2016 Indoor Football League season

January 2025 2016 IFL season Indoor Football League Indoor Football February 20, 2016 – July 23, 2016 10 Regular season Charles McCullum (Wichita Falls) Playoffs Intense Spokane Empire Nebraska Danger United Sioux Falls Storm Cedar Rapids Titans 2016 United Bowl Sioux Falls Storm Spokane Empire List of Indoor Football League seasons IFL 2015 Indoor Football League season 2015 2017 Indoor Football League season 2017 The 2016 Indoor Football League season was the eighth season of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Playing with ten teams in two conferences located primarily in mid-level cities in the central 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 facing 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. http://www.goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150922icfb35 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20151124083413/http://www.goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150922icfb35 2015-11-24 IFL Concludes Annual Meetings - Indoor Football League Teams All ten teams from the previous season were scheduled to return, and a new team called the Spokane Empire joined 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.AFL Issues Statement on Spokane Shock, ArenaFootball.com, October 12, 2015 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, http://www.goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150715zpxpvt dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150716150020/http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150715zpxpvt 2015-07-16 Introducing the Colorado Crush - Indoor Football League and the former Bemidji Axemen changed their name to the Minnesota Axemen.http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/sports/3847564-indoor-football-its-official-hello-minnesota-axemen INDOOR FOOTBALL: It's official: Hello 'Minnesota' Axemen Bemidji Pioneer September 25, 2015 September 25, 2015 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. http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20151006lulie0 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20151009234357/http://www.goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20151006lulie0 2015-10-09 IFL Announces 2016 Schedule - Indoor Football League However, prior to the season, the league terminated the two Minnesota teams and returned to a division-less two conference format. TeamLocationArenaCapacityFoundedJoinedUnited ConferenceCedar Rapids TitansCedar Rapids, IowaU.S. Cellular Center6,90020122012Green Bay BlizzardGreen Bay, WisconsinResch Center8,60020032010Iowa BarnstormersDes Moines, IowaWells Fargo Arena15,18119952015Sioux Falls StormSioux Falls, South DakotaDenny Sanford Premier Center10,67820002009Wichita Falls NighthawksWichita Falls, TexasKay Yeager Coliseum7,38020132015Intense ConferenceBillings WolvesBillings, MontanaRimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark7,00020152015Colorado CrushLoveland, ColoradoBudweiser Events Center5,28920072009Nebraska DangerGrand Island, NebraskaEihusen Arena6,00020112011Spokane EmpireSpokane, WashingtonSpokane Veterans Memorial Arena10,77120152016Tri-Cities FeverKennewick, WashingtonToyota Center6,00020052010 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,http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150909k3e4os Minnesota Havok Join IFL Indoor Football League September 9, 2015 September 9, 2015 September 21, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150921191312/http://www.goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20150909k3e4os dead however, the league terminated the franchise prior to the start of the season for failing to meet league obligations."Minnesota Havok Fold Before Season Starts". Mankato Free Press. January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/weekly-sports-league-and-franchise-report/n-5096034 Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report OurSportsCentral February 1, 2016 On November 25, 2015, the Minnesota Axemen franchise was terminated by the league for failing to meet the league's operational standards and commitments.IFL Issues Statement on Minnesota Axemen https://web.archive.org/web/20151126114028/http://goifl.com/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20151125qmoomw November 26, 2015 , IFL website, November 25, 2015 Standings 100% Playoffs Wild Card Round Conference Championships 2016 United Bowl 1 United Conference Intense Conference 3 Nebraska 64 2 Billings 52 3 Wichita Falls 36 2 Cedar Rapids 66 3 Nebraska 44 1 Spokane 55 2 Cedar Rapids 28 1 Sioux Falls 54 I1 Spokane 34 U1 Sioux Falls 55 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 OffenseQuarterbackCharles McCullum, Wichita FallsRunning backTrevor Kennedy, SpokaneWide receiverDemarius Washington, ColoradoBrady Roland, IowaJordan Jolly, Wichita FallsOffensive tackleMyniya Smith, Sioux FallsDave Lefotu, SpokaneCenterCharlie Sanders, Sioux FallsDefenseDefensive lineJeremiah Price, Cedar RapidsBrandon Peguese, Sioux FallsXzavie Jackson, Cedar RapidsLinebackerTyler Knight, Sioux FallsDefensive backMichael Green, BillingsRashard Smith, ColoradoJabari Gorman, NebraskaRobert Brown, Spokane Special teamsKickerRockne Belmonte, Wichita FallsKick returnerKorey Williams, Sioux Falls 2nd Team All-IFL OffenseQuarterbackCharles Dowdell, SpokaneRunning backTyler Williams, Wichita FallsWide receiverMarkeith Summers, Green BayO. J. Simpson, NebraskaBryan Pray, IowaOffensive tackleJames Atoe, ColoradoA. J. Harmon, Cedar RapidsCenterNathaniel Ryan, BillingsDefenseDefensive endBenjamin Perry, SpokaneWalter Thomas, Wichita FallsClaude Davis, Sioux FallsLinebackerNikolas Sierra, Cedar RapidsNick Haag, SpokaneDefensive backBoubacar Cissoko, Tri-CitiesElijah Fields, Sioux FallsDee Maggitt, Jr., Tri-Cities Special teamsKickerNicholas Belcher, Cedar RapidsKick returnerChevelle Buie, Green Bay http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/2016-all-ifl-teams-announced/n-5174395 2016 All-IFL Teams Announced June 30, 2016 OurSports Central www.oursportscentral.com July 5, 2016 References 30em expanded