The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

UIFL.com
/ref> as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012, then switched back to "Ultimate" for the 2013 season. After the 2014 season, the league merged with X-League Indoor Football.

History

On February 18, 2011, the first-ever UIFL game was played between the

Saginaw Sting The Saginaw Sting was a professional Indoor Football team based in Saginaw, Michigan. The team was most recently a member of American Indoor Football (AIF). They began play in 2008 as an expansion team in the Continental Indoor Football League ...

and the

Eastern Kentucky Drillers The Kentucky Drillers were a professional indoor football team based in Pikeville, Kentucky. The franchise started as the Eastern Kentucky Drillers and joined the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) in 2013 after playing their first two sea ...

. The inaugural game was held at the

Dow Event Center The Dow Event Center (formerly known as Saginaw County Event Center and Saginaw Civic Center) is an indoor arena located in Saginaw, Michigan. The center consists of several parts: The Atrium, The Garden Room, The Theater, The Red Room, Huntington ...

in Saginaw, Michigan. The league co-founders are Michael Taylor and Andrew Haines; Haines was also the owner and founder of the Atlantic/American Indoor Football League and the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League. The UIFL has a logo nearly identical to the one used by the AIFL in the 2006 season (though it favors blue instead of red), and will apparently also use the AIFL red, white, and blue football also in use in the

American Indoor Football Association 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 ...

. The league is based in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

. The league's first five teams were located in the

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

region, with teams based in

; Johnstown, Pennsylvania;

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. During the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population within Pikeville's city limits was 7,754. In Kentucky's current city classification sys ...

; Highland Heights, Kentucky; and

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

. Of those five markets, three (Canton, Johnstown, and Huntington) had teams in Haines' previous league, the AIFL. The two markets in Kentucky have never had a professional indoor football team in any league (though Highland Heights is usually considered part of the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area, and the city of Cincinnati has had several indoor teams). The sixth team, the

, came from the Indoor Football League.

2011 season

The complete 2011 season concluded without any teams folding, nor any games being missed or rescheduled. The Northern Kentucky River Monsters finished with the best regular season record, 11-3. However, due to league sanctions they were not able to host any playoff games and were dropped to a four seed. Saginaw finished 9-5, followed by Eastern Kentucky at 8-6, Huntington at 7-7, Johnstown at 6-8, and Canton at 1-13. Saginaw defeated Northern Kentucky, 48-47, in the first semifinals of the

Ultimate Bowl The Ultimate Bowl was the annual championship game of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL). In 2011, it was the meeting of the two semifinal game winners. In 2012, it was the meeting of the winners of the North and South Divisions. Past Ulti ...

I Playoffs, sponsored by Trophy Awards. In the other semifinal game, Eastern Kentucky advanced to the championship game with a 20-4 victory over Huntington.

I, also sponsored by Trophy Awards, was played Friday, June 9, 2011, at the Dow Center in Saginaw, MI, with the Sting claiming an 86-69 victory over the visiting Drillers. Following the Northern Kentucky River Monsters' elimination from the playoffs, owner Jill Chitwood and the UIFL came to terms allowing the River Monsters to leave the UIFL. Draft #1 overall pick: Victor Sesay, DL Johnstown Generals

2012 season

On June 15, 2011, Michael Taylor and Andrew Haines sold their controlling slate in the UIFL to Assured Equities IV, a Florida corporation, for the sum of 1.45 million dollars. As part of the acquisition, UIFL Co-Founder Andrew Haines will remain as League President and a member of the Board of Directors, and UIFL Co-Founder Michael Taylor will continue as a consultant and a member of the Board of Directors for Assured Equities. For 2012, there will be at least eleven new expansion teams, based in

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statisti ...

; Estero, Florida;

Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo () is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,300, Tupelo is the sixth-largest city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North M ...

