2011 Lehigh Valley Steelhawks season
The 2011 Lehigh Valley Steelhawks season was the first season as a professional indoor football franchise and their first in the Indoor Football League (IFL). One of 22 teams competing in the IFL for the 2011 season, the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks were members of the Atlantic Division in the United Conference.
| 2011 Lehigh Valley Steelhawks season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Chris Thompson |
| General manager | Michael Clark |
| Owner | Glenn W. Clark |
| Home field | Stabler Arena 124 Goodman Drive Bethlehem, PA 18015 |
| Results | |
| Record | 4-10 |
| Division place | 2nd Atlantic |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
In July, 2010, the Indoor Football League (IFL) announced that there would be an expansion franchise placed in Lehigh Valley for the 2011 season.[1] It was also announced that the team would be owned by Glenn W. Clark, a Wilmington, Delaware businessman.[1] Later in July the team announced that they had named Dan Kuhn as the team's general manager and would be holding a "Name The Team" contest was held to choose a name for the organization. Over 700 names were submitted and the top five were chosen by management.[2] These names were Vipers, Ironmen, Blast, Gamblers, and Steelhawks.[2] Fans were then asked to vote on the name they thought would be best for the team with over 70% of the votes being cast for Steelhawks.[3] Brooke Trautwein, the fan who submitted the Steelhawks name, was given a prize package that included season tickets and Steelhawks' merchandise.[3]
The team played their home games under head coach Chris Thompson at the Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Steelhawks earned a 4-10 record, placing 2nd in the Atlantic Division, and failed to qualify for post-season play.
Schedule
Key: Win Tie Loss Bye
Regular season schedule
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Score | Team Record | ||||
| 1 | February 26 (Sat) | 7:00pm | at Reading Express | L 26-33 | 0-1 |
| 2 | March 5 (Sat) | 7:05pm | at Richmond Revolution | W 41-38 | 1-1 |
| 3 | Bye | ||||
| 4 | March 19 (Sat) | 7:00pm | Richmond Revolution | L 45-48 (OT) | 1-2 |
| 5 | Bye | ||||
| 6 | April 1 (Fri) | 7:30pm | at Reading Express | L 58-63 | 1-3 |
| 7 | April 9 (Sat) | 7:05pm | Bloomington Extreme | L 16-30 | 1-4 |
| 8 | April 16 (Sat) | 7:05pm | Chicago Slaughter | L 27-52 | 1-5 |
| 9 | April 23 (Sat) | 7:05pm | Reading Express | L 37-40 | 1-6 |
| 10 | April 30 (Sat) | 7:00pm (8:00 Eastern) |
at La Crosse Spartans | L 0-51 | 1-7 |
| 11 | May 8 (Sun) | 4:00pm | Reading Express | L 14-51 | 1-8 |
| 12 | May 14 (Sat) | 7:05pm | at Richmond Revolution | W 38-35 | 2-8 |
| 13 | May 21 (Sat) | 7:05pm | Fairbanks Grizzlies | W 37-28 | 3-8 |
| 14 | May 28 (Sat) | 7:00pm | Richmond Revolution | W 46-38 | 4-8 |
| 15 | June 4 (Sat) | 7:30pm (8:30 Eastern) |
at Green Bay Blizzard | L 25-61 | 4-9 |
| 16 | June 11 (Sat) | 7:00pm (8:00 Eastern) |
at La Crosse Spartans | L 22-27 | 4-10 |
Roster
| 2011 Lehigh Valley Steelhawks roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Kickers
|
Injured Reserve
Exempt List
Practice Squad
Roster updated June 11, 2011 | |||
Division Standings
| 2011 Atlantic Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | DIV | GB | STK | |
| y Reading Express | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0.571 | 525 | 516 | 7–1 | — | L1 |
| Lehigh Valley Steelhawks | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0.286 | 432 | 595 | 3–5 | 4.0 | L2 |
| Richmond Revolution | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0.214 | 441 | 593 | 2–6 | 5.0 | W1 |
References
- "Indoor Football League set to introduce a Lehigh Valley-based franchise". www.lehighvalleylive.com. PennLive LLC. July 7, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- Keith Groller (July 22, 2010). "New team tabs 'Dynamite' as its GM, but still needs nickname". www.mcall.com. The Morning Call. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
- Alyssa Young (August 26, 2010). "Lehigh Valley Steelhawks is name of new Indoor Football League team". www.lehighvalleylive.com. PennLive LLC. Retrieved December 26, 2013.