Saginaw Sting

Saginaw Sting
Founded 2008
League CIFL 2008
IFL 2009[1]
UIFL 2011
CIFL 2012-present
Team history Saginaw Sting
2008-2009
2011-present
Arena Dow Event Center
Based in Saginaw, Michigan
Team colors Green, Orange
Owner Stuart Schweigert,
Rob Licht &
Tom O'Brien
Head coach Vince Leveille
Championships 2008 CIFL Champions
2011 UIFL Champions
Division titles 2008 CIFL Atlantic Division
Dancers Stingers[2]
Mascot Stanley Stinger[3]

The Saginaw Sting are a professional Indoor Football team based in Saginaw, Michigan. The team is currently a member of the Continental Indoor Football League. They began play in 2008 as an expansion team in the CIFL and then moved to the Indoor Football League for the 2009 season. They suspened opperations for the 2010 season before becoming an inaugural member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League.[4] The following season they were suspended by the UIFL and re-joined the CIFL. The Owners of the Sting are Stuart Schweigert, Rob Licht and Jim O'Brien. The Sting play their home games at The Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan.

Contents

Franchise history

Play begins: 2008

Original Team owners were Mike Johnson, Mike Trumbull, and Esteban Rivera, who also owned the Kalamazoo Xplosion.[5] On June 29, 2008, the Sting defeated the Xplosion 41-37 to win the CIFL Championship Game.

2008 season schedule

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
March 9 Flint Phantoms Away Won 51-25[6]
March 21 Marion Mayhem Home Won 54-48[7]
March 29 Miami Valley Silverbacks Away Won 70-26[8]
April 4 New Jersey Revolution Home Won 48-24[9]
April 11 Flint Phantoms Home Won 55-28[10][11]
April 19 Rochester Raiders Away Lost 43-59[12]
April 26 Rock River Raptors Away Lost 50-51[13]
May 2 Milwaukee Bonecrushers Home Won 51-28[14]
May 10 Fort Wayne Freedom Away Won 34-21[15]
May 24 Chicago Slaughter Home Won 53-28[16]
May 31 Milwaukee Bonecrushers Away Won 54-28[17]
June 6 Muskegon Thunder Home Won 60-23[18]
Playoff
June 14 Marion Mayhem (Playoffs) Home Won 41-34
June 23 Lehigh Valley Outlawz (Playoffs) Home Won 59-25
June 29 Kalamazoo Xplosion (CIFL Championship) Away Won 41-37

2008 CIFL Standings

Team Overall Division
W L T PCT W L T PCT
Great Lakes Conference
East Division
Kalamazoo Xplosion-y 11 1 0 .917 5 1 0 .833
Muskegon Thunder-x 5 7 0 .417 2 2 0 .500
Fort Wayne Freedom 5 7 0 .417 2 4 0 .333
Miami Valley Silverbacks 3 9 0 .250 1 2 0 .333
West Division
Chicago Slaughter-y 8 4 0 .667 3 1 0 .750
Rock River Raptors-x 7 5 0 .583 3 1 0 .750
Milwaukee Bonecrushers 1 11 0 .083 0 4 0 .000
Atlantic Conference
East Division
New England Surge-y 8 3 0 .727 5 1 0 .833
Lehigh Valley Outlawz-x 7 5 0 .583 4 2 0 .667
New Jersey Revolution 3 9 0 .250 2 5 0 .286
Chesapeake Tide 2 10 0 .583 0 2 0 .000
West Division
Rochester Raiders-z 12 0 0 1.000 4 0 0 1.000
Saginaw Sting-y 10 2 0 .833 3 1 0 .750
Marion Mayhem-x 7 5 0 .583 0 2 0 .000
Flint Phantoms 1 11 0 .083 0 4 0 .000

2009

A number of Sting and Xplosion players indicated at the end of the 2008 season that wages were in arrears from the owners. This led to an investigation of Johnson in his roll as Sting General Manager. Trumbull, owner of Triple Threat Sports in Battle Creek, and Rivera, a Battle Creek police officer, have offered a deal to split ownership of the two teams, with Trumbell and Rivera owning the Sting, and Johnson receiving the Xplosion. Trumbull and Rivera have indicated that they plan for the Sting to move to the new Indoor Football League.[1] The Sting looked to have put together a promising team with the re-signing of QB Damon Dowdell, and signing 2007 CIFL MVP, WR/RB Robert Height, but the team fared poorly on the field in the IFL.

