INDOOR FOOTBALL HISTORY (PART ONE) - Follow the Bouncing Franchises

[Aaronhere]

ACTIVE LEAGUES
ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1987 - Now)
1987 - Denver Dynamite
1988 - Detroit Drive
1989 - Detroit Drive
1990 - Detroit Drive
1991 - Tampa Bay Storm
1992 - Detroit Drive
1993 - Tampa Bay Storm
1994 - Arizona Rattlers
1995 - Tampa Bay Storm
1996 - Tampa Bay Storm
1997 - Arizona Rattlers
1998 - Orlando Predators
1999 - Albany Firebirds
2000 - Orlando Predators
2001 - Grand Rapids Rampage
2002 - San Jose SaberCats
2003 - Tampa Bay Storm
2004 - San Jose SaberCats
2005 - Colorado Crush
2006 - Chicago Rush

ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2 (2000 - Now)
2000 - Quad City Steamwheelers
2001 - Quad City Steamwheelers
2002 - Peoria Pirates
2003 - Tulsa Talons
2004 - Florida Firecats
2005 - Memphis Xplorers
2006 - Spokane Shock

NATIONAL INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2001 - Now)
2001 - Mississippi Fire Dogs
2002 - Ohio Valley Greyhounds
2003 - Ohio Valley Greyhounds
2004 - Lexington Horsemen
2005 - Tri-Cities Fever
2006 - Billings Outlaws

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2003- Now)
2003 - Kansas Koyotes
2004 - Kansas Koyotes
2005 - Kansas Koyotes
2006 - Kansas Koyotes

INTENSE FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2004, 2006 - Now)
2004 - Amarillo Dusters
2006 - Odessa Roughnecks

UNITED INDOOR FOOTBALL (2005- Now)
2005 - Sioux Falls Storm
2006 - Sioux Falls Storm

AMERICAN INDOOR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (2005 - Now)*
2005 - Richmond Bandits
2006 - Canton Legends
* - Originally called the Atlantic Indoor Football League, later American Indoor Football League

CONTINENTAL INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2006 - Now)*
2006 - Port Huron Pirates
* - Known as Great Lakes Indoor Football League in 2006

WORLD INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2007 - Now)
2007 -

DEFUNCT LEAGUES
PROFESSIONAL INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1998 Only)
1998 - Louisiana Bayou Beast
In 1999, the PIFL would essentially "split" into two leagues. Keary Ecklund, owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs teams, and an owner/operator of Ecklund Carriers of Neenah, Wisconsin (a trucking company), would take his two teams and form the Indoor Football League (IFL). On January 4, 1999, the remaining teams of the PIFL renamed the league to the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL).

INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1999-2000)
1999 - Green Bay Bombers
2000 - Peoria Pirates

INDOOR PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (1999-2001)
1999 - Hawaii Hammerheads
2000 - Mississippi Fire Dogs
2001 - Tennessee Thundercats

EASTERN INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2007)
2007 - Did Not Finish Season - No Champion

NORTH AMERICAN INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2005)
The North American Indoor Football League was a proposed indoor football league that announced plans in 2004 to begin play in fourteen Canadian cities in February 2005. The game played was to be a unique indoor version of Canadian football. Teams were to be centrally owned, and former Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Tom Wilkinson was to serve as league president. The league never played a single game and its website went offline in early 2006.

NORTH AMERICAN INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2005)
The North American Indoor Football League was an indoor football league planning to start play in 2007. The league announced in January
2007 that its founders would instead support the Continental Indoor Football League. The NAIFL started after a failed attempt by Greens Worldwide Incorporated, owner of the outdoor North American Football League, to purchase the American Indoor Football League in early 2006. The Ultimate Indoor Football League was a breakaway from the NIFL. Both were proposed as 8-team leagues, with plans to start in spring 2007. The leagues merged in the fall of 2006. Only two teams had publicly announced their entry to the league. The Arkansas Stars, a team that played their inaugural season in the NIFL, later announced that the UIFL had separated from the merger and was planning to play in 2007. The other team, the Conroe Storm, moved to the APFL. According to the defunct UIFL website, seven teams had committed to play, with more to come.

