Rochester Raiders
Encyclopedia
The Rochester Raiders are a professional indoor football team based in the Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

 area. They are currently a member of the Indoor Football League
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...

 and play their home games at the Dome Arena in the suburb of Henrietta
Henrietta, New York
Henrietta is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Rochester. The population was 42,581 at the 2010 census. Established in 1818, the town is named after Henrietta Laura Pulteney, Countess of Bath, daughter of Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, a major British...

. The Raiders were previously a member of the Continental Indoor Football League (formerly the Great Lakes Indoor Football League) from 2006 to 2008 and the American Indoor Football Association for two exhibition matches in 2008. Prior to the Dome Arena, the ESL Sports Centre
ESL Sports Centre
The Sports Centre at MCC is a 2,500-seat, non-profit indoor athletics facility in the Rochester, New York suburb of Brighton. Located on the campus of Monroe Community College, the arena was built in 1998. It is home to four regulation-size ice rinks for semi-professional, high school, and youth...

, the Main Street Armory
Main Street Armory
The Main Street Armory is a multi-purpose arena located located at 900 East Main Street in Rochester, New York. The Armory was built in 1905 by the United States Army and used for the training and processing of soldiers. Its main arena also hosted several non-military events, including high school...

, and the Blue Cross Arena
Blue Cross Arena
The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Rochester, New York. Its maximum seating capacity is 13,000...

 served as home venues of the Raiders.

The Raiders played in the CIFL championship game twice, both times against the Port Huron / Michigan Pirates. They lost to Port Huron in 2006 but defeated Michigan in 2007. Rochester finished the 2008 regular season undefeated at 12–0; however, the team resigned after their final regular season opponent, the Flint Phantoms
Flint Phantoms
The Flint Phantoms were a team in the Continental Indoor Football League, playing in the 2008 season. They played their home games at the Perani Arena and Event Center, which was previously home to the Indoor Football League's Flint Flames in 2000, and the playoff home for the defunct Michigan...

, did not show for the game and forfeited.

2006

The Rochester Raiders were founded in 2006 as a charter member of the newly-created Great Lakes Indoor Football League
Great Lakes Indoor Football League
The Continental Indoor Football League is an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League...

 (GLIFL). The Raiders derived their name from a local flag football team. There have been a small number of fans concerned with copyright between the team's logo and the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

's Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. However, since the Rochester team never plays in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, this is not believed to be of real concern. The Raiders were one of two 2006 teams in the GLIFL that held a television contract, at the time with WBGT-CA
WBGT-CA
WBGT-CA is the Class A MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a low-powered analog signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter in the city's Northwest Quadrant. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 18...

, a local low-power station. Games have since been moved to Time Warner Cable SportsNet.

The Raiders' first home venue was the ESL Sports Centre
ESL Sports Centre
The Sports Centre at MCC is a 2,500-seat, non-profit indoor athletics facility in the Rochester, New York suburb of Brighton. Located on the campus of Monroe Community College, the arena was built in 1998. It is home to four regulation-size ice rinks for semi-professional, high school, and youth...

 in Brighton
Brighton, Monroe County, New York
Brighton is a town in Monroe County, New York, USA. The population was 36,609 at the 2010 census.-History:The Town of Brighton, located on the southeast border of the city of Rochester, was originally settled approximately 1790, and formally established in 1814—earning it recognition as one...

 (a suburb of Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

). The team's 2006 roster featured Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

 standout wide receiver Maurice Jackson (who won the inaugural GLIFL Wide Receiver of the Year Award), quarterback Matt Cottengim (the league's inaugural MVP), Darius Smith (the league's inaugural Return Man of the Year), and in January 2006, they signed 2-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...

 Most Valuable Player Mark Rypien
Mark Rypien
Mark Robert Rypien is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He is the first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL.-Biography:...

 to a one-game contract. Rochester went 8–4 under head coach Dennis Greco (on loan from East Rochester
East Rochester, New York
East Rochester is a coterminous town and village located southeast of the City of Rochester in Monroe County, New York. The village, home to about 6,587 people, is bounded by Pittsford to the west and south and Perinton to the north and east. The southern boundary is delimited by New York State...

