UIF Sioux Falls Storm

Sioux Falls Storm Look to Break Professional Football Record

May 8, 2007 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Sioux Falls Storm News Release


The Sioux Falls (SD) Storm of the United Indoor Football Association (UIF) is on the verge of two prestigious feats among the professional football ranks. First, the Storm is looking to set the record for most consecutive victories in professional football history. The consecutive wins record is currently held by the Ohio Valley Greyhounds. Between 2002 and 2003, the Greyhounds managed to win an astonishing 27 games in a row when they were members of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The Greyhounds and Storm both were founding members of the UIF in the winter of 2004.

With the Storm's victory over the Colorado Ice last Saturday, the Storm currently sits at 26 consecutive games won. The Storm last lost on July 15, 2005 to the Sioux City Bandits in Sioux City, IA. Sioux Falls is currently 6-0 on the 2007 season. The Storm will tie the record if they are victorious on Saturday, May 12 vs. Sioux City at the Sioux Falls Arena. During the streak the Storm has outscored opponents 1,242 to 778. In the 26 hours of football played since the Storm's last loss, the Storm have been behind for only 4 hours, 35 minutes, and 29 seconds. The Storm has been outscored in only 18 of the 104 quarters of play during the streak.

The second milestone that the Storm is trying to accomplish is winning three championships in a row. The Storm won the UIF title in 2005 and 2006. Only the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns have won at least three consecutive championships in the history of professional football. The Packers managed to do it twice (1929-31 and 1965-67) and the Browns won four consecutive championships as a part of the All-American Football Conference (1946-49).

The 2000 season marked the first year of indoor football in Sioux Falls as the Sioux Falls Cobras took the field in the Indoor Football League in the spring of 2000. After one season the team changed its name and changed leagues before the 2001 season. The Sioux Falls Storm was born and spent 2001-2004 in the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). In 2003, the Storm hired former team quarterback Kurtiss Riggs to lead them on the field as head coach. Riggs continues to lead the team to this day and has been the most successful coach in Sioux Falls professional sports history. In 2004, the team lost the NIFL Championship to the Lexington Horsemen.

The 2005 season marked another year of change for the Storm organization as the team joined the United Indoor Football Association. The Storm finished the 2005 regular season with an 8-8 record and barely qualified for the playoffs. The Storm went on the road to defeat the Omaha Beef and Lexington Horsemen to qualify for United Bowl I. The Storm traveled to Sioux City, IA to battle the Sioux City Bandits in the UIF's inaugural championship game. Sioux Falls again came out on top to win the championship on a field goal with three seconds left in the game. The 2006 season was one of the most successful in indoor football history as the Storm finished the regular season with an unblemished 15-0 record. The team hosted the Lexington Horsemen in United Bowl II. The championship was again exciting as the back-and-forth action led Sioux Falls to a 72-64 victory and a perfect 17-0 season. The Storm joined the 1948 Cleveland Browns, 1972 Miami Dolphins, 2000 Peoria Pirates, and 2003 Ohio Valley Greyhounds as the only professional football teams to finish with an undefeated season.

The United Indoor Football Association is the premier indoor football league of North America. The UIF consists of 11 teams divided into a Western Conference and Eastern Conference. The season runs from the end of March to United Bowl which will take place the first weekend of August.



United Indoor Football Association Stories from May 8, 2007


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