XTREME FOOTBALL LEAGUE (2000)
The Xtreme Football League was a proposed indoor football league that was formed in early 1999, with the intent to begin play in 2000. The cities that were to take part in the league were: Birmingham, Greenville, Huntsville (Tennessee Valley), Jacksonville, Norfolk, Pensacola, Richmond, Roanoke and Tallahassee. Although a logo was developed and venues had begun to be lined up, the league merged with the af2 on July 29, 1999, one year before either league took the field.



Did I miss anyone?

[indoor fan]

Great list. As a side note, in 1988 there was the original World Indoor Football League. They had franchises, but never played a game. I know Mouse Davis was a coach for one of the teams. Anyone have any more info on this proposed league?

[Aaronhere]

The World Indoor Football League was a league that was to begin in 1988 to compete with the Arena Football League, which was playing its second season in 1988. Some of the teams in the league ran into financial trouble before their season was to begin, and thus the league never came to fruition.

The proposed 1988 WIFL lineup:
Eastern Division
Baltimore War Eagles (listed as the Baltimore Pride in the local papers)
Indiana Cougars (owned by John Mellencamp)
St. Louis Lightning (owned by former NFL player Stump Mitchell)
Western Division
Las Vegas Aces
San Antonio Texans (WIFL)
San Diego Thunder

Barbarians at the Gate -- The World Indoor Football League
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then the Arena Football League in 1988 was extended the greatest compliment of all. Coming off its quite successful inaugural campaign of 1987 the league faced a new challenge in `88. Attempting to capitalize on the instant sensation the AFL had created the previous summer the rival World Indoor Football League was born in March of 1988. The WIFL was put together in a rash with franchises being awarded in March and league play set to begin June 20. The St. Louis Lightning was the first franchise to be awarded on March 29, 1988. Then followed the Baltimore War Eagles, Indiana (Indianapolis) Cougars, Las Vegas Aces, San Antonio Texans and San Diego Thunder, all by April 28.

None of the WIFL`s proposed franchises would be competing directly with the AFL since the arena league had set up outposts in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New England (Providence, RI), Pittsburgh and Washington for the coming year. However, the AFL would take a stab at setting up clubs in Las Vegas, St. Louis and San Antonio in future seasons and now Indianapolis with the transplanted Firebirds.

A ten-game season was slated for the WIFL to begin on June 20 with the top teams in each division qualifying for the "World Bowl." Clubs were split into the Eastern Division: Baltimore, Indiana, St. Louis; and the Western Division: Las Vegas, San Antonio, San Diego. In contrast, the AFL schedule called for 12 regular-season games beginning April 29 and culminating in a four-team playoff for the ArenaBowl title.

The WIFL lined up places to play like the Baltimore Civic Arena, San Diego Sports Arena, St. Louis Arena and Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Owners included former NFL St. Louis Cardinals running back Stump Mitchell in St. Louis and rock star John Cougar Mellencamp in Indiana. The Indiana franchise even played off their owner`s middle name for their nickname. There were some notable coaches too. Former CFL head coach Don Matthews guided the Thunder in San Diego, University of Hawaii and World League coach Guy Benjamin was in Las Vegas, and Darryl "Mouse" Davis, an innovator in the "run and shoot" offense, took the reigns in St. Louis.

League founders Paul Zarynoff and Roger Gill planned on guaranteeing players $500 per game salary, or 34% of that game`s gate, whichever was higher. Clubs would consist of 17 active, 5 developmental and 1 reserve players per week.

The WIFL used many of the same rules as the Arena League, including end zone nets and dasher boards, but with a few notable exceptions. Unlike the AFL, if the ball struck the end zone nets the play would be ruled dead. This rule was amended because it was deemed trying to catch the pigskin off the nets with onrushing opponents was just too dangerous. An additional rule was that only one foot was needed in bounds for a reception, like college football.

But the biggest difference was offensive and defensive alignments. Like the AFL, the WIFL required an offensive set up of no more than eight players. On defense, however, the WIFL limited player participation to only SEVEN. All offenses would be playing with an eight on seven advantage! Arena Football League scores were high enough so with the defenses playing a man down, one could imagine an offense never being stopped.

