablo

05-29-2009, 02:51 PM

Shoemaker Joins SIFL Front Office
The newest member of the SIFL front office is Bryan Shoemaker, who will serve as Director of Quality Control.

Shoemaker will work alongside Director of Operations Rob Winfrey and visit all the SIFL arena to make sure they are in compliance with SIFL standards. The main focus will be on player and fan safety.

Shoemaker has been in the construction/ petrochemical safety field for over 22 years overseeing hundreds of employees on job sites.

An avid football fan, Shoemaker was introduced to indoor football when his wife, Leah, gave him season tickets to the Beaumont Drillers as a Christmas present. His passion for the game led him to forming a team booster that he oversaw as president.

He and Leah reside in Port Arthur, Texas, and have two children -- Kayla (18.) and Kolton (9).

Caballo Diablo

05-29-2009, 02:53 PM

Photographers Capture SIFL Action

One key part in the success in publicizing the SIFL's inaugural season has been the contribution from the team photographers.

Gary Chism in Texas, Alison Moon in Lafayette, and the crew from Action Sports Photo in Lake Charles have provided the teams and the league web sites and media game photography swiftly as soon as the games complete.

``The SIFL has been blessed and I'm thrilled with how good their stuff is,'' said Communications Director Dan Ryan. ``I'm totally appreciative of what all of them are doing. Their promptness and quality of work are helping us stay ahead of the curve."

It's Chism's first year of shooting indoor football, and he's adjusting to the fast pace of the game.

``I was overwhelmed by the speed of the athletes. You need proper lighting to freeze the athletes in action,'' Chism said.

``Now that I'm used to it, my personal goal is to take a picture so great that it becomes the face of the Southern Indoor Football League just like Jerry West is the model for the NBA logo."

Moon served as Editor in Chief for the Vermilion, the student newspaper at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

``I used to prefer taking pictures of scenery and landscapes but now I am turning towards a photojournalism side. People are very interesting and a lot can be said for body language and emotions in expressions,'' Moon said. ``There is
never a loss of emotion at a football game.''

R.J Johnson from Action Sports Photography states that shooting the Swashbucklers has helped his company improve the quality of work during outdoor football.

``You have to be in the right spot or stay with the flow of the game to be successful and covering the Swashbucklers helps me maintain the skills I need,'' Johnson said. ``It keeps me sharp and to be really good at it you have to become part of the game.''

Caballo Diablo

05-29-2009, 03:07 PM

SIFL Week 7 Game Capsules
May 29, 2009 by Dan Ryan
..............................................

ACADIANA MUDBUGS AT LOUISIANA SWASHBUCKLERS (6/1)

....................................ACADIANA (3-1)…….LOUISIANA (4-1)
SCORING OFFENSE……………..33.8 (3)………...………….55.2 (1)
SCORING DEFENSE ……………..27.0 (2)………...………..23.0 (1)
TOTAL OFFENSE ………………….187.2 (2)………...………244.4 (1)
TOTAL DEFENSE ………………… 194.2 (5) ……...………..124.6 (1)
TURNOVER MARGIN………….+3 (2)……………...……….+8 (1)
RUSHER …………………………….Logan (31-53-1)…...… Blackwell (26-132-3)
PASSER……………………………..Bartik ………………...…........Bartie
…………………………………….63-125-7-640-15TD ........27-50-3-343-12TD
RECEIVER…………………………..Parks (21-205-6) ….... Knight (24-305-6)
KICKING ………………………….Murphy 6-11PAT 1FG..... Hebert 35-36PAT 7 FG

HEAD COACHES:
Acadiana -- John Fourcade, 10th year, 57-99
Louisiana -- Darnell Lee, 4th year, 43-9

NOTES:
Second meeting between Bugs and Bucs … LA won 56-35 two weeks ago … LA’s Sammy Knight leads SIFL in total offense with 602 yards … Bucs came two points shy of breaking 50 points for fifth straight game last week against Houma … Bugs QB Bo Bartik has been sacked just once … DB Kimmee Lewis has a pick in all four games and leads SIFL with seven.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

AUSTIN TURFCATS AT TEXAS PIRATES (5/30)

........................................AUSTIN (4-1)………………..TEXAS (1-3)

SCORING OFFENSE……………..48.4 (2)………………….......23.0 (5)
SCORING DEFENSE ……………..33.8 (3)………………........38.2 (4)
TOTAL OFFENSE ………………….177.4 (3)………………......144.0 (4)
TOTAL DEFENSE ………………… 187.6 (3) …………......…..194.0 (4)
TURNOVER MARGIN………….-6 (5)……………………..........+2 (4)
RUSHER …………………………….Ellis (40-217-6)……...... Hayes (48-146-5)
PASSER……………………………..Ellis …………………............. Dorsey
………………………………………….45-90-5-475-6 TD.............16-39-3-1572-2 TD
RECEIVER…………………………. Smith (16-147-2)….......... Townsend (12-95-1)
KICKING ………………………….Brown 22-28 PAT 6 FG........ Maravagolia 6-8PAT 0 FH

HEAD COACHES:
Austin- Chris Duliban, 2nd year 13-8
Texas: Troy Esprit (interim) 2nd year, 6-10

NOTES:
Second week of back-to-back between Lone Star state teams … Austin outgained Texas 241-122 in total yards last week … Texas hasn’t scored 20 points or more in 3 losses .. Duliban is 3-0 versus Esprit head-to-head dating back to last year in the Intense League.

agqkindaguy

05-29-2009, 04:14 PM

Sorry this isn't Tommy! And yeah the AFL might of had problems but they never had a travel only team LOL neither does the IFL! Yeah the IFL might of had one issue with a team in it's league over insurance but it was corrected but since you know everything about the SIFL maybe you should post the proof of insurance for each of the teams including that homeless Flordia team LOL in your league. As far as the IFL is concern at least they finish their games and don't walk off the field cause their PMSing LOL! As far as the Swashbucklers their a great team but maybe they didn't have the money to keep their team financially afloat as well as continue their great success in the IFL who knows maybe they will dominate your league for the next 90 years. You did one great thing getting rid of that Flordia team the league scoring will be down now and players will stop using taxi's to get to those road games LOL. BTW I do follow Arena Football that Fourcade guy he's a swell guy!:rolleyes:

MUDBUG1

05-29-2009, 08:44 PM

oh i get it. A GQ kinda guy. And what brings you to this site. Your thourough knowledge of the game. lets see GQ, GENERIC QUISLING. Ask your mommy for help with this. Oh LOL , does that mean Lackies only laugh. You see , I am about as funny as you. Only , I know I am not being funny, but with all your LOL's , You think people are laughing along with you. So why waste your time here. Oh yeh, freedom of speech. Well since english is obviously your second language and your roid donut has obviously deflated, ask yourself again , why am I concerned with this little old SIFL. You are either hiding your true identity, or with your 3 post so far , you just dont know what you are writing about. Either way is ok. Keep posting your flatulistic balderdash from whatever hole they put you in. To those others reading this, my apologies for dropping to his level, but I do feel better now. And with 4 home games in a row coming up , I am really feeling great.
1 more thing GQ, The SIFL benefits the people of Texas and Louisiana who WANT to be involved as players, coaches, staff and fans. So grab some Preparation Q (because H wont be good enough for you), a coke , and smile.

Caballo Diablo

05-29-2009, 08:47 PM

What does Esprit pulling his team off the field 43 seconds shy or the Florida team have to do with the league going broke? And what does the IFL and/or SIFL have to do with Arena Football?

Do you know why the Florida team was a travel team? What would your plan have involved to resolve the situation? Do you know why they were expelled?
It was a sound business decision, once again what would your plan of action have been. Neither has anything to do with league finances.

It's easy to hurl insults and attempt to list problems, the difficult job is to find solutions and follow it up with actions directed at the long term goals. If you've got experience running a team or league feel free to fax over a resume and we'll get back to you.

The IFL is the one that needs to worry about going broke, it has a very expensive business plan and the long distance travel is foolish. What about the rumors that Saginaw staff and players aren't being paid? The IFL is having bumps in the road just like all of the other leagues, don't act like they're without their own problems.

If you honestly think Mr Hager doen't have the money to put the Swashbucklers in the IFL you don't know what you're talking about. He felt the the business plan wasn't good and the national travel wasn't worth it.
It's a lot cheaper to run one team than start an expansion league, but the league was a much better plan than merging with the UIF.

I love how people that live in glass house throw so many rocks - yuk-yuk-yuk, where the heck is that eye roll icon?

trifecta

05-29-2009, 11:48 PM

CoachSMB05

05-30-2009, 08:41 AM

uh, "quality control" takes care of unruly forum posters when they get too negative.

preeths

05-30-2009, 10:39 AM

Sorry this isn't Tommy! And yeah the AFL might of had problems but they never had a travel only team LOL neither does the IFL!

