Indoor Football League ( 2009 – 2011 )
120-898: The Fairbanks Grizzlies were a professional indoor football team based in Fairbanks, Alaska . The team was a member of the Pacific Division of the Intense Conference in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Grizzlies began play in 2008 as a member of the Intense Football League and joined the IFL in 2008 as part of the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football (UIF) merger. The team played their home games at
240-461: A soccer and rugby -style contest in which players were allowed to kick and bat the ball with their fists and hands, instead of modern-day football. At the time, Rutgers was referred to as the Queensmen, a homage to the school's chartered name of Queen's College. The Rutgers squad was captained by William J. Leggett and donned scarlet kerchiefs atop their heads in an effort to distinguish between
360-418: A touchdown , but stops after an extra point or two-point conversion attempt. If a quarter ends as a touchdown is scored, an untimed conversion attempt takes place. The play clock is 30 seconds, starting at the end of the previous play. In all arenas, the final minute of the period is measured in tenths of a second. Prior to the 2018 season, during the final minute of the fourth quarter, the clock stopped if
480-515: A "dead" player may participate on kickoffs, or as long snapper or holder. In 2006, the AFL changed its substitution rules such that free substitutions were allowed on all kickoffs. The most significant change was the introduction of free substitution , the so-called " Elway Rule". Previously, AFL coaches were limited to one substitution per position per quarter. From 2007 to 2019 and come 2024 , coaches can substitute players at will. The rationale
600-435: A 15-minute halftime ( ArenaBowl has a 30-minute interval). Teams are allowed three timeouts per half, and two per overtime period if regulation ends tied. Teams must use a timeout if there's an injury inside a half-minute left in regulation or overtime; exception applies to when team has no timeouts, and this occurs, they're granted an extra timeout. The clock stops for out-of-bounds plays, incomplete passes, or sacks only in
720-429: A bond with the football captains at Rutgers before deciding to transfer there. Kroll was extremely physical in the trenches, giving way to his spot as the captain of the team in 1961. In his senior year biography, "his performance and leadership in 1960 helped Rutgers to a season which surpassed even the most optimistic of the previews. He has size, speed, hustle, and an uncanny ability to call defenses best equipped to stop
840-585: A certain level of stability, however. The National Indoor Football League (NIFL) began in 2001 and was the most successful league in the early 2000s. The Indoor Football League (IFL) began in the autumn of 2008 when two already-established leagues (the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football ) chose to merge into a single organization. The IFL's expansion model has been based less on establishing new teams and more on acquiring existing teams from other leagues. The IFL has 16 teams as of 2024. Other, regional leagues include Champions Indoor Football (CIF),
960-542: A conference record of 3–5, including its first Big Ten Conference win over conference member Michigan, and an overall record of 7–5. Rutgers became bowl-eligible with that record and earned an invitation to play on December 26, 2014, in the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl , where it trounced North Carolina 40–21 and capped off its inaugural Big Ten season at 8–5. After the 2014 season, the Scarlet Knights were awarded their first Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy , being recognized as
1080-508: A few team names and logos owned by outside parties, in a December 2009 bankruptcy auction. Shortly after the purchase, AF1 adopted the Arena Football League name, and the AFL relaunched in 2010 . The "iron man" rule, requiring at least six of the eight players to play on both offense and defense, was dropped, but most other past AFL rules remained unchanged. The relaunched league saw franchises return and renewed interest, but by
1200-507: A field that was identical in size to a standard North American ice hockey rink, 200 by 85 feet (61 m × 26 m). This resulted in the field being 50 yards long (half of the length of a standard American football field) with eight-yard end zones (which may, if necessary, be curved in the end zones as hockey rinks are), and the field being slightly over half as wide as a standard football field. Foster adopted short-pile artificial turfs (which were then standard) such as AstroTurf for
1320-499: A full schedule, Rutgers went 5–7 overall. It was an improvement but also disappointing given that expectations were for bowl eligibility. However On December 23, the NCAA football oversight committee approved Rutgers as the first bowl alternate, under rules whereby five-win teams are ranked by Academic Progress Rate (APR) calculations. Rutgers finished first in APR among the five-win schools and
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#17327723625021440-417: A hockey rink; this is much like some Canadian football fields where the end zones can be cut off by a track). Each sideline has a heavily padded barrier, with the padding placed over the hockey dasher boards. The goalpost uprights are 9 feet (2.7 m) wide, and the crossbar is 15 feet (4.6 m) above the playing surface. Taut rebound nets on either side of the posts bounce any missed field goals back into
1560-634: A howling success. The men had no trouble in catching punts, and football was played on its merits, without the handicaps of a wet field or a strong wind. Toward the end of the second half it got very dark, and the spectators were treated to a novelty in the shape of football by electric light." Although both critically and commercially successful, the Coliseum was destroyed in a fire less than two years after its opening, and its replacement could not accommodate an American football field. Later, at Madison Square Garden in 1902 and 1903, there were games known as
1680-466: A major network television broadcasting contract with NBC , and eventually launched an official minor league , af2 , beginning in 2000. This effort basically served two purposes: one as a developmental league for the AFL, and as a place where former collegiate players could develop while at the same time learning and becoming accustomed to the unique arena rules, and secondly as a pre-emptive way of shutting out potential new indoor football competitors (this
1800-472: A new ownership group that had acquired the league's trademarks and social media accounts announced another revival of the league, which began play in 2024. On May 12, 2024, kicker Melissa Strother made an extra point while playing for the Washington Wolfpack , making her the first female player to score a point in the league. Other indoor football leagues have been formed, without the use of
