Fayetteville Guard
| File:Cape Fear Heroes.png | |
| Founded | 2010 |
|---|---|
| League | SIFL (2011-present) |
| Team history | Cape Fear Heroes (2012 -) Fayetteville Force (2011) |
| Based in | Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| Arena | Cumberland County Crown Coliseum |
| Colors | Red, White, Silver, & Blue |
| Owner | AIFA |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division titles | 0 |
| Website | [1] |
The Fayetteville Force is the former name of a professional indoor football team in the Southern Indoor Football League. They debuted the SIFL following the SIFL/AIFA merger and play home games at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum.
The Force set the record for the largest single-game losing margin and points allowed in the history of indoor football - in any league - following a 0 - 138 loss to the Erie Explosion on May 21, 2011 [2].
The AIFA entered into an asset purchase agreement of selected assets of the Fayetteville Force from Fanteractive, LLC the Force’s parent company but the AIFA did not purchase the corporation that was operating the Force. Under the agreement the AIFA retains the Force name, logo, likeness, playing equipment and the artificial turf. The AIFA guaranteed that it would play the remaining four Force games with the Southern Indoor Football League. [3] On November 17, 2011, the franchise was renamed "Cape Fear Heroes" and will begin play in the 2012 season. [4]
History
The Fayetteville Guard, began play in 2003 as the Myrtle Beach Stingrays' of the National Indoor Football League in the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, compiling a 6-8 record in their inaugural season.
At the beginning of the 2004 season, the NIFL pulled the team out of Myrtle Beach, and the team almost folded. However, some local investors saved the team, playing as the Carolina Stingrays in the Florence Civic Center. They managed to finish 3-6 in their shortened season.
The following year, the team was purchased again and moved to Fayetteville to replace af2's Cape Fear Wildcats, who had moved to Albany, Georgia and are currently playing as the South Georgia Wildcats. The new team had originally been called the Fayetteville Heat, but later on changed their name to the Fayetteville Guard. The team started their season 0-5, but went 7-2 in their final nine regular season games, thus earning them a 7-7 record and a playoff berth. The team defeated the Dayton Warbirds in the first round, but lost to the Cincinnati Marshals in the divisional round.
The Guard did even better in 2006, posting a 13-1 record in the regular season, then defeating the Lakeland Thunderbolts and River City Rage en route to Indoor Bowl VI, where they would lose to the Billings Outlaws. The best player ever for the Fayetteville Guard was former Hawaii QB-K Shawn-Ke'ali'i Withy-Allen, 6'5", 234 lbs.
In August 2006, it was reported that the Guard were moving to the World Indoor Football League [5]. However, the Guard denied these rumors by announcing that they were staying in the NIFL in a press conference two months later.