The AFL did have a travel team, the Houston Thunderbears.

tops804

05-30-2009, 10:56 AM

Not to mention the 1989 season, in which 50% of the schedule was at
neutral sites, in an effort to test potential new markets.

Caballo Diablo

05-30-2009, 12:30 PM

Let me get this straight....Direct from Mr. Hagar....The SIFL has an Operations Director that can handle ANY situation?? So why did you have to hire a Director of Quality Control?
Handling "ANY" situation is different than handling "ALL" situations.
Although Robert is very talented and qualified, I must admit he does have some shortcomings. No matter how great of an effort he puts out I don't think he has mastered the trick of working 28 hour days or physically being in two cities at the same time.

The Turfcats have a quality control guy also, coach Bryan Blake, formerly the head coach of the Katy and Texas Copperheads.

In an expansion business you start small due to financial constraints, which is also good business policy. Much like the Turfcats started out with only one full time employee and most was done with part timers and interns. The ones that proved themselves have been added as paid positions as revenue increases.

The same with the league, as it expands they can grow the personnel to better handle all of the duties necessary and spend more time focussing on a larger variety of issues. It's all part of the long term plan to develop an ever improving product.

What Does the Director of Quality Control actually do?
I haven't seen his contract or job description, so I can't answer that.

Caballo Diablo

05-30-2009, 12:51 PM

Sorry this isn't Tommy! And yeah the AFL might of had problems but they never had a travel only team LOL neither does the IFL!

The AFL did have a travel team, the Houston Thunderbears.
Also the Florida Bobcats;

Florida Bobcats (1996-2001)
The Florida Bobcats were an Arena Football League team from 1996 to 2001. When the Miami Hooters team discontinued its connection with the Hooters Restaurant chain after the 1995 season was completed, it developed both a new identity (the Bobcats) and a new color scheme involving teal and black as opposed to the former orange and brown associated with the restaurants.

It also moved north to West Palm Beach in an attempt to reduce overhead. This proved to be a mixed blessing at best, however, as the relatively tiny seating capacity of the West Palm Beach Auditorium (ca. 4000) made profitable operations essentially impossible. In the 1997 and 1998 seasons the team played a total of five official league games (and several exhibition games as well) at what were charitably called "neutral sites", lesser venues in what were at best secondary markets, where, however, even a less-than-capacity crowd could result in greater revenues from ticket sales than would a home game sellout — were there to be one.

This development led to them being referred to by some of the league's pundits as "America's Team", a not-unironic comparison to what was then the National Football League's premier organization, the Dallas Cowboys. This situation was used to an advantage by the league to determine support for the sport in parts of the country where it had previously had little exposure, and should be credited at least in part for the development of the sport's minor league, af2.

In 1999 the Bobcats moved into the far more spacious confines of the National Car Rental Center, now the BankAtlantic Center, also home to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. They remained there until the team was folded after the completion of the 2001 season. One of the notable facts about this team is that they were quarterbacked through the majority of their existence by Fred McNair, the original "Air McNair" and older brother of 2003 NFL co-MVP Steve McNair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Houston ThunderBears (1998-2001)

The Houston ThunderBears were a continuation of the Texas Terror franchise (1996–1997) of the Arena Football League under a new name, logo, and color scheme. The team still played its home games at the Compaq Center. 1998, the first year as the ThunderBears, was the high-water mark in team history, in which they recorded their only winning season and sole playoff appearance (a loss to Arizona). The two subsequent seasons saw a decline in both on-field performance and attendance.

For the 2001 season, then owner Leslie Alexander (owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets),sold the franchise back to the Arena Football League. Although still called the Houston ThunderBears, the team played "NONE" of its home games in Houston. The league decided to use them as a showcase team to stimulate interest in new markets. Four AFL/af2 franchises (Utah Blaze, Fresno Frenzy, Central Valley Coyotes, and Lubbock Renegades) emerged from some of the markets that the ThunderBears played in. The team was ultimately contracted along with three other AFL franchises in the 2001-2002 offseason.

Caballo Diablo

05-30-2009, 01:13 PM

Do "TEST" games count? If you only play one game it seems like one of the teams is a "TRAVEL ONLY TEAM"

The Miami Vise didn't even have a place to call home, let alone an arena so they made one up. What about the Rockford Metros vs the Chicago Politicians, were they both the "HOME" team? - lol
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miami Vise

The Miami Vise were an arena football team formed by Arena Football League founder Jim Foster for the purposes of playing a "test game" on February 27, 1987 at the Rosemont Horizon against the Chicago Bruisers. The best player in the contest, Chicago's Eddie Phillips scored three touchdowns, including one in the last minute, but the Bruisers fell to the Vise by a score of 33-30 on Rich Salzer's (Hawai'i) TD. Today, this contest is known as the "showcase" game, as it had far more prestige and fanfare than the original 1986 test game between the Rockford Metros and Chicago Politicians.

This would be the only game the Vise (whose name was a take on the popular TV series Miami Vice) would ever play, and Miami wouldn't get a team in the AFL until 1993. Technically, the Vise weren't even a Florida-based team to begin with, as they were created out of Foster's imagination and consisted of mostly of college players located in the midwest. At the time though, the players were sworn to secrecy so fans would believe the team was actually located in Miami.

Caballo Diablo

05-30-2009, 01:26 PM

The Memphis Pharaohs wenern't a "TRAVEL ONLY TEAM", but they did have to travel for the last game of the season because they were evicted from their arena. It still goes to show the league and it's teams had problems you won't admit and laugh at others for. And the Fighting Pike were thrown to the street without notice or a paycheck.

Minnesota Fighting Pike
Year founded 1996
Year folded 1996
Prior names none
Divisional championships none
ArenaBowl championships none

The Minnesota Fighting Pike were an American football team that played one season (1996) in the Arena Football League. The team played at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The team colors were green and gold.

Season W L T Finish Playoff results
1996 4 10 0 4th AC Western --

The Pike were 0-7 at home, and the average attendance for the 7 home games was 8,894.

The roster was full of players whom had played at the University of Minnesota or other Minnesota colleges and universities. Former Gopher Rickey Foggie was the quarterback and he struggled adapting to the Arena Football League after several years in the Canadian Football League. Once during the season he was benched in favor of Southwest State's Jeff Loots, who threw five interceptions in a game. Loots was playing on his third expansion team in three seasons. Another player from Southwest State was Alvin Ashley. Perhaps the best-known ex-Pike is kicker Mike Vanderjagt, later a star in the NFL.

Ray Jauch was the head coach. He was assisted by John Coatta Jr. on offense and Frank Haege on defense.

The team's lack of exposure or advertising was the key reason for the team's folding at the end of the 1996 season. The team did not have a regional television deal to promote their games or have the games advertised in newspapers and other media.

The Pike's final game of the season against the Memphis Pharaohs was played in Tupelo, Mississippi, because the Pharaohs had been evicted from their arena. After the game, the Pike ceased operations.

There were no announcements nor press releases; players left town and staff did not receive their final paychecks.

Caballo Diablo

05-30-2009, 01:39 PM

What about the early NFL where teams had problems, should I list some of them also?

You would probably critisize the New Orleans Saints for playing in San Antoino after Katrina ripped apart the city and Superdome instead of giving props for their efforts to make the best of a bad situation.

Once again, let us know which league it is that's perfect (especially in their early years), because there are many fans here that would like to follow them.

mwhite212

06-03-2009, 07:06 AM

Well...I hope whatever they're announcing is good news. I guess we'll see at 2pm today.

mwhite212

06-03-2009, 04:57 PM

Well...this was the announcement out of Houma.

Published: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 3:22 p.m.

HOUMA -- Southern Indoor Football League President Thom Hager and Houma Conquerors owner/coach Franklin Thomas announced on Wednesday that Louisiana Sports and Entertainment Group will handle the marketing for the team.

Hager and Thomas made the announcement at an afternoon press conference at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.

Former Bayou Bucks general manager Travis Carrell runs Louisiana Sports and Entertainment Group with Kirk Bonvillain and Tate Boudreaux.

football head 4ever

06-04-2009, 11:33 PM

Also the Florida Bobcats;
Houston ThunderBears (1998-2001)

The Houston ThunderBears were a continuation of the Texas Terror franchise (1996–1997) of the Arena Football League under a new name, logo, and color scheme. The team still played its home games at the Compaq Center. 1998, the first year as the ThunderBears, was the high-water mark in team history, in which they recorded their only winning season and sole playoff appearance (a loss to Arizona). The two subsequent seasons saw a decline in both on-field performance and attendance.