 High School) during the 2006 regular season and advanced to the postseason. However, they would ultimately fall to the Port Huron Pirates
Port Huron Pirates
The Port Huron Pirates were a charter member of the Continental Indoor Football League from 2006-2007. They began their existence playing their home games at McMorran Place in Port Huron, Michigan. The logo features a fierce pirate, symbolic of the surrounding Great Lake Huron...

 by a score of 40–34 in Great Lakes Bowl I, the GLIFL championship game. After the season, the Raiders moved from the 2,500-seat ESL Sports Centre to the 5,000-seat Main Street Armory
Main Street Armory
The Main Street Armory is a multi-purpose arena located located at 900 East Main Street in Rochester, New York. The Armory was built in 1905 by the United States Army and used for the training and processing of soldiers. Its main arena also hosted several non-military events, including high school...

 in downtown Rochester.

2007

In 2007, ultimately the Raiders' only season in the Armory, they finished the regular season with a 10–2 record under new head coach Eddie Long, good for first in the Atlantic Division. In the playoffs, Rochester won the CIFL championship by defeating the previously-unbeaten Michigan Pirates 37–27 in the CIFL Indoor Championship Game on July 28, 2007. Mike Condello was named the game's Most Valuable Player. The game was held at the Blue Cross Arena
Blue Cross Arena
The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Rochester, New York. Its maximum seating capacity is 13,000...

 (a venue with roughly double the capacity of the Main Street Armory) due to a pro wrestling show which was being held at The Armory. The Raiders moved to the Blue Cross Arena full-time beginning with the 2008 season.

2008

Rochester kept most of its championship-caliber core together, re-signing quarterbacks Mike Mikolaichik, Matt Cottingem, and Omar Baker; running backs Jamil Porter and Dee Glanton; wide receivers Maurice Jackson, Chris Carter, Noah Fahrenbauch, and Derrick Dyer; offensive linemen Mike Kallfeltz and Eric Jendryaszek; linebackers Jason Coley and James Vann; defensive linemen Terrence Dawson and Tom Parks; defensive backs Chris Shaw, Darius Smith, Makis Whitaker, and Jeff Richardson; and kicker Adam Lanctot. The team also added tight end / defensive end TJ Cottrell (son of Ted Cottrell
Ted Cottrell
Theodore John "Ted" Cottrell is the former head coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League...

), wide receiver Darryl Fragger, running back Felix Joyner, defensive lineman Steve Flemming (all three from Port Huron
Port Huron Pirates
The Port Huron Pirates were a charter member of the Continental Indoor Football League from 2006-2007. They began their existence playing their home games at McMorran Place in Port Huron, Michigan. The logo features a fierce pirate, symbolic of the surrounding Great Lake Huron...

), running back / wide receiver Mark Bly and linebacker Brenton Brady (both from Miami Valley
Miami Valley Silverbacks
The Dayton Silverbacks are a professional indoor football team based in Dayton, Ohio. A member of the Continental Indoor Football League, the Silverbacks play their home games at Hara Arena in nearby Trotwood.-History:...

) by way of free agency.

The mix of holdovers from the 2007 club with players from free agency proved to be a winning combination as the team was wildly successful in 2008. They finished the regular season undefeated (12–0; 11–0 in contested games) and won their second straight division title (but first in the Atlantic West Division). However, the Raiders withdrew from the CIFL playoffs on June 8, 2008, after the Flint Phantoms
Flint Phantoms
The Flint Phantoms were a team in the Continental Indoor Football League, playing in the 2008 season. They played their home games at the Perani Arena and Event Center, which was previously home to the Indoor Football League's Flint Flames in 2000, and the playoff home for the defunct Michigan...

 failed to show up for a Sunday afternoon game. The team then immediately moved to the American Indoor Football Association, and played two exhibition matches there, but then announced a move to the Indoor Football League
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...

 instead. Speculation among fans and league personnel on CIFL message boards is that some Raiders players will play with the new af2
Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...

 team in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

—which shares ownership with the Raiders—starting in 2009. As part of the deal, Thurman Thomas, who is the other investor in the Buffalo af2 team, will also acquire a share of the Raiders.

2009

In December 2009, Rochester businessman Bob Bartosiewicz sold his majority share in the team to minority owner and team founder Dave McCarthy, and McCarthy announced that the team would be playing its 2010 home games at the Dome Arena in Henrietta, which has 2,164 seats—the lowest seating capacity of any IFL team, and lower than the previous arenas they used in the GLIFL and CIFL.

2010

On June 5th, 2010, the Raiders hosted the first outdoor IFL game against the Chicago Slaughter at Marina Auto Stadium. The Raiders won that game 43-36.