1920-420: A newspaper account, the field grew dark in the second half, and play was halted for ten minutes to discuss whether play should continue. Play was resumed, and the lights were finally turned on after Michigan scored a touchdown. The press proclaimed the experiment in indoor football to be a success: One thing at least was settled by the game, and that is, that indoor football is literally and figuratively speaking
2040-536: A non-traditional (spring-summer) season, was in operation in 1983–1985. When the USFL ceased operations, Foster saw his opportunity. He staged a "test" game in Rockford, Illinois in 1986 and put together a four-team league for a "demonstration season" in the spring of 1987, with games televised on ESPN . Foster had to adopt a field that would fit within the smaller playing surfaces found in most arenas and thus created
2160-783: A part of the Middle Three until 1975, Rutgers became a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference from 1958 to 1961. Rutgers won the conference championship in three of those four years (1958, 1960, and 1961) and was awarded the Wilmington Touchdown Club Trophy. Rutgers then again became independent, and then remained so until it joined the Big East Conference in 1991 . Frank Burns was promoted from assistant coach, to head coach after John Bateman's departure, under Burns,
2280-408: A player in 1951. 1950s Bill Austin, a native of Fanwood, NJ was one of the first recognized players from Rutgers. Gifted with a twisting and elusive running style, Austin led the Scarlet Knights in rushing three straight seasons. Despite being undersized at 5'11 and 170 lbs, he rushed for 2,073 yards while ranking up 204 points in his career with Rutgers. His 32-touchdown career ranks second in
2400-448: A poor season and off-the field issues, both head coach Kyle Flood and athletic director Julie Hermann were both fired on November 29, 2015. On December 7, 2015, Rutgers officially announced Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash as the Scarlet Knights' new head football coach, becoming the 30th head coach in program history. Rutgers posted a 2–10 record in Ash's first season, in
2520-402: A punt striking the ceiling. The end zones were slightly shorter—eight yards instead of the standard ten (coincidentally, the eight-yard endzone length is the standard in modern indoor football). While several attempts to create a true indoor football game have been made since shortly after American football was developed, the first version to meet with relatively widespread success and acceptance
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#17327723625022640-492: A rematch bowl berth against Arizona State in the 2005 Insight Bowl . In that game, Rutgers lost 45–40 in a shootout, but was led by a 100-yard rushing performance from freshman running back Ray Rice . In 2006, Rutgers started the season with nine straight wins, culminating in a momentous eighteen-point comeback victory at home against the Louisville Cardinals , ranked third at the time, in what became known as
2760-485: A score of 35–23. Rutgers would go on to finish the regular season 9–3, including a heartbreaking 20–17 loss to Louisville in the last game of the season, in which the winner would clinch the conference's BCS Bowl berth. Rutgers suffered yet another bowl loss in the Russell Athletic Bowl , dropping an overtime decision to former Big East foe Virginia Tech by a score of 13–10. In November 2012, Rutgers
2880-445: A single winning season, it failed to win more than three games in a single season with the exception of a 5–6 campaign in 1998. After the 2000 season Shea was fired. Greg Schiano took over as head coach after Terry Shea's termination. Despite some early recruiting successes, his first four years resulted in losing seasons. In 2005, the team achieved its first winning season since Graber's 7-4 campaign in 1992, which notched them
3000-594: A standard North American ice hockey rink , and features between six and eight players for each team playing at any given time depending on the league, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game that can be played on the floors of indoor arenas . The sport was invented in 1981 , and patented in 1987 , by Jim Foster , a former executive of the National Football League and the United States Football League . The name
3120-561: A starting spot in 2005. He racked up 1,120 yards that season. In 2006, Rice finished second in the nation in rushing and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, given to the best player in the country. By 2007, Rutgers University had set up a Heisman campaign for Rice. By the end of his career, Ray amassed 4,926 yards on the ground with 49 career rushing touchdowns and leads the Rutgers record book in almost every major rushing category. He
3240-585: A three- or four-point stance at the start of the snap. Two defenders serve as linebackers , called the Mac and the Jack. The Mac may blitz from the side of the line opposite the offensive Tight End. The Jack's role has changed after new rules set in place by the league in 2008. The Jack cannot blitz, but under new, more defense-friendly rules, the Jack Linebacker may roam sideline to sideline within five yards of
3360-477: A time from a 21-man active roster. Before 2007, players played both offense and defense except for the Quarterback , Kicker , and Offensive Specialist (Wide Receiver/Running Back combination) and two Defensive Specialists (Defensive Backs). If a player enters and leaves, from the moment he leaves the player is considered "dead" and cannot return to play until the designated time is served. Exception:
3480-556: A year during the 1930s; the stadium stopped hosting games in 1940 and did not resume hosting football games until 1961. In the 1960s, the Boardwalk Bowl , a post-season game involving small college teams, was contested at the convention center. The Bowl was an attempt to make Atlantic City more of a year-round resort in the pre-gambling era as opposed to a single-season one (the Miss America Pageant , also held at
3600-637: Is trademarked by Gridiron Enterprises and had a proprietary format until its patent expired in 2007. Three leagues have played under official arena football rules: the Arena Football League , which played 32 seasons in two separate runs from 1987 to 2008 and 2010 to 2019; arenafootball2 , the AFL's erstwhile developmental league , which played 10 seasons from 2000 through 2009; and the China Arena Football League , which played two abbreviated seasons in 2016 and 2019 but
