Ohio Valley Greyhounds
Encyclopedia
The Ohio Valley Greyhounds were a professional indoor football team. They began play in 1999 as the Steel Valley Smash, a charter member of the IFL
. After the league folded, they moved to the NIFL
, became a charter member, and renamed themselves as the Ohio Valley Greyhounds. After four successful years in the league, they moved to the UIF
in 2005 and became a charter member to the new league. However, the Greyhounds failed to reach the same level of success from the NIFL years. Their home games were played at the WesBanco Arena
in Wheeling, West Virginia
, which is also the home to the ECHL
's Wheeling Nailers
. After three dismal years in the UIF, the team folded in October 2007.
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| Steel Valley Smash (IFL)
|-
|1999 || 2 || 10 || 0 || 4th Southern || --
|-
|2000 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 1st EC Southern || Won Quarterfinal (Green Bay
)
Lost Semifinal (Peoria
)
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| Ohio Valley Greyhounds (NIFL)
|-
|2001 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 1st Atlantic Eastern || Won Round 1 (Lake Charles
)
Lost Semifinal (Mississippi
)
|-
|2002 || 12 || 1 || 0 || 1st Atlantic Northern || Won Round 1 (L. Rangers
)
Win Semifinal (T. ThunderCats
)
Won Indoor Bowl II (Billings
)
|-
|2003 || 14 || 0 || 0 || 1st Atlantic Eastern || Won Round 1 (Lexington
)
Won Semifinal (Lake Charles
)
Won Indoor Bowl III (Utah)
|-
|2004 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 1st Atlantic East || Won AC Semifinal (Fort Wayne
)
Lost AC Championship (Lexington
)
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| Ohio Valley Greyhounds (UIF)
|-
|2005 || 6 || 9 || 0 || 2nd Midwest || Lost Round 1 (Sioux City
)
|-
|2006 || 6 || 9 || 0 || 3rd East || --
|-
|2007 || 2 || 13 || 0 || 6th East || --
|-
!Totals || 73 || 53 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
. After the league folded, they moved to the NIFL
National Indoor Football League
National Indoor Football League 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, af2, however, that changed briefly with their expansion into AFL...
, became a charter member, and renamed themselves as the Ohio Valley Greyhounds. After four successful years in the league, they moved to the UIF
United Indoor Football
United Indoor Football was a United States indoor football league that started in 2005. Ten owners from the National Indoor Football League, including one expansion and two from arenafootball2 took their franchises and formed their own league...
in 2005 and became a charter member to the new league. However, the Greyhounds failed to reach the same level of success from the NIFL years. Their home games were played at the WesBanco Arena
WesBanco Arena
WesBanco Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was built in 1977 at a cost of $7 million. It is home to the Wheeling Nailers ice hockey team and the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference wrestling tournament.It can also be used for conventions, trade shows, concerts, banquets...
in Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, which is also the home to the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
's Wheeling Nailers
Wheeling Nailers
The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL....
. After three dismal years in the UIF, the team folded in October 2007.
Season-by-season
|-| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| Steel Valley Smash (IFL)
|-
|1999 || 2 || 10 || 0 || 4th Southern || --
|-
|2000 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 1st EC Southern || Won Quarterfinal (Green Bay
Green Bay Bombers
The Green Bay Bombers was an indoor football team that played in the Professional Indoor Football League in 1998, and in the Indoor Football League in 1999 & 2000. The Bombers franchise was owned by Keary Ecklund. The team office was based in Neenah, Wisconsin, and played their games at the Brown...
)
Lost Semifinal (Peoria
Peoria Pirates
The Peoria Pirates were a professional arena football team that last played in af2, the minor league to the Arena Football League. They played their home games at Carver Arena, part of the Peoria Civic Center in Illinois, and were coached by Mike Hohensee...
)
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| Ohio Valley Greyhounds (NIFL)
|-
|2001 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 1st Atlantic Eastern || Won Round 1 (Lake Charles
Lake Charles Land Sharks
The Lake Charles Land Sharks were an indoor football team. They were a charter member of the National Indoor Football League. They played their home games at the Sudduth Coliseum in Lake Charles, Louisiana...
)
Lost Semifinal (Mississippi
Mississippi Fire Dogs
The Mississippi Fire Dogs are a now-defunct indoor football team from Biloxi, Mississippi. They played their home games at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. They were a charter member of the Indoor Professional Football League. They Played from in the 1999-2000 IPFL seasons before joining the...
)
|-
|2002 || 12 || 1 || 0 || 1st Atlantic Northern || Won Round 1 (L. Rangers
Beaumont Drillers
The Beaumont Drillers were a professional indoor football team. They played their home games at Ford Arena in Beaumont, TX. They originally began playing as the Louisiana Rangers in the Indoor Professional Football League in 2000 when they replaced the Louisiana Bayou Beast...
)
Win Semifinal (T. ThunderCats
Johnstown Riverhawks
The Johnstown Riverhawks was a professional indoor football team based out of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. They were a charter member of the American Indoor Football Association. They played their home games at Cambria County War Memorial Arena....
)
Won Indoor Bowl II (Billings
Billings Outlaws
The Billings Outlaws were a professional league indoor football team. They were a member of the Indoor Football League, of which they are the current champions. They played their home games at Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark...
)
|-
|2003 || 14 || 0 || 0 || 1st Atlantic Eastern || Won Round 1 (Lexington
Lexington Horsemen
The Kentucky Horsemen were an indoor football team based in Lexington, Kentucky. The team played its home games at Rupp Arena. The organization began as a 2003 expansion member of the National Indoor Football League, where they were successful...
)
Won Semifinal (Lake Charles
Lake Charles Land Sharks
The Lake Charles Land Sharks were an indoor football team. They were a charter member of the National Indoor Football League. They played their home games at the Sudduth Coliseum in Lake Charles, Louisiana...
)
Won Indoor Bowl III (Utah)
|-
|2004 || 11 || 3 || 0 || 1st Atlantic East || Won AC Semifinal (Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne Freedom
The Fort Wayne Freedom was a team in the Continental Indoor Football League, beginning play in the 2008 season. Like the original Freedom, the team retained a red, white, and blue color scheme, and played in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum....
)
Lost AC Championship (Lexington
Lexington Horsemen
The Kentucky Horsemen were an indoor football team based in Lexington, Kentucky. The team played its home games at Rupp Arena. The organization began as a 2003 expansion member of the National Indoor Football League, where they were successful...
)
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| Ohio Valley Greyhounds (UIF)
|-
|2005 || 6 || 9 || 0 || 2nd Midwest || Lost Round 1 (Sioux City
Sioux City Bandits
The Sioux City Bandits are a professional indoor football team, currently a member of the American Professional Football League. They play their home games at the Tyson Events Center....
)
|-
|2006 || 6 || 9 || 0 || 3rd East || --
|-
|2007 || 2 || 13 || 0 || 6th East || --
|-
!Totals || 73 || 53 || 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)