2011

In November, 2010, according to www.goifl.com the Rochester Raiders will not play in the IFL this year. The organization hopes to resume in 2012.

Season-by-season record

|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Rochester Raiders (GLIFL)
|-
|2006 || 8 || 4 || 0 || 2nd League || Won Semifinal (Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley Outlawz
The Lehigh Valley Outlawz are a former professional Indoor Football League team. They played their home games at the Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.- History :...

)
Lost Great Lakes Bowl I (Port Huron
Port Huron Pirates
The Port Huron Pirates were a charter member of the Continental Indoor Football League from 2006-2007. They began their existence playing their home games at McMorran Place in Port Huron, Michigan. The logo features a fierce pirate, symbolic of the surrounding Great Lake Huron...

)
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Rochester Raiders (CIFL)
|-
|2007 || 10 || 2 || 0 || 1st Atlantic || Won AD Semifinal (Chesapeake
Chesapeake Tide
The Maryland Maniacs are an Indoor Football team based in College Park, Maryland, the team plays its home games at Cole Field House. Inaugural season home games were held at The Show Place Arena...

)
Won AD Championship (New England
New England Surge
The New England Surge were an indoor football team that was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2007 and 2008.The Surge played home games at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts....

)
Won CIFL Indoor Championship Game (Michigan)
|-
|2008 || 12 || 0 || 0 || 1st Atlantic West || Quit league
|-
| colspan="6" align="center" | Rochester Raiders (IFL)
|-
|2009 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 2nd United Atlantic || Lost Divisionals I (River City)
|-
|2010 || 9 || 5 || 0 || 2nd Atlantic East || Won Round 1 (Richmond
Richmond Revolution
The Richmond Revolution were a professional indoor football team based in Richmond, Virginia that began play in the Indoor Football League in the 2010 season. For the 2010 season they played their home games at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center...

)
Lost Conference Semi-Final (Wichita
Wichita Wild
The Wichita Wild is a professional indoor football team located in Wichita, Kansas. The wild plays in the Indoor Football League the second biggest football league in the United States only after the NFL. The IFL was formed in 2008 through a merger between the Intense Football League and the...

)
|-
|2011* || 0 || 0 || 0 || -- || --
|-
!Totals || 50 || 16|| 0
|colspan="2"| (including playoffs)

* = Current Standing

2007 game log

Date Opponent Home
Home (sports)
In sports, home is a term referring to both the city and stadium, arena, or field where an athletic team plays games at their venue, whilst when the team plays elsewhere then they are considered the away team. The home term can refer to either the sponsoring institution or the place where it is...

/Away
Road (sports)
Road game , more commonly known as an away game, is a reference to all cities and stadia/arenas/fields/venues where an athletic team plays games for which it is not the host. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions...

Result
March 17 Port Huron Pirates Home Lost 30-62
March 24 New England Surge
New England Surge
The New England Surge were an indoor football team that was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2007 and 2008.The Surge played home games at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts....

Home Won 77-40
March 30 Port Huron Pirates Away Lost 13-60
April 14 Lehigh Valley Outlawz
Lehigh Valley Outlawz
The Lehigh Valley Outlawz are a former professional Indoor Football League team. They played their home games at the Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.- History :...

Away Won 63-25
April 21 Chesapeake Tide
Chesapeake Tide
The Maryland Maniacs are an Indoor Football team based in College Park, Maryland, the team plays its home games at Cole Field House. Inaugural season home games were held at The Show Place Arena...

Away Won 89-49
April 28 Chesapeake Tide
Chesapeake Tide
The Maryland Maniacs are an Indoor Football team based in College Park, Maryland, the team plays its home games at Cole Field House. Inaugural season home games were held at The Show Place Arena...

Home Won 52-16
May 5 Chicago Slaughter Away Won 49-40
May 19 New York/New Jersey Revolution
New York/New Jersey Revolution
The New Jersey Revolution were members of the American Indoor Football Association, and will begin play in 2010 and ceased operations after completing their first season. The team was based in Morristown, New Jersey, played their home games at the George Mennen arena and was sponsored by the U.S....

Home Won 62-0
May 26 Lehigh Valley Outlawz
Lehigh Valley Outlawz
The Lehigh Valley Outlawz are a former professional Indoor Football League team. They played their home games at the Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.- History :...

