2016 Indoor Football League season

2016 IFL season
League Indoor Football League
Sport Indoor Football
Duration February 20, 2016 – July 23, 2016
Regular season
Season MVP Charles McCullum (Wichita Falls)
Playoffs
Intense champions Spokane Empire
  Intense runners-up Nebraska Danger
United champions Sioux Falls Storm
  United runners-up Cedar Rapids Titans
2016 United Bowl
Champions Sioux Falls Storm
  Runners-up Spokane Empire

The 2016 Indoor Football League season was the eighth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Playing with ten teams in two conferences spread across the United States, the league's regular season kicked off on February 20, 2016 and ended on June 24, 2016. The playoffs were held in three rounds, with the top seed in each conference receiving a first-round bye as the second and third seeds face each other in the conference semifinal (both division winners had automatic bids, and the third seed was a wild card), with the winner of that game facing the top seed in a conference championship game followed by the winners of those games meeting in the United Bowl.[1]

Teams

All ten teams from the previous season were scheduled to return, and a new team called the Spokane Empire joining the IFL. The team was originally going to be called the Spokane Shock after the owner of the franchise decided to leave the Arena Football League on September 1, 2015, for the IFL due to easier regional travel. However, on October 12, 2015, the AFL released a statement saying that the franchise and the AFL could not come to terms over the purchase and use of the Shock identity (name, logos, colors, etc.) and that the AFL has retained the rights to the identity.[2] In addition, the IFL accepted the expansion franchise of the Minnesota Havok. Two teams retained their locations but changed their team name; the former Colorado Ice changed its name to the Colorado Crush,[3] and the former Bemidji Axemen changed their name to the Minnesota Axemen.[4]

The IFL originally announced that it would continue with a two-conference format, but would return to having two divisions in each conference, with each of the 12 teams playing 16 games during the 18-week regular season. This was two more teams, games, and weeks than the numbers as played in the 2015 IFL season.[5] However, prior to the season, the league terminated the two Minnesota teams and returned to a division-less two conference format.

Team Location Arena Capacity Founded Joined
United Conference
Cedar Rapids Titans Cedar Rapids, Iowa U.S. Cellular Center 6,900 2012 2012
Green Bay Blizzard Green Bay, Wisconsin Resch Center 8,600 2003 2010
Iowa Barnstormers Des Moines, Iowa Wells Fargo Arena 15,181 1995 2015
Sioux Falls Storm Sioux Falls, South Dakota Denny Sanford Premier Center 10,678 2000 2009
Wichita Falls Nighthawks Wichita Falls, Texas Kay Yeager Coliseum 7,380 2013 2015
Intense Conference
Billings Wolves Billings, Montana Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark 7,000 2015 2015
Colorado Crush Loveland, Colorado Budweiser Events Center 5,289 2007 2009
Nebraska Danger Grand Island, Nebraska Eihusen Arena 6,000 2011 2011
Spokane Empire Spokane, Washington Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena 10,771 2015 2016
Tri-Cities Fever Kennewick, Washington Toyota Center 6,000 2005 2010

Expansion/Contraction

On September 9, 2015, the IFL announced the Minnesota Havok would join the league for the 2016 season. The Havok were to play their home games at Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato, Minnesota,[6] however, the league terminated the franchise prior to the start of the season for failing to meet league obligations.[7][8]

On November 25, 2015, the Minnesota Axemen franchise was terminated by the league for failing to meet the league's operational standards and commitments.[9]

Standings

2016 Intense Conference
W L T PCT PF PA GB STK
y-Spokane Empire 12 4 0 .750 815 709 -- L2
x-Billings Wolves 8 8 0 .500 643 647 4.0 W2
x-Nebraska Danger 6 10 0 .375 765 794 6.0 W1
Colorado Crush 4 12 0 .250 849 914 8.0 W2
Tri-Cities Fever 3 13 0 .188 577 758 9.0 L9
2016 United Conference
W L T PCT PF PA GB STK
y–Sioux Falls Storm 15 1 0 .938 951 720 -- W11
x–Cedar Rapids Titans 12 4 0 .750 781 628 3.0 W7
x–Wichita Falls Nighthawks 11 5 0 .688 1001 861 4.0 W2
Green Bay Blizzard 5 11 0 .313 682 932 10.0 L1
Iowa Barnstormers 4 12 0 .250 737 838 11.0 L7