3720-474: Is 17,000 square feet (1,600 m )). The scrimmage area is 50 yards (46 m) long (unlike the field in NFL which is 100 yards (91 m) long), and each end zone is approximately 8 yards deep, two yards less than the standard 10 yards. Depending on the venue in which a game is being played, the end zones may be rectangular (like a basketball court) or, where necessary because of the building design, rounded (like
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3840-506: Is ahead after one possession wins. If the teams are tied after each has had a possession, true sudden death rules apply thereafter. Each overtime period is 15 minutes, and continues from the ending of the previous overtime period until the tie is broken. All overtimes thereafter are true sudden death; no games can be tied. This includes both games of all semifinal series. Rutgers Scarlet Knights football The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program represents Rutgers University in
3960-403: Is kicked off from the goal line, to start the halves and odd overtimes, or after any score. The team with the ball is given four downs to gain ten yards or score. Punting is illegal because of the size of the playing field, however, a field goal that either misses wide (therefore bouncing off the nets surrounding the goalposts) or falls short, may be returned. Thus an impossibly long field goal
4080-449: Is most recently known as American Indoor Football (AIF) went through three names and two ownership changes in its first three seasons. Several other indoor leagues have been announced without ever actually commencing play, or operating only briefly with a handful of teams. Some were claimed attempts to form a second "major" league of indoor football while others were strictly efforts to form a new "minor" league. A few leagues have achieved
4200-471: Is notable for playing in the first collegiate football game in 1869 , in which the Scarlet Knights won 6–4. On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University and Princeton University competed in the first intercollegiate football game . The site for the contest was a small plot of land on what is now College Avenue on Rutgers' campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey . The structure of the game resembled more of
4320-434: Is played exclusively indoors, in arenas usually designed for either basketball or ice hockey teams. The field is the same width 85 feet (26 m) and length 200 feet (61 m) as a standard NHL hockey rink, making it approximately 30% of the dimensions of a regular American gridiron football field , and 19% of a Canadian gridiron football field (the total playing area, including the end zones of an Arena football field
4440-413: Is tantamount to a punt in other football variants. A receiver jumping to catch a pass needs to get only one foot down in bounds for the catch to be ruled a completed catch, just as in college football . Practically, this means that one foot must touch the ground before the receiver is pushed into the boards by an opposing player. Passes that bounce off the rebound nets remain "live." Balls that bounce off
4560-786: The Amateur Athletic Union on January 16, 1889. The first documented indoor football game was an exhibition between the Springfield YMCA Training School and a Yale Senior Class team played on December 12, 1890, at Madison Square Garden II . James Naismith scored a touchdown for Springfield, though Yale won the exhibition 16–10. The following day a second exhibition game was played, with Pennsylvania defeating Rutgers 20–12. The field at Madison Square Garden measured 260 feet (79 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide. The first documented indoor regulation football games were those played at
4680-877: The American Arena League (AAL) and National Arena League (NAL). Both CIF and the AAL were formed by mergers of existing leagues. The CIF was formed from a merger of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League and the Lone Star Football League in 2015. The AAL was formed in late 2017 as the combination of three leagues that each played one season: the Can-Am Indoor Football League , Arena Pro Football , and Supreme Indoor Football . Champions Indoor Football merged with
4800-740: The Carlson Center in Fairbanks. The Grizzlies were notable for being the northernmost professional gridiron football team in history; the Alaska Wild held the previous record, and before that, the Edmonton Eskimos . Grizzlies games were broadcast live on KCBF . (The northernmost gridiron football team of any sort is the high school football team of Barrow High School .) The Grizzlies suspended operations in October 2011 in
4920-545: The Chicago Coliseum in the late 1890s. The first such game matched Michigan against Chicago on Thanksgiving Day 1896. The match was "the first collegiate game of football played under a roof." Adding to the novelty, as daylight turned to darkness, the field inside the Coliseum was lit with electric lighting. With seven acres of floor space, the sprawling Coliseum is believed to have not needed any compromises to accommodate an American football field. According to
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5040-918: The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Rutgers competes as a member of the Big Ten Conference . Prior to joining the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights were a member of the American Athletic Conference (formerly the Big East Conference ) from 1991 to 2013. Rutgers plays its home games at SHI Stadium , in Piscataway, New Jersey . The team is currently led by head coach Greg Schiano . The Scarlet Knights football team
5160-553: The Indiana Hoosiers for their only conference win, finishing the season with a disappointing 4–8 overall record. However, despite the team's losing record, it was a milestone year for head coach Greg Schiano becoming the all-time winningest coach in the programs history with 79 career wins, passing legendary coach Frank Burns 78 career wins. In 2023 Rutgers won seven games to secure its first winning season since 2014. The Scarlet Knights picked up three Big Ten wins to match
5280-614: The International Bowl . 2008 saw Rutgers again go 8–5, beginning the year 1–5 with a slow start, before seven straight victories to finish the season, winning 29–23 in the PapaJohns.com Bowl with a victory over NC State . In 2009, Rutgers entered the season as the favorite to win the Big East Conference. However, the season opener was a loss to Cincinnati, who would end up with a perfect regular season—and
5400-597: The Texas Bowl . It was the first bowl win in Rutgers history. The following year, Rutgers received its first preseason rank in the AP Poll at No. 16. 2007 was an up-and-down year for the Scarlet Knights, rising into the Top 10 for the second consecutive year, only to suffer back-to-back losses. Highlighted by a 30–27 upset over second ranked South Florida , and ended with an 8–5 record and a 52–30 victory over Ball State in