For the 2001 season, then owner Leslie Alexander (owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets),sold the franchise back to the Arena Football League. Although still called the Houston ThunderBears, the team played "NONE" of its home games in Houston. The league decided to use them as a showcase team to stimulate interest in new markets. Four AFL/af2 franchises (Utah Blaze, Fresno Frenzy, Central Valley Coyotes, and Lubbock Renegades) emerged from some of the markets that the ThunderBears played in. The team was ultimately contracted along with three other AFL franchises in the 2001-2002 offseason.

Ah, the Thunderbears....

The Texas Terror, the team that preceded them, were awesome. Robert Hall was great. They put up some decent numbers and had a high flying offense. Clint Dolezel was also on that team.

Then the Thunderbears came. Unfortunately nobody else did. They averaged about 3k a game (if that) at the Compaq Center before becoming a traveling team full time.

Caballo Diablo

06-05-2009, 12:20 PM

SIFL Week 8 - 2009

Saturday 6-6-09, will feature a full slate of action with all six teams in action.
The North Texas Crunch makes its SIFL debut against the Austin Turfcats while the
Houma Conquerors host their second home against Texas.
The Louisiana rivalry beteen the Swashbucklers and
Acadiana Mudbugs concludes with the third meeting between the teams Saturday.

Live updates, twitter feeds and free videocasts all accessible on www.southernindoorfootballleague.com!

Caballo Diablo

06-05-2009, 12:26 PM

Texas Pirates Announcement Slated For 6/8

The Texas Pirates will make an announcment regarding ownership and venue on Monday, June 8. Visit www.southernifl.com for all the exciting details.

Caballo Diablo

06-05-2009, 12:47 PM

JUST FOR KICKS ......

Indoor football experts and fans will always debate over which league has the best players and quality of play.

Stats are the only means of comparison, but since there's no interleague play, the majority of stats aren't relevant in the discussion.

Except of course, for kicking. All the leagues use the same goal post heights and widths and pretty much the same game system.

So the SIFL can boast in the accuracy of Louisiana's Tommy Hebert, whose PAT success rate of 95.3 percent is the best among all four indoor leagues. His FG success rate is a respectable 60 percent and good enough for second.
Here are the numbers. Let the debate begin.

PLAYER ................ TEAM ..... LEAGUE ...... G ... PAT .. PCT
Tommy Hebert ....... Louisiana ... SIFL ....... 6 . 41-43 . 95.3
Peter Chrisofilakos . Bloomington . IFL ..... 11 . 59-65 . 90.8
Erik Rockhold ........ Reading ..... AIFA ..... 11 . 65-72 . 90.3
Chris Nendick ........ Chicago ..... CIFL ....... 9 . 73-81 . 90.1

PLAYER ............ TEAM ..... LEAGUE .... G ... FG .. PCT
Derrick Scott .... Florence ..... AIFA ..... 9 . 14-20 . 70.0
Tommy Hebert .. Louisiana ... SIFL ...... 6 . 9-15 .. 60.0
Parker Douglas . Sioux Falls . IFL ........ 7 . 15-27 . 55.6
Eric Schnatz ...... Marion ...... CIFL ...... 8 . 5-12 ... 41.7

**> Parker Douglas is currently in an NFL camp with the Cleveland Browns

Caballo Diablo

06-05-2009, 12:51 PM

SIFL and other leagues MINI-HELMETS

THE PERFECT GIFT
FOR THE FOOTBALL COLLECTOR
OFF THE NETS.COM

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http://www.offthenets.com/

Caballo Diablo

06-05-2009, 04:04 PM

SIFL Week 8 Game Capsules
June 05, 2009 by Dan Ryan

Game Capsules for Week 8 of the Southern Indoor Football. All six teams are in action.

LOUISIANA SWASHBUCKLERS AT ACADIANA MUDBUGS (6/6)
.............................................LOUIS IANA (5-1)…….ACADIANA (3-2)
SCORING OFFENSE……………...........55.3 (1)………………….34.0 (3)
SCORING DEFENSE …………........…..25.5 (1)………………..32.8 (2)
TOTAL OFFENSE ……………….........….246.5 (1)………………177.6 (2)
TOTAL DEFENSE …………........……… 127.0 (2) ……………..206.8 (5)
TURNOVER MARGIN……............…….+9 (1)…………………….+2 (2)
RUSHER ………………………. Blackwell (26-132-3).........Logan (34-52-1)
PASSER…………………………….............Bartie………….….……….Bar tik
…………………………….………. 53-107-38-819-19…......… 78-157-9-798-18TD
RECEIVER…………………………..Knight (29-428-9) ….. Parks (26-233-8)
KICKING ………………………….Hebert 41-43PAT 9 FG .. Daughtry 7-9PAT 3 FG

HEAD COACHES:
Louisiana -- Darnell Lee, 4th year, 44-9
Acadiana -- John Fourcade, 10th year, 57-100

NOTES:
Third meeting between Bugs and Bucs … LA won first two meetings by identical scores of 56-35 two weeks ago … Bucs have had slow starts in last two games but have used Brandon Thomas INTs in the second quarter to regain control … Bugs 2-0 at Blackham this season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

TEXAS PIRATES AT HOUMA CONQUERORS (6/6)
.......................................TEXAS (1-3) ..............HOUMA (0-5)
SCORING OFFENSE……………..23.8 (5)……………......…….25.0 (4)
SCORING DEFENSE ……………..38.2 (4)……………......…..48.8 (5)
TOTAL OFFENSE ………………….144.0 (5)…………….......…177.4 (3)
TOTAL DEFENSE ………………… 194.2 (5) ………….....…..181.8 (3)
TURNOVER MARGIN……....…….+1 (3)…………………....….-10 (5)
RUSHER …………………………….Hayes (48-146-5)…….. Fosselman (20-36-0)
PASSER…………………………….. Dorsey…………………....…… Haughbook
…………………………….……16-39-3-1572-2 TD…......... 84-153-10-763-13TD
RECEIVER………………. Townsend (12-95-1)…......... Landry (34-294-5)
KICKING ………………. Maravagolia 6-8PAT 0 FG.. ....Stropolo 8-13PAT 5 FG

HEAD COACHES:
Texas: Troy Esprit (interim) 2nd year, 6-10
Houma: Franklin Thomas, 1st year 0-5

NOTES:
game actually has playoff implications … A Texas victory would give the Pirates a 2-0 lead in the season series … Texas won the first game 46-27 behind4 Roland Hayes rushing TDS … Houma QB Omar Haughbook has the SIFL’s best passer rating and Gerald Landry leads the league in receptions. It’s Houma’s 2nd home game of the year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

NORTH TEXAS CRUNCH AT AUSTIN TURFCATS (6/6):

HEAD COACHES:
North Texas: Larry Hendrix Jr
Austin: Chris Duliban, 2nd year, 13-8

NOTES:
SIFL debut for Crunch, which is replacing PASM Florida Kings as SIFL travel team … Austin has won four straight.

Caballo Diablo

06-06-2009, 11:29 AM

Full Slate Of Game For SIFL Week 8
June 06, 2009
By Jessica Lantz, PRISM/FREELANTZ

Week eight of the SIFL season features a trio of contests, one of which will be highlighted by the debut of the North Texas Crunch, another will see the Houma Conquerors look to garner their first victory and to round out the weekend, the Acadiana Mudbugs will attempt to reverse the outcome of the last week’s game in a rematch with the Swashbucklers.

The first game of the weekend will see the Crunch will start their affiliation with the SIFL by playing the Austin Turfcats at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Travis County Expo Center.

The North Texas squad enters this contest with a 5-0 record in the Independent Indoor Football Alliance. Larry Hendrix, Jr., the Crunch head coach, is excited about this new adventure his team is embarking upon. “It’s an incredible opportunity. Our players are going to go against a higher level of play and gain invaluable experience. You can't ask for anything more as a coach.”

However, the North Texas Crunch aren’t the only ones to expect to garner a victory on the field of play on Saturday. Kerry Cash, assistant coach for the Turfcats, expects his team to build upon their current four game win streak. Cash exudes confidence when talking about the Austin offense, saying ”I don't think anybody can shut us down, so if we just go out there and do what we have to do - execute, no penalties, no turnovers, we'll be fine."

FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.southernifl.com/news/2009-06-06/full-slate-of-game-for-sifl-week-8.html

Caballo Diablo

06-06-2009, 11:36 AM

FSM Blog Update: Hooter's MVP s, Playoff Picture Developing
June 06, 2009

SIFL Blog- The Half Way Mark
By Scott Blanchard

Time for Separation- Bucs, Bugs, and T Cats fight for 1st

The Swashbucklers at 5-1 have returned to the top of the standings. With their final visit with the Mudbugs tonight in Blackham Coliseum the Swashbucklers could all but take the Mudbugs out of the picture for the first seed with another win tonight. The Swashbucklers had the schedule advantage with Acadiana, playing two of the three meetings at home. The Mudbugs desperate for a home game and a win, could tie the Swashbucklers in the loss column if they could protect their home turf. The Swashbucklers have won both meetings with Acadiana 56-35.

