Bloomington Extreme
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The Bloomington Edge was a professional indoor football team based in
Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...
. While it was in operation, the team hosted home games at
Grossinger Motors Arena Grossinger Motors Arena (formerly known as U.S. Cellular Coliseum and simply the Coliseum) is an arena in downtown Bloomington, Illinois. It is on the southwest corner of Madison Street ( US-51) and Front Street. The arena opened to the public on ...
. Originally named the Bloomington Extreme, the team was a member of
United Indoor Football United Indoor Football (UIF) was an indoor football league in the United States that operated from 2005 to 2008. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion (the Dayton Warbirds, which never played a game in UIF ...
(UIF), and joined the
Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams amon ...
(IFL) in 2009 during the UIF and
Intense Football League The Intense Football League (IFL) was a professional indoor football minor league that began operations in 2004. Its focus was in Texas, but it was notable for being the first professional football league to place a franchise in Alaska. History ...
merger. They left the IFL for the
Champions Professional Indoor Football League The Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) was an indoor football minor league based along the Midwestern United States region. The league began play in February 2013. In August 2014, the CPIFL and Lone Star Football League (LSFL) ...
(CPIFL) in 2013, and in 2015 the CPIFL merged with the
Lone Star Football League The Lone Star Football League (LSFL) was a regional professional indoor football minor league that played three seasons from 2012 to 2014. All of the LSFL's charter teams were based in the state of Texas, with five teams coming from the Southern ...
(LSFL) to create
Champions Indoor Football Champions Indoor Football (CIF) is a professional indoor American football minor league created in 2014 out of the merger between the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) and Lone Star Football League (LSFL), plus one team from ...
(CIF), where Bloomington did not follow and joined
X-League Indoor Football X-League Indoor Football (X-League) was a professional indoor football minor league that began play in 2014. The league was co-chaired by Michael Mink and Kacee Smith. On September 19, 2015, the league announced a merger with the future "North ...
(X-League). Following the 2015 season the Edge joined the CIF. The Edge then announced it had rejoined the IFL for the 2018 season, but a court ruling prevented the team from joining the league until 2019, however, they were not included in that season's schedule. An ownership group headed by Shane Wells announced they had bought the Edge and planned on joining the
American Arena League The American Arena League (AAL) is a professional indoor football minor league that began playing in 2018. The league was initiated by a merger between Arena Pro Football (APF) and the Can-Am Indoor Football League (Can-Am), although the AAL o ...
for the 2020 season, but lost out on the lease to the arena to another tenant.


Franchise history


United Indoor Football: 2006–2008

The Bloomington Extreme began as an expansion team in
United Indoor Football United Indoor Football (UIF) was an indoor football league in the United States that operated from 2005 to 2008. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion (the Dayton Warbirds, which never played a game in UIF ...
in 2006 led by head coach Ted Schmitz. They missed the playoffs in their first season, but improved to an 8–7 record in 2007 before losing to the
Lexington Horsemen Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...
in the Eastern Conference championship. Schmitz was then named an assistant general manager and Kenton Carr was hired as head coach for 2008. The Extreme went 7–7, but were first place in a weak Eastern Conference. They won their first conference title and went on to the United Bowl where they lost to the
Sioux Falls Storm The Sioux Falls Storm are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Storm joined the original Indoor Football League as an expansion team in 1999 as the Sioux Falls Cobras, and first took the field for the 2000 ...
. The UIF merged with the Intense Football League in the 2008 offseason to create new
Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams amon ...
(IFL) in 2009.


