NIFL - NATIONAL INDOOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE
ATLANTIC EAST
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| CHARLESTON | FAYETTEVILLE | GREENSBORO |
| SAND SHARKS | GUARD | REVOLUTION |
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| MONTGOMERY |
| MAULERS |
ATLANTIC NORTH
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|---|---|---|
| CINCINNATI | DAYTON | RIVER CITY |
| MARSHALS | BULLDOGS | RAGE |
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| TENNESSEE |
| RIVER SHARKS |
ATLANTIC SOUTH
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|---|---|---|
| FLORIDA | LAKELAND | OSCEOLA |
| FRENZY | THUNDERBOLTS | FOOTBALL |
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| PALM BEACH |
| PHANTOMS |
PACIFIC NORTH
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|---|---|---|
| BIG SKY | BILLINGS | TRI-CITIES |
| THUNDER | OUTLAWS | FEVER |
PACIFIC SOUTH
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|---|---|---|
| ARKANSAS | BEAUMONT | KATY |
| STARS | DRILLERS | COPPERHEADS |
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| TWIN CITY |
| GATORS |
PACIFIC WEST
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|---|---|---|
| LINCOLN | RAPID CITY | WYOMING |
| CAPITOLS | FLYING ACES | CAVALRY |
Above is the alignment for the 2006 season of the NIFL. There have yet again been huge changes in the league. Three former Intense Football League teams -- the Corpus Christi Hammerheads, Odessa Roughnecks, San Angelo Stampede -- along with the Southwest Louisiana Swashbucklers, have left the league to reform the IFL. The Everett Hawks have left for AF2, while the Rome Renegades left for the AIFL. The Miami Morays, New Jersey Xtreme, Daytona Beach Hawgs, Dayton Warbirds and Lubbock Gunslingers have all folded. The Billings Mavericks have become the Outlaws again. The Kissimmee Kreatures are now Osceola Football. They were going to play as the Outlaws, but Billings took the name back before the season started. And there is no longer any mention of 2005's so-called "inactive" teams -- the Houma Bayou Bucks, Atlantic City Card Sharks, Tri-City Diesel and Utah Warriors.
There also several new teams -- the Katy (TX) Copperheads, Rapid City (SD) Flying Aces, Dayton (OH) Bulldogs, Tennessee (Chattanooga) River Sharks, Greensboro (NC) Revolution, Charleston Sand Sharks, Palm Beach (FL) Phantoms, Big Sky (MT) Thunder, Arkansas (Fayetteville) Stars and Twin City (Monroe, LA) Gators.
Finally, the league has already announced expansion for 2007 even though the 2006 season is only half-done. Teams include the Charlotte Fusion, Hammond (LA) Heroes, Jacksonville Stallions, and a return of the Lubbock (TX) Gunslingers. The Heroes and Stallions were both slated to play this year, but could not for whatever reason.
HISTORICAL TEAMS
ATLANTIC CITY CARD SHARKS
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| 2004 |
The Card Sharks are a new franchise for the 2004 season. They play their home games in Atlantic City, NJ. The team is considered in active for the 2005 season.
ARKANSAS STARS
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| 2006 - present |
The Stars play their home games in Fayetteville, AR.
AUSTIN KNIGHTS / AUSTIN ROCKERS
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|---|---|---|
| 2002 | pre 2003 | 2003 |
| AUSTIN KNIGHTS | AUSTIN ROCKERS | AUSTIN ROCKERS |
The Knights played their home games in Austin, TX. They changed their name to the Rockers for the 2003 season. After the Arena Football League announced a franchise named the Wranglers would be based in Austin in 2004, the Rockers folded.
BIG SKY THUNDER
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| 2006 - present |
The Thunder play their home games in Bozeman, MT.
BILLINGS OUTLAWS / BILLINGS MAVERICKS
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|---|---|---|
2001 (?) |
2002 |
2003 - 2004 |
BILLINGS OUTLAWS |
BILLINGS OUTLAWS |
BILLINGS OUTLAWS |
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2005 |
2006 - present |
BILLINGS MAVERICKS |
BILLINGS OUTLAWS |
The Outlaws play their home games in Billings, MT. As the Outlaws, the team made it the the Championship in 2002, before falling to the Greyhounds, 55-52. Following the 2004 season, the team was sold, or re-organized, and became the Mavericks for 2005. The team again changed hands, or had a change of heart, and became the Outlaws again for 2006
I honestly have no idea if the 2001 helmet pictured was actually used. That was their logo, but the helmet may have been the same as the 2002 version.