The Turfcats still sit with only one loss and a win over Louisiana at home. Their loss, to the Mudbugs was also at home and the Tcats will have to visit the Swashbucklers next Monday and then travel to Acadiana on June 29th. Somewhere in between they also have to make up a game with the Texas Pirates. This is Austin’s only meetings with the other two of what I call the “Big Three”. If they win both they can secure the post season #1 seed, if they lose both they could end up in third and lose the chance at a playoff home game. The next three weeks will tell a lot about how the SIFL playoffs will shape up.

Pirates, Conquerors Game Tonight Could Decide Playoff Spot

In a battle of teams flying completely under the radar, the game in Houma tonight against the Conquerors and Pirates also has playoff implications. These two teams are the other two eligible post season teams and one will be playing as the fourth seed in the SIFL. That means the winner of this meeting will have a huge step on the other. The Pirates won the first meeting between these two and a win tonight could spell doom for the Conquerors playoff hopes. These two will not face each other again this season so tonight is Houma’s chance at redemption.
.................................................. ..................
Scott is a former Swashbucklers General Manager, VP of Operations, Information Director, and now serves as Creative Services Director for the Southern Indoor Football League.

FULL ARTICLE:
http://www.southernifl.com/news/2009-06-06/fsm-blog-update-hooters-mvp-s-playoff-picture-developing.html

Caballo Diablo

06-07-2009, 02:16 PM

SIFL Week 8 Game Recaps
June 6, 2009 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL)

LAFAYETTE, La. (June 6, 2006) --

SWASHBUCKLERS 27, MUDBUGS 21

The Louisiana Swashbucklers stuffed Acadiana Mudbugs quarterback Bo Bartik on a late fourth down and goal to preserve the victory.
It was the third time this season Louisiana (6-1) has beaten the Mudbugs (3-3).

The Swashbucklers won the first two games by identical 56-35 scores.

Louisiana took the lead for good on Marcus Wilridge's second touchdown pass of the game with 2:22 remaining in the third quarter.

Alvin Bartie finished with three touchdown passes for Louisiana. Kirt Duhomn rushed for the other.

Bartik threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 46 yards and one score for the Mudbugs, who led 9-6 after one quarter and 21-20 at halftime.

CONQUERORS 34, PIRATES 20

HOUMA, La. (June 6, 2006) -- Omar Haughbook threw three touchdown passes -- two to Clevan White as the Houma Conquerors posted their first victory of the season by downing the Texas Pirates.

The Conquerors (1-5) blew open a 14-14 halftime game with Haughbook's touchdowns of 30 to Gerald Landry and 40 to White that made it 27-14.

Texas (1-4) closed to 27-20 on Trumain Dorsey's 25-yarder to Joe Townsend with 11:33 remaining, but Houma used a 15-yard Haughbook to White score to conclude the scoring.

Two Michael Burks 1-yard runs gave Houma an early 12-0 lead.

Texas took its only lead when Danny Newphew returned a Conqueror fumble 15 yards to give the Pirates a 14-12 lead with 2:20 remaining in the first half, but the Conquerors quickly tied the game again when they returned the 2-point conversion back and scored two points of their own.

TURFCATS 71, CRUNCH 15

AUSTIN, Tex. (June 6, 2009) -- Deron Ellis threw four touchdown passes and rushed for two more as the Austin Turfcats defeated the North Texas Crunch 71-15 in a Southern Indoor Football League game Saturday night.

Keith Clay, Darrick Wallace and Robert Quiroga each scored twice for the Turfcats, who won their fifth consecutive game.

One of Wallace's touchdowns came on a missed field goal, his fourth such score of the season.

Austin (5-1) led 19-0 at the first quarter and 29-9 at halftime, but put up 35 points in the third period.

Ellis was just 6-16 for 57 yards passing, but managed the four touchdowns -- two to Quiroga and one each to Wallace and Nick Lewis. He also rushed for 33 yards.

Clay rushed for 46 yards on nine carries for the Turfcats.

Making their SIFL debut as the league's travel team, North Texas got a touchdown run from former TCU star Ricky Madison and James Wilson's 8-yard pass to Guy Fernandez. John Bryant kicked a 33-yard field goal.

Caballo Diablo

06-09-2009, 01:50 PM

Shoemaker Joins SIFL Front Office
June 09, 2009 by Dan Ryan

The newest member of the SIFL front office is Bryan Shoemaker, who will serve as Director of Quality Control.

Shoemaker will work alongside Director of Operations Rob Winfrey and visit all the SIFL arena to make sure they are in compliance with SIFL standards. The main focus will be on player and fan safety.

Shoemaker has been in the construction/ petrochemical safety field for over 22 years overseeing hundreds of employees on job sites.

An avid football fan, Shoemaker was introduced to indoor football when his wife, Leah, gave him season tickets to the Beaumont Drillers as a Christmas present. His passion for the game led him to forming a team booster that he oversaw as president.

He and Leah reside in Port Arthur, Texas, and have two children -- Kayla (18.) and Kolton (9).

trifecta

06-09-2009, 02:02 PM

CD,

You are not on top of things....You posted the same press release on 5/29. Did the Quality Control guy get RE-HIRED?

My moratorium from posting just could not last.....

I enjoyed the recent turfcats insider podcast... Especially when Coach Duliban said (2:12 of podcast) " The SIFL is a gift from God".....WOW!

Hey Daytona, I am ready for another reprimand. Got to hand it to you....you are right on top of these boards.

daytonadan

06-09-2009, 02:41 PM

No reprimand needed, trifecta. You are correct that CD did post the story on Bryan after we announced it in the e-newsletter and again after we posted it on the web site today. Not a big deal in the grand scheme, but still a valid point.

I consider the e-newsletter and the web site seperate publications. You can subscribe to the newsletter on the home page.

I actual appreciate people who notice details. Thank you, trifecta.

Caballo Diablo

06-09-2009, 02:43 PM

CD,

You are not on top of things....You posted the same press release on 5/29. Did the Quality Control guy get RE-HIRED?
Ahhh, not true my TripleThreatFriend - lol
You are correct, I had originally posted it on page 9 of this thread on 5/29 @ 2:51pm. Then on the same page you posted and asked;

What Does the Director of Quality Control actually do?

Check the SIFL site, this was reposted today. I thought you would mention it had already been posted but I thought you needed and answer to your question and would like to read it again. here, let me highlight.

Shoemaker Joins SIFL Front Office
June 09, 2009 by Dan Ryan

The newest member of the SIFL front office is Bryan Shoemaker, who will serve as Director of Quality Control.

Shoemaker will work alongside Director of Operations Rob Winfrey and visit all the SIFL arena to make sure they are in compliance with SIFL standards. The main focus will be on player and fan safety.

Shoemaker has been in the construction/ petrochemical safety field for over 22 years overseeing hundreds of employees on job sites.

An avid football fan, Shoemaker was introduced to indoor football when his wife, Leah, gave him season tickets to the Beaumont Drillers as a Christmas present. His passion for the game led him to forming a team booster that he oversaw as president.

He and Leah reside in Port Arthur, Texas, and have two children -- Kayla (18.) and Kolton (9).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My moratorium from posting just could not last.....
I knew it wouldn't, this stuff can be addicting.:eek:

I enjoyed the recent turfcats insider podcast... Especially when Coach Duliban said (2:12 of podcast) " The SIFL is a gift from God".....WOW!
So you've got a problem with religious beliefs and people thanking and/or acknowledging the great opportunities our creator has given us?

Hey Daytona, I am ready for another reprimand.
We don't need Dan for that - SHAME ON YOU TRI ! - lol

trifecta

06-09-2009, 02:53 PM

daytonadan

06-09-2009, 02:55 PM

I hearby designate Caballo Diablo as my official message board reprimander, effective immediately.

CD, you also have the authority to place message boards users on double secret probation and can respond to any challenge up to and including the triple dog dare as long as playground ettiquette has not been breached.

So let it be written. So let it be done.

Caballo Diablo

06-09-2009, 03:35 PM

No problem at all with people who have religious beliefs....Actually quite the contrary.

By your own admission the SIFL has had many stumbles to date and a gift from God just seemed a little ....how should I put this........A little...Over the Top.

The Lord doesn't just hand us what we want and guarantee success. He gives us the opportunity. We need to to grab them and create the success ourselves. You may stumble and even fail, but he would prefer we learn from out mistakes and correct them.

