2008 Saginaw Sting season

2008 Saginaw Sting season
Head coach	Karl Featherstone
General manager	Mike Johnson
Owner	Mike Trumbull Esteban Rivera Mike Johnson
Home field	Dow Event Center 303 Johnson Street Saginaw, MI 78607
Results
Record	10–2
Division place	2nd
Playoff finish	Won Semifinals 41-34 (Mayhem) Won Atlantic Conference Championship 59-25 (Outlawz) Won CIFL Championship Game 41-37 (Xplosion)

The 2008 Saginaw Sting season was the first season for the American Continental Indoor Football League franchise, who began play as an expansion team. Original team owners were Mike Johnson, Mike Trumbull, and Esteban Rivera, who also owned the Kalamazoo Xplosion.^[1] The team was led by former Michigan State quarterback Damon Dowdell, who led the league in passing yards (2,190), touchdowns (54) and completion percentage (62%). Nick Body was Dowdell's favorite target, leading the league in receptions (78), yards (1,005) and touchdowns (31). Despite their offensive numbers, neither player won Offensive Player of the Year or the CIFL MVP. The duo led the Sting to a 10–2 regular season and a playoff berth. On June 29, 2008, the Sting defeated the Xplosion 41–37 to win the CIFL Championship Game.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
March 9	Flint Phantoms	Away	Won 51-25[2]
March 21	Marion Mayhem	Home	Won 54-48[3]
March 29	Miami Valley Silverbacks	Away	Won 70-26[4]
April 4	New Jersey Revolution	Home	Won 48-24[5]
April 11	Flint Phantoms	Home	Won 55-28[6][7]
April 19	Rochester Raiders	Away	Lost 43-59[8]
April 26	Rock River Raptors	Away	Lost 50-51[9]
May 2	Milwaukee Bonecrushers	Home	Won 51-28[10]
May 10	Fort Wayne Freedom	Away	Won 34-21[11]
May 24	Chicago Slaughter	Home	Won 53-28[12]
May 31	Milwaukee Bonecrushers	Away	Won 54-28[13]
June 6	Muskegon Thunder	Home	Won 60-23[14]
Playoff
June 14	Marion Mayhem (Playoffs)	Home	Won 41-34
June 23	Lehigh Valley Outlawz (Playoffs)	Home	Won 59-25
June 29	Kalamazoo Xplosion (CIFL Championship)	Away	Won 41-37

Standings

2008 Continental Indoor Football League
Team	Overall				Division
	W	L	T	PCT	W	L	T	PCT
Great Lakes Conference
East Division
Kalamazoo Xplosion-y	11	1	0	.917	5	1	0	.833
Muskegon Thunder-x	5	7	0	.417	2	2	0	.500
Fort Wayne Freedom	5	7	0	.417	2	4	0	.333
Miami Valley Silverbacks	3	9	0	.250	1	2	0	.333
West Division
Chicago Slaughter-y	8	4	0	.667	3	1	0	.750
Rock River Raptors-x	7	5	0	.583	3	1	0	.750
Milwaukee Bonecrushers	1	11	0	.083	0	4	0	.000
Atlantic Conference
East Division
New England Surge-y	8	3	0	.727	5	1	0	.833
Lehigh Valley Outlawz-x	7	5	0	.583	4	2	0	.667
New Jersey Revolution	3	9	0	.250	2	5	0	.286
Chesapeake Tide	2	10	0	.583	0	2	0	.000
West Division
Rochester Raiders-z	12	0	0	1.000	4	0	0	1.000
Saginaw Sting-y	10	2	0	.833	3	1	0	.750
Marion Mayhem-x	7	5	0	.583	0	2	0	.000
Flint Phantoms	1	11	0	.083	0	4	0	.000

Roster

2008 Saginaw Sting roster
Quarterbacks  7 Damon Dowdell Running Backs Currently vacant Wide Receivers -- Nick Body		Offensive Linemen Currently vacant Defensive Linemen Currently vacant		Linebackers Currently vacant Defensive Backs Currently vacant Kickers Currently vacant		Injured Reserve Currently vacant Exempt List Currently vacant Practice Squad Currently vacant Rookies in italics Roster updated June 29, 2008 2 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS → More rosters

References

1. Morgan, Wes (2008-04-18). "Xplosion owners juggling two teams". Kalamazoo Gazette (Booth Newspapers). Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
2. Nilsen, Dan (March 10, 2008). "Flint Phantoms lose CIFL debut to Saginaw Sting". Flint Journal (Booth Newspapers). Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
3. "Down big in final period, Mayhem comeback falls just short against Sting". The Marion Star (Gannett Company). 2008-03-22. Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
4. "Sting remain perfect, 70-26" (xml). Saginaw News (Saginaw, Michigan: Booth Newspapers). Retrieved 2008-04-23.
5. Mott, Geoff (2008-04-05). "Sting cruise past New Jersey, 48-24" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). Retrieved 2008-04-23.
6. Gunther, Bruce (April 12, 2008). "Phantoms fade after strong start". Flint Journal (Booth Newspapers). Retrieved 2008-04-14.
7. Mancina, Greg (April 12, 2008). "Sting crazy" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). Retrieved 2008-04-14.
8. "Sting suffer first loss" (xml). Saginaw News (Saginaw, Michigan: Booth Newspapers). 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
9. "Sting fall in final seconds" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
10. Mancina, Greg (2008-05-01). "Saginaw ends two-game slide with dominating performance" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). Retrieved 2008-05-13.
11. "Sting 'D' delivers at Fort Wayne" (xml). Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
12. Mancina, Greg (2008-05-24). "STING INSIDER: Saginaw Sting beat Chicago Slaughter 53-28". Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
13. "Sting win, 61-28". Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
14. Mancina, Greg (2008-06-01). "The Saginaw Sting cap their inaugural season with a 60-23 victory over visiting Muskegon". Saginaw News (Booth Newspapers). Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-09.