BISMARCK ROUGHRIDERS
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| 2002 - 2003 |
The Roughriders played their home games in Bismarck, ND.
BLACK HILLS RED DOGS / RAPID CITY RED DOGS
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|---|---|---|
| 2001- 02 (?) | 2003 | 2004 |
| RAPID CITY RED DOGS | RAPID CITY RED DOGS | BLACK HILLS RED DOGS |
The Red Dogs played their home games in Rapid City, SD. They played as the Rapid City Red Dogs until 2003. They left the league following the 2004 season to help form the UIF.
There may have been other variations of the Red Dogs helmet. Any help tracking them down is much appreciated.
CAROLINA STINGRAYS / MYRTLE BEACH STINGRAYS
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|---|---|
| 2003 | 2004 |
| MYRTLE BEACH STINGRAYS | CAROLINA STINGRAYS |
The Stingrays originated in Myrtle Beach, SC. After some financial trouble almost forced the team to fold, the team moved to Florence, SC, and became the Carolina Stingrays a few weeks into the 2004 season.
CHARLESTON SAND SHARKS
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| 2006 - present |
The Sand Sharks play their home games in Charleston, SC.
CINCINNATI MARSHALS / WACO MARSHALLS
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| 2004 | 2005 - present |
| WACO MARSHALLS | CINCINNATI MARSHALS |
The Marshals were a new franchise for the 2004 season. They played their home games in Waco, TX. Following the season, the team was sold and relocated to Cincinnati, OH. They have changed helmets for 2005. All I can tell is they are silver with a black tapered stripe. They may have the same logo on the sides, but I need better evidence before I add the helmet.
COLORADO VENOM
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| 2004 |
The Venom were a new franchise for the 2004 season, based in Fort Collins, CO. They only played one or two games before folding.
CORPUS CHRISTI HAMMEREHEADS
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| 2005 |
The Hammerheads played their home games in Corpus Christi, TX. They were members of the Intense Football League in 2004 and joined the NIFL after the IFL disbanded. Following the season, the team left the NIFL for a revived IFL in 2006.
DAYTON BULLDOGS
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| 2006 - Present |
The Bulldogs play their home games in Dayton, OH. They maybe a reorganized Dayton Warbirds franchise, but as I don't know what the actual relationship is between the two teams, I separated their entries.
DAYTON WARBIRDS
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|---|---|---|
| 2005 (first few games ) | 2005 | |
The Warbirds played their home games in Dayton, OH. The team had an interesting short history. They were originally announced as an expansion franchise following the 2004 season. Following an internal league dispute, they left to help create the rival UIF. However, prior to the start of the inaugural UIF season, and the first for the team, they were expelled from the league, most likely for financial reasons. They then re-joined the NIFL just in time for the start of their season. I believe they may have played as an exhibition team in 2005 instead of a full-fledged franchise. Following the season they were either folded or were sold and eventually became the Bulldogs (see above)
The team started the season using plain silver helmets with black face masks. They switched to the second helmet above sometime after the first game of the season.
DAYTONA BEACH HAWGS
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| 2005 |
The Hawgs played their home games in Daytona Beach, FL. They folded after a single season
EVANSVILLE BLUECATS
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| 2003 | 2004 |
The Blue Cats played their home games in Evansville, IN. They left the NIFL following the 2004 season to help form the rival UIF.
In 2004, the team wore orange helmets with no logo, and perhaps no stripes, for at least one game.
EVERETT HAWKS
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| 2005 |
The Hawks played their home games in Everett, WA. Following a single season in the NIFL, they left to join AF2, which was looking to expand into the Pacific Northwest.
FAYETTEVILLE GUARD
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| 2005 (first game) | 2005 - Present |
The Guard play their home games in Fayetteville, NC. The team wore plain black helmets for at least the first game of the 2005 season, possibly longer, before switch to the second helmet shown above. The team was originally known as the Flames prior to the start of the season.
FLORIDA FRENZY / MIAMI MORAYS
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|---|---|
| 2004 - 2005 | 2006 - Present |
| MIAMI MORAYS | FLORIDA FRENZY |
The Morays played their home games in Hollywood, FL. Following the 2005 season, the team was in serious financial trouble. They were either sold or re-organized and returned in 2006 as the Florida Frenzy. I only say this because they play in the same arena and wear almost identical uniforms.
FORT WAYNE FREEDOM
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| 2003 - 2004 |
The Freedom play their home games in Fort Wayne, IN. They left the NIFL following the 2004 season to help form the rival UIF.
GREENSBORO REVOLUTION
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| 2006 - present |
The Revolution play in Greensboro, NC.
