Indoor Football This Week
by Danny Burnham
Published on August 20, 2009 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
So here we are at the end of another indoor football season. Congrats to all the champions and congrats to all those for surviving another year.
While we had our share of problems which many of us are too quick to point out, there is no need to beat the proverbial dead horse, that's what messageboards are for. Besides, there were too many good things that happened this season to focus solely on the negatives.
For instance, the bar was raised on how games should be delivered to fans, both in terms of webcasts, and post game coverage. Some of that credit could go to the fans themselves. Indoor football fans are incredible.
It looks like the standard by which leagues select team owners may have also changed for the better. Maybe one day soon we will see solid ownership across the board.
So now we start silly season and I can't figure out what the heck is going to happen, especially after the apparent demise of the Arena Football League. There's no telling where players, coaches, or teams will end up.
So here's a look at all the leads. I'll follow up with the top ten stories of the season and silly season goings on, then we all turn our focus to the bright lights - Friday Night Lights, Saturday Night Lights and Sunday and Monday Night Lights. But don't forget the indoor game, this time of year can be just as interesting as the on-field action.
Alphabet soup anyone?
AIFA
Championship: Reading defeats Wyoming
Best Player: Rob Flowers, QB, Reading Express
Coach: Bernie Nowotarski, Reading Express
Best Franchise: Columbus Lions
Best Game: Utah defeats Ogden 70-69 in OT. Utah dug themselves out of a 24 point hole to pull off the win.
Highlights: Promising new franchises in Utah and South Carolina, Bernie gets a ring he deserves. Baltimore was strong. Quality of play was good overall.
CIFL
Championship: Chicago defeats Ft. Wayne
Best Player: Russ Michna, QB, Chicago Slaughter
Coach: Steve McMichael, Chicago Slaughter
Best Franchise: Chicago. They were perfect, OK?
Best Game. Ft. Wayne defeats Marion 49-40 in the Eastern Division championship.
Highlights: Chicago was perfect. Ft. Wayne overcame obstacles to reach the championship
IFL
Championship: Billings defeats River City
Best Player: Darius Fudge, Wichita Wild
Coach: Heron O'Neal, Billings Outlaws
Best Franchise: Wichita Wild
Best Game: Sioux Falls defeats Rochester.
Highlights: El Paso and Abilene had strong debut seasons. Billings proved it's in the indoor football elite with the second championship in team history.
SIFL
Championship: Louisiana defeats Austin
Best Player: John Paul Jones, Louisiana Swashbucklers.
Coach: Darnell Lee, Louisiana Swashbucklers
Best Franchise: Louisiana almost by default, but Austin was a good expansion team.
Best Game: Austin defeats Louisiana and gives the rest of the league brief hope for the rest of the season.
Highlights: Louisiana three-peats. New owners go into three markets and help the league finish solid. League webcasts and web site during playoffs were solid presentations ... and free.
Indoor Football League Stories from August 20, 2009
- Indoor Football This Week - OSC Original by Danny Burnham
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