So believing the Lord provided us with the opportunity to play, coach, or even just enjoy the SIFL isn't that far over the top. Sometimes the Lord even hands us challenges we can't overcome on the first attempt. The opportunity was a gift in itself. This makes us stronger and wiser. All lessons aren't easy but they do serve a purpose.

We've all been presented with gifts we didn't like, the question is what did we do with the gift.;)

Caballo Diablo

06-09-2009, 03:39 PM

So let it be written. So let it be done.
Whoa, I think I even heard thunder rumbling in the distance as I read this!
That's freaky;)

daytonadan

06-09-2009, 03:47 PM

It's a perk from working for three teams named Thunder in three different time zones ...

50 Yard Fan

06-09-2009, 10:37 PM

Texas Pirates Announcement Slated For 6/8

The Texas Pirates will make an announcment regarding ownership and venue on Monday, June 8. Visit www.southernifl.com for all the exciting details.

I checked all the threads and the SIFL site.

daytonadan

06-09-2009, 11:10 PM

My apologies.

Annoucement rescheduled for the 15th. I was saving the announcement about the annoucement for the next e-newsletter and I forgot CD published it in a public forum.

Caballo Diablo

06-10-2009, 09:16 AM

I forgot CD published it in a public forum.
Anytime something is posted on a site or in a news letter sirens go off on my computer and it's automatically posted on 6,278 forums.

You don't think I've actually got this much time to spend on a message board do ya?:D

Caballo Diablo

06-19-2009, 08:17 PM

SIFL Week 10 Previews/Hurricanes Sign O'Brien Award Winner
June 19, 2009 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL)

HOUSTON (June 19, 2009) - Former Davey O'Brien Award winner, Heisman Trophy runner-up and New England Patriot Michael Bishop has signed with the Southern Indoor Football League's Texas Hurricanes. Bishop will make his SIFL debut Saturday when the Hurricanes travel to face the Austin Turfcats.
While at Kansas State, Bishop garnered the 1998 O'Brien Award, beating out UCLA's Cade McNown for the best college quarterback in the nation and finished second in the 1998 Heisman Trophy voting to Ricky Williams.

He was a seventh round draft selection by the Patriots in the 1999 NFL draft, seeing limited action before spending a year with the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe.

Bishop spent six seasons with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and also saw time in the Arena Football League with the Grand Rapids Rampage and Kansas City Brigade.

SIFL commissioner Dan J. Blum is looking forward to seeing Bishop compete in the first-year league.

``I'm very, very pleased with the quality of talent we have at the quarterback position throughout the league,'' Blum said. ``In addition to Alvin Bartie and Freddie Harrison in Louisiana, a veteran like Bo Bartik in Acadiana, the versatile Deron Ellis in Austin and a promising young guy like Omar Haugabook in Houma, we now have a quarterback in Michael who was recognized as the best in the country. I'm excited for Coach [Troy] Esprit and the Hurricane as well as the league.''

Week 10 of the SIFL includes three games - Texas at Austin and North Texas at Acadiana Saturday and Louisiana at Houma Monday.

TEXAS HURRICANES (1-4) AT AUSTIN TURFCATS (5-2
Saturday, June 20 6:30 p.m.
Adfirmative.com Field at the Travis County Expo Center First game for Hurricanes under new ownership and name but second in the series ... Austin won first meeting 38-20 on 5/23 ... Former Kansas State QB Michael Bishop, the 1998 Davey O'Brien winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up will start for the Hurricanes as part of revamped roster ... Austin 4-1 at home this season ... Turfcats WR Robert Quiroga has registered two TD catches in last two games ... QB Deron Ellis had gone three games without throwing an interception before surrendering two to Louisiana Monday night.

NORTH TEXAS CRUNCH AT ACADIANA MUDBUGS (4-3)
Saturday, June 20 7:05 p.m.
Blackham Coliseum Second appearance for the Crunch, who replaced the PASM Florida Kings as the SIFL's inaugural season travel team ...Crunch lost its SIFL debut 71-15 to Austin two weeks ago and currently leads the IIFA with a 5-1 record ... Crunch has six former Division I-A players on roster, most notable is TCU's Ricky Madison, who led the Intense Football League in rushing for most of 2008 while with the defunct Frisco Thunder ... Mudbugs snapped a three-game losing streak last by holding off Houma 35-33 ... Mudbugs have never scored more than 38 points a game ... QB Bo Bartik has rushed for 72 yards and 2 TDs the last games... Leading WR Anthony Parks has missed the last two games to injury ... stepping in has been DB Kimmee Lewis, who has posted 9 catches for 73 yards and 1 TD in addition to his usual one interception per game.

LOUISIANA SWASHBUCKLERS (7-1) AT HOUMA CONQUERORS (1-6)
Monday, June 22 6 p.m.
Houma-Terrebone Civic Center Second meeting between teams ... Bucs won first game 48-16 after pulling away from 17-13 game in second quarter ... Bucs' last two road games have all been close - a three-point loss in Austin and six-point win in Lafayette against Mudbugs ... WR Marcus Wilredge is averaging one touchdown in every two catches in last three games ... LA has scored 50 or more in six of eight games ... Houma begins a four-game homestand to end the season ... Omar Haugabook did not register a TD pass last week against Mudbugs, but ran for two .. RB Michael Burks has rushed for 5 TDs in last two games.

Caballo Diablo

06-20-2009, 12:24 PM

FSM Fan Footblog: Wallace Has My Vote
June 20, 2009

Darrick Wallace got my vote for Player of the Week due to how many kicks the Louisiana Swashbucklers put into the stands Monday night.

Not to take away any credit from Sammy Knight, who was equally being dodged as a potential kick returner, but Wallace touched the football twice on special teams this week and scored once and was a shoe string away from another.

Each time these two touch the football, they create the opportunity of a score on special teams. Wallace still remains one of the most dangerous playmakers on the field. I really don’t have anything else to add to that except if the Swashbucklers somehow meet the Turfcats in the playoffs, expect more footballs to be lost due to a kickoff out of bounds. Ironically, Tommy Hebert, the kicker that put those kickoffs into the stands won the Player of the Week with his league-record four field goal performance. He was also six of seven on extra point attempts. Maybe he won it for being smart enough not to kick to Wallace.

The transition from the Texas Pirates to the Texas Hurricanes has been somewhat of a different situation behind the scenes. The fact that the Hurricanes signed former Kansas State quarterback Michael Bishop shows their commitment to becoming a winning franchise. New team owner Terry Williams was quoted as saying he wanted to finish the season strong and concentrate on next season. But the fact is that with a few big wins, the Bishop-led Hurricanes could find themselves as an upset special caliber team in the SIFL playoffs this season. They visit the Turfcats this week and Louisiana the following Monday. They will instantly get their chance to prove their worth.

The Houma Conquerors are also going through some transition with their team. Although Franklin Thomas is the owner, the former Bayou Buck has brought in a new coach to take his place, which I am sure was not the easiest thing to do personally. Then Thomas brought in former Bucks owner Travis Carrell who should bring more stability and help Thomas’ vision of a championship franchise. The League is growing stronger; as the inaugural season begins its stretch run, no team has been eliminated. The SIFL has gone through a ton of obstacles this season, but has overcome them well, all in the name of fun in professional sports.

After all, isn’t that what we are all here for?
.................................................. .................................

Story credit: Scott Blanchard. Blanchard is a former Swashbucklers GM, Vice President of Football Operations, SI Director and now serves as Creative Services Director of the Southern Indoor Football League. His blog runs on Thursday but he was late this week because he moved states, so please forgive him, just this once.

Caballo Diablo

06-21-2009, 10:59 AM

June 20, 2009
Southern Indoor Football League

SIFL Week 10 Recaps

TURFCATS 41, HURRICANES 34

AUSTIN, Tex (June 20, 2009) -- Keith Clay's 3-yard run with 56 second remaining and Mycal Catchings' fumble recovery with one second remaining lifted the Austin Turfcats a 41-34 victory over the Texas Hurricanes Saturday night. The Turfcats (6-2) erased a 20-0 first half deficit, taking their first lead at 28-27 when Deron Ellis threw a 27-yard touchdown to Robert Quiroga with 14:18 left.

Texas (1-5) regained the lead at 34-28 on Michael Bishop's 3-yarder to Roland Hayes with 10:13 remaining, but Austin tied it at 34-34 with 8:47 left on Tim Blackwell's 7-yard run.

After a missed Texas field goal, Austin drove 45 yards to take the lead. Texas moved to the Austin 5-yard line, but Catchings recovered the fumble to preserve the victory.

Five different players scored Austin's six touchdown, with Reggie Smith posting a 44-yard kickoff return and a touchdown pass from Deron Ellis, who threw two scores and ran for another.

