View source for Indoor Professional Football League

{{about|the 1999–2001 indoor American football league|other uses|Professional Indoor Football League (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox sports league
| title          =Indoor Professional Football League 
| current_season =
| logo           =IPFL-LOGO1.png
| pixels         =200
| caption        =Infobox Sports league
| Formerly       =[[Professional Indoor Football League (1998)|Professional Indoor Football League]]
| sport          =[[Indoor American football|Indoor football]]
| founded        =1998
| fame           =3rd professional [[indoor American football|indoor football]] league
| motto          =Great Football, No Gimmicks.
| inaugural      =1999
| teams          =6
| country        =United States
| champion       =[[Tennessee ThunderCats]] 
| most_champs    =[[Hawaii Hammerheads]] (1999)<br>[[Mississippi Fire Dogs]] (2000)<br>[[Tennessee ThunderCats]] (2001)
| qualification  =
| folded         =2001
| website        =[http://www.indoorfootball.com www.indoorfootball.com]
| singles        =
| ceo            =Mike Storen
| Director       =
| TV             =
| related_comps  =
| Founder        =[[Richard "Dick" Suess]]
}}

The '''Indoor Professional Football League''' ('''IPFL''') was the new incarnation of the [[Professional Indoor Football League (1998)|Professional Indoor Football League]] (PIFL), which started in 1998.  Two of its teams (the [[Madison Mad Dogs]] and the [[Green Bay Bombers]]) left the league and their owner, [[Kerry Ecklund]], founded the [[Indoor Football League]] in 1999.  The IPFL led a troubled three-year existence, and died after its 2001 season, with its most successful teams joining up with the [[National Indoor Football League]].

The IPFL was unique among [[indoor American football|indoor football]] leagues in that it sanctioned the use of a white football, manufactured by [[Rawlings (company)|Rawlings]], which was easier to see in the artificial lighting conditions. The league's slogan was "Great Football, No Gimmicks".

In 1999, IPFL was headed by a new commissioner, [[Mike Storen]], and the league offices were moved to [[Atlanta]].

==IPFL 1999 teams==
Before the Pro Indoor Football League folded, the league was looking into replacing the two folded franchises of Minnesota and Texas and expanding the league back to 8 teams, or even beyond, to 10 or 12, for what was supposed to be its second season.  However, the league took a major hit when Madison and Green Bay left the league to form a new league called the Indoor Football League. This left the league with only four teams: Honolulu, Utah, Colorado and Louisiana. The Utah Catzz soon folded as well, leading to the demise of the Pro Indoor Football League. The Pro Indoor Football League was re-formed as the Indoor Professional Football League and the three remaining clubs from the old league; the Hawaii Hammerheads (formerly Honolulu Hurricanes), the Rocky Mountain (Colorado Springs) Thunder (formerly Colorado (Denver) Wildcats) and the Louisiana Bayou Beast were joined by three new franchises in Boise, Idaho; Biloxi, Mississippi; and Austin, Texas. The league was going to have 8 clubs, but the Arizona (Tucson) Mirage and the Syracuse Blitz folded.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}

# [[Texas Terminators]], 12–4
# [[Hawaii Hammerheads]], 10–6
# [[Mississippi Fire Dogs]], 9–7
# [[Idaho Stallions]], 6–10
# [[Louisiana Bayou Beast]], 6–10
# [[Rocky Mountain Thunder]], 5–11

{{3TeamBracket|RD1-Semifinal
|RD2-1999 IPFL Championship Game
|RD2-seed1 ='''1'''
|RD2-team2 ='''Texas'''
|RD2-score2='''13'''
|RD1-seed1 ='''2'''
|RD1-team1 ='''Hawaii'''
|RD1-score1='''36'''
|RD2-seed2 ='''2'''
|RD2-team1 ='''Hawaii'''
|RD2-score1='''28'''
|RD1-seed2 ='''3'''
|RD1-team2 ='''Mississippi'''
|RD1-score2='''16'''
}}

== IPFL 2000 teams==
During the off season, the Indoor Professional Football League saw major changes with the loss of three of its charter franchises: Rocky Mountain, Hawaii and Texas. However, the league saw the addition of four new franchises with the fourth new addition expanding the league beyond six franchises. The new clubs were Shreveport-Bossier City, Portland (OR), Omaha and Mobile. The Indoor Professional Football League approved the relocation of the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Bayou Beast to Alexandria, Louisiana and announced the team would be known as the Louisiana Rangers. The Bayou Beast's relocation to Alexandria left the league with no club still remaining in its city that it started operations in.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} Mississippi defeated Portland in the championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/mississippi-beats-portland-for-title/n-2707703 |title=Mississippi beats Portland for title |date=August 28, 2000 |publisher=OurSports Central |work=www.oursportscentral.com |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref>

# [[Portland Prowlers]], 11–5
# [[Mississippi Fire Dogs]], 11–5
# [[Omaha Beef]], 8–8
# [[Mobile Seagulls]], 8–8
# [[Louisiana Rangers]], 9–7
# [[Idaho Stallions]], 5–11
# [[Shreveport-Bossier Bombers]], 5–11

The [[Fort Wayne Safari]] was announced as an expansion team for the 2002 season,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/fort-wayne-receives-ipfl-team/n-2707507 |title=Fort Wayne Receives IPFL Team |date=January 13, 2000 |publisher=OurSports Central |work=www.oursportscentral.com |access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref> which never occurred.

==IPFL 2001 teams==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Team
! W
! L
! Pct.
|-
|[[Omaha Beef]]
|15
|1
|.938
|-
|[[Tennessee ThunderCats]]
|12
|4
|.750
|-
|[[Boise Stallions]]
|6
|10
|.375
|-
|[[St. Louis Renegades]]
|5
|11
|.313
|-
|[[Trenton Lightning]]
|0
|16
|.000
|}

{{2TeamBracket
| RD1=2001 IPFL Championship Game
| RD1-seed1='''2'''
| RD1-team1='''Tennessee'''
| RD1-score1='''47'''
| RD1-seed2=1
| RD1-team2=Omaha
| RD1-score2=38
}}

==Championships==
===By year===
===By team===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;"
|-
!Team
!Winner
!Runner up
!Winning years
!Runner up years
|-
|align=left|[[Hawaii Hammerheads]]
|1
|0
|1999
|
|-
|align=left|[[Mississippi Fire Dogs]]
|1
|0
|2000
|
|-
|align=left|[[Tennessee ThunderCats]]
|1
|0
|2001
|
|-
|align=left|[[Texas Terminators]]
|0
|1
|
|1999
|-
|align=left|[[Portland Prowlers]]
|0
|1
|
|2000
|-
|align=left|[[Omaha Beef]]
|0
|1
|
|2001
|}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Indoor Professional Football League}}
{{Profootball}}

[[Category:Indoor Professional Football League| ]]
[[Category:Defunct indoor American football leagues in the United States]]
[[Category:Sports leagues established in 1998]]
[[Category:1998 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Sports leagues disestablished in 2001]]
[[Category:2001 disestablishments in the United States]]