5520-509: The " World Series of Pro Football ." The games were played on a 70-yard by 35-yard dirt field but otherwise adhered to outdoor rules. Poor attendance led to the tournament being discontinued after two years. The Chicago Bears of the National Football League hosted an experimental game against their crosstown rivals, the Cardinals , after the 1930 NFL season , at the indoor Chicago Stadium . Two years later, poor weather conditions led to
5640-454: The "Pandemonium In Piscataway." Kicker Jeremy Ito sealed the 28–25 win with a field goal. The following week, Rutgers got to its highest polling rank in school history, topping out at No. 7 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the BCS. At year's end, the Scarlet Knights had a record of 11–2 and a postseason rank of No. 12 in the AP Poll, with a victory in the postseason: Rutgers beat Kansas State 37–10 in
5760-554: The "deuce": if a kickoff goes through the uprights, the kicking team receives two points. This rule had previously been in effect in the IFL and the NAL . The league also instituted the rouge / single , as used in the CFL , whereby, on a kickoff, the kicking team receives one point if the receiving team fails to bring the ball out of its own end zone. After scoring a touchdown, the scoring team has
5880-438: The "traditional" team logo debuted in 2001. Between 2012 and 2016, the uniform featured a distinctive chrome helmet with a rotation of red, black, and white jerseys that are based on the team's knight mascot. Rutgers returned to a more traditional uniform (red jerseys, white pants, and red helmets) in 2016. Black jerseys have been rarely used by the team. Although black pants were worn on a couple of occasions with white jerseys on
6000-429: The 10-yard line after any touchdown, if they want to. Any kickoff that goes through the uprights is scored as a "deuce", or two points. Four offensive players must be on the line of scrimmage at the snap ; one of the linemen must declare himself the tight end . One offensive player may be moving forward at the time of the snap as long as he has not yet crossed the line of scrimmage. Three defensive players must be in
6120-483: The 1910s, the university has had several All-American candidates as well as a couple of once potential Heisman Trophy candidates in its storied history. 1910s Paul Robeson , born in Princeton, NJ played under future College Football Hall of Fame coach George Sanford. In his junior and senior years, playing as an end, Robeson was selected as an All-American in 1917 and 1918 . After college, he played three years in
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#17327723625026240-725: The 2016 campaign. In 2017, Rutgers started their first 4 games with only 1 win against Morgan State by the score of 65–0. They won their second game of the season in Illinois, for their first Big Ten win in 2 years. Rutgers finished 4–8 overall in Chris Ash second season as head coach. In 2018, Rutgers had a disappointing season, finishing 1–11 in Chris Ash third season as head coach. Rutgers won their home season opener against Texas State 35–7. Rutgers finished last in Big Ten play. Chris Ash , entering his fourth season as head coach, started
6360-552: The 2019 Rutgers football season with a win over the UMass Minutemen 48–21. On September 29, 2019, a day after a 52–0 loss to Michigan , Ash was fired as the Rutgers football head coach. Assistant Nunzio Campanile would replace him as interim head coach. Chris Ash had a dismal record in the four seasons he was with the Scarlet Knights, he finished 8–32 overall. On December 1, 2019, Rutgers and Greg Schiano agreed to an 8-year, $ 32 million contract that would see him return as
6480-529: The AAC, finishing 6–7 after losing the New Era Pinstripe Bowl to Notre Dame by a score of 29–16. 2014 marked Rutgers football's first official season of Big Ten play, with conference home games against Penn State , Michigan , Wisconsin , and Indiana , as well as road games against Ohio State , Nebraska , Michigan State , and Maryland . Rutgers finished the 2014 season in the Big Ten with
6600-636: The Bears hosting the 1932 NFL Playoff Game against the Portsmouth Spartans (now the Detroit Lions ) at the stadium. A dirt and tanbark field measuring 80 yards long (60 yards plus two ten-yard end zones ) and 45 yards wide was constructed on the arena's floor. The Chicago Stadium games were notable for introducing several rule changes, including the introduction of hash marks to keep play away from spectators who were seated next to
6720-464: The Big East Conference in all sports in 1991. The team struggled to compete throughout the 1990s, facing powerhouse teams from Virginia Tech , Miami , and West Virginia on a yearly basis. Longtime assistant coach Terry Shea was hired to replace Graber in December 1995, However, the Rutgers program suffered its worst five-year stretch in program history. Shea's tenure not only failed to produce
6840-724: The Garden State Bowl, which it lost to Arizona State by a score of 34–18. However, with consecutive 5–6 campaigns in 1981 and 1982, and a 3–8 record in 1983, resulted in Frank Burns being dismissed as Rutgers head coach. Frank Burns left Rutgers with a 78–43–1 overall record. Penn State offensive line coach Dick Anderson was hired to replace Burns in 1984. The Scarlet Knights mostly struggled during Dick Anderson's tenure as head coach despite winning records in 1984, 1986 and 1987, which resulted in Anderson's firing after
6960-557: The Middle Three round-robin in the 1953 season. John Bateman succeeded Stiegman and coached the Scarlet Knights for 13 seasons, compiling a record of 73–51. After compiling an 8–1 record in their first year under Bateman, the 1961 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team compiled a perfect 9–0 record, the first undefeated season in program history, and won the Middle Atlantic Conference University Division championship. Center Alex Kroll
7080-587: The Rutgers annals among all-time scorers and he also had a total of 13 interceptions from his defensive back position, which is one short of all-time mark. Austin was inducted into the Rutgers Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and was recognized as an AP All-American in 1958. That year, Austin led the team to an 8–1 record, though the team could've gone 9-0 if Austin did not sit out the Quantico Marines game with an apparent hand injury. Austin
7200-416: The Rutgers football team, 4 of whom have served in multiple tenures. Greg Schiano is currently the head coach. † Interim Traditional uniforms have featured red jerseys, white pants, and red helmets but the particular style has changed many times over the years. The helmets, in particular, have featured a wide range of logos. The Block R logo has seen various forms over the years but what fans now consider
