X-League Gains Edge
October 15, 2014 - X-League (X-League) News Release
(Palm Harbor, FL) | The X-League is pleased to announce the Bloomington Edge as the newest and 11th member of the league. The Edge will begin their quest for an XBowl Championship in March of 2015. "I'm thrilled to have another established team join the league for the 2015 season. The Edge adds another team in our Northern Region and they have a great facility in the U.S. Cellular Coliseum," said X-League Commissioner Michael Mink. This addition helps in reducing travel for the Northern and Western teams and will create a close rivalry with the 2014 X-League Regular Season Champions, the St. Louis Attack. The short distance between teams will allow Edge and Attack fans to more easily see their team on the road.
The Bloomington Edge began play in the Indoor Football League during the 2012 season. The team finished 10-5, but lost in the first round of the playoffs. In 2013 the Edge joined the Champions Professional Indoor Football League would finish with a 5-7 record in 2013 and again in 2014. The Edge plays their home games at the U.S. Coliseum in Bloomington, IL. "We are excited to continue our ninth straight season of Professional Indoor Football at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum and to kick off play in the X-League" said U.S. Cellular Coliseum General Manager Bart Rogers. "The ownership group has the experience both on and off the field to take the program back where it needs to be from a business standpoint and the longtime Edge Football Coaching Staff will continue to lead the franchise on the field". The 2015 Bloomington Edge ticket pricing, front office staff, press conference and more will be announced in the next few weeks.
Head Coach John Johnson will return to coach the Edge for the 2015 season and will be a partowner of the team. "I'm excited to return to the Edge this season. Our goal is to increase our presence in the community and improve our team on the field. The X-League is a growing league with established programs that continue to put a great product on the field. I look forward to the challenge and will work hard to have a team the entire Bloomington area can be proud of," said Head Coach John Johnson. Coach Johnson graduated from Northern Michigan in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree. After college, John worked as the Administrative Assistant and Special Teams Assistant for the Green Bay Packers. From 1989-1993 he assisted the Head Coach with day-to-day responsibilities of running the team. After four seasons in Wisconsin, John became the Head Coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College. Johnson started in Bloomington as the Special Teams Coordinator and Co-Offensive Coordinator. He is currently the Head Coach and part-owner heading into his seventh year with the Edge.
The full roster of X-League teams now includes the Alabama Outlawz, Bloomington Edge, Cape Fear Heroes, Corpus Christi Fury, Florida Marine Raiders, Marion Blue Racers, Florida Tarpons, Georgia Rampage, Rio Grande Valley Sol, Savannah Steam, and St. Louis Attack. The XLeague is still reviewing expansion applications as well as communicating with additional established teams about joining the existing 11 teams that make up the X-League. This process is expected to be completed by the end of October with the official schedule and alignment planned to be released in November. The current line-up of teams is expected to grow further as we get closer to the 2015 X-League Season. "Live on the Edge in 2015" at www.bloomingtonedge.net
• Discuss this story on the X-League message board...
X-League Stories from October 15, 2014
- X-League Gains Edge - X-League
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
