The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) was the second league to successfully play indoor football as a paid pro-league sport, after 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). Since the AFL had a patent given in 1990 on the gameplay of "

Arena Football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...

" (mainly the endzone nets), the PIFL played with mostly the same rules, but without the endzone nets. The PIFL only lasted one season (

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

) under that name.

History

The PIFL was started by Richard "Dick" Suess. Suess was deeply involved in football on the semi-pro and minor league level, and was editor–publisher of the ''Minor League Football News''. In 1996, he began shopping around the idea of the PIFL, an indoor league created from the top minor league programs around the country. The league was finally formed in late 1997 and began its first season in 1998. The league offices were located in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. The PIFL was rife with problems from the start. The

Colorado Wildcats The Colorado Wildcats was a team in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998. The Wildcats franchise was owned by Gary Kozacek, who also was head coach/owner of the same Wildcats team for the previous 9 years, as they competed in sem ...

changed coaches during the preseason. By the third game, many teams were in serious financial trouble and started forfeiting games. The

Minnesota Monsters The Minnesota Monsters were an indoor football team based in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. The Monsters were charter members of the original Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998. The Monsters franchise was owned by Robert and Joann Edw ...

folded after Week 5. Many other teams missed payrolls and this resulted in many players, including some of the best players, quitting. In

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, the PIFL essentially "split" into two leagues. Keary Ecklund, owner of the

Green Bay Bombers The Green Bay Bombers was an indoor football team that played in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998, and in the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 1999 and 2000. The Bombers franchise was owned by Keary Ecklund. The team office w ...

and

Madison Mad Dogs The Madison Mad Dogs were an indoor football team that played in the Professional Indoor Football League ( PIFL) in 1998, and in the Indoor Football League (IFL) in 1999 & 2000. The Mad Dogs franchise was owned by Keary Ecklund. The team office w ...

, took his two teams and form 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 ...

. On January 4, 1999, the remaining teams of the PIFL renamed the league to the

Indoor Professional Football League The Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) was the new incarnation of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL), which started in 1998. Two of its teams (the Madison Mad Dogs and the Green Bay Bombers) left the league and their owner, K ...

1998 PIFL season

Teams

Standings

* Minnesota folded after starting 1-4 on the season. PF/PA are for four official games actually played; the other game, which was Minnesota's lone victory, was ruled a forfeit awarded to Honolulu and the points were not counted in standings. * Texas folded after starting 2-8 on the season. PF/PA are for nine games played. * Utah forfeited their last game of the season to Madison. PF/PA are for 13 games played. * Win totals for other teams include seven forfeited games by Minnesota and three forfeited games by Texas. * Standings do not include exhibition games played by any of the teams.

Playoffs

August 7, 1998 — # 3

19 at # 2

46 August 9, 1998 — # 4

* 51 at # 1

Louisiana Bayou Beast The Louisiana Bayou Beast were a team in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998, in the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) in 1999, and reincarnated in 2001 in the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The Bayou Beast fran ...

67 (at

Riverside Centroplex Raising Cane's River Center (originally named the Riverside Centroplex and later the Baton Rouge River Center) is an entertainment complex in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Opened in 1977, the complex includes: an arena, ballroom, exhibition cent ...

) * Colorado's trip to Louisiana was paid for by the owners of the Bayou Beast.

Championship Game

August 15, 1998 — #2

41 at #1

42 (at

Pete Maravich Assembly Center The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a 13,215-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arena opened in 1972. It is home to the Louisiana State University Tigers and Lady Tigers basketball teams, the LSU Tigers women's gymnastics ...

)

Award winners

Following the championship game, the Professional Indoor Football League held an on-the-field awards ceremony. Those honored were as follows: *Most Valuable Player – Melvin Hill, QB,

*Offensive Player of the Year –

Jay McDonagh Jay McDonagh (born February 7, 1973) is a former American football quarterback who played four seasons in the Arena Football League with the Buffalo Destroyers, New Jersey/Las Vegas Gladiators and Columbus Destroyers. He played college football ...

, QB,

*Defensive Player of the Year - Derric Coakley, DE,

*Coach of the Year –

Buford Jordan Paul Buford Jordan (born June 26, 1962) is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints. Biography A four-time all-Southland Conference selection, Jordan left McNeese State ...

*Executive of the Year – James Shiver, Sr.,

The Professional Indoor Football League earlier announced its 1998 All-Star teams as chosen by the PIFL coaches. The

lead the list with five first team selections, including top vote getter quarterback Jay McDonagh. He was joined on the offensive first team by teammates Chris Perry and Heath Garland (both receivers), Louisiana's

Michael Lewis Michael Monroe Lewis (born October 15, 1960) Gale Biography In Context. is an American author and financial journalist. He has also been a contributing editor to '' Vanity Fair'' since 2009, writing mostly on business, finance, and economics. H ...