Bishop, the 1998 Davey O'Brien award winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up, threw for 104 yards and three touchdowns - two to Joe Townsend - in his SIFL debut.
.................................................. .........................................

MUDBUGS 45, CRUNCH 6

LAFAYETTE, La. (June 20, 2009) -- Antonio Logan and Anthony Parks each scored two touchdowns as the Acadiana Mudbugs held the North Texas Crunch without a touchdown for a 45-6 Southern Indoor Football League victory Saturday.

Sean Samuels came off the bench after starting quarterback Bo Bartik was injured and completed 9 of 13 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another as the Mudbugs (5-3) won their second straight game.
Logan's touchdowns came in the first quarter as the Mudbugs jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

Parks, who had missed the last two games due to injury, had eight catches for 91 yards.

Defensive back Kimmie Lewis registered his SIFL best 11th interception and also caught two passes for 27 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown.

John Bryant produced all the Crunch scoring with a pair of 21-yard field goals.

Caballo Diablo

07-17-2009, 11:53 AM

July 17, 2009
Southern Indoor Football League
LA's Jones Goes 4-4 on Hooters POTQ Lineman Award

LAKE CHARLES, La. (July 17, 2009) -- Louisiana Swashbucklers defensive lineman John Paul Jones completed his sweep of the Southern Indoor Football League's Hooters Players Of The Quarter with his fourth defensive lineman award, the Southern Indoor Football League announced today.

Winners were recognized for their efforts for the final three weeks of the regular season. They are as follows:

OFFENSE (tie):
Omar Haugabook, Houma Conquerors and Keith Clay, Austin Turfcats. Haugabook led the Conquerors' push to the final Southern Indoor Football League playoff spot, throwing for seven touchdowns and rushing for six as Houma posted a .500 record (3-3) after starting the season 0-5. Clay rushed for eight touchdown in the Turfcats' final three games.

DEFENSE:
Damien Huren, Louisiana Swashbucklers. Finished season with two interceptions against the Texas Hurricanes and 7.5 tackles at Houma.

LINEMAN:
John Paul Jones, Louisiana Swashbucklers. Posted three sacks in each of final two games and finished the season with 17, highest in all four indoor leagues.

SPECIAL TEAMS:
Tommy Hebert, Louisiana Swashbucklers. Went 17-17 on PATs the final two weeks to conclude the season with the sport's highest PAT percentage.

Each winner will receive a Hooters gift certificate.

The inaugural SIFL all-league team is scheduled to be released Monday, July 20.

Caballo Diablo

07-17-2009, 01:39 PM

July 17, 2009
Southern Indoor Football League
SIFL Playoff Capsules/Webcast Info

ACADIANA MUDBUGS (6-5) AT AUSTIN TURFCATS (9-2)
6:30 p.m. CST
adfirmative.com Field at the Travis County Expo Center

Teams split regular season meeting with both winning on the road ... Mudbugs won 37-29 at Austin while Turfcats won 50-40 in Lafayette ... Austin 5-1 at home this season while Mudbugs were 2-3 on road ... Mudbugs have outscored opponents 146-82 in first quarter but have been outscored 280-243 in final three period ... WR Anthony Parks had season-highs of 10 catches and 105 yards, but did not score in season finale at Houma ... DB Kimmee Lewis has gone two games without an INt after posting 12 in first nine ... Austin RB Keith Clay has rushed for 9 TDs in last four games ... Darrick Wallace returned five MFG and two KO for touchdowns ... Mudbugs coach John Fourcade won the 2000 IPFL championship as coach of the Mississippi Firedogs and coached the 2002 Florida Firecats to a berth in the ArenaCup ... Turfcats coach Chris Duliban coached the IFL's CenTex Barracudas to a 1-1 post-season record last year.

HOUMA CONQUERORS (3-8.) AT LOUISIANA SWASHBUCKLERS (10-1)
7 p.m. Lake Charles Civic Center.

Louisiana swept all three regular-season match-ups with Conquerors ... Houma started the season 0-5, but rallied under interim coach C.J. Maiden to go 3-3 and pass Texas for the final playoff berth ... LA scored 40 or more in all but one game ... WRs Marcus Wilridge and Sammy Knight posted 18 and 10 TD catches, respectively ... DL John Paul Jones had a sport-wide best 17 sacks, while K Tommy Hebert's PAT success rate of 93.3 percent was a sport-wide best as well ... Conquerors have scored 166 points in last three games ... QB Omar Haugabook led SIFL in total yards ... WR Gerald Landry had 53 receptions in 10 game and will finish leading the league in receptions despite one stat report missing ... Louisiana has not lost a post-season game in Lake Charles.

ALL SIFL PLAYOFF GAMES TO BE WEBCASTED

Southern Indoor Football League fans who can't make it to Saturday's playoff game in Austin between the Austin Turfcats and the Acadiana Mudbugs or to Lake Charles, La. Monday for the LA Swashbucklers- Houma Conquerors matchup will be able to access webcasts to both games ... and the inaugural Southern Indoor Football League championship game.

Austin will offer its first live home webcast Saturday. Web viewers will see the game from the 25-yard line camera, plus interviews with Turfcats staff during halftime and postgame. Users will also be able to chat with one another during the game.

The Turfcats LiveBlog will also make its first home game appearance, after a successful debut during the team's recent back-to-back trips to College Station. As always, scoreboard updates will be available on the homepage of Turfcats.com and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/austinturfcats as well.

Turfcats Live is being generously underwritten by Adfirmative.com, Austin Extreme Graphics, Family Health Chriopractic, and sparkNet Creative.

Pregame coverage begins at 6:20pm Saturday at www.turfcats.com/live.

On Monday, SIFL Director of Creative Services Scott Blanchard will lead the coverage at www.stickam.com/bucsfootball
and the twitter feed at www.twitter.com/coachsmb05.

All links will also be accessible through www.southernifl.com, which will expand its gameday coverage already recognized as one of the most comprehensive in the sport of indoor football. Game recaps, stats, and photography will be available within hours of the final horn sounding.

Caballo Diablo

07-20-2009, 03:23 PM

All-SIFL Team 2009 Announced
July 20, 2009 by Scott Blanchard

LAKE CHARLES, La. (July 20, 2009) – Ten selections from the Louisiana Swashbucklers and seven from the Austin Turfcats lead the way in the inaugural Southern Indoor Football League all-league team announced today (July 20, 2009).

Voting was conducted among the head coaches and front office of the league’s five charter teams along with SIFL staff and fan polling, which was tabulated as one composite vote. Fans were also allowed to voted for their player of the year at respective positions.

One additional wide receiver, offensive lineman, defensive lineman and defensive back were included. There were ties for the final spot at three positions – running back, linebacker and defensive back, and all three were added to the team.

Fans selected two players – Austin QB Deron Ellis and WR Robert Quiroga – as their players of the year, but neither garnered enough votes to make the all-league team as follows:

.......... QB: ..................
Omar Haugabook, Houma

........ RB (tie): .............
Kirt Duhon, Louisiana
* Keith Clay, Austin

.......... WR: ..................
Marcus Wilridge, Louisiana
Sammy Knight, Louisiana
Anthony Parks, Acadiana
Gerald Landry, Houma

.......... OL: ...................
* Lance Fremin, Louisiana
Adam Durham, Acadiana
John Cardenas, Austin
Jabari Hendricks, Louisiana

.......... K: .....................
* Tommy Hebert, Louisiana

......... DL: ....................
* John Paul Jones, Louisiana
Kevin Earvine, Austin
Rudy Johnson, Acadiana
Barrett Dallmeyer, Austin

......... LB (tie): .............
* Mitch Craft, Acadiana
Thomas Bennett, Louisiana
Avery Cleveland, Austin

......... DB (tie): ...........
* Kimmee Lewis, Acadiana
Damien Huren, Louisiana
Brandon Thomas, Lousiana
Damon Richard, Texas
JR Turner, Austin

......... KR: ..................
* Darrick Wallace, Austin

Caballo Diablo

07-20-2009, 10:13 PM

July 20, 2009
Southern Indoor Football League
SIFL Playoffs: Swashbucklers 61, Conquerors 19

LAKE CHARLES, La. (July 20, 2009) - Kirt Duhon rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns as the Louisiana Swashbucklers defeated the Houma Conquerors 61-19 Monday night to advance to the Southern Indoor Football League championship game.
The Swashbucklers (11-1) will host the Austin Turfcats (10-2) next Monday. Houma finished 3-9.

Posting his second straight 100-yard game, Duhon and Alvin Bartie each scored twice in the first half as Louisiana jumped out to a 34-10 halftime lead. Lineman John Paul Jones added a touchdown when he recovered a blocked field goal in the end zone to make it a 20-3 game.