7320-486: The Scarlet Knights enjoyed eight consecutive winning seasons, which included a 9–2 campaign in the 1975 season, and a perfect 11–0 season in 1976, followed by winning records of 8–3, 9–3, 8–3 and 7–4 seasons. In 1976 , Rutgers declined an invitation to play an unranked McNeese State University team at the inaugural Independence Bowl , by feeling snubbed by more prestigious bowl games despite their 11–0 perfect season. In 1978, Rutgers appeared in its first bowl game,
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#17327723625027440-540: The Scarlet Knights finished 9–4 with a postseason win over Iowa State 27–13 in the Pinstripe Bowl . After the 2011 season, Schiano left Rutgers less than a week before National Signing Day to become the head coach of the NFL 's Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Schiano left Rutgers with a 68–67 overall record. Schiano also finished 5–1 overall in the post season in eleven years as head coach. He left Rutgers ranked second on
7560-471: The Scarlet Knights from 2003 to 2006. 2010s Defensive back Logan Ryan played for Rutgers from 2010 to 2012. He was a first team All-Big East. Quarterback Gary Nova recruited out of Don Bosco Prep HS in New Jersey, he played for Rutgers from 2011 to 2014. Nova holds several passing records at Rutgers, with 73 career touchdown passes, making him number one in that category in the programs history. He
7680-547: The Scarlet Knights to the postseason where Rutgers defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the Pinstripe Bowl by a score of 31–24 in which Monangai rushed for 163 yards and 1 rushing touchdown and was the MVP of the game. Rutgers has one national championship . Rutgers has one conference championship. † Co-champions Rutgers has played in 12 bowl games, with a postseason record of 7–5. There have been 29 head coaches of
7800-603: The X cup (formerly Legends Cup and Lingerie Bowl), the LFL played a variant of indoor rules with most of its games in indoor stadiums, although a few teams experimented with playing in outdoor stadiums. The league's brief foray into Australia was played in outdoor stadiums; these teams nevertheless played under indoor football rules. All other women's leagues play on outdoor fields with outdoor rules; there have been several other attempts to form indoor women's football leagues, but none have made it to play. As its name implies, arena football
7920-771: The all-time record of 533 tackles. In the late 1980s, Scott Erney was an Honorable AP All-American mention, leading the team to key victories in 1988 over Michigan State and Penn State. Wide receiver Eric Young, who later went on to play baseball in the MLB, was another Honorable AP All-American mention. 1990s The early 1990s brought in a great recruiting class for Rutgers football, featuring running backs Bruce Presley and Terrell Willis. Together they were known as "Thunder and Lightning," they racked up 5,889 yards combined earning Presley with second team Freshman All-American honors in 1992, and Willis with first team Freshman All-American honors in 1993. In 1994, tight end Marco Battaglia came onto
8040-476: The all-time wins list. Kyle Flood was promoted from offensive line coach and took over as head coach after Schiano's departure. He was the 29th head coach in Rutgers football history. In 2012, Rutgers began the season 7–0, including a 35–26 defeat of Arkansas on the road in Fayetteville . The team reached a No. 15 ranking in both the BCS and AP Polls, before a surprise homecoming loss to Kent State by
8160-438: The center, likewise began as an attempt to extend the season beyond Labor Day). The Atlantic Coast Football League played its inaugural championship game at the convention center in 1962, but the game only drew 2,000 fans and the game would thereafter move to the home stadium of the team with the best regular season record. The Philadelphia -based Liberty Bowl game, which had been played at Municipal Stadium from 1959 to 1963,
8280-457: The conference title. Rutgers finished the season with a 9–4 record, defeating UCF 45–24 in the St. Petersburg Bowl . Rutgers' streak of five consecutive bowl appearances ended in 2010, a year marred by a spinal cord injury suffered by defensive lineman Eric LeGrand in the sixth game of the season against Army . Rutgers lost its final six games that year, and finished with a record of 4–8. In 2011
8400-466: The defensive team for two points. Coaches are given two challenges per game, as in the NFL; to challenge, they must throw their red flag before the next play. If the play stands as called after review, the challenging team loses a timeout. If a team wins both challenges used, a third is granted. Video review is automatic in the final half-minute of regulation, all overtime periods, and all scoring plays and turnovers. A game has four 15-minute quarters with
8520-597: The early NFL, first with the Akron Pros in 1921 and then the Milwaukee Badgers in 1922. Robeson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1995. 1920s Homer Hazel first played for Rutgers in 1915, and then from 1923 to 1924. He was twice named an All-American, as an end in 1923 and a fullback in 1924 . Hazel was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as
8640-409: The end of the 1989 season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Doug Graber took over the Rutgers football program starting in 1990. Under Graber's tutelage, the Scarlet Knights achieved winning seasons in 1991 and 1992, but struggled to maintain consistency and, following a 4–7 campaign in 1995, Graber was fired with two years remaining on his original seven-year contract. Rutgers joined
8760-559: The end of the 2017 season, almost all of the league's teams had either folded or moved to other leagues, with only the Philadelphia Soul having existed prior to 2016. Five expansion teams, all in the Mid-Atlantic United States , were established over the next two years, before the league announced after the 2019 season that it was dissolving in a second Chapter 7 bankruptcy. However, on February 1, 2023,
8880-450: The enemy." Kroll was an excellent student in the classroom, played linebacker at times, and helped lead Rutgers to a 17–1 record in his time at Rutgers, earning him AP All-American center award in the undefeated season of 1961. 1970s The 1970s featured several great players for the Scarlet Knights. From 1971 to 1973, running back JJ Jennings tore up the record books, ranking him third all time at Rutgers with 2,935 yards rushing. He also led
9000-407: The face of lawsuits against the team. Running backs Wide receivers Defensive linemen Defensive backs Kickers Exempt list Practice squad Indoor American football Arena football is a variety of gridiron football designed to be played indoors. The game is played on a smaller field than American or Canadian football, designed to fit in the same surface area as