(WR), Chris Cloud (center) and Matt Huerkamp (kicker), Colorado's Rob Satterly (offensive line) and Utah's Matt Meservy (OL). Green Bay, Colorado and Madison each placed a pair of players on the defensive first team.

All-Stars

*First Team **Offense ***QB

, Green Bay ***RB Darnell Brooks, Colorado ***WR Heath Garland, Green Bay ***WR

, Louisiana ***WR Chris Perry, Green Bay ***OL Matt Meservey, Utah ***OL Rob Satterly, Colorado ***C Chris Cloud, Louisiana ***K Matt Huerkamp, Louisiana **Defense ***LB James Gillyard, Louisiana ***LB Jeff Veronie, Colorado ***S Nick Galbreath, Colorado ***DB Ryan Buchanon, Madison ***DB Derf Reese, Green Bay ***DE Derric Coakley, Green Bay ***DE Tawain Temple, Madison ***NT Junior Fonoti, Utah *Second Team **Offense ***QB Mike Tillis, Honolulu ***RB Byron Allen, Louisiana ***WR Antonio Chandler, Colorado ***WR Greg Hooks, Utah ***WR Kahn Powell, Madison ***OL Jim Hobbins, Green Bay ***C Andy Ramos, Honolulu ***K Bryan Mader, Green Bay **Defense ***LB Joshua Jardine, Honolulu ***LB Pat Rogers, Louisiana ***S Jack Phillips, Louisiana ***DB Keith Ballard, Louisiana ***DB Falinko Vitale, Honolulu ***NT Kale Cockett, Honolulu ***DE Charles Johnson, Louisiana ***DE Franklin Thomas, Louisiana *Honorable Mention **Offense ***QB Melvin Hill, Louisiana ***RB Willie High, Green Bay ***RB Darnell Jones, Honolulu ***WR Lee McCormick, Texas ***OL Brandon Bergstresser, Madison ***OL Curtis Jones, Utah ***C Carl Silva, Utah ***K Doug Beach, Utah **Defense ***LB Junior Tagaloa, Utah ***LB Jose Salcido, Madison ***S Nick McDaniel, Utah ***DB Damon Jackson, Colorado ***DB Jesse Tann, Colorado ***NT David Cunningham, Madison ***DE Jeff Warner, Madison ***DE Norm Barnett, Colorado

Lawsuit with the Arena Football League

In February 1998, the

sued the PIFL for allegedly infringing its trademarks, copyrights and patent. The PIFL answered and denied the Arena Football League's allegations. Late in June 1998, the Arena Football League filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction before Judge Harry Leinenweber in Federal Court in the Northern District of Illinois. The Motion was set for hearing on July 21, 1998. On July 20, 1998, the PIFL and its league members filed their response, which included video tapes and other evidence refuting the Arena Football League's allegations. On July 22, 1998, the day after receiving the PIFL's legal papers, the Arena Football League withdrew its Motion for Preliminary Injunction in a lawsuit in Federal Court in

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. This ended the Arena Football League's efforts to challenge the practices of any competing professional "indoor" football league and clarified that its patent essentially applied to its end zone rebound nets, not any and all efforts to play American football indoors. On November 12, 1998, The Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) and the Arena Football League reached a settlement agreement in the lawsuit brought by the Arena Football League against the PIFL for patent infringement. As part of the settlement, all present and future PIFL teams have agreed to honor the patents, trademarks, copyrights and net structure of the Arena Football League, and in return the Arena Football League has withdrawn its motion to seek a restraining order to prevent the PIFL from playing its games. Additionally, the PIFL has agreed to use the following disclaimer, "PIFL and its teams are not affiliated, sponsored or associated with the Arena Football League or any of its member teams", on all official publications. Professional Indoor Football League Commissioner

Mike Storen Mark "Mike" Storen Jr. (September 14, 1935 – May 7, 2020) was an American sports executive in basketball, baseball, and American football, football. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame and a stint in the US Marines, he be ...

stated, "The Professional Indoor Football League is happy to acknowledge the uniqueness of the Arena Football League's patented net system and method of play on the basis that this settlement will allow the Professional Indoor Football League to expand in an orderly fashion."

PIFL European Division

The PIFL proposed European Division was set to kick off in November 1998 with teams in England and Ireland. A six-team tournament was planned for August 22, 1998 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. Terry Smith was the PIFL European League Director and was the head coach of the

Great Britain Spartans The Manchester Spartans were an American football club in Manchester, England. Founded in 1983 as the Northwich Spartans, they became Manchester Spartans in 1984, and were national champions in 1989 and 1990. They won the Eurobowl in 1990. Histo ...

. The Spartans were a very successful European minor American football club, trying to move up to the pro level. The Spartans played two exhibition games in the US on April 27, 1998, at the

and on April 29, 1998, at the

. They lost both games, 12–29 to Madison and 34–55 to Green Bay. The proposed European Division never started play. {{Profootball Defunct indoor American football leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 1997 Organizations disestablished in 1998 1998 in American football