Bartie completed seven of his eight passes for 107 yards, including a 44-yard strike to Raymond Harris in the third quarter. Henry Hunter and Jeff Ridgle also scored for the Swashbucklers, while kicker Tommy Hebert was 7 of 9 on PATs.

Houma quarterback Omar Haugabook finished 14 of 29 for 157 yards and touchdowns to Clifford Carter and Chris Brown. Chris Stroplolo kicked two field goals.

Caballo Diablo

08-02-2009, 02:46 PM

What was the top highlight of the inaugural SIFL season?

A) Swashbucklers win third straight championship in second league.

B) Play of Acadiana's Kimmie Lewis, LA's John Paul Jones and Austin's Darrick Wallace.

C) Austin snaps Louisiana's 20-game win streak

D) Houma rallies to playoff berth after 0-5 start.

VOTE HERE:
http://www.southernifl.com/

gonzo13

08-02-2009, 03:14 PM

Caballo Diablo

08-02-2009, 03:46 PM

For the record, I voted for the 'Bucs third consecutive championship. It doesn't matter what league you're in, three in a row is a big deal. Right now, Austin snapping Louisiana's win streak is way ahead. Perhaps Austin should also win the award for "Votingest fans".
Yes, 3 championships in a row is very impressive. But you must also take into account the competition. The `Bucs were in their 8th year and already an established champion, the rest of the SIFL teams were all expansion teams thrown together quickly for the sole purpose of keeping the `Bucs from sitting out a season after deciding to not join the IFL merger.

The MudBug and Turfcat franchises deserve huge props for the type of organization and teams they put together. EVERYONE anticipated the `Bucs to roll over the competition without even breaking a sweat. Kind of like an AFL team playing in the af2 or a MLB team playing in the minors.

I think an expansion team beating back to back champs is more impressive than Ali knocking out a ticket taker at one of his fights.;)

gonzo13

08-02-2009, 04:39 PM

Caballo Diablo

08-02-2009, 06:15 PM

I wasn't taking anything away from Austin's win over Louisiana. And you're right, nobody, including myself expected it. I did take into account that the rest of the teams were expansion, but no since in taking anything away from what the 'Bucs did, they would have likely done the same thing in any league in indoor football.

And don't sell expansion teams short. When the Columbus Lions started in the WIFL against three established teams, they still came out with the best record in the league.
Agreed, it does happen. The Spokane Shock won the Championship their first first season in the af2 and have always been a contender. I just feel it's easier to take a champion through a season than to do it with an expansion team. It's easier to coach a Championship team, just ask Barry Switzer. He's got a Ring for doing noting but sucking Jerry's Butt, that SuperBowl was all because of the team Jimmy Johnson put together.

It's a lot tougher trying to build a team than coach an established champion.

Let's look at the choices;
Keep in mind I'm not slighting the `Bucs or your selection, just offering my opinion on all of the choices.

What was the top highlight of the inaugural SIFL season?

(A) Play of Acadiana's Kimmie Lewis, LA's John Paul Jones and Austin's Darrick Wallace. - these players were expecected to have great individual years and they did. Kimmie rose further above expectations than the others.

(B) Houma rallies to playoff berth after 0-5 start.
- I wouldn't actually call a 3-9 record a "Highlight" - lol - someone had to claim the last seed. If they had lost their last game and the Hurricanes had won, then a 2-10 team would have grabbed the final berth.

(C) Swashbucklers win third straight championship in second league.
While this is a commendable and difficult task, facing 100% expansion teams takes a little luster off the 3 - peat, especially returning what, 12 players from the previous championship roster. The main question was "the Top Highlight of the SIFL's season" and the two previous titles didn't involve the SIFL. Couple that with the fact it was the expected outcome it's difficult to be regarded as a Highlight of the SIFL's season.

(D) Austin snaps Louisiana's 20-game win streak
This was a huge upset that was unexpected and shocked anyone following the SIFL. Not only was it huge for Austin, I also feel it was good for the league. A Swashbuckler loss gave some hope to other teams and their fans which helped add excitement to the second half of the season. If the `Bucs would have just blown through the season thumping teams like the Chicago Slaughter did this year it would have turned into a boring season for many fans.

Sure, I'm an Austin fan but I honestly believe this game was more meaningful to the league as a whole.

You say "the `Bucs would have more than likely won the title in any Indoor league." Possible, but I'm not convinced. Then I need clarification on your intent of the worrd "Indoor." Does it include all 50 yard leagues like the af2, or just true "Indoor Leagues" and not "ArenaBall?"

I feel the `Bucs would easily be in the top 5 in the af2. I realize differing rules are played so there is some intangibles if we want to get technical. Win the title, I don't know.

IFL, I highly doubt they would have won it there. Once they established they were far better than the other teams Tommy B would just take 5 wins away and keep them out of the playoffs.:o

CIFL, the Slaughter with half an AFL roster would have been a tough challenge.

That's about the only other leagues that can compare.

gonzo13

08-02-2009, 08:45 PM

By "Indoor" I don't include AF2. I do agree, they would have been top 5 in AF2, but it is a different game. The CIFL is also different. With 7 guys and the many other different rules it's tough to make a comparison, but I still think they would have made a run at the title, even with the Chicago "Rush".

IFL, barring some sort of travesty, they would have won the whole thing, and the AIFA would have been the same story.

As a coach myself, I agree, it's easier to work with talent. But the Turfcats beat them once, they could have done it again in the championship. Bottom line is, Louisiana got it done.

Caballo Diablo

08-03-2009, 09:55 AM

Bottom line is, Louisiana got it done.
Agreed, and I feel the win should be credited to the D-Line. Granted John Paul Jones is the best in the league but all 3 of their lineman were in the Turfcats backfield all night. 8 sacks and 2 forced QB fumbles - YIKES! Austin tried to change it up and put the Backup QB in (who was the starter for most of the year) and he only made it a few plays before limping out injured.

The score at the end of the 1st qtr was 28-3, a 25 point deficit and they ended up losing by 21. So even with all of the pressure on the QB Austin hung with them for the other 3 quarters. That was the most dominate D-Line play I've ever watched in person. All 3 of those guys deserve HUGE props.

phydeaux72

08-03-2009, 02:09 PM

The `Bucs were in their 8th year and already an established champion, the rest of the SIFL teams were all expansion teams thrown together quickly for the sole purpose of keeping the `Bucs from sitting out a season after deciding to not join the IFL merger.

The Swashbucklers are in their 5th year; 1st in the SIFL. They started in 2005 in the NIFL. Then played three years in the Intesne Football League.

Although a common misconception, the Swashbucklers and Landsharks are not and never were one in the same.

Caballo Diablo

08-03-2009, 02:19 PM

The Swashbucklers are in their 5th year; 1st in the SIFL. They started in 2005 in the NIFL. Then played three years in the Intesne Football League.

Although a common misconception, the Swashbucklers and Landsharks are not and never were one in the same.
I stand corrected, I had been told their first year was 2002.

Thanks

mace

08-05-2009, 02:31 PM

I agree that the T-cats gave us a game down in Austin, but there were other things that got involved that "aided" in that loss, but nevermind that, its still a loss. I also agree that loss in specific gave "wind" to the rest of the league, in hopes that they too, could beat the BUcs.

As far as "competing" in the IFL? We went to Sioux Falls SD and played the storm with their rules(UIFL, not IntenseFL) and ALMOST beat them. I think that kind of answers itself. The only 2 people that we lost that were here last year was Travis Moses and SHawn Piper, and Shawn will be here next season....

SO BUCKLE UP!!

exit322

08-05-2009, 02:48 PM

The Swashbucklers are in their 5th year; 1st in the SIFL. They started in 2005 in the NIFL. Then played three years in the Intesne Football League.

Although a common misconception, the Swashbucklers and Landsharks are not and never were one in the same.

Substance over form - the franchise owner may be different, but the roster was so much the same to the point where it may as well have been the same team from 2001-2009.

mace

08-05-2009, 04:49 PM

Thats not true.... there were some players that came back... but for the most part, different roster. I have a lot of friends that play and I follow indoor football here, not the same team.

Caballo Diablo

08-14-2009, 07:15 AM

The Acadiana MudBugs have officially changed their name to the Lafayette Wildcatters.
You can see their new Logo here.

http://www.lafayettewildcatters.com/

preeths

08-14-2009, 09:43 AM

A huge upgrade.

Caballo Diablo

08-14-2009, 12:42 PM

Lafayette covers a much broader fan base.

phydeaux72

08-14-2009, 03:12 PM

Lafayette covers a much broader fan base.