HOUMA BAYOU BUCKS
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| 2002 - 2005 |
The Bayou Bucks played their home games in Houma, LA. The team was considered "inactive" for the 2005 season, with hopes to return in 2006. However, the team has failed to resurface and it more than likely defunct.
JOHNSTOWN J-DOGS
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| 2001 |
The J-Dogs played their home games in Johnstown, PA. I believe this team was related in some way to the Johnstown Jackals of the old IFL.
KATY COPPERHEADS
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| 2006 - present |
The Copperheads play in their home games in Katy, TX.
KISSIMMEE KREATURES
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| 2005 |
The Kreatures played their home games in Kissimmee, FL. The either folded or were sold following the 2005 season.
LaCROSSE NIGHT TRAIN
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| 2001 - 02 | 2003 |
The Night Train played their home games in LaCrosse, WI.
LAKELAND THUNDEDRBOLTS
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| 2005 - Present |
The Thudnerbolts play their home games in Lakeland, FL.
LEXINGTON HORSEMEN
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2003 - 2004 |
The Horsemen played their home games in Lexington, KY. They left the NIFL following the 2004 season to help form the rival UIF.
LINCOLN CAPITALS
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| 2001 - Present |
The Capitols have a long history. They started out as the Lincoln Lightning in the old IFL from 1999-2000. They moved to the AF2 for 2001. After a single season, they left for the NIFL and were reborn as the Capitols.
LOUISIANA BAYOU BEAST
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| 2001 |
The Bayou Beast played in the PIFL/IPFL before joining the NIFL. They played their home games in Monroe, LA.
LOUISIANA RANGERS / BEAUMONT DRILLERS
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|---|---|---|
| 2001 - 02 | 2003 - 2004 | 2005 - Present |
| LOUISIANA RANGERS | BEAUMONT DRILLERS | BEAUMONT DRILLERS |
The Rangers played in the PIFL/IPFL before joining the NIFL. They played their home games in Alexandria, LA. The team moved to Beaumont, TX, and became the Drillers in 2003.
LUBBOCK GUNSLINGERS
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| 2005 |
The Gunslingers played their home games in Lubbock, TX. In 2004, they played as the Lubbock Lone Stars in the Intense Football League. They were the only "Intense" team that didn't leave the NIFL after a year to reform the IFL. They are considered "inactive" for 2006, with hopes to return the field in 2007. If history proves correct however, we've probably seen the last of the Gunslingers.
MISSISSIPPI FIRE DOGS
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| 2001 - 2002 |
The Fire Dogs played in the PIFL/IPFL before joining the NIFL. The Fire Dogs won the first league championship, Indoor Bowl I, beating the Wyoming Cavalry 55-21. They played their home games in Biloxi, MS.
MOBILE SEAGULLS
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|---|---|
| 2001 | 2001 |
The Seagulls played in the PIFL/IPFL before joining the NIFL.
I have no idea when exactly the second helmet was worn, but more than one contributor insists that the football playing seagull was on the helmet at sometime during the season.
MONTGOMERY MAULERS
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| 2005 - Present |
The Maulers play their home games in Montgomery, AL.
NEW JERSEY XTREME / STATEN ISLAND XTREME
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2004 |
2005 |
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STATEN ISLAND EXTREME |
NEW JERSEY EXTREME |
The Xtreme were a new franchise for the 2004 season, playing in Staten Island, NJ. For 2005, they changed their name to the New Jersey Xtreme, and may have changed location as well, as their home office was listed as being in Rutherford, NJ. They apparently folded following the 2005 season.
OSCEOLA FOOTBALL
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| 2006 - present |
Osceola Football play their home games in Kissimmee, FL. The team was original known as the Outlaws, but the Billings Mavericks still owned the rights to their old name and decided to bring it back in 2006. The Osceola franchise was forced to start the season without a nickname. It is unlikely that they will continue to play without a name past the 2006 season.
The team apparently has some relation to the 2005 Kissimmee Kreatures, who were apparently sold following the season and became the Osceola club. However, unlike some other NIFL franchises, there is no "official" word on the connection between the two teams.
ODESSA ROUGHNECKS
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| 2005 |
The Roughnecks played their home games in Odessa, TX. In 2004, they played as members of the Intense Football League. They were quite successful, going undefeated (16-0) during the regular season before losing in the playoffs.
Following the 2005 season, the Roughnecks left the NIFL to help reform the IFL for the 2006 season.
