Mike Wilpolt (born January 4, 1968) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

wide receiver/ defensive back for the

Charlotte Rage The Charlotte Rage were a professional arena football team based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. They were members of the Arena Football League from 1992 to 1996. They played their home games at the Charlotte Coliseum from 1992 to 1994 and ...

(1992–1993), the Las Vegas Sting (1994–1995), and the

Anaheim Piranhas The Anaheim Piranhas were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League from 1994 to 1997. They played their home games at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. The team was originally known as the Las Vegas Sting, ...

(1996) in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL). He also coached for 10 years in the AFL with the

Indiana Firebirds The Indiana Firebirds were a team in the Arena Football League. The team was based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games were played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and Indiana ...

Los Angeles Avengers The Los Angeles Avengers were an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California, from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009. History The Los Angeles Avengers played their home games at the Staples Center, which is also th ...

and

Cleveland Gladiators The Cleveland Gladiators were an arena football team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Gladiators played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they shared with the Cleveland Cava ...

Professional career

''Key'': ''Rec - receptions; Yards - Yards gained through receptions; TD - receiving touchdowns''

Coaching career

Albany Firebirds

Wilpolt was the

special teams coordinator In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

for the Albany Firebirds, helping them win Back-to-Back Eastern Division Titles in 1999–2000. Wilpolt helped lead the Firebirds to the 1999 AFL World Championship, winning Arena Bowl XIII.

Indiana Firebirds

Wilpolt was the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

in 2004 for the

. He took over the Firebirds after Steve DeBerg was fired after an 0–5 start to the season. Wilpolt led the Firebirds to eight wins in their last 11 games and were favored by many to win the 2005 championship, but the Firebirds folded before the 2005 season started due to an ownership dispute.

Los Angeles Avengers

Wilpolt was signed by the

as the team's defensive coordinator in 2005. Over the course of the next 3 seasons, Wilpolt's defense has been in the top 5 twice and the top 10 all three years. He left the Avengers on October 10, 2007, when he was named the new head coach of the

Las Vegas Gladiators {{Cat main, Thomas & Mack Center Paradise, Nevada University of Nevada, Las Vegas Wikipedia categories named after buildings and structures in the United States Wikipedia categories named after sports venues ...

who then relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland Gladiators

In week 1, Wilpolt coached the Gladiators to a 61–49 victory against the

New York Dragons The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Dragons participated in the Arena Football League's (AFL) National Conference as a member of the Eastern Division. The team was founded i ...

in his first game as the team's head coach. After their stunning victory over New York, Wilpolt led his team to a 66–63 victory over the

Utah Blaze The Utah Blaze was a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competed in the West Division of the Arena Football League. Home games were played at the EnergySolutions Arena. In 2013, the team did not submit proper ...

. The following week, the Gladiators defeated the defending National Conference Champion Columbus Destroyers 66–63. After losing three consecutive games, the Gladiators defeated the Los Angeles Avengers 83–69. In just seven games, Wilpolt had doubled the number of wins the Gladiators had in 2007. Wilpolt finished the regular season with a 9–7 record, and a 2–1 record in the playoffs, helping them reach the AFL National Conference Championship Game.

Career win–loss record

''Key'': ''W: Wins; L: Losses; Div: Division W-L; Conf: Conference W-L; N/C: Non-conference W-L; Home: Home W-L; Road: Road W-L; PS: Points for; PA: Points against''

Personal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilpolt, Mike 1968 births Living people Players of American football from Colorado People from the Denver metropolitan area American football wide receivers American football defensive backs Colorado Mesa Mavericks football players Charlotte Rage players Las Vegas Sting players Anaheim Piranhas players Indiana Firebirds coaches Cleveland Gladiators coaches Los Angeles Avengers coaches