The Richmond Bandits were a professional indoor football team based in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. They were a charter member of the

Atlantic Indoor Football League American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America. The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...

. In 2005, the Bandits defeated the

Erie Freeze The Erie Freeze was an American indoor football team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They were an original member of the American Indoor Football League in 2005, and advanced to the first AIFL Championship Game. When the league was reorganized into ...

to win the AIFL's first-ever American Bowl, completing the year with a combined record of 11-1. On February 7, 2005, ownership announced that the team would be nicknamed the "Bandits", and that the would be coached by Rik Richards. During that inaugural year, head coach Rik Richards, offensive coordinator Brent Williams, and line coach Steve Criswell led one of the league's most potent offenses and a defense that led the league in takeaways. Starting quarterback Will Burch led the team to a 4-1 record, including a 94-point outburst at Johnstown, before being replaced by Robbie Jenkins due to ineffectiveness in game 6. Damon "Redd" Thompson, Bryan Still, DeAndre Green, and Marcel Willis were the team's top receivers. Lawrence Lewis and Julian Graham anchored the defense. The Bandits played their home games in the

Richmond Coliseum Richmond Coliseum is a defunct arena located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, with a capacity of 13,500 that was most often used for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and the region is looking to replace the aging facility with a la ...

. Also affiliated with the team are the Bandivas, the dance team for the Bandits, and mascot Billy the Bandit. Despite ending up 12-2 (second in the Southern Conference) in their second year, they were unable to agree on issues concerning the league and their rules, and were suspended by the AIFL from the playoffs. Their team owner stated that the Bandits will no longer be part of the

American Indoor Football League American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America. The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...

br>
Because they were unable to join any other indoor league and there was potential to bring back the

Richmond Speed The Richmond Speed were one of the original 15 teams to join the inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference in 2000, before going over to the Northeast Division in 2001, then to the Atlantic Division from 2002–2003. ...

, it is most likely that the Bandits have disbanded. In their last year in the AIFL, WR Redd Thompson was named the 2006 Southern Conference Offensive MV

Statistics and records

Season-by-season results

References

External links

Bandits' 2005 AIFL Stats

Bandits' 2006 Season & Results
American Indoor Football Association teams Sports in Richmond, Virginia American Indoor Football League teams American football teams in Virginia American football teams established in 2005 American football teams disestablished in 2006 2005 establishments in Virginia 2006 disestablishments in Virginia {{Virginia-sport-team-stub