The Southern Oregon Heat was a professional indoor football team based out of

Medford, Oregon Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824 and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the Me ...

, founded in 2000. They were a member of the

National Indoor Football League The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, A ...

and played their home games at

Compton Arena Seven Feathers Event Center (formerly Compton Arena) is a 3,250-seat multi-purpose arena in Central Point, Oregon, United States, on the grounds of Jackson County Fairgrounds. It hosts local concerts and sporting events and was the home arena for ...

(now the

Seven Feathers Event Center Seven Feathers Event Center (formerly Compton Arena) is a 3,250-seat multi-purpose arena in Central Point, Oregon, United States, on the grounds of Jackson County Fairgrounds. It hosts local concerts and sporting events and was the home arena for ...

) at the Jackson County Expo & Fairgrounds in

Central Point, Oregon Central Point is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 17,169 as of 2010. The city shares its southern border with Medford, Oregon, Medford and is a part of the Medford metropolitan area. Centra ...

. They were owned by Kevin Wells.

History

The Heat were founded on July 1, 2000, by

Sutherlin, Oregon Sutherlin is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 7,810, making it the second most populous city in Douglas County. Located off of I-5, nearby features include Cooper Creek Reservoir, Ford's p ...

, businessman Kevin Wells bringing professional indoor football to the

Rogue Valley The Rogue Valley is a valley region in southwestern Oregon in the United States. Located along the middle Rogue River and its tributaries in Josephine and Jackson counties, the valley forms the cultural and economic heart of Southern Oregon nea ...

for the first time. They were originally to have become a member 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 ...

, but opted for the NIFL instead. They had two head coaches during their one season with the NIFL. The starting quarterback throughout the season was Eric VanderWegen, who would later become head coach midway through the season. The team amassed a record of only 1-13 (1-7 at home and 0-6 on the road). The team averaged an attendance of only 1,469 fans. The team failed to pay its rental fees to the Expo before the final scheduled home game of the season and were forced to cancel that game, which was a forfeit loss. They essentially ceased operations after their last road game. They were to have resurfaced as the Eugene Mercury in 2002, but owner Wells was unable to find a new owner and the team folded before the season started.Indoor Football Encyclopedia
/ref>

References

{{reflist National Indoor Football League teams Defunct American football teams in Oregon 2000 establishments in Oregon Sports in Medford, Oregon 2001 disestablishments in Oregon American football teams established in 2000 American football teams disestablished in 2001