Myrtle Beach Freedom
The Myrtle Beach Freedom were a professional indoor football team based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and played their home games at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. They were a member of American Indoor Football for one season until the league ceased operations in the summer of 2016.
| Myrtle Beach Freedom | |
|---|---|
| Established 2015 Folded 2016 Played in Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina MyrtleBeachFreedom.com | |
 | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
American Indoor Football (2016)
| |
Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Navy blue, red, silver, white |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Ronnie McCuin |
| General manager | Ronnie McCuin |
| Head coach | Ryan David (2016) Terrance Foster (interim) |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (0) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Playoff appearances (1) | |
| |
| Home arena(s) | |
The Freedom were the second indoor football team to call Myrtle Beach home, following the Myrtle Beach Stingrays of the National Indoor Football League, which only played part of the 2003 season in Myrtle Beach before moving to Florence, South Carolina, the following season.
History
The Freedom had originally joined X-League Indoor Football (X-League), but the Freedom were forced to choose a new league after the X-League ceased operations. The Freedom joined American Indoor Football (AIF) in October, 2015.[1]
On April 19, 2016, the Freedom replaced coach Ryan David with Terry Foster.[2] Coach David, along with two assistant coaches, resigned from the team in protest of what they considered dangerous conditions for their players.[3] Coach Foster came from the recently defunct travelling team, the Steel City Menace.
Following the conclusion of the 2016 season, the AIF announced that it was ceasing operations, thus leaving the Freedom without a league. The Freedom's assets ended up in the hands of the Myrtle Beach Sharks, who wore the Freedom's uniforms throughout their brief existence in Arena Pro Football.
In March 2017, the Freedom and the AIF were sued for providing unsafe field conditions during their May 23, 2016, home game against the Columbus Lions. Two of the Lions' players, Christopher Donnell Smith and David Toussaint, claim the turf came loose from the floor, which then caught their feet causing permanent damage to their knees and ending their careers.[3]
Final roster
| 2016 Myrtle Beach Freedom roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Kickers
|
Injured reserve
Exempt list
| |||
Final staff
| Myrtle Beach Freedom staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
|
Head coach
Assistant coaches
| |||||
Statistics and records
Season result
| League champions | Division champions | Playoff berth | League leader |
| Season | League | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | ||||||
| 2016 | AIF | Southern | 3rd | 4 | 4 | 0 | Lost Northern Semifinals (Ironmen) 37–78 | ||
| Totals | 4 | 5 | 0 | All-time record (2016) | |||||
Head coaches' records
| Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||
| Ryan David | 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | — | — | |
| Terry Foster | 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 1 | |
2016 season
| 2016 Myrtle Beach Freedom season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ronnie McCuin |
| General manager | Ronnie McCuin |
| Head coach | Ryan David Terry Foster (interim) |
| Home field | Myrtle Beach Convention Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–4 |
| Division place | 3rd |
| Playoff finish | Lost Northern Semifinals (Ironmen) 37–78 |
Key: Win Tie Loss Bye
Exhibition
All start times were local to home team
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||||
| 1 | Sunday | March 6 | 7:05pm | Carolina Dynasty | W 49–22[5] | 1–0 | Myrtle Beach Convention Center |
| 2 | Monday | May 9 | 7:05pm | South Carolina Ravens | W 43–20 | 2–0 | Myrtle Beach Convention Center |
Regular season
All start times were local to home team
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | ||||||
| 1 | BYE | ||||||
| 2 | BYE | ||||||
| 3 | BYE | ||||||
| 4 | BYE | ||||||