The WIFL even obtained a TV contract with the now-defunct FNN-Score cable system. The AFL had a weekly live ESPN broadcast at the time.

The WIFL never got to try out it`s new style of play or enjoy the TV broadcasts as the league went belly-up before it`s initial campaign began. Baltimore and San Antonio ran into financial difficulties early and when Indiana ran into trouble the league ceased operations on June 9, just eleven days before it`s scheduled opener. The remaining three franchises (Las Vegas, St. Louis and San Diego) tried to enter the Arena League for 1989. The AFL, beset with it`s own growing pains, according to reports set expansion fees for those three clubs at $1-2 million each. The price being too steep, the WIFL died a quick death.

The Arena Football League had survived it`s first on-field challenge. Since then they have endured the IFL and IPFL to remain king of the arena/indoor hill.

http://www.arenafan.com/news/?page=origcol&article=222

[Jamie]

Since you note the GLIFL to CIFL name change, you should probably note the AIFL to AIFA change...

[preeths]

And PIFL to IPFL. Very good list, though.

[gonzo13]

Since you note the GLIFL to CIFL name change, you should probably note the AIFL to AIFA change...

There's actually some debate about the "name change" of the AIFL.

First, the "Atlantic Indoor Football League" did change it's name to the "American Indoor Football League" after the 2005 season, but when the formation of the AIFA was announced, it was billed as a new/different league, not just a new name for the AIFL.

However, most people involved with the AIFA talk about it like it was only a name change.

But I agree with preeths, it is a great list. Good work Aaron!

[nksports]

However, most people involved with the AIFA talk about it like it was only a name change.

It was more of a legal manouver to distance itself from a court judgement against AIFL founder Andrew Haines.

[gonzo13]

I agree, but if I say it like that I'll get scolded ;)

[Dan K]

Since you have mentioned some proposed leagues, here are a few more that never got off the ground:

American Indoor Football League (AIFL)--Developed in 2000 for a proposed 2001 first season with teams in the West and Northwest; disbanded prior to its start with some teams switching to the National Indoor Football League for its inaugural 2001 season.

Bonecrusher Indoor Football League or Southwest Indoor Football League--A Texas-based six-man indoor football league proposed for a June 2000 start that never happened.

Canadian Indoor Football League (CIFL)--Proposed in early 2001 for a 2002 start with east and west divisions, but never started league play.

Fast Paced Football League--A proposed indoor/outdoor, eight-man league in 2000 that never started league play.

Indoor Canadian Football League (ICFL)--League proposed around 2000-01, but never started; organizers had ties to the Canadian Football League and hoped to establish a relationship like the NFL and Arena Football League.

International Indoor Football League--Another Canada-based indoor league modeled after arenafootball2; proposed for 2002 or 2003, but never started.

National Pro Indoor Football League--Proposed U.S. indoor league affiliated with the international National Pro Minor League Football Conference (NPMLFC) around 2003-05, no longer listed on NPMLFC web site.

National Professional Indoor Football League--Proposed regional indoor league that hoped to grow around a Pittsburgh franchise in 2000-01; Huntington (WV) and Binghamton (NY) were also announced, but the league never developed.

Since you mentioned the semi-pro NAIFL, there was the semi-pro United States Inside Football League (USIFL), a Las Vegas area league that played from 2000 to 2004.

I keep an ongoing list of indoor football leagues along with a "Phantom Sports Franchise" (Copyright) list in each edition of "Leagues, Teams & Nicknames". The Fall/Winter 2006-07 edition is available on LuLu.com. I plan to add a "Phantom Sports League" (Copyright) list to the Spring/Summer 2007 edition.

By the way, does anyone know if the proposed San Antonio franchise in the 1988 WIFL was actually named the "Texians" or "Texicans", and not "Texans"?

[tony-o]

The United States Indoor Football League may have been an original name for the AIFL.

http://web.archive.org/web/20040901015059/http://usifl.com/

[dhstatman]

AIFL teams .....

Bay Bandits
South Oregon Heat
Yakima Shockwave
Hawaii Warriors

Not sure of them all...

Actually met the owner of the Bay Bandits. They were going to play in the Cow Palace I believe - Definitely they had dreams of the NIFL with that one....