La Crosse Spartans

La Crosse Spartans

Founded	2009
Folded	2011
League	Indoor Football League (2010–2011)
Team history	La Crosse Spartans (2010–2011)
Based in	La Crosse, Wisconsin
Arena	La Crosse Center
Colors	Green, Black, White
President	Chris Kokalis
Head coach	Kyle Moore-Brown
Championships	(0)
Conference titles	(0)
Division titles	(0)
Playoff berths	(0)
Dancers	Lady Spartans
Website	www.lacrossespartans.com

The La Crosse Spartans were a professional indoor football team based in La Crosse, Wisconsin. They were a member of the Great Lakes Division, of the United Conference of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They played their home games at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The team was founded in 2009, and was originally coached by former NFL player Gilbert Brown.^[1] They were also coached by his brother Kyle Moore-Brown.^[2]

History

On August 6, 2009, Chris Kokalis announced his intentions to start an IFL team in La Crosse for the 2010 season.^[3] Former NFL player Gilbert Brown was announced as the head coach.^[3] On August 27, the Spartans were conditionally approved as members of the IFL. Such condition is that the Spartans negotiate a successful arena lease with the La Crosse Center.^[4] On September 30, the Spartans got the formal go-ahead from the La Crosse Center Board to play at the center.^[5] The Spartans are the third indoor football team to call the La Crosse Center home, following the La Crosse River Rats and the La Crosse Night Train.

2010 season

The inaugural season for the La Crosse Spartans was a difficult one. The schedule had the Spartans start the season with 3 tough road games against some of the best teams in the IFL. They lost at both Wichita and Sioux Falls, who eventually played against each other for the United Conference finals. Just before halftime of the very first game the Spartans would lose their starting Quarterback to a knee injury, beginning a season where they would go through multiple Quarterbacks and Kickers, trying to find the right fit for the team. During the following streak of 5 home games they were more competitive, but still finished the first half of the season 0-7. The Spartans earned their first victory against the Chicago Slaughter on April 30 in front of their home crowd. Over the second half of the season they had more close home losses, difficult road losses, and picked up their first road victory against the Chicago Slaughter on June 12 with about 50 Spartans fans in Chicago to cheer them on. Although they finished the season a disappointing 3-11, there were also multiple bright spots in the season both on and off the field, and the team has started building towards a long-term future in La Crosse.

2011 season

Main article: 2011 La Crosse Spartans season

The second season of the La Crosse Spartans began February 19, 2011, in the IFL’s showcase game, the Kickoff Classic. La Crosse played seven regular season games at home over the course of February through early June.^[6] Indoor football veteran Jose Jefferson joined the Spartans for the 2011 season as their Offensive Coordinator.^[7]

After four games of the 2011 season it was announced that head coach Gilbert Brown would be taking a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons, and that his brother Kyle Moore-Brown would be switching from assistant coach to head coach of the Spartans.^[2]

On April 30, 2011 the Spartans became one of the few teams in indoor football history to post a shutout, beating the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks 51-0.

On August 30, 2011, GM and co-owner Chris Kokalis announced the formation of the Cedar Rapids Titans, including former Spartans members Xzavie Jackson, Travis Miller and Mike Polaski. The Titans were listed as members of the Great Lakes division, along with the Green Bay Blizzard, Bloomington Extreme and Chicago Slaughter, but the Spartans were not listed in this division they were previously in. Kokalis said the Spartans franchise will "cease to exist", but also said that the team was up for sale. ^[8]

Statistics and records

Season-by-season results

Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.

League Champions	Conference Champions	Division Champions	Wild Card Berth	League Leader

Season	Team	League	Conference	Division	Regular season				Postseason Results
Season	Team	League	Conference	Division	Finish	Wins	Losses	Ties	Postseason Results
2010	2010	IFL	United	Central North	4th	3	11	0
2011	2011	IFL	United	Great Lakes	4th	5	9	0
Totals						8	20	0	All-time regular season record (2010–2011)
						0	0	-	All-time postseason record (2010–2011)
						8	20	0	*All-time regular season and* postseason record (2010–2011)**