OHIO VALLEY GREYHOUNDS
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| 2001 - 2002 | 2003 - 2004 |
The Greyhounds play their home games in Wheeling, WV. They have won the last two championships, beating the Billings Outlaws in 2002 and the Utah Warriors in 2003. The team is apparently a reorganized version of the Steel Valley Smash of the old IFL. They even include information about the Smash on their current web site.
The Greyhounds left the league following the 2004 season to help form the rival UIF.
OKLAHOMA CRUDE / ROME RENEGADES
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|---|---|---|
2002- 2004 |
2005 |
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OKLAHOMA CRUDE |
ROME RENEGADES |
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The Crude played their home games in Enid, OK. Following the 2004 season, they moved to Rome, GA, and changed their name to the Renegades. They are not to be confused with former NIFL team the River City Renegades, who currently play as the Rage.
Following a successful 2005 season which saw the Renegades lose in the championship game, the team left the NIFL to join the upstart AIFL.
OMAHA BEEF
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| 2002 | 2003 - 2004 |
The Beef played in the IPFL before joining the NIFL. They left the league following the 2004 season to help form the rival UIF.
PALM BEACH PHANTOMS
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| 2006 - present |
The Phantoms play their home games in Palm Beach, FL.
RAPID CITY FLYING ACES
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| 2006 - present |
The Flying Aces play their home games in Rapid City, SD.
RIVER CITIES LOCOMOTIVES
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| 2001 | 2001 |
The Locomotives played their home games in Huntington, WV.
I've seen photos of the helmet worn without a logo, so I've included it. I'm not sure if the blank helmet was worn in any actual games, or just practice, however.
RIVER CITY RAGE / RIVER CITY RENEGADES / SHOW ME BELIEVERS
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| 2002 | 2003 - 2004 | 2005 - Present |
| RIVER CITY RENEGADES | SHOW ME BELIEVERS | RIVER CITY RAGE |
The Renegades played their home games in St. Charles, MO. The Renegades folded with three games left in 2002 and their remaining games were played by the St. Joseph Explorers (see below). The Renegades played in the IPFL before joining the NIFL.
The team resurfaced in 2003 as the Show Me Believers. Missouri is the "Show Me" state. One interesting note about the Believers helmet above -- the outermost blue stripe actually gets thicker toward the back of the helmet, not visible in the image above.
Following the 2004 season, the Believers were sold and changed their name to the River City Rage.
SAN ANGELO STAMPEDE
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| 2005 |
The Stampede played their home games in San Angelo, TX. They were members of the Intense Football League in 2004. Following the 2005 season, the team was sold. Under new ownership, the Stampede left the NIFL to help reform the IFL, as the San Angelo Stampede Express.
SIOUX CITY BANDITS
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|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 - 2004 |
The Bandits play their home games in Sioux City, IA. They left the league following the 2004 season to help form the rival UIF.
SIOUX FALLS STORM
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|---|---|
| 2001 | 2002 - 2004 |
The Storm played their home games in Sioux Falls, SD. They left the league following the 2004 season to help form the rival UIF.
SOUTHERN OREGON HEAT / EUGENE MERCURY
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|---|---|
| 2001 | 2002 (?) |
| SOUTHERN OREGON HEAT | EUGENE MERCURY |
The Heat played their home games in Medford, OR. The team was slated to move to Eugene, OR, I suspect that the Mercury never actually played in 2002, folding before the start of the season, and that both the helmets above were worn by the Heat in 2001.
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA SWASHBUCKLERS / LAKE CHARLES LAND SHARKS
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|---|---|
2001 - 2004 |
2005 |
LAKE CHARLES LAND SHARKS |
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA SWASHBUCKLERS |
The Land Sharks played their home games in Lake Charles, LA. Following the 2004 season, they reorganized as the Swashbucklers. After the season, the team decided to leave the NIFL and help reform the Intense Football League for 2006, as the Louisiana Swashbucklers.
ST. JOSEPH EXPLORERS
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| 2002 (last 3 games) |
The Explorers replaced the Renegades for the last three games of 2002, after the River City team folded. They are Presently a part of the APFL.
TENNESSEE RIVER SHARKS
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| 2006 - present |
The River Sharks play their home games in East Ridge, a suburb of Chattanooga, TN.
TENNESSEE THUNDERCATS / TENNESSEE RIVERHAWKS / GREENVILLE RIVERHAWKS
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|---|---|---|
2002 |
2003 |
2004 (first game ?) |
TENNESSEE THUNDERCATS |
TENNESSEE RIVERHAWKS |
GREENVILLE RIVERHAWKS |
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|---|
2004 |
GREENVILLE RIVERHAWKS |
The Thundercats were a part of the IPFL before joining the NIFL. The team played in Knoxville, TN. The team became the Riverhawks following for the 2003 season. They moved to Greenville, SC, for the 2004 season.