Indoor Football League: 2009–2012

The Extreme were added to the United Conference following the merger. The Extreme signed former
Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
and NFL wide receiver
Peter Warrick Peter L. Warrick (born June 19, 1977) is an American former college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football at Florida State University, and was reco ...
signed a one-year contract. The team went 10–4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the
Wichita Wild The Wichita Wild were a professional indoor football team based in Wichita, Kansas. They were members of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL). The team was founded in 2006 as an independent indoor football franchise. In 2008, ...
. In the 2010 season, the Extreme started with a 3–5 record and fired head coach Kenton Carr. The team then finished the rest of the season undefeated under former coach Ted Schmitz before losing to Wichita again in the first round of the playoffs. In October 2010, team owner Ed Brady announced that Mike Murray was hired as the team's new head coach for the
2011 Bloomington Extreme season The Bloomington Extreme season was the team's sixth season as a professional indoor football franchise and third in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of twenty-two teams competing in the IFL for the 2011 season, the Bloomington, Illinois-ba ...
. Murray had been the Extreme offensive coordinator in 2006. The Extreme went 9–5 and lost to the
Omaha Beef The Omaha Beef is an indoor football team and a charter member of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Beef play their home games at Liberty First Credit Union Arena in nearby Ralston. History First 13 seas ...
in the first round of the playoffs. In November 2011, the team was purchased by Jim Morris, who had been a minority owner of the team. The team agreed with change the name of the franchise to the Bloomington Edge as a tie-in to the
Ford Edge The Ford Edge is a range of crossover SUVs manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for the 2007 model year, the Edge is the first mid-size CUV marketed by Ford in North America; the model line is currently in its second generation. ...
. Morris hired Kenton Carr as the head coach for the
2012 Bloomington Edge season The 2012 Bloomington Edge season was the team's seventh season as a professional indoor football franchise and fourth in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of sixteen teams competing in the IFL for the 2012 season, the Bloomington, Illinois-b ...
. The Edge finished the regular season 10–4, earning the third seed in the United Conference playoffs. The Edge then ended with another first round loss in the playoffs the
Green Bay Blizzard Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...
, 30–51.


Champions Professional Indoor Football League: 2013–2014

For the
2013 Bloomington Edge season The 2013 Bloomington Edge season was the team's seventh overall, second as the Bloomington Edge and first as a member of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL). One of ten teams in the CPIFL for the inaugural 2013 season, the Ed ...
, the team was owned by
Bloomington Blaze The Bloomington Thunder were a minor professional ice hockey team that was a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League. Based in Bloomington, Illinois, the Thunder played their home games at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum, located in downtown ...
owner Sandra Hunnewell and played in the
Champions Professional Indoor Football League The Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) was an indoor football minor league based along the Midwestern United States region. The league began play in February 2013. In August 2014, the CPIFL and Lone Star Football League (LSFL) ...
(CPIFL). The new ownership retained coach Carr and the team missed the playoffs for the first time since their inaugural season. Just 12 days after the conclusion of the 2013 season, Edge owner and team president, David Holt and head coach Kenton Carr mutually agreed to part ways. Holt replaced Carr with John Johnson, who had been the team's offensive coordinator under Carr. Under Johnson for the
2014 Bloomington Edge season The 2014 Bloomington Edge season was the team's ninth overall, third as the Bloomington Edge and second as a member of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL). One of nine teams in the CPIFL for the 2014 season, the Edge finished ...
, the team went 5–7 and still missed the playoffs.


X-League: 2015

The Edge announced they were joining
X-League Indoor Football X-League Indoor Football (X-League) was a professional indoor football minor league that began play in 2014. The league was co-chaired by Michael Mink and Kacee Smith. On September 19, 2015, the league announced a merger with the future "North ...
in October 2014. The Edge were acquired by Omar Khokhar at the end of the 2015 season. The team's season was abruptly ended and the league's X Bowl II championship game advanced to June 6 after the Cape Fear Heroes were suspended by the league.


Champions Indoor Football: 2016–2017

On August 19, 2015, the Edge announced that they were moving to
Champions Indoor Football Champions Indoor Football (CIF) is a professional indoor American football minor league created in 2014 out of the merger between the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) and Lone Star Football League (LSFL), plus one team from ...
(CIF). The Edge returned to the postseason for the first time in four seasons, going 7–5. The Edge won their first round playoff game against the
Sioux City Bandits The Sioux City Bandits are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux City, Iowa, and compete as a member of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). The team was founded in 1999 as the Sioux City Attack. In 2001, the team assumed their current ...
65–45, but lost in the North Division Championship 51–52 to the
Wichita Force The Wichita Force are a professional indoor football team based in Wichita, Kansas, with home games in Wichita Ice Center. The team was founded in 2014 as an expansion franchise in the Champions Indoor Football league for the 2015 season. The Fo ...
. On September 9, 2016, it was announced that head coach John Johnson and the Edge had mutually agreed to part ways. On September 13, 2016, the Edge announced that former Extreme linebacker and
Spokane Empire Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canadi ...
defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
, Ameer Ismail was named the team's new head coach. Ismail lead the Edge to another 7–5 season, clinching another playoff berth. The Edge lost 30–43 to the
Omaha Beef The Omaha Beef is an indoor football team and a charter member of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Beef play their home games at Liberty First Credit Union Arena in nearby Ralston. History First 13 seas ...
. Twelve days later, Ismail and the Edge agreed to part ways citing "different visions."