Roster

La Crosse Spartans roster

Quarterbacks

5 Ryan Maiuri
8 Buddy Rivera

Running Backs

3 Hakeem Abdullah
6 LaRon Council

Wide Receivers

7 Phillip Ditto
11 Christopher Headd
16 Aaron Rhea
18 Emmanuel Spann

Offensive Linemen

67 Courtney Abbott
70 Juliene Adams
73 James Washington
78 Travis Miller

Defensive Linemen

44 Michael Ebanks
4 Bernard Faithful
1 Xzavie Jackson
56 Jeremy Maddox

Linebackers

9 Joe Bevis

Defensive Backs

20 Jamil Abdullah
2 Walner Belleus
21 Kevis Buckley
37 George Carpenter
13 Tim Corrish
26 Richard Chambers

Kickers

10 Mike Polaski
30 Rubio Radamez

Multiple Positions

Currently vacant

Injured Reserve

31 Wes McDermott LB
9 Antonio O'Neal DL
83 Antonio Overstreet WR
24 Tommie Williams DB

Inactive

-- Larry Dibbles DL
-- James Dudley Jr. RB
-- Joe Manning DB
-- Jermaine Pruitt OL
-- Steve Smith RB
-- Antawan Walker WR
36 Brandon White DB

Practice Squad

Currently vacant

Rookies in italics
Roster updated June 1, 2011
25 Active, 11 Inactive, 0 PS

→ More rosters

Attendance Statistics

Season By Season Average Attendance

Year	Average Attendance
2010	2574
2011	2280

vs Opponent

Opponent	OVERALL	HOME	AWAY	PLYFF
Alaska Wild	(1-0)	(0-0)	(1-0)	(0-0)
Bloomington Extreme	(0-5)	(0-3)	(0-2)	(0-0)
Chicago Slaughter	(2-2)	(1-1)	(1-1)	(0-0)
Fairbanks Grizzlies	(0-1)	(0-0)	(0-1)	(0-0)
Green Bay Blizzard	(0-4)	(0-2)	(0-2)	(0-0)
Kent Predators	(1-0)	(1-0)	(0-0)	(0-0)
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks	(2-0)	(2-0)	(0-0)	(0-0)
Nebraska Danger	(1-0)	(1-0)	(0-0)	(0-0)
Omaha Beef	(0-2)	(0-1)	(0-1)	(0-0)
Richmond Revolution	(1-1)	(0-0)	(1-1)	(0-0)
Sioux City Bandits	(0-1)	(0-1)	(0-0)	(0-0)
Sioux Falls Storm	(0-2)	(0-0)	(0-2)	(0-0)
West Michigan ThunderHawks	(0-1)	(0-1)	(0-0)	(0-0)
Wichita Wild	(0-1)	(0-0)	(0-1)	(0-0)

Year-by-Year Leaders

Passing (Yards/Touchdowns/Completions) ^[9]

Year	Player	Att	Comp	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	QB RTG	GP
2010	Buddy Rivera	152	85	56%	856	6	8	63.4	7
2011	Buddy Rivera	180	96	53%	978	22	12	81.0	13

Rushing (Yards/Attempts) ^[9]

Year	Player	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	GP
2010	Mark Bonds	92	337	3.7	31	12	8
2011	LaRon Council	177	640	3.6	34	13	14

Rushing (Touchdowns) ^[9]

Year	Player	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	GP
2010	Buddy Rivera	84	286	3.4	26	13	7
2011	LaRon Council	177	640	3.6	34	13	14

Receiving (Yards/Touchdowns) ^[9]

Year	Player	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	GP
2010	Antonio Overstreet	29	437	15.1	44	6	12
2011	Christopher Headd	33	360	10.9	40	7	13

Receiving (Receptions) ^[9]

Year	Player	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	GP
2010	Aaron Straiten	36	238	6.6	40	1	7
2011	Christopher Headd	33	360	10.9	40	7	13

All Purpose (Yards) ^[9]

Year	Player	Yds	TD	GP
2010	Antonio Overstreet	1007	9	12
2011	LaRon Council	1067	18	14

All Purpose (Touchdowns) ^[9]

Year	Player	Yds	TD	GP
2010	Buddy Rivera	286	13	7
2011	LaRon Council	1067	18	14

Returns (Yards/Returns) ^[9]

Year	Player	Ret	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	GP
2010	Antonio Overstreet	30	497	16.6	50	1	12
2011	Kevis Buckley	37	588	15.9	48	1	14

Returns (Touchdowns) ^[9]

Year	Player	Ret	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	GP
2010	Antonio Overstreet	30	497	16.6	50	1	12
2011*	Kevis Buckley	37	588	15.9	48	1	14
2011*	LaRon Council	13	207	15.9	56	1	14

Kicking (FG Percent) (minimum 10 attempts) ^[9]

Year	Player	FGM	FGA	FG%	Lng	GP
2010	Jared Keating	3	10	30%	44	4
2011	Rubio Radamez	3	11	27%	47	3

Kicking (EP Percent) (minimum 10 attempts) ^[9]

Year	Player	EPM	EPA	EP%	GP
2010	Jared Keating	11	13	85%	4
2011	Mike Polaski	32	49	65%	12