The team nearly folded after the start of the 2004 season. The league took control of the team and moved them to Lancaster, PA. They were still known as the Greenville Riverhawks, but they played the rest of the season on the road and their logo changed from green to blue. They also wore different uniforms, with blank silver helmets with black facemasks.
Following the season, the team left the league again, only to resurface as part of another rival league, the American Indoor Football League, or AIFL, as the Johnstown Riverhawks.
TRI CITIES FEVER
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| 2005 - Present |
The Fever play their home games near Kennewick, WA. They beat the Rome Renegades in the 2005 Championship to cap a very successful inaugural season.
TRI CITY DIESEL
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| 2001 - 2005 |
The Diesel played their home games in Kearney, NE. They were considered "inactive" for the 2005 season, which means they have most likely folded.
TUPELO FIREANTS
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|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2002 - 2003 | 2004 |
The Fire Ants played their home games in Tupelo, MS. Following the 2004 season, the team left the league to help form the rival UIF.
TWIN CITY GATORS
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| 2006 - present |
The Gators play their home games in Monroe, LA.
UTAH EXPRESS / UTAH RATTLERS
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|---|---|
| 2001 | 2001 |
| UTAH EXPRESS | UTAH RATTLERS |
The Utah Express and Rattlers were the same franchise. They were either sold mid-season or the owners simple changed the name. I have no idea when the change took place. The team played their home games in Provo, UT.
UTAH WARRIORS
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|---|---|
| 2003 | 2004 - 2005 |
The Warriors play their home games in West Valley City, UT, near Provo, UT. They made it all the way to the championship game in their rookie season, before falling to the Greyhounds, 45-37.
The gold center stripe on the original helmet appeared to actually be patterned after a sword in some photos I've seen, complete with an handle on the back of the helmet. However, I can't tell if the stripe/sword comes to a point in the front as a "real" sword would. The current helmet stripe is definitely a silver and gold sword, similar to the ones seen in the logo.
The team was considered "inactive" for the 2005 season. The team's ownership group has secured an Arena Football League franchise, the Utah Blaze, to begin play in 2006. I suspect with the move to the "big time", we have seen the last of the Warriors.
WICHITA FALLS THUNDER
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| 2004 |
The Thunder played their home games in Wichita Falls, TX. I assume they folded after a single season.
WINSTON-SALEM ENERGY
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|---|---|---|
| pre 2002 | 2002 (?) | 2002 (?) |
The Energy played their home games in Winston-Salem, SC.
I've seen the first helmet used as a promotional item, but I'm not sure if it was ever used in a game. I have photos of a helmet similar to the second and third designs above, however, I don't which color was used -- purple or black, or whether both were used at some point during the season. Any confirmation of this would be much appreciated.
WYOMING CAVALRY
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| 2001 - Present |
The Cavalry play their home games in Casper, WY.
YAKIMA SHOCKWAVE
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|---|
| 2001 |
The Shockwave played their home games in Yakima, WA.
COMMENTS
The NIFL began in 2001 with 18 teams. The first season was a mix of teams departing from the faltering IPFL, the folding IFL and new franchises. The league was founded on the notion of "providing inexpensive family entertainment and quality football action." The league played its first game March 28, 2001 and completed a 16 game schedule with the Mississippi Fire Dogs defeating the Wyoming Cavalry in Indoor Bowl I, August 4, 2001.
The league expanded to 21 teams in 2002, and again to 24 teams in 2003. As with many small market leagues however, teams seem to change owners, locations and names with alarming frequency. In 2002 alone, 10 of the 21 teams were new. The Fire Dogs, champions in 2001, were out of the league by 2003. Still, the league seems relatively stable, with a strong fan base and web presence. The NIFL has even stuck around longer than any the indoor leagues that preceded it. The league expands again in 2004, to 26 teams, five of which are new to the league. There was a great upheaval following the 2004 season. First the league announced a merger with the Texas-base Intense Football League, as well as several new franchises to begin play in 2005. Several teams, fearing the league was expanding too fast and abandoning its regional outlook, left the league to form the rival United Indoor Football league (UIF). Unphased, the NIFL pushed forward, expanding into Florida, Texas and the Pacific Northwest. They even took in the Dayton Warbirds, a team that originally planned to play in the UIF.
I've done all I can with this page. If you have any additional information, it would be much appreciated. I especially need to know what the new 2005 helmets look like.