9120-685: The fewest schedule conflicts (only competing with touring stadium rock concerts). The spring schedule has since been adopted by virtually all other professional indoor leagues as of 2010. Within a year of the AFL kicking off, its first challenger, the World Indoor Football League formed. The WIFL planned to play a schedule with six teams beginning in summer of 1988 with its own set of indoor-inspired rules, including an unusual system that would have eight men on offense and seven men on defense. Despite having backing from former NFL players, veteran coaches, and singer John Mellencamp ,
9240-514: The field (much like modern indoor football), while goal posts were moved to the goal line. To compensate for the smaller field, teams were "penalized" 20 yards upon crossing midfield. (The Bears' official Web site goes further and claims that field goals were outlawed for the 1932 game.) In 1930, the Atlantic City Convention Center constructed a nearly full-size indoor football field, and used it for one to three games
9360-399: The field because of its ability to be easily rolled up when the arena is being used for other sports. Foster adopted a modified version of eight-man football . He also mandated a one-platoon system that required at least six players to play on both offensive and defensive downs. This had the added desirable effect of limiting team payrolls. There were numerous other rules designed to help
9480-402: The field of play. The ball is "live" when rebounding off these nets or their support apparatus. The entire goalframe and goalside rebound net system is suspended on cables from the rafters. The bottom of the two goalside rebound nets are 8 feet (2.4 m) off the playing surface. Each netframe is 32 feet (9.8 m) high by 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. A player is not counted as out of bounds on
9600-420: The head coach of the Scarlet Knights. The 2020 season presented unforeseen challenges dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Playing a Big Ten-only schedule, the Scarlet Knights were one of just two teams in the conference to play all nine of its scheduled games. Rutgers, despite missing spring and summer camp, matched the program high with three Big Ten victories, all away to equal the number of league road wins
9720-529: The last half-minute of regulation or overtime (there is only a half-minute warning , as opposed to the two-minute warning in the XFL /NFL and the three-minute warning in the CFL) or because of penalties, injuries or timeouts . The clock also stops for any change in possession, until the ball is marked ready for play; for example, aside from the final half-minute of regulation or overtime, time continues to run down after
9840-490: The league administrators and team owners had allowed player salaries and other costs to rise to the point where the league and many of the teams were losing a substantial amount of money. Late in the summer of 2009, with the team owners unable to agree on a plan for making the league viable again the AFL announced that it was folding, eventually putting its assets up in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. The developmental af2, however, played its 2009 season as scheduled. Most of
9960-453: The league canceled its 1988 season, folded half of its franchises (including Mellencamp's), and made an unsuccessful bid for the remaining three teams to join the AFL; the WIFL never played a single game. In 1990, Foster patented the rules of arena football, meaning that only persons authorized by him could use his rules and his name for the sport. While the AFL asserted throughout the 1990s that
10080-403: The league had actively promoted for 20 seasons, and that the change took away a key component of what made arena football a distinctive sport. The iteration of the league that began play in 2024 restored the "ironman" rules at the beginning of the season. After the league reorganized, the league abandoned ironman play and restored free substitution; unlike in 2007, the reason for the 2024 change
10200-494: The league's inaugural season, and Terrell Owens joining the following year ( Michael Vick was also announced as a player midseason but would not play). FCF suspended operations following the 2022 season. The best-known indoor women's football league is the X League (formerly known as the Legends Football League, and Lingerie Football League ). Known for its scantily-clad players and its signature event,
10320-460: The line of scrimmage and drop into coverage once the Quarterback pump fakes . (Before this rule, the Jack could not drop back into coverage until the ball is thrown or the quarterback is no longer in the pocket , and the Jack had to stay within the box designated by the outside shoulders of the offensive line , the line of scrimmage, and five yards back from the line of scrimmage.) The ball
10440-433: The line of scrimmage, while defensive linemen were hindered by restrictions that prevented them from using certain techniques to penetrate the offensive line. Quarterbacks and placekickers were exempt from the one-platoon system, allowing two key scoring positions to be more specialized. The AFL also adopted the USFL's concept of playing in the late spring and summer, since this is when most hockey and basketball arenas have
10560-497: The nation in scoring during the 1973 season, with Honorable Mention on the list of the AP All-American team. In the late 1970s, Rutgers football, led by coach Frank R. Burns , showed the nation its capabilities with an undefeated record in 1976 (11–0). That year included Rutgers star defensive tackle, Nate Toran, who finished his career with 52 sacks including 17 in 1976. Toran earned third team AP All-American that year and
10680-424: The new Arena Football League prior to 2024. Fan Controlled Football launched in 2021 following an interactive format inspired by video games, with "power-ups" and fans voting on plays. It generally targeted a higher caliber of player than the typical indoor league, with outdoor football veterans such as Johnny Manziel , Robert Turbin , Quinton Flowers , Quinn Porter , Shawn Oakman and Josh Gordon playing in
10800-410: The offense and ensure high-scoring games: To further an offensive passing advantage over the defense, Foster also imposed strict restrictions on the defensive formation, mandating that all defenses were required to play a 3-2-Monster formation with three defensive linemen, two linebackers, two cornerbacks, and one safety. Linebackers were not permitted to blitz and were required to stay in boxes behind