Tackles ^[9]

Year	Player	Tac	Solo	Ast	GP
2010	Walner Belleus	69	46	23	13
2011	Joe Bevis	74	36	38	12

Sacks ^[9]

Year	Player	Sac	GP
2010	Xzavie Jackson	5.5	13
2011	Xzavie Jackson	12.5	14

Interceptions ^[9]

Year	Player	Int	TD	GP
2010	Darnell Terrell	7	0	12
2011	Jamil Abdullah	9	0	12

Awards and honors

2011

First Team All-IFL Defense (DL) - Xzavie Jackson ^[10]
Week 4 Defensive Player of the Week - Xzavie Jackson ^[11]
Week 10 Defensive Player of the Week - La Crosse Spartans Defense ^[12]

2010

IFL Community Relations Award - La Crosse Spartans ^[13]
First Team All-IFL Defense (DB) - Darnell Terrell ^[14]
Week 9 Offensive Player of the Week - Mark Bonds ^[15]
Week 16 Defensive Player of the Week - Darnell Terrell ^[16]

Past Seasons

2010 Season Schedule

Preseason

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Results
Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Final Score	Team Record
	January 29 (Fri)	7:30pm	Family Night Scrimmage	---	---
	February 21 (Sun)	3:00pm	Green Bay Blizzard	L 11-14	---

Regular Season

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Results
Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent	Final Score	Team Record
1	February 27 (Sat)	7:05pm	@Wichita Wild	L 20-57	0-1
2	Bye
3	Bye
4	March 19 (Fri)	7:05pm	@Green Bay Blizzard	L 12-48	0-2
5	March 28 (Sun)	3:05pm	@Sioux Falls Storm	L 13-45	0-3
6	April 3 (Sat)	7:30pm	Omaha Beef	L 27-39	0-4
7	April 11 (Sun)	3:00pm	Green Bay Blizzard	L 30-43	0-5
8	April 18 (Sun)	3:00pm	Sioux City Bandits	L 20-28	0-6
9	April 23 (Fri)	7:30pm	West Michigan ThunderHawks	L 58-65	0-7
10	April 30 (Fri)	7:30pm	Chicago Slaughter	W 36-29	1-7
11	May 8 (Sat)	7:05pm	@Bloomington Extreme	L 18-54	1-8
12	Bye
13	May 21 (Fri)	7:30pm	Bloomington Extreme	L 37-40	1-9
14	May 30 (Sun)	5:05pm (8:05pm Central)	@Alaska Wild	W (by forfeit)	2-9
15	June 5 (Sat)	7:05pm (10:05pm Central)	@Fairbanks Grizzlies	L 36-64	2-10
16	June 12 (Sat)	7:05pm	@Chicago Slaughter	W 27-20	3-10
17	June 19 (Sat)	7:30pm	Bloomington Extreme	L 21-35	3-11

2010 Central North Division
	W	L	T	PCT	GB	DIV	PF	PA	STK
y-Green Bay Blizzard	10	4	0	0.714	---	4-3	686	538	W3
x-Bloomington Extreme	9	5	0	0.643	1.0	6-2	497	435	W6
x-Chicago Slaughter	6	8	0	0.429	4.0	3-5	577	543	L3
La Crosse Spartans	3	11	0	0.214	7.0	2-5	355	565	L1

References

↑ "La Crosse Spartans : Coaching Staff". La Crosse Spartans.
1 2 "Spartans' Brown to Take Leave of Absence". Our Sports Central.
1 2 "Professional Football to Return to La Crosse". WKBT. August 5, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
↑ "Indoor Football League conditionally accepts new La Crosse Spartans team". WKBT. August 27, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
↑ "La Crosse Center Board OK’s lease for indoor football team". La Crosse Tribune. October 1, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
↑ "La Crosse Spartans : Schedule". La Crosse Spartans.
↑ "Jose Jefferson to Lead Spartans' Offense". Our Sports Central. November 10, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
↑ http://lacrossetribune.com/news/article_f20b3458-d351-11e0-a092-001cc4c03286.html
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "goifl.com: Statistics". IFL. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
↑ "2011 All-IFL Teams Announced". IFL. June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
↑ "Vidswap.com Week Five Players of the Week". IFL. March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
↑ "Vidswap.com Week Eleven Players of the Week". IFL. May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
↑ "2010 IFL Awards". IFL. June 23, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
↑ "2010 All-IFL Teams Announced". IFL. June 24, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
↑ "Week 9 Vidswap.com Players of the Week Announced". IFL. April 28, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
↑ "Vidswap.com Week Sixteen Players of the Week". IFL. June 16, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.

External links

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