With to the merger of the AIFA and SIFL, a new Fayetteville based sports marketing group claimed the right to field a SIFL team from the Fayetteville market. The Guard did not return for the 2011 season, but a new team not affiliated with the Guard or its owners, called the Fayetteville Force, now represents the Cape Fear area. After a 3-0 start, the team collapsed and was sold to the remains of the AIFA, who put together a new team from scratch under the "Fayetteville Force" name. The "new" Fayetteville Force has yet to win a game and has the dubious distinction of having the most points scored on them in indoor football history and the worst margin of defeat for a professional football team in over 100 years, losing 138-0 to the Erie Explosion.[1]
| File:Guardlogo.png | |
| Founded | 2003 |
|---|---|
| League | AIFA (2008-2010) NIFL/Independent (2003-2007) |
| Team history | Fayetteville Guard (2005-2010) Myrtle Beach/Carolina Stingrays (2003-2004) |
| Based in | Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| Arena | Cumberland County Crown Coliseum |
| Colors | Black, Green, Brown, White |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division titles | 2 |
Defunct Franchise Season-by-Season
Summary
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myrtle Beach Stingrays (NIFL) | |||||
| 2003 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 3rd Atlantic Southern | -- |
| Carolina Stingrays (NIFL) | |||||
| 2004 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3rd Atlantic Southern | -- |
| Fayetteville Guard (NIFL) | |||||
| 2005 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3rd Atlantic Central | Won AC Quarterfinal (Dayton) Lost AC Divisional (Cincinnati) |
| 2006 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1st Atlantic Central | Won AC Semifinal (Lakeland) Won AC Championship (River City) Lost Indoor Bowl VI (Billings) |
| Fayetteville Guard (NIFL/Independent) | |||||
| 2007 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1st Atlantic | ]]) |
| Fayetteville Guard (AIFA) | |||||
| 2008 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 4th EC Eastern | -- |
| 2009 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2nd Southern | Lost Divisional (Columbus) |
| 2010 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6th Eastern | -- |
| Totals | 59 | 52 | 0 | (including playoffs) | |
Schedule & Results 2005 - 2010
2005
| Date | Opponent | Result | Att. | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||
| March 26 | at River City | L, 46-43 | 3,892 | 0-1 | |
| April 2 | Odessa | L, 52-46 | 2,991 | 0-2 | |
| April 9 | at Cincinnati | L, 57-54 | 4,208 | 0-3 | |
| April 16 | Rome | L, 60-57 | 2,828 | 0-4 | |
| April 23 | at Montgomery | L, 35-20 | 3,965 | 0-5 | |
| April 30 | Montgomery | W, 64-21 | N/A | 1-5 | |
| May 8 | at Rome | L, 48-45 (OT) | 1,250 | 1-6 | |
| May 13 | at Kissimmee | W, 47-34 | 1,102 | 2-6 | |
| May 21 | River City | W, 60-51 | N/A | 3-6 | |
| May 28 | Cincinnati | W, 48-34 | 1,634 | 4-6 | |
| June 4 | Kissimmee | W, 55-14 | 2,600 | 5-6 | |
| June 11 | Daytona Beach | W, 41-37 | 4,012 | 6-6 | |
| June 18 | at SW Louisiana | L, 53-38 | 4,012 | 6-7 | |
| June 25 | Miami | W, 62-2 | 3,012 | 7-7 | |
| First Round | |||||
| July 9 | Dayton | W, 78-63 | 2,180 | 8-7 | |
| Divisional Round | |||||
| July 16 | Cincinnati | L, 70-69 | 3,443 | 8-8 | |
2006
| Date | Opponent | Result | Att. | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||
| March 25 | at Montgomery | W, 44-7 | 2,144 | 1-0 | |
| April 1 | at Osceola | W, 58-55 | 1,897 | 2-0 | |
| April 9 | at Florida | W, 44-41 | N/A | 3-0 | |
| April 14 | at Greensboro | W, 45-26 | 3,218 | 4-0 | |
| April 22 | Osceola | W, 54-51 | 3,200 | 5-0 | |
| April 29 | at Lakeland | L, 60-41 | 2,697 | 5-1 | |
