Johnstown Riverhawks
The Johnstown Riverhawks was a professional indoor American football team based out of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. They were a charter member of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). They played their home games at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
| Johnstown Riverhawks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Established 1999 Folded 2008 Played in Johnstown, Pennsylvania at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena | ||
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| League/conference affiliations | ||
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| Team colors | Blue, black, silver, white | |
| Personnel | ||
| Owner(s) | James Wallace and Mike Dawson | |
| President | James Wallace and Mike Dawson | |
| Head coach | Tony Penna Jr. | |
| Team history | ||
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| Championships | ||
| League championships (1) | ||
| Conference championships (0) | ||
| Division championships (0) | ||
| Home arena(s) | ||
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History
Indoor Football League (1999–2000)
The Riverhawks began play in 1999 as the Topeka Knights of the original Indoor Football League. They missed the playoffs in their inaugural season, finishing third in the Northern Division at 6-6. During the second season, the team changed ownership and became the Topeka Kings. The team finished with a much better record, going 10-4 and winning the Western Conference, Southern Division championship. In the playoffs, they defeated the Black Hills Machine in the quarterfinal round before losing to the Bismarck Blaze in the semifinals.
Move to Tennessee (2001–2003)
After the season, they moved to Knoxville, Tennessee became the Tennessee ThunderCats, and moved to the Indoor Professional Football League.[1] They would impressively win the league championship in their first year. After the IPFL folded, the ThunderCats moved to the NIFL.[2] During their tenure in the league, they had decent success in 2002, but considerably less success as the Tennessee Riverhawks in 2003.
Beyond
In 2004, while they were the Greenville Riverhawks, their ownership folded after three games. The team itself moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and played their remaining games. Then, they were re-founded by Andrew Haines, owner of the Atlantic Indoor Football League.[3] The team was purchased by Brian Schwelling of Atlanta, Georgia in February 2005. Schwelling operated the team successfully until September of that same year when it was sold to Michael Dawson. Schwelling was successful in bringing the Riverhawks to the semifinal game in the team's inaugural season.
On March 4, 2006, the Riverhawks won their first game of their second season on the road 21-14 against the Steubenville Stampede, which made AIFL history by becoming the lowest scoring game in the league's then-two year existence.
On March 26, 2006, the Riverhawks lost the AIFL's very first overtime game 41-38 against the Reading Express at home.
In the 2008 season, the Riverhawks ended their contract with the Johnstown War Memorial.
AIFL owner Andrew Haines announced he was relaunching the defunct AIFL as the Ultimate Indoor Football League in the 2011 season (the AIFA is technically a separate league with different owners founded to avoid Haines's legal troubles), and would be bringing back Johnstown in the process. The revived team was to bear the name "Johnstown Generals."[4][5]
2001 Tennessee ThunderCats IPFL Schedule
Week 1 – Tennessee ThunderCats 52, Trenton Lightning 25
Week 2 – Tennessee ThunderCats 34, St. Louis Renegades 28
Week 3 – Tennessee ThunderCats 42, Boise Stallions 29
Week 4 – bye
Week 5 – Tennessee ThunderCats 39, Trenton Lightning 26
Week 6 – Tennessee ThunderCats 41, Trenton Lightning 24
Week 7 – Tennessee ThunderCats 40, St. Louis Renegades 23
Week 8 – Omaha Beef 72, Tennessee ThunderCats 50
Week 9 – Tennessee ThunderCats 47, St. Louis Renegades 44
Week 10 – Omaha Beef 56, Tennessee ThunderCats 29
Week 11 – Omaha Beef 54, Tennessee ThunderCats 32
Week 12 – Boise Stallions 40, Tennessee ThunderCats 38
Week 13 – Tennessee ThunderCats 61, Omaha Beef 34
Week 14 – Tennessee ThunderCats 35, St. Louis Renegades 10
Week 15 – bye
Week 16 – Tennessee ThunderCats 53, Boise Stallions 9
Week 17 – bye
Week 18 – Tennessee ThunderCats vs. Boise Stallions – Cancelled
Week 19 – Tennessee ThunderCats 43, St. Louis Renegades 27
IPFL Championship – Tennessee ThunderCats 47, Omaha Beef 38
Season-by-season
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topeka Knights (IFL) | |||||
| 1999 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3rd Northern | -- |
| Topeka Knights/Kings (IFL) | |||||
| 2000 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1st WC Southern | Won Quarterfinal (B.H. Machine) Lost Semifinal (Bismarck) |
| Tennessee ThunderCats (IPFL) | |||||
| 2001 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 2nd League | Won IPFL Championship (Omaha) |
| Tennessee ThunderCats (NIFL) | |||||
| 2002 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2nd AC Northern | Won Round 1 (Lake Charles) Lost AC Quarterfinal (Ohio Valley) |
| Tennessee Riverhawks (NIFL) | |||||
| 2003 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 5th AC Eastern | -- |
| Greenville Riverhawks (NIFL) | |||||
| 2004 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5th AC Eastern | -- |
| Johnstown Riverhawks (AIFL) | |||||
| 2005 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3rd League | Lost League Semifinals (Richmond) |
| 2006 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 5th Northern | -- |
| Johnstown Riverhawks (AIFA) | |||||
| 2007 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 5th Northern | -- |
| 2008 | Did Not Play | ||||
| Totals | 66 | 51 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
2007 Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2 | Canton Legends | Home | Lost 46-60 |
| February 9 | Huntington Heroes | Home | Lost 24-35 |
| February 23 | Danville Demolition | Away | Won 39-16 |
| March 4 | Erie Freeze | Away | Won 44-42 |
| March 17 | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Home | Won 43-13 |
| March 24 | Huntington Heroes | Away | Lost 22-47 |
| March 30 | Pittsburgh RiverRats | Away | Lost 42-47 |
| April 7 | Reading Express | Home | Lost 33-55 |
| April 14 | Danville Demolition | Home | Won 40-8 |
| April 28 | Erie Freeze | Home | Won 63-21 |
| May 5 | Tallahassee Titans | Home | Lost 60-67 |
| May 12 | Reading Express | Away | Lost 16-76 |
| May 18 | Canton Legends | Away | Lost 16-38 |
| May 25 | Montgomery Bears | Away | Lost 9-32 |
| June 1 | Baltimore Blackbirds | Away | Won 19-17 |
References
- "ThunderCats roar into Knoxville". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. November 14, 2000. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
- Paul Reeths (November 9, 2001). "IPFL champs join NIFL". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- "AIFL Announces First Team". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 4, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x1691793796/NEW-Upstart-indoor-football-league-says-it-will-bring-team-to-Johnstown
- http://tribune-democrat.com/local/x1036627963/Arena-football-returning-to-War-Memorial