; Marion, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania, and Lakeland, Florida. Of these markets, five (Rome, Tupelo, and Lakeland) previously had teams in the AIFL, while Estero previously had a team in arenafootball2; The Cincinnati Commandos and Marion Blue Racers have come previously from the Continental Indoor Football League; and the Erie Explosion moves from the Southern Indoor Football League. (Incidentally, the acquisition of the Explosion brings the league full-circle; the Explosion was the last surviving remnant of the AIFL, tracing its history to 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 ...

in 2005.) On July 22, 2011, the UIFL named

Jared Lorenzen Jared Raymond Lorenzen (February 14, 1981 – July 3, 2019) was an American football quarterback and administrator who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the New York Giants. He played college football at Kentucky ...

the league's

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

. On January 19, 2012, the league was sold by Cecil Van Dyke and Assured Equities IV, back to Andrew Haines and Michael Taylor. The league took on the name ''United Indoor Football League'' for the 2012 season (at the time, the United (outdoor) Football League had suspended operations; the league reverted to the ''Ultimate Indoor Football League'' when the outdoor UFL ended its suspension). Six teams folded in the process, including charter members Canton and Huntington, plus four teams ( Carolina Aviators, Danville Dragons, Tennessee Rail Runners, and

Kentucky Monsters Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

) that never took the field, reducing the number of teams in the league from 16 to 10. Haines resigned his post as league president in June 2012.

2013 season

The 2013 season saw a reduction to six teams. Furthermore, prior to championship weekend, three of the four teams that had been eliminated had announced their intentions to jump leagues and join the Xtreme Indoor Football League. The UIFL has stated it is exploring all options regarding the future of the league. The Florida Tarpons won Ultimate Bowl III, with a victory over the

Corpus Christi Fury The Corpus Christi Fury was a professional indoor football team based in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. The Fury played its home games at the American Bank Center. History The Fury began life as the Corpus Christi Hammerheads, a charter ...

2014 season

The UIFL fielded four teams for the 2014 season; in addition to the returning Tarpons and Fury, the Miami Inferno and Missouri Voodoo joined the league. Another team called the Austin Nitro had been listed on the UIFL's website, however, no further information was ever announced about that team. In addition, a new team based out of Columbia, South Carolina known as the Capital City Revolt was set to join in time for the 2015 season. However, the Voodoo and Inferno both folded mid-season, leaving the Tarpons and Fury as the only two teams remaining in the UIFL for the season. After the Fury beat the Tarpons in Ultimate Bowl IV by a score of 60-23, both teams announced they were joining X-League Indoor Football for the 2015 season. With the Revolt's subsequent announcement of delay of operations until the 2016 season, the UIFL announced they were now defunct.

Complete UIFL team roster

Canton Cougars The Canton Cougars were a professional indoor football team based in Canton, Ohio. The team began play in 2011 as a charter member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) for its inaugural 2011 season. The Cougars played their home games at ...

- played in 2011 season, then folded. * Cincinnati Commandos - played in 2012 season, then announced return to Continental Indoor Football League. Folded before 2013 CIFL season began. *

- played from 2013 to 2014, then left to join X-League Indoor Football. *

- played from 2011 to 2012, then left to join Continental Indoor Football League as Kentucky Drillers. Folded after 2013 CIFL season. * Erie Explosion - played in 2012 season, then left to join Continental Indoor Football League. *

Florida Tarpons The Florida Tarpons were a professional indoor football team based in Lakeland, Florida, out of the RP Funding Center. Originally established in Estero, Florida, and playing out of Germain Arena, they began play in 2012 as an expansion team of th ...

- played from 2012 to 2014, then left to join X-League Indoor Football. * Georgia Rampage - originally announced as Rome River Dogs and later Rome Rampage, team played 2012 season as a travel-only squad, then moved to Dalton, Georgia for 2013 season. Left to form X-League Indoor Football. *

Huntington Hammer The Huntington Hammer were a professional indoor football team that began play as a charter member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) for its inaugural 2011 season. The Hammer were based in Huntington, West Virginia, with home games p ...

- played in 2011 season, then folded. * Johnstown Generals - played from 2011 to 2012, then folded. *

Lakeland Raiders Lakeland is primarily a toponym. It may refer to: Places Australia *Lakeland, Queensland Canada *Lakeland (electoral district), a federal electoral district in Alberta *Lakeland County, a former municipal district in Alberta * District of La ...

