Indoor Football League
Sportindoor football
Founded1999
FounderKeary Ecklund
Inaugural season1999
Ceased2000
CEOKellen Winslow
MottoWall to Wall War
No. of teams13
CountryUnited States
Last
champion(s)		Green Bay Bombers (1999)
Peoria Pirates (2000)[1]

The Indoor Football League (IFL) began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an "entity league"; teams were owned by the league and franchised out to management groups. NFL Hall-of-Famer Kellen Winslow was brought in as commissioner. The league was successful enough for a major expansion in 2000. Expansion was done regionally to cut down on travel expenses. Hence, the majority of the teams were in the Midwest. Their championship game was known as the Gold Cup.

Midway through the 2000 season, the Topeka Knights changed management and nicknames and became the Kings. After the season, the entire league was purchased by the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators. Two teams, the Lincoln Lightning and Peoria Pirates, as well as many players, became a part of their developmental ("farm") league, the AF2.[2] The Wichita Warlords were rebranded the Wichita Stealth. Other teams resurfaced with new names in the Indoor Professional Football League (which consisted of the remnants of the PIFL that Ecklund left in 1999) and the National Indoor Football League.

Teams

1999 teams

North Division

1. y-Peoria Pirates, 11-1

2. x-Green Bay Bombers, 9-3

3. Madison Mad Dogs, 6-6

4. Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks, 1-11

South Division

1. y-Lincoln Lightning, 7-5

2. x-Dayton Skyhawks, 6-6

3. Topeka Knights, 6-6

4. Steel Valley Smash, 2-10

  • y – clinched division
  • x – clinched wild card

2000 teams

Eastern Conference

Northern Division

1. z-Peoria Pirates (14-0)

2. x-Green Bay Bombers (10-4)

3. x-Madison Mad Dogs (8-6)

4. Minnesota Purple Rage (5-9)

5. Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks (2-12)

6. La Crosse River Rats (2-12)

Southern Division

1. y-Steel Valley Smash (9-5)

2. x-Erie Invaders (6-8)

3. x-Dayton Skyhawks (6-8)

4. Johnstown Jackals (3-11)

5. Flint Flames (2-12)

Western Conference

Northern Division

1. z-Bismarck Blaze (11-3)

2. x-Black Hills Machine (10-4)

3. x-Casper Cavalry (9-5)

4. Billings Thunderbolts (8-6)

5. Fargo Freeze (1-13)

Southern Division

1. y-Topeka Knights/Kings (10-4)

2. x-Lincoln Lightning (10-4)

3. x-Sioux City Attack (9-5)

4. Sioux Falls Cobras (8-6)

5. Wichita Warlords (4-10)

  • z – clinched conference
  • y – clinched division
  • x – clinched wild card

Failed Franchises/Expansion

  • Iowa Voltage - announced as member of, but never actually played, in the league. [3] [4]

Playoffs

1999 Playoffs

Semifinals 1999 Gold Cup
      
3 Lincoln 34
2 Green Bay 44
2 Green Bay 63
1 Peoria Pirates 60
4 Dayton 40
1 Peoria 41

2000 Playoffs

Rapid City, South Dakota Topeka, Kansas
6 Casper 32
3 Black Hills 21
3 Black Hills 75 Bismarck, North Dakota
2 Topeka 26
Western Conference
Lincoln, Nebraska 2 Topeka 29
Bismarck, North Dakota
1 Bismarck 38
5 Sioux City 52 Western Conference Championship
5 Sioux City 14
4 Lincoln 38 Peoria, Illinois
1 Bismarck 30
Wild Card playoffs
Divisional playoffs
Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin W1 Bismarck 42
Wheeling, West Virginia
E1 Peoria 69
6 Dayton 23 2000 Gold Cup
3 Green Bay 10
3 Green Bay 64 Peoria, Illinois
2 Steel Valley 21
Eastern Conference
Madison, Wisconsin 2 Steel Valley 55
Peoria, Illinois
1 Peoria 75
5 Erie 22 Eastern Conference Championship
4 Madison 13
4 Madison 34
1 Peoria 25

References

  1. ↑ "Various Football League Champions". World of Football. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  2. ↑ Paul Reeths (October 20, 2000). "arenafootball2 acquires IFL". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  3. ↑ Iowa Voltage logo, LogoShak.com
  4. ↑ Iowa Voltage Minor League Football, Our Sports Central
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