Playoffs

  Wild Card Round     Conference Championships     2016 United Bowl
                           
  United Conference     3 Nebraska 44  
  3 Nebraska 64     1 Spokane 55    
  2 Billings 52         I1 Spokane 34
      U1 Sioux Falls 55
  Intense Conference     2 Cedar Rapids 28    
  3 Wichita Falls 36     1 Sioux Falls 54  
  2 Cedar Rapids 66  

Awards

Individual season awards

Award Winner Position Team
Most Valuable Player Charles McCullum Quarterback Wichita Falls Nighthawks
Offensive Player of the Year Demarius Washington Wide Receiver Colorado Crush
Defensive Player of the Year Jeremiah Price Defensive Lineman Cedar Rapids Titans
Special Teams Player of the Year Korey Williams Wide Receiver Sioux Falls Storm
Offensive Rookie of the Year Trevor Kennedy Running Back Spokane Empire
Defensive Rookie of the Year Jabari Gorman Defensive Back Nebraska Danger
Most Improved Award Markeith Summers Wide Receiver Green Bay Blizzard
Adam Pringle Award Peter Evans Offensive Lineman Iowa Barnstormers
Coach of the Year Billy Back Head Coach Wichita Falls Nighthawks

1st Team All-IFL

Offense
QuarterbackCharles McCullum, Wichita Falls
Running backTrevor Kennedy, Spokane
Wide receiverDemarius Washington, Colorado
Brady Roland, Iowa
Jordan Jolly, Wichita Falls
Offensive tackleMyniya Smith, Sioux Falls
Dave Lefotu, Spokane
CenterCharlie Sanders, Sioux Falls
Defense
Defensive lineJeremiah Price, Cedar Rapids
Brandon Peguese, Sioux Falls
Xzavie Jackson, Cedar Rapids
LinebackerTyler Knight, Sioux Falls
Defensive backMichael Green, Billings
Rashard Smith, Colorado
Jabari Gorman, Nebraska
Robert Brown, Spokane
Special teams
KickerRockne Belmonte, Wichita Falls
Kick returnerKorey Williams, Sioux Falls

2nd Team All-IFL

Offense
QuarterbackCharles Dowdell, Spokane
Running backTyler Williams, Wichita Falls
Wide receiverMarkeith Summers, Green Bay
O. J. Simpson, Nebraska
Bryan Pray, Iowa
Offensive tackleJames Atoe, Colorado
A. J. Harmon, Cedar Rapids
CenterNathaniel Ryan, Billings
Defense
Defensive endBenjamin Perry, Spokane
Walter Thomas, Wichita Falls
Claude Davis, Sioux Falls
LinebackerNikolas Sierra, Cedar Rapids
Nick Haag, Spokane
Defensive backBoubacar Cissoko, Tri-Cities
Elijah Fields, Sioux Falls
Dee Maggitt, Jr., Tri-Cities
Special teams
KickerNicholas Belcher, Cedar Rapids
Kick returnerChevelle Buie, Green Bay

[10]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150922icfb35
  2. ↑ AFL Issues Statement on Spokane Shock, ArenaFootball.com, October 12, 2015
  3. ↑ http://www.goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150715zpxpvt
  4. ↑ "INDOOR FOOTBALL: It’s official: Hello ‘Minnesota’ Axemen". Bemidji Pioneer. September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  5. ↑ http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20151006lulie0
  6. ↑ "Minnesota Havok Join IFL". Indoor Football League. September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Minnesota Havok Fold Before Season Starts". Mankato Free Press. January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". OurSportsCentral. February 1, 2016.
  9. ↑ IFL Issues Statement on Minnesota Axemen, IFL website, November 25, 2015
  10. ↑ "2016 All-IFL Teams Announced". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
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