Chicago Blitz (indoor football)
The Chicago Blitz were a professional indoor football team based in Villa Park, Illinois. The Blitz were members of American Indoor Football (AIF) in 2015 and 2016 and the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) in 2014. They played their home games at the Odeum Expo Center. The Blitz briefly joined the regional Midwest Professional Indoor Football (MPIF) for the 2018 season, but ceased operations once again after three games.
| Chicago Blitz | ||
|---|---|---|
| Established 2014 Play in Villa Park, Illinois at the Odeum Expo Center | ||
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| League/conference affiliations | ||
Continental Indoor Football League (2014)
American Indoor Football (2015–2016)
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| Team colors | Gold, black, white | |
| Personnel | ||
| Owner(s) | Mike Oliver | |
| General manager | Mike Dortch | |
| Head coach | Mike Oliver | |
| Team history | ||
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| Championships | ||
| League championships (0) | ||
| Conference championships (0) | ||
| Division championships (0) | ||
| Playoff appearances (1) | ||
| Home arena(s) | ||
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Franchise history
2014
The Blitz came into existence in January 2014, after the Chicago Slaughter announced that they would be sitting out the 2014 season just one month before the regular season began.[1] The team's name and logo (but not the colors) are an adaptation of the United States Football League franchise of the same name.
On February 9, 2014, the Blitz played their first ever game, losing 42–25 to the Saginaw Sting.[2]
2015
On October 4, 2014, the Blitz announced they were joining X-League Indoor Football[3] for the 2015 season. Shortly after, the team was removed from the X-League website, and was no longer affiliated with the X-League. On October 15, 2014, the Blitz joined American Indoor Football (AIF), following former CIFL team, the Sting.[4] The Blitz finished the regular season 6–2, earning the 3 seed in the AIF playoffs. They defeated the 2nd seeded Saginaw Sting 63–45 in the AIF semifinals, earning a berth in the 2015 AIF Championship Game. The Blitz traveled to York, Pennsylvania to take on the York Capitals for the AIF crown. The Blitz fell to the Capitals 30–58.[5]
2016
The Blitz played their second season in the AIF as members of the Northern Division. The team earned a 3–3 record but cancelled their final game of the season at the West Michigan Ironmen and team owner Mike Oliver immediately announced that the team was for sale. After the season ended, the AIF removed the Blitz from its team listings.
2018
The Blitz returned for the 2018 season as members of the regional Midwest Professional Indoor Football (MPIF). The Blitz began their season on the road, defeating the Cincinnati Flex 46–33. The Flex folded shortly afterwards. The Blitz then lost to the Midway Marauders (28–38) and West Michigan Ironmen (41–68). On March 30, 2018, the Blitz announced they had left the MPIF stating: "This is not the brand of football the Chicago Blitz has been accustomed to in the past, nor is it a brand we want to be associated with, from league standards to their flagship team."[6] The Blitz then canceled the rest of their 2018 games.
Season-by-season results
| League Champions | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Playoff Berth | League Leader |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | ||||||||
| 2014 | 2014 | CIFL | North | 3rd | 7 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 2015 | 2015 | AIF | 3rd | 6 | 2 | 0 | Won AIF Semifinals (Saginaw) 63–45 Lost AIF Championship Game (York) 30–58 | ||||
| 2016 | 2016 | AIF | Northern | 3 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2018 | 2018 | MPIF | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Totals | 17 | 10 | 0 | All-time regular season record (2014–2016) | |||||||
| 1 | 1 | — | All-time postseason record (2014–2018) | ||||||||
| 18 | 11 | 0 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2014–2018) | ||||||||
Notable players
Final AIF roster
| Chicago Blitz roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Kickers
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Injured Reserve
Exempt List
Practice Squad
→ More rosters | |||
Awards and honors
The following is a list of all Chicago Blitz players who have won league awards
| Season | Player | Position | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Julie Harshbarger | K | CIFL Special Teams of the Year |
| 2015 | Julie Harshbarger | K | AIF Special Teams of the Year |
All-League players
The following Blitz players have been named to All-League Teams:
- QB Juice Williams (1)
- RB Bryant Pascascio (1)
- WR David Brown (1), Kent McDonald (1), Brian Miles (1)
- OL Anthony Bullock (1)
- DL DeAndre Mosely (2), Shonn Bell (1), Tyrone Saunders, Jr. (1)
- LB Sam Fornelli (1)
- DB Chris Muhammad (1)
- K Julie Harshbarger (2)
Coaches of note
Head coaches
| Name | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||
| Mike Oliver | 2014–2016, 2018 | 17 | 10 | 0 | .630 | 1 | 1 | |
Coaching staff
| Chicago Blitz staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
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Head Coach
Offensive Coaches
Defensive Coaches
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References
- "Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSportsCentral. January 27, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Cory Butzin (February 10, 2014). "Saginaw Sting overcome slow start, roll to big win over Chicago Blitz in CIFL season opener". www.mlive.com. MLive Media Group. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- "Chicago Blitz Are Latest to Join X-League". X-League Indoor Football. October 4, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- "Chicago Blitz Joins AIF". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- Eric Thomas (June 6, 2015). "Watson's defense spurs York Capitals to AIF championship vs. Chicago Blitz". www.ydr.com. The York Daily Record. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- "March 30, 2018, Blitz Facebook post". Facebook. March 30, 2018.