2009 season schedule

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
March 13 Muskegon Thunder Away Won 16-9
March 20 RiverCity Rage Home Lost 41-55
March 29 Rochester Raiders Home Won 38-30
April 4 RiverCity Rage Away Lost 20-59
April 10 Muskegon Thunder Home Won 65-21
April 18 Bloomington Extreme Away Lost 38-48
April 25 RiverCity Rage Away Lost 29-60
May 1 Muskegon Thunder Away Lost 26-34
May 8 Maryland Maniacs Home Lost 32-41
May 16 Maryland Maniacs Away Lost 13-40
May 22 Bloomington Extreme Home Lost 42-44
May 30 Rochester Raiders Away Lost 13-48
June 5 Maryland Maniacs Home Lost 25-26
June 19 Sioux City Bandits Home Lost 23-53

2011

Main article: 2011 Saginaw Sting season

After not fairing well during their only season in the IFL, the Sting For the 2011 season, the team was purchased by San Diego based business man, Mike Esposito. Esposito announced that the team would play in the newly formed Ultimate Indoor Football League, which Esposito was also the league's commissioner. He hired Stuart Schweigert as the Sting's Director of Player Development.[19] The Sting went on to win the Ultimate Bowl, with quarterback Tommy Jones setting several UIFL passing records and claiming the Ultimate Bowl's MVP honors.

2011 season schedule

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
February 18 Eastern Kentucky Drillers Home Won 49-46
February 25 Johnstown Generals Home Won 59-41
March 13 Huntington Hammer Home Lost 37-38
March 21 Canton Cougars Away Lost 52-53
March 24 Eastern Kentucky Drillers Home Won 76-41
April 1 Johnstown Generals Away Won 33-29
April 9 Huntington Hammer Away Won 49-42
April 15 Canton Cougars Home Won 62-61
April 23 Northern Kentucky River Monsters Away Lost 56-64
April 29 Johnstown Generals Home Won 55-37
May 6 Northern Kentucky River Monsters Home Won 63-58
May 14 Canton Cougars Away Won 76-47
May 21 Johnstown Generals Away Lost 20-58
May 29 Huntington Hammer Away Lost 25-49

2011 UIFL standings

Team W L T PCT PF PA STK
y-Northern Kentucky River Monsters 11 3 0 .786 569 417 L1
x-Saginaw Sting 9 5 0 .643 473 415 L2
x-Eastern Kentucky Drillers 8 6 0 .571 390 373 W1
x-Huntington Hammer 7 7 0 .500 377 328 W2
Johnstown Generals 6 8 0 .429 292 416 W2
Canton Cougars 1 13 0 .071 370 522 L10

Coaching staff

2011 UIFL Champions Coaching Staff

Head Coach - Vince Leveille, Michigan Tech

Tommy Jones - Offensive Coordinator, University of Indiana

Paul Mattey - Offensive and Defensive Line, Quincy University

Terry Foster - Defensive Coordinator - Michigan Tech

Fred Townsend - Assistant Coach, Central Michigan University

Billy Maxy - Assistant Coach, Saginaw

Caroline Kinsey - Legal Counsel, Michigan State University

2012

On November 11, 2011, Esposito sold his rights to operate the team to Schweigert, Rob Licht and Jim O'Brien. The new ownership announced the same day that they would be moving the team back to the CIFL.[20]

2012 season schedule

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
March 18 Chicago Vipers Home
March 25 Indianapolis Enforcers Home
March 30 Evansville Rage Home
April 7 Chicago Vipers Away
April 14 Port Huron Patriots Away
April 20 Port Huron Patriots Home
April 27 Chicago Vipers Home
May 5 Indianapolis Enforcers Away
May 11 Dayton Silverbacks Home
May 19 Evansville Rage Away