Home Won 77-49
June 2 Steubenville Stampede
Steubenville Stampede
The Steubenville Stampede was an indoor football franchise, most recently a member of the Continental Indoor Football League. They played their home games at the St. John Arena in Steubenville, Ohio.-2006 season:...

Home Won 81-6
June 9 New York/New Jersey Revolution
New York/New Jersey Revolution
The New Jersey Revolution were members of the American Indoor Football Association, and will begin play in 2010 and ceased operations after completing their first season. The team was based in Morristown, New Jersey, played their home games at the George Mennen arena and was sponsored by the U.S....

Away Won 56-21
June 16 New England Surge
New England Surge
The New England Surge were an indoor football team that was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2007 and 2008.The Surge played home games at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts....

Away Won 49-40
July 7 Chesapeake Tide
Chesapeake Tide
The Maryland Maniacs are an Indoor Football team based in College Park, Maryland, the team plays its home games at Cole Field House. Inaugural season home games were held at The Show Place Arena...

 (Playoffs)
Home Won 76-43
July 14 New England Surge
New England Surge
The New England Surge were an indoor football team that was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2007 and 2008.The Surge played home games at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts....

 (Playoffs)
Home Won 80-45
July 28 Michigan Pirates  (CIFL Indoor Championship Game) Home (BCA
Blue Cross Arena
The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Rochester, New York. Its maximum seating capacity is 13,000...

)
Won 37-27

2008 game log

Date Opponent Home
Home (sports)
In sports, home is a term referring to both the city and stadium, arena, or field where an athletic team plays games at their venue, whilst when the team plays elsewhere then they are considered the away team. The home term can refer to either the sponsoring institution or the place where it is...

/Away
Road (sports)
Road game , more commonly known as an away game, is a reference to all cities and stadia/arenas/fields/venues where an athletic team plays games for which it is not the host. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions...

Result
March 21 Chesapeake Tide
Chesapeake Tide
The Maryland Maniacs are an Indoor Football team based in College Park, Maryland, the team plays its home games at Cole Field House. Inaugural season home games were held at The Show Place Arena...

Away Won 43-36
March 29 Lehigh Valley Outlawz
Lehigh Valley Outlawz
The Lehigh Valley Outlawz are a former professional Indoor Football League team. They played their home games at the Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.- History :...

Home Won 49-27
April 5 Marion Mayhem
Marion Mayhem
Marion Mayhem was an indoor American football team. It was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League , later renamed the Continental Indoor Football League . The team folded during the 2010 season due to financial problems. They played their home games at the Veterans Memorial...

Away Won 52-19
April 12 New Jersey Revolution Home Won 49-3
April 19 Saginaw Sting
Saginaw Sting
The Saginaw Sting are a team in the Continental Indoor Football League that began play as a 2008 expansion franchise in the Continental Indoor Football League and then moved to the Indoor Football League for the 2009 season and then suspended operations after the season...

Home Won 59-43
April 26 New Jersey Revolution Away Won 59-16
May 3 New England Surge
New England Surge
The New England Surge were an indoor football team that was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2007 and 2008.The Surge played home games at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts....

Home Won 62-20
May 10 Lehigh Valley Outlawz
Lehigh Valley Outlawz
The Lehigh Valley Outlawz are a former professional Indoor Football League team. They played their home games at the Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.- History :...

Away Won 45-26
May 17 Chesapeake Tide
Chesapeake Tide
The Maryland Maniacs are an Indoor Football team based in College Park, Maryland, the team plays its home games at Cole Field House. Inaugural season home games were held at The Show Place Arena...

Home Won 58-13
May 24 Flint Phantoms
Flint Phantoms
The Flint Phantoms were a team in the Continental Indoor Football League, playing in the 2008 season. They played their home games at the Perani Arena and Event Center, which was previously home to the Indoor Football League's Flint Flames in 2000, and the playoff home for the defunct Michigan...

Away Won 35-12
May 31 New England Surge
New England Surge
The New England Surge were an indoor football team that was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2007 and 2008.The Surge played home games at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts....

Away Won 52-25
June 8 Flint Phantoms
Flint Phantoms
The Flint Phantoms were a team in the Continental Indoor Football League, playing in the 2008 season. They played their home games at the Perani Arena and Event Center, which was previously home to the Indoor Football League's Flint Flames in 2000, and the playoff home for the defunct Michigan...

Home Won Forfeit

Current staff

  • Head coach: Eddie Long
  • Assistant coaches: Raheem Miller, Jason Collins, and Larry Long

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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