10920-425: The offensive team had the lead and did not advance the ball past the line of scrimmage. This prevented the "victory formation" (the offensive team merely kneeling down), or running other plays that are designed solely to exhaust the remaining time rather than to advance the ball downfield. This rule was eliminated in the interest of player safety. In the first overtime , each team gets one possession to score. Whoever
11040-468: The option of attempting a four-point conversion (akin to the three-point conversion seen in the UFL and its predecessors) from the opponent's ten-yard line, alongside the existing extra point and two-point conversion options. The rule was carried over as part of a pre-launch merger with Champions Indoor Football . Teams may go for two points from the 2.5-yard line, three from the 5-yard line, or four from
11160-498: The padded walls that surround the field are "live"; the end zone walls were not live until the 2006 season. Come 2025 gunners must line up on their own 20-yard line on kickoffs, with one receiving player fielding from the end zone. The scoring is the same as in the NFL with the addition of a drop kick field goal worth four points during normal play or two points as a post-touchdown conversion . Blocked extra points and turnovers on two-point conversion attempts may be returned by
11280-564: The patent covered virtually every aspect of the game (from the 50-yard field to the eight-man format), a 1998 lawsuit ( Arena Football League v. Professional Indoor Football League ) established that the patent specifically covered the rebound net feature, meaning that competitors could not use this aspect of the rules. However, under provisions of U.S. patent law , Foster's patent expired on March 27, 2007, enabling competitors to use rebound nets (at least as originally envisioned, without other innovations that he may have patented). The AFL signed
11400-479: The patent expired like the National Arena League have used rebound nets, while other leagues such as the Indoor Football League and American Indoor Football opt to not use them. The first demonstration of football on a small field was actually played outdoors at the original open-air Madison Square Garden . Using nine-man sides , Pennsylvania defeated Rutgers 10–0 at the annual meeting of
11520-486: The previous six seasons combined. Rutgers finished the 2020 season 3–6 overall. The program also achieved academic success with 46 student-athletes recognized on the Fall Academic All-Big Ten list, the most for the Scarlet Knights since joining the conference. The team posted its highest GPA ever as a program during the spring 2020 semester. In 2021 Schiano's second season back as head coach and playing
11640-505: The program high previously set in 2014, 2017 and 2020. Rutgers strength of schedule was ranked second nationally heading into bowl season and finished number four and highest among Big Ten teams according to the ESPN College Football Power Index. Eight opponents from the regular season appeared in bowl games. Rutgers solid defense and running back Kyle Monangai who rushed for 1,262 yards with 8 touchdowns led
11760-626: The rebound nets at the ends of the field. Like the AFL, their playing seasons are entirely or primarily outside the traditional fall/early winter season of the outdoor sport so as not to be competing with it directly for fan support. Since the first such league, the Professional Indoor Football League, began play in the 1998, there has often been a pattern of instability. Each off-season has seen teams jumping from league to league. In addition, leagues have annually merged, changed names, and separated. The organization that
11880-516: The road, the black jerseys (with black pants) have only been used eight times, in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. In 2019, Rutgers sent a cease-and-desist letter about the Block R logo to Ruston High School in Ruston, Louisiana. The controversy was reported by national media outlets. In September 2022, Rutgers unveiled new, white uniforms with red trim and matching white helmets at
12000-439: The same size field and most other aspects of the game. Arena football is distinguished from the other indoor leagues by its use of large rebound nets attached to the side of each goalpost, which keep any missed field goal or overthrown ball in the field of play and allow the ball to remain live; the rebound nets were the only part of the patent that was upheld until it expired. As a result, some non-AFL arena leagues that formed after
12120-544: The scene as a force. In his career "on the banks," Marco went from 27 catches, to 58, to 69 catches in 1995. With great size at 6'3", 245 lbs, he was drafted in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft . 2000s Running back Ray Rice is a player who has stood out as a major icon in Rutgers Football. Recruited out of New Rochelle HS in New York, Rice beat out four other running backs his freshman year to earn
12240-529: The season opener against Boston College. Prior to every home football game, the team travels down the "Scarlet Walk" greeting fans and the players touch the "First Game" statue commemorating the first college football game played in 1869. A cannon is fired after a Rutgers touchdown and at the end of the game when Rutgers win. A chant where one side of the stadium yells "R" and the other side responds with "U". Rutgers has had many key contributing players in its 155-year history of college football. Dating back to
12360-514: The season with a record of 1–1. From 1929 to 1975, Rutgers was a member of the Middle Three Conference , which consisted of a round-robin against Lafayette College and Lehigh University . J. Wilder Tasker served as the head football coach of the Queensmen football program for seven seasons, from 1931 to 1937. Under his leadership, the Scarlet Knights compiled a record of 31–27–5. Tasker was replaced by Harvey Harman , who led
12480-402: The sidelines unless he is pushed into or falls over the sideline barrier. This rule was put in place before the 2006 season. Before that time, a sideline with only a small amount of space (typically 6" to 12") existed between the sideline stripe and the barrier which would provide the space for a ball carrier to step out of bounds before hitting the sideline barrier. Each team fields 8 players at
12600-596: The team from 1938 through the 1940s and into the 1950s (Rutgers did not field a football team from 1942 to 1946 due to World War II ). Harvey Harman's record was 33–26–1 in a total of 14 seasons. Succeeding Tasker was John Stiegman , who compiled a record of 22–15 in four seasons. Starting in 1940, the 'conference champion' received the Little Brass Cannon. Following Lehigh's capture of the Little Brass Cannon in 1951, Rutgers became an independent team in 1952, but Rutgers still played games against Lafayette and