How so? According to Wikipedia:

"Acadiana, as defined by the Louisiana legislature, refers to the area that stretches from just west of New Orleans to the Texas border along the Gulf of Mexico coast, and about 100 miles inland to Marksville. This includes the 22 parishes of Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jeff Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Charles, St. James, St. John The Baptist, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Vermilion, and West Baton Rouge. The total land area is 37,746.756 km² (14,574.105 sq mi). At the 2000 census its total population was 1,352,646 residents."

"The largest metropolitan area in Acadiana is Lafayette, followed by Houma-Thibodaux, and Lake Charles. Other large cities and towns within Acadiana are Abbeville, Breaux Bridge, Broussard, Carencro, Crowley, Donaldsonville, Eunice, Franklin, Gonzales, Jeanerette, Jennings, Kaplan, Marksville, New Roads, Morgan City, New Iberia, Opelousas, Patterson, Plaquemine, Port Allen, Rayne, Scott, St. Gabriel, St. Martinville, Sulphur, Ville Platte, and Youngsville."

I'm not saying your statement is wrong. But maybe I just don't understand your logic.

Caballo Diablo

08-14-2009, 04:30 PM

How so?
They already played in Lafayette so that makes sense.
Lafayette to me is a more recognized name and has larger appeal than Acadiana. Once again, perception matters. It's the 4th largest city in Louisiana and has a relativly large tourist industry. The univeristy of Louisiana, the 2nd largest university in the state. A community college and two vocational colleges. Home of a National guard headquarters, and a U.S. Marine Corpse reserve unit.

With the Ragin Cajuns, the Ice Gators, and the Bayou Bulls it's a more recognized name in Louisina sports and the college students and military should relate to the name more.

Acadiana may cover more territory land wise, but in my opinion Lafayette covers a larger sports fan base.

preeths

08-15-2009, 11:21 AM

Not to split hairs, but wouldn't Lafayette essentially be a part of Acadiana, not the other way around? If so, then Acadiana, if it has one sports fan outside Lafayette, covers a larger fan base.

Caballo Diablo

08-15-2009, 12:59 PM

Not to split hairs, but wouldn't Lafayette essentially be a part of Acadiana, Yes, Acadiana covers a much larger area but......

In the Majors, using a name that covers more miles of territoty helps because many are willing to purchase merchandise and travel for the games. In the minors the fans that are even aware of a team let alone willing to travel to see them is small. So while adding a dozen fans willing to travel, it might be better to chase a couple dozen closer fans.

If so, then Acadiana, if it has one sports fan outside Lafayette, covers a larger fan base.
I disagree, being the Acadiana team versus the Lafayette team may cover a larger population area, but not necessarily a larger fan base. This is one of the reasons why most minor leagues teams seem to do little advertising.

There's a fine line between getting the word out to the masses versus getting it out to people that care. A National Ad agency in Austin estimated years a go it would take $1 to $1.5 million in advertising to even dent the market place. ONLY DENT !

At this time the Wranglers were putting 10,000 butts in seats for a 15,000 seat arena. Was it worth that kind of money to find 5,000 more butts?

The Austin area has or recently had, NIFL, CIFL, AFL, af2, CHL, AHL, Triple A baseball, Double A, NBA Developmental team, not to menttion the U of Texas.
I love football and really enjoy hockey. Some would call me a sports nut more interested than most.But, I don't care for baseball and basketball. It doesn't matter how many TV, radio, newspaper ad's, billboards, etc they put in my face it still won't get me to care anymore. Plus, the Double/Triple A, AHL, and NBAD are all backed by the big boys.

In the majors butts in seats mean lot's more advertising and TV money. In the minors, sure more butts add a little in advertisng, but not a drastic difference. The majors can spend millions on advertising and recover it through advertising and TV money. Even selling out every game in the minors won't cover millions in advertising.

Getting the word out to a larger section of the masses doesn't always equate to more fans. Your name covering a larger area doesn't equate to more fans in the minors. If people living outside of a normal fanbase area want follow the sport the team name won't matter.

I've got a friend that lives in San Antonio (roughly 100 miles from Austin), he loves the 50 yard game as much as me and comes to most of the Wranglers and TurfCats games. Now just because we got his attention doesn't mean San Antonio makes it a larger fanbase.

But, it was about which has a larger fanbase so you would have to sperarate the Lafayette fans from the others and not count any living outside the Acadiana area. Adding 1 outside of Lafayette has nothing to do with it. Most fans living close enough to be willing to travel will relate more to the large city name than the area name. Plus the city name attracts the college, military, (Temporary residents & their families).

Getting the word out to more people further away doesn't mean that they care or are interested. Just getting the word out to the general masses can be very expensive and frustrating without adding a single person to the fanbase.

So local affiliation with the larger more well known city name creates a larger fanbase in my opinion.
Adding acres doesn't help pay the bills, you need to add fans close enough to attend the event.

There's a difference between "Fanbase" and "Population."

.

mudbugsfan

08-15-2009, 02:45 PM

Ok, I need to settle this little argument. Louisiana is different, its weird.

The "official" Acadiana definition is from the Texas Border to Houma practically, if you search, you can get a map. This would mean that Lake Charles and Houma would be considered Acadiana.

Lafayette has decided to take under the "Acadiana" name to describe itself, and its surrounding parishes(if you dont know what a parish is, it is the equivalent to a county). For example, when the local television station, KATC, does a "Around Acadiana", the speak of Iberia Parish, Lafayette, St.Martinville, Acadia, etc. They do not speak of Lake Charles or Houma, therefore, Lafayette kind of stole the name and kept it for itself. Acadiana High School is in Lafayette Parish.

Though Acadiana is larger in population, its a nickname, and is unknown not only to tourist, but as well to its residents. Lafayette is just easier to market.

As far a the nickname, it is hard to market the name Mudbugs, like Acadiana, it is unknown to tourist as well as residents, surprisingly. I can say I really like the Mudbug name, but hey, Im cajun, I know these things, Acadiana Mudbugs was one of the best names in my mind.

The main reason for the name change was marketability. Lafayette is a big oil town, you can read the book Friday Night Lights, and they mention how big of a oil city Lafayette is. We have a section of town as the Oil Center, which is less than two miles away from Blackham and Cajundome. Wildcatter is just a better name to market.

Caballo Diablo

08-15-2009, 03:17 PM

Not an argument, just a discussion of opinions - lol

Thanks for your reply, after all it does come down to the perspectives of the locals, not us outsiders.

preeths

08-16-2009, 09:01 AM

CB, I think it would have been more accurate and much less confusing to say that the 'Lafayette' name appeals to more fans in Lafayette, not that it covers a much broader fan base. That's the source of phy's confusion.

blanketman

08-16-2009, 09:19 AM

Rochester has 240,000 people in the city;however, the suburbs identify themselves as "Rochestarians".The suburbs have 500,000 people. That is critical for us with our new marketing technique for season ticket holders.The youth football leagues in western New york, over 85 teams, our selling our season tickets as fund raisers. We have sold close to 1,750 season tickets to date in the first 2 weeks . We believe this is the best marketing technique we have ever seen to sell season tickets.The larger the identity footprint, the more opportunity there is to involve more youth football organizations to sell your tickets.

exit322

08-16-2009, 10:04 AM

Yeah, that does seem to be a pretty solid method to use. How much are the youth programs getting?

Caballo Diablo

08-16-2009, 10:35 AM

Most "suburbs" relate closely to the main city. Thus Lafayette covers more than the city limits for appeal. Acadiana was too generic, and as mentioned previously covers the Houma and Lake Charles areas as well and they've got teams in the SIFL.

A name covering that large of an area doesn't typically work for minor leagues unless you use the name of a state which can reflect pride.

Caballo Diablo

08-17-2009, 04:29 PM

Acadiana Mudbugs Become Lafayette Wildcatters
August 17, 2009
- Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) Lafayette Wildcatters

With the second season of the Southern Indoor Football League approaching, the Acadiana Mudbugs have changed their name to the Lafayette Wildcatters and their colors to red, gold and black. The Wildcatters wanted to be associated with The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the local college, whose colors are vermilion red and black.
Southern Louisiana is known for housing many oil and gas related companies. The proximity of Lafayette to the Gulf of Mexico makes it the premier hub for companies and service companies. The Wildcatters, whose home is Lafayette, want local sponsors. So far, Dynamic Industries, C&G Boats and Linear Control have signed on to help with 2010 season.

A wildcatter, a person who drills oil and gas wells in areas that are not know in advance to have oil, hopes to be successful. SIFL, a new league, is similarly trying to be successful by finding its place in the hearts of the local football fan.

"I think this name change will work well for the team," said SIFL President Thom Hager. "The new name will represent Lafayette very well since a large portion of their population works in the oil and gas industries."

The new Lafayette Wildcatters website, www.lafayettewildcatters.com, will be launched by the end of this week. Fans can stay tuned for information on the offseason and on both upcoming player and cheerleader open tryouts.