Racine Raiders
| Racine Raiders | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 1953 |
| League | CSFL (1953, 1962-1975) BSFL (1954-1959) TSFL (1960-1961) NSFL (1978-1981, 1983-1985) AFA (1982) MWFL (1986-1990, 1992-1994) Independent (1991) MCFL (1995-2002) NAFL (2003-2009) MSFL (2010) Elite MCFL (2011 - present)[citation needed] |
| Team history | Racine Raiders (1953-1975) North Shore Gladiators (1978) Racine Gladiators (1979-1985) Racine Raiders (1986-present) |
| Stadium | Horlick Field |
| Based in | Racine, Wisconsin |
| Team colors | Black, Silver, Original Cardinal Red |
| President | Matt Snyder |
| Head coach | TBD |
| Championships | 7 (1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2001) |
| Dancers | Raiders Dance Team |
| Mascot | RJ Raider |
The Racine Raiders American football club is an Elite MCFL team based in Racine, Wisconsin. Founded in 1953, they are the oldest Minor League Football team in Wisconsin (United States) that is still in existence. After one season in the Mid-States Football League, the team announced a move to the Elite MCFL in 2011. The Raiders were the first minor league football team to gain 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Organization is composed entirely of Volunteers.
- Helmet Design: Black background with a cowboy bandit in black with a half and half bandanna of cardinal and black on a white circular background in a triple circular outline of silver, cardinal and black.
President: Matt Snyder
VP - GM: Bob Marcado
Head Coach: TBD
Contents |
[edit] Franchise history
[edit] Summary
Wigs Konicek, a local restaurateur at the time, started the Racine Raiders in 1953. The team began in the Bi-States Football League (BSFL) and won their first league championship in 1954.
The team was able to sustain itself until 1975 when it disbanded. Although they did not field a team for the 1976 and 1977 season, they remained organized for those seasons. New owners started the Racine Gladiators in 1978. They paid players and were successful on the field, winning three National Championships. Unfortunately, the team fell on hard times and disbanded in 1985.
In 1986, Bob Milkie, a retired bearing company executive, Joe Mooney, a police sergeant, Jess Levin, a local banker, and others rebuilt the team, this time as community-owned, non-profit organization.
Perhaps the biggest moment in the team's history, as well as that of minor league football, came in 1989 when the team traveled to Ottawa, Canada, to play in a World Championship game. While the team won the game in five degree weather and a blizzard, just playing the game was the important element. The team was now able to apply for, and received, 501(c)3 Not-For-Profit status from the Internal Revenue Service, setting the tone for dozens of minor league football teams since to be able to do the same.
The Raiders have won seven National Championships and have had nearly a dozen players with National Football League (NFL) experience. They also have 26 players, coaches or staff in the American Football Association (AFA) Semi Pro Hall of Fame, more than any other team.
[edit] 2011 Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | Des Moines Blaze | Home | |
| July 7 | Gateway Hawks | Home | |
| July 14 | Sheboygan County Rebels | Home | |
| July 21 | |||
| July 28 | |||
| August 4 | |||
| August 11 | |||
| August 18 | |||
| August 25 | |||
| September 1 |
[edit] American Football Association (AFA) Minor League Football Hall of Fame
| 1982 | Harry Gilbert | Coach Category | ||
| 1987 | Bob Milkie | Player Category | ||
| 1988 | Kurt Kampendahl | Player Category | ||
| 1988 | Ed O'Reilly | Coach Category | ||
| 1989 | Greg Johnson | Player Category | ||
| 1990 | Charlie Bliss | Player Category | ||
| 1994 | Norm Killion | Coach Category | ||
| 1996 | Ron Hart | Player Category | ||
| 1997 | Tom Kohr | Coach Category | ||
