The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League

Professional Indoor Football League

The Professional Indoor Football League was the second league to successfully play indoor football as a paid pro-league sport, after the Arena Football League. Since the AFL had a patent given in 1990 on the gameplay of "Arena Football" , the PIFL played with mostly the same rules, but without the...

. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers

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...

 and Madison Mad Dogs

Madison Mad Dogs

The Madison Mad Dogs 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 Mad Dogs franchise was owned by Keary Ecklund. The team office was based in Madison, Wisconsin, and played their games at the Dane...

, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an "entity league"; teams were owned by the league and franchised out to management groups. NFL

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...

 Hall-of-Famer Kellen Winslow

Kellen Winslow

Kellen Boswell Winslow is a former American football tight end with the Missouri Tigers and the San Diego Chargers. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the game. He is currently the athletic director at Central State University.Winslow did not play high...

 was brought in as commissioner. The league was successful enough for a major expansion in 2000. Expansion was done regionally to cut down on travel expenses. Hence, the majority of the teams were in the Midwest

Midwestern United States

The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....

.

Midway through the 2000 season, the Topeka Knights changed management and nicknames and became the Kings. After the season, the entire league was purchased by the Arena Football League's Orlando Predators

Orlando Predators

The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...

. Two teams, the Lincoln Lightning

Lincoln Capitols

The Lincoln Capitols were a professional indoor football team that played their home games at Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. They originally planned on becoming the Nebraska Knockout, but the name was scrapped. From 1999 to 2000, they were the Lincoln Lightning of the...

 and Peoria Pirates, as well as many players, became a part of their developmental ("farm") league, the 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...

. The Wichita Warlords were rebranded the Wichita Stealth. Other teams resurfaced with new names 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...

 (which consisted of the remnants of the PIFL that Ecklund left in 1999) and the National Indoor Football League

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...

.

1999 Season

• Dayton Skyhawks
  Dayton Skyhawks
  The Dayton Skyhawks is a now-defunct indoor football team. They were a charter member of the Indoor Football League.They lasted both of the league's two seasons and folded when the league disbanded. Earnest Wilson was the Skyhawk’s first head coach & general manager...
  
  
• Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks
  Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks
  The Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks is a now-defunct Indoor Football League franchise. They were a charter member of the Indoor Football League. During their only two years of existence, the Lumberjacks could only get four wins. When the league folded after the 2000 season, the Lumberjacks went with...
  
  
• Green Bay Bombers
  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...
  
  
• Lincoln Lightning
  Lincoln Capitols
  The Lincoln Capitols were a professional indoor football team that played their home games at Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. They originally planned on becoming the Nebraska Knockout, but the name was scrapped. From 1999 to 2000, they were the Lincoln Lightning of the...
  
  
• Madison Mad Dogs
  Madison Mad Dogs
  The Madison Mad Dogs 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 Mad Dogs franchise was owned by Keary Ecklund. The team office was based in Madison, Wisconsin, and played their games at the Dane...
  
  
• Peoria Pirates
• Steel Valley Smash
  Ohio Valley Greyhounds
  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...
  
  
• Topeka Knights/Kings
  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....
  
  

2000 Season Expansion Teams

• Bismarck Blaze
  Bismarck Blaze
  The Bismarck Blaze are a now-defunct indoor football team from Bismarck, North Dakota. They were a 2000 expansion member of the Indoor Football League. During their only year of existence, the Blaze won their division and made it all the way to the Gold Cup, yet fell to the Pirates of Peoria...
  
  
• Black Hills Machine
  Rapid City Flying Aces
  The Rapid City Flying Aces is a professional indoor American football team in Rapid City, South Dakota. Like their predecessors, the Black Hills Red Dogs, they play their home games at the Don Barnett Arena in Rapid City. As of April 2007 The Flying Aces did not belong to any football league...
  
  
• Billings Thunderbolts
  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...
  
  
• Casper Cavalry
  Wyoming Cavalry
  The Wyoming Cavalry are a professional indoor football team of the Indoor Football League. They play their home games in Casper, Wyoming at Casper Events Center....
  
  
• Erie Invaders
  Erie Invaders
  The Erie Invaders was a 2000 expansion team of the defunct Indoor Football League. The Invaders played their home games at the Louis J. Tullio Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania. They made the playoffs in their inaugural year under Head Coach and General Manager Gary Tufford...
  
  
• Fargo Freeze
  Fargo Freeze
  The Fargo Freeze is a now-defunct arena football team from Fargo, North Dakota. They were a 2000 expansion team of the Indoor Football League. They managed to win only one game during their one-year existence, which was a Week 8 home game against the Minnesota Purple Rage . After the 2000...
  
  
• Flint Flames
• Johnstown Jackals
  Johnstown J Dogs
  The Johnstown J Dogs are a defunct indoor football team. They played their home games at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. They began play as an expansion member in 2000 as the Johnstown Jackals of the Indoor Football League . After a dismal inaugural year, the...
  
  
• LaCrosse RiverRats
  LaCrosse RiverRats
  The La Crosse River Rats were a professional indoor football team. They were a 2000 expansion member of the Indoor Football League . They played their home games at La Crosse Center. Their only wins came against the Minnesota Purple Rage and the Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks. Other than that, the...
  
  
• Minnesota Purple Rage
  Minnesota Purple Rage
  The Minnesota Purple Rage was an Indoor Football League team that played for the 2000 season. They played their home games at the Midwest Wireless Civic Center in Mankato, Minnesota. They only lasted one season and folded with the IFL after the 2000 season....
  
  
• Sioux City Attack
  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....
  
  
• Sioux Falls Cobras
  Sioux Falls Storm
  The Sioux Falls Storm are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League. They play their home games at Sioux Falls Arena...
  
  
• Wichita Warlords
  Wichita Stealth
  The Wichita Stealth is a now-defunct arena football team. They played their home games at the Kansas Coliseum in Wichita, Kansas. They originally began play in the Indoor Football League as a 2000 expansion team known as the Wichita Warlords before the league folded, in which they moved to the...