- played from 2012 to 2013, then left to join X-League Indoor Football as

Florida Marine Raiders The Florida Marine Raiders (formerly the Lakeland Raiders) were a professional indoor football team; though they began play in 2012 as a member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League, for 2014 they became a charter member of the X-League Indoor Fo ...

. * Marion Blue Racers - played in 2012 season, then returned to Continental Indoor Football League. * Miami Inferno - played in 2014 season, then folded midseason. *

Mississippi Hound Dogs The Mississippi Hound Dogs were a professional indoor football team based in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Hound Dogs played their home games at the BancorpSouth Arena as a member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League's Southern Conference. The Houn ...

- played in 2012 season as a travel-only team, then folded. *

Missouri Monsters Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to th ...

- played in 2012 season, then left to form X-League Indoor Football as

St. Louis Attack The River City Raiders (formerly known as the Missouri Monsters and the St. Louis Attack) were a professional indoor football team based in St. Charles, Missouri. They play their home games at Family Arena. As of February 2018 the River City Ra ...

. * Missouri Voodoo - played part of 2014 season, then ended season early to go amateur. *

Northern Kentucky River Monsters The Northern Kentucky River Monsters were a professional indoor football team based in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The River Monsters began play as a charter member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) for its inaugural 2011 season spen ...

- played in 2011 season, mutually agreed to part ways with the UIFL. After two years of dormancy, team resumed in 2014 playing in the Continental Indoor Football League. *

- played in 2011 season, then returned to Continental Indoor Football League. * Sarasota Thunder - played in 2013 season as a travel-only team, then folded. * Western Pennsylvania Sting - played in 2012 season as a travel-only team. Was set to move to Miami, Florida to play 2013 season as Miami Sting, but folded before season started.

Announced but never began play

*Austin Nitro - to have played in 2014 in Austin, Texas *Capital City Revolt - to have played in 2015 in Columbia, South Carolina *Carolina Aviators - to have played in 2012 in Raleigh, North Carolina *Danville Dragons - to have played in 2012 in Danville, Illinois *

- to have played in 2012 in Highland Heights, Kentucky *Tennessee Rail Runners - to have played in 2012 in East Ridge, Tennessee

Progression

* * - Joined from Continental Indoor Football League * ** - Joined from Southern Indoor Football League * *** - Suspended indefinitely by the UIFL * **** - Left for the CIFL * ***** - Left for the X-League Indoor Football

Timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:2011 till:2015 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:line value:black id:bg value:white PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:skyblue from:2011 till:2012 text:

(2011) bar:2 color:skyblue from:2011 till:2013 text:

(2011–2012) bar:3 color:skyblue from:2011 till:2012 text:

(2011) bar:4 color:skyblue from:2011 till:2013 text: Johnstown Generals (2011–2012) bar:5 color:skyblue from:2011 till:2012 text:

(2011) bar:6 color:skyblue from:2011 till:2012 text:

(2011) bar:7 color:skyblue from:2012 till:2013 text: Cincinnati Commandos (2012) bar:8 color:skyblue from:2012 till:2013 text: Erie Explosion (2012) bar:9 color:skyblue from:2012 till:2015 text:

(2012–2014) bar:10 color:skyblue from:2012 till:2014 text:

(2012–2013) bar:11 color:skyblue from:2012 till:2013 text: Marion Blue Racers (2012) bar:12 color:skyblue from:2012 till:2013 text:

(2012) bar:13 color:skyblue from:2012 till:2014 text: Georgia Rampage (2012–2013) bar:14 color:skyblue from:2012 till:2013 text: Western Pennsylvania/Miami Sting (2012) bar:15 color:skyblue from:2013 till:2014 text:

(2013) bar:16 color:skyblue from:2013 till:2014 text: Sarasota Thunder (2013) bar:17 color:skyblue from:2013 till:2015 text:

(2013–2014) bar:18 color:skyblue from:2014 till:2015 text: Miami Inferno (2014) bar:19 color:skyblue from:2014 till:2015 text: Missouri Voodoo (2014) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:2011

References

{{Profootball Defunct indoor American football leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 2010 Sports leagues disestablished in 2014 2010 establishments in the United States 2014 disestablishments in the United States