The Trenton Lightning were an indoor professional football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 team founded in 2000 by owner/general manager, Phillip J. Subhan and local businessman, Kenneth Samu. The team started the 2001 season in the Indoor Professional Football League

Indoor Professional Football League

The Indoor Professional Football League was the new incarnation of the Professional Indoor Football League , which started in 1998. Two of its teams left the league and their owner, Kerry Ecklund, founded the Indoor Football League in 1999...

 (IPFL) and were led by head coach (ex-NFL RB) Vaughn Hebron

Vaughn Hebron

Vaughn Harlen Hebron is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos.-Early life:...

 (played for the Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

) and the team played its home games at the Sovereign Bank Arena, capacity 7,605 in Trenton, NJ. The team was originally scheduled for a 16 game season (eight home and eight away games), But, the team was to fold after only 6 games. The team's Director of Football operations was Marty Yukichak and the team had a front office staff of seven others in addition to a coaching staff of eight, including Hebron. The team's defensive coordinator was Chuck Murphy and offensive coordinator was Tom Cocuzza.

The 21 member active roster was made up mostly of local college football players stemming from Rutgers University

Rutgers University

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

, West Virginia

West Virginia University

West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...

, Penn State, as well as a number of players from the local (Division III) New Jersey Athletic Conference

New Jersey Athletic Conference

The New Jersey Athletic Conference , formerly the New Jersey State Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Full members are located in New Jersey, track-only and football-only members are located in Connecticut and New York.-Member...

. The players were paid $200 per game, plus stipend for away games. The Trenton area has traditionally supported a number of successful minor league sports franchises including the Trenton Thunder

Trenton Thunder

The Trenton Thunder are an American Minor League Baseball team and are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Thunder play in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League, and are the two-time defending league champions...

 (Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 and New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 affiliate) and Trenton Titans

Trenton Titans

The Trenton Titans are a professional minor league ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans play their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Established in 1999, the...

 (East Coast Hockey League) and the Lightning's attendance was strong (with average attendance of nearly 4,000 in their 6,500 capacity arena). Despite local talent and strong support, the team finished their inaugural (and last/shortened) season 0-6.

2001 IPFL Trenton Lightning schedule

Friday, April 13 Trenton Lightning at Tennessee ThunderCats 25-52

Saturday, April 21 Trenton Lightning at Boise Stallions

Boise Stallions

The Boise Stallions are a now-defunct indoor football team from Boise, Idaho. They were a charter member of the Indoor Professional Football League. They originally began as the Idaho Stallions. Throughout their three seasons, the Stallions had very little success. When the league folded, the...

 12-29

Saturday, April 28 Omaha Beef

Omaha Beef

The Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League . They play their home games at Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was also once the home of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and is now the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey...

 at Trenton Lightning 51-41

Saturday, May 5 St. Louis Renegades

River City Rage

The RiverCity Rage were a professional indoor football team in the Indoor Football League. They played home games at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri, part of the metropolitan area of St. Louis, Missouri, in past seasons, played in the Scottrade Center in downtown St...

 at Trenton Lightning 14-13

Saturday, May 12 Trenton Lightning at Tennessee ThunderCats 26-39

Saturday, May 19 Tennessee ThunderCats at Trenton Lightning 41-24

Saturday, June 2 Boise Stallions

Boise Stallions

The Boise Stallions are a now-defunct indoor football team from Boise, Idaho. They were a charter member of the Indoor Professional Football League. They originally began as the Idaho Stallions. Throughout their three seasons, the Stallions had very little success. When the league folded, the...

 at Trenton Lightning CANCELLED

Saturday, June 9 Trenton Lightning at Boise Stallions

Boise Stallions

The Boise Stallions are a now-defunct indoor football team from Boise, Idaho. They were a charter member of the Indoor Professional Football League. They originally began as the Idaho Stallions. Throughout their three seasons, the Stallions had very little success. When the league folded, the...

 CANCELLED

Saturday, June 16 Trenton Lightning at Omaha Beef

Omaha Beef

The Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League . They play their home games at Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was also once the home of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and is now the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey...

 CANCELLED

Saturday, June 22 St. Louis Renegades

River City Rage

The RiverCity Rage were a professional indoor football team in the Indoor Football League. They played home games at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri, part of the metropolitan area of St. Louis, Missouri, in past seasons, played in the Scottrade Center in downtown St...

 at Trenton Lightning CANCELLED

Saturday, July 7 Boise Stallions

Boise Stallions

The Boise Stallions are a now-defunct indoor football team from Boise, Idaho. They were a charter member of the Indoor Professional Football League. They originally began as the Idaho Stallions. Throughout their three seasons, the Stallions had very little success. When the league folded, the...

 at Trenton Lightning CANCELLED

Saturday, July 14 Trenton Lightning at St. Louis Renegades

River City

River City is a Scottish television soap opera, first broadcast in Scotland on BBC Scotland on 24 September 2002. River City storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch in Glasgow...

 CANCELLED

Saturday, July 21 Tennessee ThunderCats at Trenton Lightning CANCELLED

Saturday, August 4 Omaha Beef

Omaha Beef

The Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League . They play their home games at Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was also once the home of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and is now the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey...

 at Trenton Lightning CANCELLED

Saturday, August 11 Trenton Lightning at St. Louis Renegades

River City Rage

The RiverCity Rage were a professional indoor football team in the Indoor Football League. They played home games at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri, part of the metropolitan area of St. Louis, Missouri, in past seasons, played in the Scottrade Center in downtown St...

 CANCELLED

Saturday, August 18 Trenton Lightning at Omaha Beef

Omaha Beef

The Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League . They play their home games at Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was also once the home of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and is now the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey...

CANCELLED