| May 4 | at Charleston | W, 62-44 | 1,800 | 6-1 | |
| May 13 | Cincinnati | W, 70-26 | 2,097 | 7-1 | |
| May 20 | Palm Beach | W, 59-20 | 2,000 | 8-1 | |
| May 27 | Palm Beach | W, 70-0 | 4,185 | 9-1 | |
| June 3 | Tennessee | W, 78-14 | 2,645 | 10-1 | |
| June 10 | Greensboro | W, 58-40 | 1,563 | 11-1 | |
| June 17 | Charleston | W, 74-14 | 1,241 | 12-1 | |
| June 24 | Montgomery | W, 68-14 | 2,385 | 13-1 | |
| Divisional Round | |||||
| July 16 | Lakeland | W, 44-18 | 3,129 | 14-1 | |
| Conference Championship | |||||
| July 22 | at RiverCity | W, 72-70 (OT) | 3,223 | 15-1 | |
| Indoor Bowl VI | |||||
| July 28 | at Billings | L, 59-44 | 7,934 | 15-2 | |
2007
| Date | Opponent | Result | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||
| March 31 | Columbia | W, 69-18 | 1-0 | ||
| April 14 | The Marshals | W, 77-14 | 2-0 | ||
| April 20 | at Greensboro | W, 60-28 | 3-0 | ||
| April 28 | at The Marshals | W, 59-28 | 4-0 | ||
| May 5 | Atlanta | W, 64-22 | 5-0 | ||
| May 26 | at Columbia | W, 34-24 | 6-0 | ||
| June 2 | Greensboro | W, 68-28 | 7-0 | ||
| June 9 | The Marshals | W, 91-6 | 8-0 | ||
| June 23 | Columbia | W, 108-0 | 9-0 | ||
| June 30 | at Greensboro | W, 63-24 | 10-0 | ||
| July 7 | Greensboro | W, 47-0 | 11-0 | ||
| July 14 | Wyoming | W, 48-34 | 12-0 | ||
| Divisional Round | |||||
2008
| Date | Opponent | Result | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||
| March 22 | at Mississippi | L, 34 - 82 | 0-1 | ||
| March 30 | Augusta | L, 14 - 47 | 0-2 | ||
| April 13 | Florence | L, 38 - 39 | 0-3 | ||
| April 19 | at Columbus | L, 16 - 75 | 0-4 | ||
| April 26 | at Carolina | W, 19 - 18 | 1-4 | ||
| May 3 | at Huntington | W, 34 - 26 | 2-4 | ||
| May 10 | Augusta | W, 56 - 43 | 3-4 | ||
| May 17 | at Reading | L, 24 - 51 | 3-5 | ||
| May 23 | at Canton | L, 22 - 34 | 3-6 | ||
| May 30 | at Florence | L, 6 - 50 | 3-7 | ||
| June 7 | Huntington | W, 51 - 21 | 4-7 | ||
| June 14 | Florida | W, 48 - 34 | 5-7 | ||
| June 21 | Columbus | L, 58 - 59 | 5-8 | ||
| June 28 | Florida | L, 41 - 43 | 5-9 | ||
2009
| Date | Opponent | Result | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||
| March 21 | at South Carolina | W, 39 - 18 | 1-0 | ||
| March 28 | Carolina | W, 58 - 32 | 2-0 | ||
| April 04 | at Florence | L, 49 - 50 | 2-1 | ||
| April 11 | at D.C. | W, 56 - 18 | 3-1 | ||
| April 18 | South Carolina | L, 48 - 53 | 3-2 | ||
| April 25 | Columbus | W, 41 - 37 | 4-2 | ||
| May 02 | Erie | W, 58 - 28 | 5-2 | ||
| May 09 | at Reading | L, 50 - 63 | 5-3 | ||
| May 23 | at South Carolina | W, 46 - 34 | 6-3 | ||
| May 30 | Reading | W, 57 - 53 | 7-3 | ||
| June 6 | Florence | W, 59 - 27 | 8-3 | ||
| June 13 | at Columbus | L, 43 - 61 | 8-4 | ||
| June 20 | at Carolina | L, 40 - 45 | 8-5 | ||
| June 20 | Columbus | L, 25 - 44 | 8-6 | ||
2010
| Date | Opponent | Result | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||
| March 21 | at Baltimore | L, 0 - 59 | 0-1 | ||
| March 27 | New Jersey | W, 75 - 15 | 1-1 | ||
| April 03 | at Richmond | L, 39 - 55 | 1-2 | ||
| April 10 | at Harrisburg | L, 21 - 49 | 1-3 | ||
| April 17 | at New Jersey | W, 37 - 19 | 2-3 | ||
| April 24 | Baltimore | L, 19 - 91 | 2-4 | ||
| May 01 | Reading | L, 33 - 62 | 2-5 | ||
| May 08 | at Richmond | L, 28 - 55 | 2-6 | ||
| May 13 | Baltimore | L, 34 - 63 | 2-7 | ||
| May 22 | at Erie | L, 52 - 55 | 2-8 | ||
| May 29 | Harrisburg | L, 28 - 64 | 2-9 | ||
