Southern Indoor Football League

The Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in 2009[1] and the American Indoor Football Association, which traces its roots to the founding of the Atlantic Indoor Football League in 2005. The SIFL broke up into three regional leagues after the 2011 season.

Southern Indoor Football League
Most recent season or competition:
2011 SIFL season
SportIndoor football
Founded2008
FounderThom Hager
Inaugural season2009
CEOThom Hager
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		Albany Panthers
Related
competitions		AIF
Official websiteSouthernIFL.com

History

2009 season

Based in Texas and Louisiana, it had five teams for its inaugural season. The Acadiana Mudbugs, Austin Turfcats, Houma Conquerors, Texas Hurricanes, and Louisiana Swashbucklers are the teams that comprised the first season. The 2009 SIFL staff included Commissioner Dan Blum, Director of Operations Robert Winfrey, Director of Communications Dan Ryan, Director of Quality Control Bryan Shoemaker and Director of Creative Services Scott Blanchard. The first round of the playoffs had #1 Louisiana defeating #4 Houma, and #2 Austin defeating #3 Acadiana. The inaugural SIFL season concluded with the President's Cup Championship Game which saw the Louisiana Swashbucklers defeat the Austin Turfcats 59-38.

2010 season

The second season of the SIFL played with five teams. The loss of the Austin Turfcats, Houma Conquerors, and Texas Hurricanes were countered with the addition of the Albany Panthers, Columbus Lions, and Greenville Force. The Lafayette Wildcatters, who changed its name from the Acadiana Mudbugs, and the Louisiana Swashbucklers returned for the 2010 season. The 2010 SIFL staff included Commissioner Dan Blum, Director of Operations Robert Winfrey, Director of Communications Matthew Hester, and Director of Quality Control Bryan Shoemaker.

2011 season
Main article: 2011 SIFL season

After the 2010 season, the Greenville Force was dropped from the SIFL. With the exit of the Force, the SIFL added the Alabama Hammers, Houston Stallions, Mobile Bay Tarpons, Rio Grande Valley Magic, and Trenton Steel for the 2011 season. At the same time, the Abilene Ruff Riders and Corpus Christi Hammerheads made the move to the SIFL from the IFL. Gary Tufford took over the reins of the league as Commissioner and built the SIFL into the 16 team league that would compete in the 2011 season.

On November 9, 2010, the SIFL announced its merger with the East Division of the American Indoor Football Association, adding the Carolina Speed, Erie Explosion, Harrisburg Stampede, and Richmond Raiders.[2] It was thought that the Fayetteville Guard would also move to the SIFL but another sports marketing group from Fayetteville announced it would field a new team from the Fayetteville market independent to the Guard.[3] This brought the league total to 16 clubs. In March 2011 it was reported that sports management company Fanteractive was acquiring the league (as well as owning the Trenton and Fayetteville teams), with plans to make it "interactive" by giving fans a voice in team decisions.[4]

The Lafayette Wildcatters suspended operations the day before the 2011 season started[5] and the Mobile Tarpons folded roughly a month into the 2011 season.

Breakup

A June 2011 New York Times article noted the league's instability.[6] In September 2011, the majority of teams in the SIFL broke off to join two new leagues, the Texas-based Lone Star Football League and the Southeast-based Professional Indoor Football League. The remaining three teams were claimed by the revived American Indoor Football Association. The SIFL itself has been silent since July 2011, and its Web site was taken down several months later and it is assumed that the league is completely defunct.

Former teams

Timeline
Trenton SteelRio Grande Valley MagicRichmond RaidersMobile Bay TarponsHouston StallionsHarrisburg StampedeFayetteville ForceErie ExplosionCorpus Christi HammerheadsCarolina SpeedAlabama HammersAbilene Ruff RidersGreenville ForceColumbus LionsAlbany PanthersTexas HurricanesLouisiana SwashbucklersHouma ConquerorsAustin TurfcatsLafayette Wildcatters

Champions

President's Cup
YearWinnerLoserScore
2009Louisiana SwashbucklersAustin Turfcats59-38
2010Columbus LionsLouisiana Swashbucklers68-13
2011Albany PanthersLouisiana Swashbucklers69-48

Award winners and notable players

2009 SIFL Award winners
  • MVP: Kimmie Lewis (Acadiana)
  • Offensive Player of the Year: Marcus Wilridge (Louisiana)
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Kimmie Lewis (Acadiana)[12]
  • Special Teams Players of the Year: Tommy Hebert (Louisiana) and Darric Wallace (Austin)
  • Lineman of the Year: John Paul Jones (Louisiana)[13]
  • Coach of the Year: Darnell Lee (Louisiana)[14]
  • Franchise of the Year: Louisiana Swashbucklers[15]

2010 SIFL Award winners
  • MVP: Cecil Lester (Albany)
  • Offensive Player of the Year: Chris McCoy (Columbus)
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Damian Daniels (Columbus)[16]
  • Special Teams Player of the Year: Trey Crum (Columbus)
  • Lineman of the Year: Franklin Lloyd (Columbus)
  • Coach of the Year: Lucious Davis (Albany)
  • Franchise of the Year: Albany Panthers[17]

2011 SIFL Award winners
  • MVP: Adam DiMichele (Erie)
  • Offensive Player of the Year: Kevin Concepcion (Erie)
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Damian Daniels (Columbus)
  • Special Teams Player of the Year: Craig Camay (Trenton)
  • Coach of the Year: Gerald Dockery (Houston)[18]

References
  1. Ponthieux, Mickel (2008-11-19). "Southern Indoor Football League is born - Sulphur, LA - Southwest Daily News". Sulphurdailynews.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  2. "SIFL and AIFA Announce Merger - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  3. "New indoor football team coming to Fayetteville". FayObserver.com. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  4. Kitchenman, Andrew (March 14, 2011). "Getting fans out of seats, and behind bench". NJBIZ. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  5. "Lafayette Wildcatters Not Fielding a Team This Season | KATC.com | Acadiana-Lafayette, Louisiana". KATC.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  6. Tanier, Mike (June 27, 2011). "Staying in the Game on Football's Fringe". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  7. "SIFL finds new team to replace Florida Kings". The Houma Courier. May 27, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  8. Cassandra McAboy. "End of the line for Mobile Bay Tarpons? Coach Willie Gaston says team didn't make last game". al.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  9. "Erie Explosion joins new league | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News". Goerie.com. 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  10. RGV Magic Get Arena League Of Their Own by Clay Williams (2011-09-13). "RGV Magic Get Arena League Of Their Own : Sports". ValleyCentral.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  11. Michael Mancuso / The Times of Trenton. "Trenton Steel throw in the towel (with video)". NJ.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  12. "Kimmee Lewis named 2009 SIFL MVP - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2009-07-25. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  13. "LA's Jones Named SIFL Lineman Of The Year; SIFL Names Fans Of The Year - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  14. "Lee Named SIFL Coach Of The Year". southernifl.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-07.
  15. "SIFL Lists 2009 Front Office Winners". 2009-12-04. Archived from the original on 2009-12-04.
  16. "Lester and Daniels Top List of 2010 SIFL Award Winners - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2010-07-13. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  17. "Lions, Panthers Rivalry Resumes This Saturday - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  18. "Sifl Names 2011 MVPs, Coach of the Year - OurSports Central - Independent and Minor League Sports News". OurSports Central. 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
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