2012 CIFL standings

Team W L T PCT PF PA PF (Avg.) PA (Avg.) STK SEA
Chicago Vipers 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 -- Details
Dayton Silverbacks 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 -- Details
Evansville Rage 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 -- Details
Indianapolis Enforcers 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 -- Details
Port Huron Patriots 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 -- Details
Saginaw Sting 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0 -- Details

y - clinched regular-season title

x - clinched playoff spot

Notable Players

Current Roster

Quarterbacks
  • Currently vacant

Running Backs

  • Currently vacant

Wide Receivers

  • Currently vacant
 Offensive Linemen
  • Currently vacant

Defensive Linemen

  • Currently vacant

Linebackers

  • Currently vacant
 Defensive Backs
  • Currently vacant

Kickers

  • Currently vacant
 Injured Reserve
  • Currently vacant

Exempt List

  • Currently vacant

Practice Squad

  • Currently vacant

Rookies in italics
[1] updated August 25, 2011
0 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS

→ More rosters

Awards and honors

The following is a list of all Saginaw Sting players who have won league Awards

Season Player Position Award
2011 Tommy Jones Quarterback 1st Team All-UIFL
2011 Phillip Smith Linebacker 1st Team All-UIFL
2011 Mike McFadden Defensive Lineman 1st Team All-UIFL
2011 LaVaughn Macon Wide Receiver 2nd Team All-UIFL
2011 Eric Brim Offensive Line 2nd Team All-UIFL
2011 Steve Michalek Offensive Line 2nd Team All-UIFL
2011 Tommy Jones Quarterback UIFL Offensive Player of the Year
2011 Tommy Jones Quarterback UIFL Ultimate Bowl I MVP

Head coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2011 Continental Indoor Football League season.

Name Term Regular Season Playoffs Awards
W L T Win% W L
Karl Featherstone 2008-2009 12 4 0 .750 3 0
Jason Lovelock 2009 1 10 0 .091 0 0
John Mize 2011 2 1 0 .667 0 0
Vince Leveille 2011- present 7 4 0 .636 2 0

Season-By-Season

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

Season W L T Finish Playoff results
Saginaw Sting (CIFL)
2008 10 2 0 2nd Atlantic West Won AD West Finals (Marion)
Won AD Championship (Lehigh Valley)
Won CIFL Championship (Kalamazoo)
Saginaw Sting (IFL)
2009 3 12 0 4th United Atlantic --
2010 Did Not Play
Saginaw Sting (UIFL)
2011 9 5 0 2nd UIFL Won UIFL Semifinals (Northern Kentucky)
Won UIFL Championship (Eastern Kentucky)
Saginaw Sting (CIFL)
2012 -- -- -- -- --
Totals 27 19 0 (including playoffs)