| June 12 | at Reading | L, 48 - 49 | 2-10 | ||
| June 19 | Erie | L, 58 - 65 | 2-11 | ||
| June 26 | Richmond | L, 33 - 56 | 2-12 | ||
Force Season-by-Season
Summary
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville Force (SIFL) | |||||
| 2011 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 3rd EC Mid-Atlantic | -- |
| Totals | (including playoffs) | ||||
2011
| Date | Opponent | Result | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||
| March 18 | Carolina | W, 44 - 39 | 1-0 | ||
| March 27 | Harrisburg | W, 75 - 66 | 2-0 | ||
| April 03 | at Trenton | W, 56 - 53 | 3-0 | ||
| April 09 | Columbus | L, 29 - 28 | 3-1 | ||
| April 16 | at Richmond | L 43 - 61 | 3-2 | ||
| April 23 | Albany | L 40 - 43 | 3-3 | ||
| April 29 | Trenton | L 41 - 69 | 3-4 | ||
| May 07 | at Columbus | L 32 - 81 | 3-5 | ||
| May 21 | at Erie | L 0 - 138 | 3-6 | ||
| May 29 | at Carolina | L 22 - 84 | 3-7 | ||
| June 04 | at Alabama | L 12 - 92 | 3-8 | ||
| June 11 | Richmond | L 66 - 88 | 3-9 | ||
2011 Opening Roster
Due to contractual issues that arose between the previous owner and his players and coaches at the time the AIFA was unable to take over take over those contracts. So on a two day notice before the Erie away game the AIFA had to assemble a team of available players these players where selected from a group of former indoor players and rookies that where available at the time. The AIFA selected as Head Coach Matt Steeple a veteran indoor coach from a rival league (IFL) for the balance of the 2011 season. The roster listed below is how it appeared at the start of the season.
| Player | Position | Height | Weight | College | Pro Experience | Player | Position | Height | Weight | College | Pro Experience | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar Little | QB | 5' 11 | 200 lbs. | Virginia Union | 1 | Jon (Jay) Autry | QB | 6' 0 | 240 lbs. | Fayetteville State | R | |
| Dante Williams | QB | 6' | 210 lbs. | Samford | 1 | Chris Johnson | RB | 5' 9 | 215 lbs. | 1 | ||
| Jay Jackson | WR | 5' 8 | 160 lbs. | Fayetteville State | 5 | Chris Schubert | WR | 5' 9 | 190 lbs. | 1 | ||
| Prentice Quince | WR | 5' 10 | 160 lbs. | Tallahassee CC | 3 | Corey McDowell | WR | 6' 1 | 187 lbs. | 5 | ||
| Walter Ford | WR/R | 5' 9 | 200 lbs. | Virginia Tech | 7 | Tymere Zimmerman | WR/QB | 6' 4 | 225 lbs. | Newberry College | 4 | |
| Armar Waton | DB | 5' 11 | 190 lbs. | Duquesne | 5 | Deleon Raynor | DB | 5' 10 | 190 lbs. | NC Central | 6 | |
| Jerome Mann | DB | 6' | 190 lbs. | Saint Paul's College | 1 | JR Hair | DB | 6' 1 | 190 lbs. | Greensboro College | 3 | |
| Roger Williams | DB | 5'11 | 195 lbs. | Bowling Green | 3 | Marquiz Ruffin | DB/Jack | 6' 1 | 205 lbs. | NC A&T | R | |
| Marcus Hicks | Jack | 6' | 230 lbs. | Catawba College | 4 | Quinton Smith | Jack | 6' | 210 lbs. | Samford | R | |
| Preston Hines | LB | 6' 4 | 260 lbs. | Norfolk State | 1 | Dontre Brown | DL | 6' 1 | 280 lbs. | East Carolina | 6 | |
| Ken Brown | DL/OL | 6' 3 | 270 lbs. | 5 | Quincy Malloy | DL | 5' 11 | 270 lbs. | Methodist University | 7 | ||
| Antonio Dingle | DL | 6' 4 | 290 lbs. | Virginia | 10 | Jamaal Williams | OL | 6' 2 | 325 lbs. | Benedict College | 1 | |
| Theodric Watson | OL | 6' 5 | 300 lbs. | South Florida | Brandon Newton | OL | 6' 2 | 315 lbs. | Hofstra | |||
| Troy Benett | OL | 6' 4 | 355 lbs. | Southeastern | Derek Scott | K | 5' 6 | 200 lbs. | Tennessee Tech | |||
References
External links
