Rock River Raptors
American indoor football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rock River Raptors were a professional indoor football team based in Rockford, Illinois that played from 2006 to 2009. The franchise competed in United Indoor Football (UIF) before joining the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) for its final two seasons.[1]
| Rock River Raptors | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| General information | |||
| Founded | 2005 | ||
| Folded | 2009 | ||
| Headquartered | Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, Illinois | ||
| Colors | Green, Black, White | ||
| Mascot | Vinnie | ||
| Personnel | |||
| Head coach | Dave Jones | ||
| President | Bob Lowe | ||
| Team history | |||
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| Home fields | |||
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| League / conference affiliations | |||
United Indoor Football (2005–2007)
Continental Indoor Football League (2008–2009)
| |||
| Championships | |||
| Division championships: 2 | |||
| Playoff appearances (4) | |||
Franchise history
2004–2006: Move to UIF and Rockford
In November 2004, owner Art Clarkson announced that the Tennessee Valley Vipers would leave af2 for the newly formed United Indoor Football.[2] The franchise was initially renamed the Tennessee Valley Pythons. In January 2005, it became the Tennessee Valley Raptors after af2 objected that the Pythons name might be confused with the Vipers.[3]
The Tennessee Valley Raptors moved from Huntsville, Alabama, to Rockford in 2006. After two seasons in UIF, they joined the CIFL for the 2008 season.[1] The franchise did not play in 2010 after failing to reach an agreement on an arena lease.[1]
Logos and uniforms
Original Rock River Raptors logo
Revised Rock River Raptors logo
Season-by-season
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Valley Raptors (UIF) | |||||
| 2005 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 3rd South | Won Round 1 (Fort Wayne) Lost Semifinals (Sioux City) |
| Rock River Raptors (UIF) | |||||
| 2006 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1st Central | Won Round 1 (Sioux City) Lost Semifinals (Lexington) |
| 2007 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1st East | Lost Round 1 (Bloomington) |
| Rock River Raptors (CIFL) | |||||
| 2008 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2nd Great Lakes West | Won GLD West Finals (Chicago) Lost GLD Championship (Kalamazoo) |
| 2009 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 3rd Western | -- |
| Totals | 41 | 28 | (including playoffs) | ||