| 1999 | Arnie Garber | Coach Category | ||
| 1999 | Joe Mooney | Executive Category | ||
| 2000 | John Scardina | Player Category | ||
| 2001 | Phil Micech | Player Category | ||
| 2002 | Tony Lombardo | Player Category | ||
| 2003 | Jordan Kopac | Coach Category | ||
| 2003 | Dennis Galipo | Player Category | ||
| 2004 | Brian Forston | Player Category | ||
| 2004 | Brian Erickson | Player Category | ||
| 2005 | Ron Anton | Player Category | ||
| 2005 | Terry Converse | Coach Category | ||
| 2005 | Gary Kuykendall | Player Category | ||
| 2005 | Mike Willkomm | Player Category | ||
| 2006 | Dan Dragan | Player Category | ||
| 2006 | Gary Suhr | Media Category | ||
| 2007 | Chris Pivovar | Coach Category | ||
| 2007 | Scott Smith | Player Category | ||
| 2010 | Greg Fictum | Player Category | ||
| 2010 | Jerry Kupper | Coach Category |
[edit] Minor League Football News Hall of Fame
| 2007 | Brian Forston | |
| 2007 | Peter Deates | |
| 2007 | Jordan Kopac |
[edit] Retired numbers
| 10 | Jim May | Quarterback | 1964–1965 |
| 11 | Charlie Bliss | Quarterback | 1980–1989, 1992 |
| 23 | Tony Lombardo | Running Back | 1962–1966 |
| 51 | Bob Milkie | Center | 1957–1971 |
| 53 | L. Fred Vondra | Center | 1979–1985 |
| 55 | Wilbert Kennedy | Defensive Tackle | 1988–2009 |
| 74 | Kurt Kampendahl | Defensive Tackle | 1982–1993 |
| 75 | Ron Hart | Defensive Tackle | 1964–1975 |
| 82 | Ron Anton | Tight End | 1964–1973 |
| 83 | Phil Micech | Defensive End/Defensive Tackle/Tight End | 1985–1995, 2001 |
[edit] Players that played in the NFL
| Jim Haluska, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns (1956) [1] |
| Tony Lombardo, Philadelphia Eagles (1964) |
| Tim Rucks, New York Jets (1983) [2] |
| Ron Daugherty, Minnesota Vikings (1987) |
| Phil Micech, Minnesota Vikings (1987) |
| Brett Wilson, Minnesota Vikings (1987) |
| Matt Turk, Washington Redskins (1995–99), Miami Dolphins (2000–01, 2003–05), New York Jets (2002), St. Louis Rams (2006), Houston Texans (2007–present) |
| Brent Moss, St. Louis Rams (1995) |
[edit] Head coaches
| 1953 | Don Perkins | (1-2-2) |
| 1953 | Les Kalchik | (1-6-0) |
| 1954–1962 | Frank Schinkowitch | (46-47-5) |
| 1963 | Jim Haluska | (2-8-0) |
| 1964–1967, 1982 | Harry Gilbert | (44-9-2) |
| 1968–1969 | Jim Thompson | (11-12-0) |
| 1970–1972 | Bruno Wojtaszek | (15-24-0) |
| 1973–1974 | Warren Greco | (16-9-0) |
| 1975, 1979 | Larry Benjamin | (15-12) |
| 1980-81, 1986–90, 1997–2000 | Bob Milkie | (137-29-0) |
| 1983–1984 | Pete Bock | (32-3-0) |
| 1985 | Rich McClure | (9-7-0) |
| 1991–1994 | Terry Converse | (49-3-0) |
| 1995–1996 | Kurt Kampendahl | (29-4-0) |
| 2002–2004 | Gregg Brenner | (36-10-0) |
| 2001, 2005–2007, 2011 | Jordan Kopac | (63-20-0) |
| 2008–2010 | John Mamerow | (17-10-0) |
[edit] Current coaching staff
[edit] Head Coach
- TBD - Head Coach
[edit] Offensive Coaches
- Matt Nelson - Offensive Coordinator
- - Running Backs
- Arnie Garber - Offensive Line
[edit] Defensive Coaches
- Alex Powell - Defensive Coordinator
- Wilbert Kennedy - Defensive Line
- Pedro Trevino -Defensive Backs
[edit] Special Teams Coaches
- Vacant - Special Teams Coordinator
[edit] References
- ^ The Milwaukee Sentinel "Berzinski, Haluska sign with Racine", accessed June 23, 2011.
- ^ Carthage College website "Tim Rucks biography", accessed December 27, 2010.
- The Milwaukee Sentinel - Google News Archive Search
- JSOnline.com News Archives (subscription required)
- Men young and old chase football dreams at Racine Raiders tryout
- Raiders leave NAFL for MidStates Football League
- Racine Raiders don't find the answer
[edit] External links
- Racine Raiders Official Website
- Play for the Raiders - Racine Raiders Official Recruiting Website
- American Football Association
- WRJN 1400 AM
- Racine Journal Times
- Elite MCFL
- Minor League Football News (MLFN)
- National Football Events (NFE)