League issues and hiatus

On August 23, 2017, Nick Ruud was named the next Edge head coach. On September 12, 2017, the Edge announced that they were moving back to the Indoor Football League. However, the CIF then attempted to sue the IFL and the Edge for leaving the CIF after the Edge had already signed league affiliation agreements with the CIF for 2018. While the CIF did drop the lawsuit against the IFL due to legal retaliation, it filed for an injunction against the Edge from participating in the IFL for breaking the terms of their signed affiliation agreement. A temporary injunction from participation was granted on January 31, 2018, with the court ruling determining that the Edge had been offered a bribe from the owner of the Arizona Rattlers to break their contract with the CIF. On February 6, the Edge announced that it would continue to operate independently of a league for the season. In the same press release, the Edge also announced that John Johnson would return as head coach. However, the court ruling prevented the Edge from playing any games during the spring of 2018 as long as the CIF season length, forcing the Edge to only schedule exhibition games during the summer. After their summer season, Edge owner Omar Khokhar announced the franchise was for sale and could relocate. In 2019, the Wells Sports Group lead by Shane Wells announced it had purchased the Edge franchise. On October 22, 2019, they announced their intentions to join the
American Arena League The American Arena League (AAL) is a professional indoor football minor league that began playing in 2018. The league was initiated by a merger between Arena Pro Football (APF) and the Can-Am Indoor Football League (Can-Am), although the AAL o ...
(AAL) for the 2020 season and were still in negotiations with
Grossinger Motors Arena Grossinger Motors Arena (formerly known as U.S. Cellular Coliseum and simply the Coliseum) is an arena in downtown Bloomington, Illinois. It is on the southwest corner of Madison Street ( US-51) and Front Street. The arena opened to the public on ...
for a lease. However, the arena instead agreed to a lease with the semiprofessional indoor football team, Midway Marauders, as the Marauders had been in negotiations with the arena before Wells had initiated any conversations.


Logos and uniforms

From the team's inception until 2011, the team was known as the Bloomington Extreme, with the having been derived from a
naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
deal with local auto dealer Extreme Motors. In the 2011–12 offseason, the team was sold to Jim Morris (owner of a local
Sonic Drive-In Sonic Corporation, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic (stylized as SONIC), or "The Drive-In," is an American drive-in fast food restaurant Chain store, chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's and Buf ...
franchise and of the
Premier Basketball League The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived un ...
's Central Illinois Drive), with a naming rights deal with another auto dealer; this time Heller Ford would acquire said rights, giving the team its new Edge nickname (derived from the
Ford Edge The Ford Edge is a range of crossover SUVs manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for the 2007 model year, the Edge is the first mid-size CUV marketed by Ford in North America; the model line is currently in its second generation. ...
automobile).


Players of note


Current roster


All-League selections

* DL Sean Kelly (1), Antonio Fickin (2), Jeff Sobol (1) * LB Ameer Ismail * DB
LaRoche Jackson LaRoche J. Jackson (born June 21, 1984) is a former American football defensive back. He played as a defensive back for Clark Atlanta University. He was signed as a free agent by the Jacksonville Sharks in 2010, played for the championship Sha ...
(1), James Temple (2), Vincent Joseph (1) * K
Peter Christofilakos Peter Harold Christofilakos (born May 28, 1981) is a former professional American football kicker. He attended the University of Illinois and was a soccer team player. He was a member of the Bloomington Extreme/Edge and Arizona Rattlers. High ...
(4)


Season-by-season results


References


External links

*
Extreme's 2009 stats
{{CPIFL 2005 establishments in Illinois American football teams established in 2005