| 5 | Monday | March 28 | 7:05pm | Savannah Steam | W 34–33[6] | 1–0 | Myrtle Beach Convention Center |
| 6 | Saturday | April 2 | 7:05pm | at Central Florida Jaguars | W 47–34[7] | 2–0 | Lakeland Center |
| 7 | Monday | April 11 | 7:05pm | Georgia Firebirds | L 20–49[8] | 2–1 | Myrtle Beach Convention Center |
| 8 | Saturday | April 16 | 7:05pm | at Columbus Lions | L 15–65[9] | 2–2 | Columbus Civic Center |
| 9 | Saturday | April 23 | 7:05pm | at Georgia Firebirds | L –56[10] | 2–3 | Albany Civic Center |
| 10 | Sunday | May 1 | 7:05pm | at Atlanta Vultures | W 2–0 (by forfeit) | 3–3 | Georgia International Convention Center |
| 11 | BYE | ||||||
| Cancelled | |||||||
| 12 | Monday | May 16 | 7:05pm | Carolina Commandos | W 83–18 | 4–3 | Myrtle Beach Convention Center |
| 13 | Monday | May 23 | 7:05pm | Columbus Lions | L 15–52[11] | 4–4 | Myrtle Beach Convention Center |
| 14 | BYE | ||||||
Standings
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | PF (Avg.) | PA (Avg.) | STK | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Lions | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 599 | 174 | 74.9 | 21.8 | W8 | ||
| Florida Tarpons | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 | 489 | 202 | 61.1 | 25.3 | W4 | ||
| Myrtle Beach Freedom | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 259 | 307 | 32.4 | 38.4 | L1 | ||
| Savannah Steam | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 264 | 336 | 33.0 | 42.0 | L1 | ||
| Georgia Firebirds | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 236 | 350 | 29.5 | 43.8 | L2 | ||
| Central Florida Jaguars | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 219 | 483 | 27.4 | 60.4 | L1 | ||
| Atlanta Vultures | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | 67 | 141 | 11.2 | 23.5 | L5 | ||
Playoffs
When the playoff schedule was initially announced, the Freedom were set to play the Southern Division's second-seeded Florida Tarpons. On May 30, the Freedom replaced the Northern Division's fourth-seeded Central Penn Capitals against the West Michigan Ironmen. The Freedom's former position was replaced by the Southern Division's fourth-seed, the Savannah Steam.
| Round | Day | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div. Semifinals | Saturday | June 4 | 7:05pm | at West Michigan Ironmen | L 37–78[12] | L. C. Walker Arena |
References
- "Myrtle Beach Freedom indoor football team switches leagues". www.myrtlebeachonline.com. Myrtle Beach Online. October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
- "Myrtle Beach Freedom hire new coach after ugly split with inaugural one". Myrtle Beach Online. April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- "After mangling their knees during indoor football games in Myrtle Beach, former players sue team, league". My Horry News. March 20, 2017.
- "Myrtle Beach Freedom hire new coach after ugly split with inaugural one". Myrtle Beach Online. April 19, 2016.
- Ryan Elswick (March 6, 2016). "Myrtle Beach Freedom top Carolina Dynasty in first-ever contest". www.myrtlebeachoneline.com. Myrtle Beach Online. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- Ryan Elswick (March 29, 2016). "Myrtle Beach Freedom rally late to win inaugural regular-season tilt". www.myrtlebeachoneline.com. Myrtle Beach Online. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- James Bennett Jr. (April 2, 2016). "Central Florida Jags fall 47-34 to Myrtle Beach Freedom". www.theledger.com. The Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
- "Georgia Firebirds win again". www.albanyhearald.com. Albany Herald. April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- Dana Barker (April 9, 2016). "Lions remain undefeated with another rout". www.ledger-enquirer.com. Ledger-Enquirer. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- Nolan Imsande (April 23, 2016). "Change at QB leads Georgia Firebirds to victory". www.albanyhearald.com. Albany Herald. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- "Columbus Lions tuneup for playoffs with win over Myrtle Beach". www.ledger-enquirer.com. Ledger-Enquirer. May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- Mark Opfermann (June 6, 2016). "Muskegon sports briefs: Ironmen, Mustangs win; Risers fall in soccer". www.mlive.com. MLive Media Group. Retrieved June 13, 2016.