References

  1. ^ a b Mancina, Greg (2008-09-12). "Saginaw Sting ready to join new league while owners work to split their differences". The Saginaw News (Saginaw, Michigan: Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/sports/index.ssf/2008/09/saginaw_sting_ready_to_join_ne.html. Retrieved 2008-0-16. 
  2. ^ Brandt, Patti (2008-04-07). "Local women find high-energy fun on Saginaw Sting dance team". Bay City Times (Booth Newspapers). http://blog.mlive.com/bctimes/2008/04/local_women_find_highenergy_fu.html. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  3. ^ Mancina, Greg. "Saginaw Sting football team begins season". Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). http://blog.mlive.com/saginawnews/2008/03/saginaw_sting_football_team_be.html. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  4. ^ UIFL Website - Teams
  5. ^ Morgan, Wes (2008-04-18). "Xplosion owners juggling two teams". Kalamazoo Gazette (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/sports/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/120851041126370.xml&coll=7&thispage=1. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  6. ^ Nilsen, Dan (March 10, 2008). "Flint Phantoms lose CIFL debut to Saginaw Sting". Flint Journal (Booth Newspapers). Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20080313224000/http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/sports/index.ssf/2008/03/flint_phantoms_lose_cifl_debut_to_saginaw_sting.html. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 
  7. ^ "Down big in final period, Mayhem comeback falls just short against Sting". The Marion Star (Gannett Company). 2008-03-22. Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. http://nl.newsbank.com/cgi-bin/ngate/MSTB?ext_docid=mri44594360&ext_hed=Down+big+in+final+period%2C+Mayhem+comeback+falls+just+short+against+Sting&s_site=marionstar&ext_theme=gannett&pubcode=MSTB&usefield=sqn. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  8. ^ "Sting remain perfect, 70-26" (xml). Saginaw News (Saginaw, Michigan: Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/saginaw/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1206854435155280.xml&coll=9. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  9. ^ Mott, Geoff (2008-04-05). "Sting cruise past New Jersey, 48-24" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/saginaw/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1207372844104750.xml&coll=9. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  10. ^ Gunther, Bruce (April 12, 2008). "Phantoms fade after strong start". Flint Journal (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/flint/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/1207984809196170.xml&coll=5. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
  11. ^ Mancina, Greg (April 12, 2008). "Sting crazy" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/saginaw/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1207977634286730.xml&coll=9. Retrieved 2008-04-14. 
  12. ^ "Sting suffer first loss" (xml). Saginaw News (Saginaw, Michigan: Booth Newspapers). 2008-04-20. http://www.mlive.com/sports/saginawnews/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/120866883188690.xml&coll=9. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  13. ^ "Sting fall in final seconds" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). 2008-04-28. http://www.mlive.com/saginaw/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1209392416119590.xml&coll=9. Retrieved 2008-05-13. 
  14. ^ Mancina, Greg (2008-05-01). "Saginaw ends two-game slide with dominating performance" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/saginaw/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1209651634104940.xml&coll=9. Retrieved 2008-05-13. 
  15. ^ "Sting 'D' delivers at Fort Wayne" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). 2008-05-11. http://www.mlive.com/saginaw/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/121048324091770.xml&coll=9. Retrieved 2008-05-13. 
  16. ^ Mancina, Greg (2008-05-24). "STING INSIDER: Saginaw Sting beat Chicago Slaughter 53-28". Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/sports/index.ssf/2008/05/sting_insider_saginaw_sting_be.html. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  17. ^ "Sting win, 61-28". Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). 2008-06-01. http://www.mlive.com/saginaw/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1212297648143660.xml&coll=9. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  18. ^ Mancina, Greg (2008-06-01). "The Saginaw Sting cap their inaugural season with a 60-23 victory over visiting Muskegon". Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). http://www.mlive.com/saginawnews/sports/index.ssf/2008/06/the_saginaw_sting_cap_their_in.html. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  19. ^ Stuart Schweigert gets chance to spread football wings as Saginaw Sting director of player development
  20. ^ Kyle Austin (November 11, 2011). "Local ownership group, including Stuart Schweigert, purchase Saginaw Sting indoor football team". http://www.mlive.com/sports/saginaw/index.ssf/2011/11/local_ownership_group_includin.html. Retrieved December 13, 2011. 

External links

Saginaw Sting seasons
2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011
Teams
Players
Chicago Vipers roster • Dayton Silverbacks roster • Evansville Rage roster • Indianapolis Enforcers roster • Port Huron Patriots roster • Saginaw Sting roster • List of current Continental Indoor Football League team rosters
Head coaches
Richard Petroski Jr. (CHI) • Mister Askew (DAY) • Mike Goodpaster (EVANS) • K.C. Carter (IND) • John Forti (PH) • Vince Leveille (SAG)
Arenas
Odeum Expo Center (CHI) • Hara Arena (DAY) • Metro Sports Center (EVANS) • The Forum at Fishers (IND) • McMorran Arena (PH) • Dow Event Center (SAG)
Front office
Commissioner: Jeff Spitaleri  — Assistant Commissioner: Tommy Tyks  — Founders: Jeff Spitaleri • Eric Spitaleri
Seasons
2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012
Championships
2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011
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Ferris State (D-I hockey) • Grand Valley State • Hillsdale • Lake Superior State (D-I hockey) • Michigan Tech (D-I hockey) • Northern Michigan (D-I hockey) • Northwood • Saginaw Valley State • Wayne State (D-I hockey, women)