Northern Kentucky River Monsters

Northern Kentucky River Monsters
Founded 2010
Folded 2014
League UIFL (2011)
CIFL (2014)
Division South
Team history Northern Kentucky River Monsters (2011, 2014)
Based in Highland Heights, Kentucky
Arena The Bank of Kentucky Center
Colors Green and Black
Owner(s) Jill Chitwood
Head coach Mike Goodpaster
General manager John Jackson
Playoff berths 2: (UIFL: 2011, CIFL: 2014)
Dancers River Girls Dance Crew

The Northern Kentucky River Monsters were a professional indoor football team based in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The River Monsters began play as a charter member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) for its inaugural 2011 season spending one season in the UIFL before reaching an agreement with league management to leave. After a two-year hiatus, the River Monsters returned in 2014 as a member of the South Division of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). The River Monsters played their home games at The Bank of Kentucky Center. On June 6, 2011, it was announced that the UIFL and the River Monsters mutually agreed to part ways, leaving the team free to join another league. However, the UIFL had a lease agreement with the arena, which hampered the likelihood the River Monsters would play in Highland Heights in 2012. The team had been mentioned as a charter member Stadius Football Association in 2012, but that league never got off the ground. The team suspended operations on October 1, 2014.[1]

History

2011

Announced as startup team for the newly formed Ultimate Indoor Football League in 2010, the team was purchased by Jill Chitwood from the UIFL in February 2011.[2] Just a week before the season began, team General Manager, Jared Lorenzen, relieved himself of his duties as general manager, and became the quarterback for the franchise.[3] In the River Monsters first ever game they defeated the Canton Cougars by a score of 63–41.[4] With a week 9 win over the Saginaw Sting, the River Monsters had clinched a postseason berth in their first season,[5] clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs.[6] After wrapping up the season, the UIFL had discovered that the River Monsters had been paying their players over the league's salary cap. The UIFL stripped the River Monsters of the #1 seed and made them the #4 seed, taking away the River Monster's chance to earn playoff money.[7] The River Monster now traveled to Saginaw, Michigan to play the Sting, where the Sting upset the River Monsters 48–47.[8] On June 6, 2011, it was announced that the UIFL and the River Monsters mutually agreed to part ways, leaving the team free to join another league. However, the UIFL had a lease agreement with the arena (establishing a paper franchise named the Kentucky Monsters to hold onto the lease), which hampered the likelihood the River Monsters would play in Highland Heights in 2012. The team had been mentioned as a charter member Stadius Football Association, but that league never got off the ground.[9][10]

2014

After a two-year layoff, the River Monsters announced that they would be returning to an active team, joining the Continental Indoor Football League for the 2014 season.[11][12] In the River Monsters' first game of the season, listed as 320 pounds, Jared Lorenzen showed that he still had plenty of athleticism. Lorenzen's play was filmed and the videos ended up all over the internet, overshadowing the River Monster's 36–20 victory of the Bluegrass Warhorses.[13] Head coach Brian Schmidt was fired on February 22, and was replaced by defensive coordinator Mike Goodpaster.[14] Goodpaster was able to salvage the season after losing Lorenzen to injury in week 2, going 5–2 down the stretch, defeating the Dayton Sharks the final week of the season to clinch the final South Division playoff spot.[15]

On October 1, 2014, the team announced that they were suspending operations effective immediately.[16]

Notable players

Roster

Northern Kentucky River Monsters roster
Quarterbacks
  • 10 Antonio Davis

Running backs

  • 14 Clay Cunningham
  •  6 Maurice Douse

Wide receivers

  • 11 Aric Evans
  •  8 Willie Idlette
  •  3 Ricardo Lenhart
  •  5 Ahoma Maxwell
  •  9 Shawn McGarity
Offensive linemen
  • 77 Bob Beeler
  • 55 Thomas Gholston
  • 74 Matt Money

Defensive linemen

  • 57 D'arrell Brown
  • 52 Rico Middlebrooks
  • 99 Luke Scarborough
Linebackers
  •  1 David James
  • 48 Tommie McBride
  • 37 Santino Turnbow

Defensive backs

  • 12 Butch Abshire
  • 32 David Hampton
  •  4 T. J. Harris
  • 21 Marcus Lancaster
  • 23 Dekota Marshall
  •  7 Jeff Ward

Kickers

  • 13 Dustin Zink
Injured reserve

Exempt list

  • Currently vacant

Rookies in italics
Roster updated February 17, 2013
24 Active, 1 Inactive

→ More rosters

Awards and honors

The following is a list of all Northern Kentucky River Monsters players who won league awards

Season Player Position Award
2011 Thomas McKenzie Defensive Lineman UIFL Defensive Player of the Year
2011 Jared Lorenzen Quarterback UIFL MVP

All-league players

The following River Monsters players were named to all-league teams:

Head coaches

Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards
W L T Win% W L
Rodney Swanigan 2011 11 3 0 .786 0 1
Brian Schmidt 2014 2 1 0 .667 0 0
Mike Goodpaster 2014-present 5 2 0 .714 0 1

Season-by-season results

League Champions Conference Champions Division Champions Wild Card Berth League Leader
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
Finish Wins Losses Ties
2011 2011 UIFL 1st 11 3 0 Lost UIFL semifinals (Sting) 47–48
2014 2014 CIFL South 2nd 7 3 0 Lost South Division Championship (Blue Racers) 40–56
Totals 18 6 0 All-time regular season record (2011–2014)
0 2 - All-time postseason record (2011–2014)
18 8 0 All-time regular season and postseason record (2011–2014)

References

  1. ↑ River Monsters to Suspend Operations Effective Immediately, Team website, October 1, 2014
  2. ↑ "Chitwood Assumes River Monsters Ownership". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. February 10, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ Richard Skinner (February 24, 2011). "Jared Lorenzen lured back to field". www.cincinnati.com. Gannett. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  4. ↑ "River Monsters defeat Cougars". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. February 25, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ "River Monsters Clinch Playoff Berth". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. April 24, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Northern Kentucky Torches Top-Scoring Defense, Clinches Home Field". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. May 22, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Northern Kentucky Penalized by UIFL is Eastern Kentucky's Gain". www.nationofblue.com. Nation of Blue LLC. May 24, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  8. ↑ Kyle Austin (June 3, 2011). "http://www.mlive.com/sports/saginaw/index.ssf/2011/06/saginaw_sting_earn_berth_in_ul.html". www.mlive.com. MLive Media Group. Retrieved July 19, 2013. External link in |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "FireHawks joining new league". www.wane.com. WANE. June 30, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  10. ↑ Tom Davis (July 2, 2011). "Fire Wayne FireHawks to try again in new 2012 league". The News-Sentinel. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Northern Kentucky River Monsters Emerge from the "Swamp"". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. July 23, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
  12. ↑ Adam Turer. "River Monsters burst back on the scene". www.cincinnati.com. Gannett. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ Paul Dehner Jr. (February 9, 2014). "Jared Lorenzen's CIFL opening performance goes viral". www.cincinnati.com. Gannett. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  14. ↑ Mike Perleberg (February 27, 2014). "Goodpaster Is River Monsters' New Head Coach". www.eaglecountryonline. Wagon Wheel Broadcasting. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  15. ↑ Mike Perleberg (May 7, 2014). "Goodpaster Improves To 5-2 With River Monsters; Takes Team To Playoffs". www.eaglecountryonline. Wagon Wheel Broadcasting. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  16. ↑ River Monsters to Suspend Operations Effective Immediately, Team website, October 1, 2014
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