12720-430: The teams made a sustainable profit and the team owners were eager to see the league continue for another year. However, with the AFL owning 50.1% of the af2, it would fold if the AFL folded. At the end of the 2009 season, a gathering of af2 and remaining AFL team owners set out to form their own organization, originally known as Arena Football 1 (AF1). AF1 went on to purchase all assets of the original AFL and af2, except for
12840-415: The top team in the eastern region. Looking to back up its strong showing in 2014 with another successful campaign in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights struggled in 2015, beleaguered before the onset of the season by the arrest of multiple active players on assault-related charges. During the season, the Scarlet Knights failed to gain traction, finishing 4–8 with a 1–7 Big Ten Record. Amid the disappointment of
12960-481: The two teams. Rutgers won the contest by a score of 6–4. A week after the first game was held in New Brunswick, Rutgers visited Princeton for a second matchup. This time, Princeton prevailed by a score of 8–0. Rutgers and Princeton had planned for a third game in the 1869 season, but the contest never took place due to fears that the games were interfering with the students' studies. Thus, both schools would end
13080-534: Was also considered a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, though the award was won by Pete Dawkins of Army that year. Austin went on to play for the Washington Redskins after being drafted in 1959. 1960s By the 1960s, Alex Kroll came onto the scene as a formidable opponent. At 6'2 228 lbs playing center, Kroll played and was enrolled at Yale for two seasons before serving in the Army. He later formed
13200-582: Was announced as a formal expansion acquisition of the Big Ten Conference, alongside rival Maryland of the ACC . Both Maryland and Rutgers were unanimously accepted to join the conference in all sports, effective July 1, 2014. Before this, however, Rutgers competed for one season in the American Athletic Conference , created from the remaining teams of the former Big East Conference. Despite high expectations, Rutgers had an underwhelming 2013 season in
13320-497: Was devised by Jim Foster , a former executive of the United States Football League and the National Football League . He devised his game while watching indoor soccer , another game derived from a sport played outdoors. He worked on the game in the early 1980s, but put any plans for full development of it on hold while the United States Football League, an attempt to play traditional American football in
13440-405: Was especially important as the 2007 expiration of Foster's patent on the rebound nets approached). At times over forty teams participated in this league, almost uniformly in cities which also had minor league ice hockey teams and hence suitable arenas. Shortly before the end of 2008, the Arena Football League announced that it would not be playing a 2009 spring season. During the previous few years,
13560-482: Was given the option to accept the bid. Rutgers accepted the bowl bid to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl to play against Wake Forest with only a week of preparation for the game, the Scarlet Knights would go on to lose by a score of 38–10 to conclude the 2021 season. In 2022, Rutgers won their first three games of the season, then would go on to win only one game the rest of the season, winning against
13680-434: Was in part to justify salary cuts that were required when a previous commissioner—Lee Hutton, who was ousted in the reorganization —made promises to cover higher salaries but had no revenue to fund such promises (since under ironman, a player would fill the roles of what would have otherwise been two roster spots, justifying their higher price compared to a one-way player in other indoor leagues). The league also instituted
13800-458: Was joined by honorable mentions John Alexander, Jim Hughes, Henry Jenkins, and Mark Twitty. 1980s An array of different players from the 1980s led Rutgers to match-ups against teams such as Penn State, Michigan State, Alabama, and more. During that time, Deron Cherry , a standout safety for Rutgers, was an honorable AP All-American in 1980, followed by his teammate Ed McMichael. Other standouts included Jim Dumont Sr. and Tyronne Stowe, who holds
13920-574: Was moved into the Convention Center in 1964 for the contest between Utah and West Virginia . The game drew just over 6,000 fans, though, and the Liberty Bowl moved to Memphis the next year, where it has remained. Unlike modern indoor football, the size of the playing surface and hence the rules were essentially the same as in the standard outdoor game, with rules updated to deal with contingencies for what could happen indoors, such as
14040-429: Was not directly affiliated with the now-defunct AFL. A 2024 reboot of the Arena Football League uses the original league's rulebook with minor variations. Through the late 1990s, the Arena Football League was the only league playing any variant of the sport designed for indoor play. A clarification limiting the scope of its patent allowed for competing indoor football leagues (sometimes known as arena leagues ) to use
14160-780: Was second team AP All-American two years in a row in 2006 and 2007. Wide receiver Kenny Britt , defensive back Devin McCourty were both also Honorable Mentions on the AP All-American team. Fullback Brian Leonard recruited out of Gouverneur New York HS, Leonard finished his Rutgers' career ranked fourth all-time in rushing yards with 2,775, fourth all-time in rushing touchdowns with 32, sixth all-time in receiving yards with 1,864, first all-time in receptions with 207, and tied for fourth all-time in receiving touchdowns with 13, second all-time in all-purpose yards with 4,639, and first all-time in total combined touchdowns with 45, and first all-time in career points scored with 272 total. He played for
14280-455: Was that free substitution would improve the overall quality of football in the league by giving coaches the freedom to put their best players on the field for every play of the game, and that teams would be able to select from a wider player talent pool when building their rosters. Traditionalists, however, believed the rule changes were the beginning of the removal of the " ironman " (two-way offense and defense) style of play of arena football that
14400-575: Was the 1961 team captain and selected as a consensus All-American. In 1961, Rutgers was one of two major teams to compile a perfect season , Alabama being the other. The Scarlet Knights were considered a contender for the Rose Bowl , but were not selected because university president Mason Welch Gross did not express the same interest with the Rose Bowl's organizers. Rutgers also compiled an 8–2 campaign in 1968. Although Rutgers continued to be
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