The 2011 Northern Kentucky River Monsters season was the first season for the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) franchise. Announced as a startup team for the newly formed Ultimate Indoor Football League in 2010, the team was purchased by Jill Chitwood from the UIFL in February 2011.[1] Just a week before the season began, team General Manager, Jared Lorenzen, relieved himself of his duties as general manager, and became the quarterback for the franchise.[2] In the River Monsters first ever game they defeated the Canton Cougars by a score of 63–41.[3] With a Week 9 win over the Saginaw Sting, the River Monsters had clinched a postseason berth in their first season,[4] clinching home field advantage throughout the playoffs.[5] After wrapping up the season, the UIFL had discovered that the River Monsters had been paying their players over the league's salary cap. The UIFL stripped the River Monsters of the #1 seed and made them the #4 seed, taking away the River Monster's chance to earn playoff money.[6] The River Monster now traveled to Saginaw, Michigan to play the Sting, where the Sting upset the River Monsters 48–47.[7] On June 6, 2011, it was announced that the UIFL and the River Monsters mutually agreed to part ways, leaving the team free to join another league. However, the UIFL had a lease agreement with the arena, which hampered the likelihood the River Monsters would play in Highland Heights in 2012. The team had been mentioned as a charter member Stadius Football Association, but that league never got off the ground.[8][9]
| 2011 Northern Kentucky River Monsters season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jill Chitwood |
| Head coach | Rodney Swinigan |
| Home field | The Bank of Kentucky Center 500 Nunn Drive Highland Heights, KY 41099 |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–3 |
| League place | 1st |
| Playoff finish | Lost Semifinals 37–38 (Sting) |
Offseason
edit2011 draft board
edit| Round | Selection | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Sly Brumfield | WR/DB |
| 2 | 9 | George Frisch | OL |
| 3 | 15 | Jon D'Angelo | LB |
| 4 | 21 | Greg Johnston | DB |
Schedule
editKey: Win Tie Loss Bye
Regular season
editPostseason schedule
edit| Round | Day | Date | Opponent | Results | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||
| Semifinals | Saturday | June 4 | at Saginaw Sting | L 47–48 | 0–1 | Dow Event Center |
Standings
edit| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Northern Kentucky River Monsters[ref 2] | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 569 | 417 | L1 | ||||
| x-Saginaw Sting | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 473 | 415 | L2 | ||||
| x-Eastern Kentucky Drillers | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 390 | 373 | W1 | ||||
| x-Huntington Hammer | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 377 | 328 | W2 | ||||
| Johnstown Generals | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 292 | 416 | W2 | ||||
| Canton Cougars | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 370 | 522 | L10 | ||||
- ^ http://www.theuifl.com/01/UIFLStats/confsked.htm
- ^ Although Northern Kentucky were awarded the season title, they entered the postseason as the 4 seed due to salary cap violations.
Final roster
edit| 2011 Northern Kentucky River Monsters roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Kickers
|
Injured reserve
Exempt list
Practice squad
Rookies in italics | |||
References
edit- ^ "Chitwood Assumes River Monsters Ownership". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. February 10, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ Richard Skinner (February 24, 2011). "Jared Lorenzen lured back to field". www.cincinnati.com. Gannett. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "River Monsters defeat Cougars". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. February 25, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "River Monsters Clinch Playoff Berth". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. April 24, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "Northern Kentucky Torches Top-Scoring Defense, Clinches Home Field". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. May 22, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "Northern Kentucky Penalized by UIFL is Eastern Kentucky's Gain". www.nationofblue.com. Nation of Blue LLC. May 24, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ Kyle Austin (June 3, 2011). "Saginaw Sting earn berth in Ultimate Bowl with 48-47 upset win over Northern Kentucky". www.mlive.com. MLive Media Group. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ "FireHawks joining new league". www.wane.com. WANE. June 30, 2011. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ^ Tom Davis (July 2, 2011). "Fire Wayne FireHawks to try again in new 2012 league". The News-Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2013.