The Iowa Rampage were a professional arena football team based in Council Bluffs, Iowa . They were announced as one of the inaugural teams for the revived Arena Football League (AFL).
48-695: They were the second official Iowa-based team to play in the league and the first since the Iowa Barnstormers who played off and on in the previous two AFL incarnations from 1995 to 2014 in Des Moines before moving to the Indoor Football League . On May 2, 2024, after playing a single game (a 58–28 win over the Rapid City Marshals ), the team announced they would be discontinuing operations immediately. Ultimately,
96-524: A circular script reading, "Arena Football Club". The word "Arena" was removed when the team moved to the IFL. The circle logo also has wings on each side, with the words "Iowa" and "Barnstormers" on two lines above the circle logo. Below the logo was the words, "Des Moines." The team's colors consisted of black, gold and cardinal. The three colors are a combination of the Iowa Hawkeyes black and gold, and
144-466: A five-game winning streak return the Barnstormers to the thick of the playoff hunt. Iowa went on to win their fourth Central Division crown in six seasons of play, earning the 3rd seed in the newly expanded playoffs . However, Iowa's playoff run came to a quick end on a Sunday afternoon in the quarterfinals, as the 6th-seeded Nashville scored the final 14 points to defeat Iowa, 49–42. Historically,
192-421: A gold helmet, and either black or white jerseys with gold numbers on the black jerseys and black numbers on the white jersey with pilots' wings on the front of both. Gold pants were used with both jerseys. A side stripe on the pants was in the design of a propeller blade. Upon the club's return through until 2023, the wings were removed from the jersey. Beginning in 2013, the team switched to black pants. In 2024,
240-657: A professional indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa . They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena , known in indoor football circles as "The Well". Several teams called the Iowa Barnstormers have played in different indoor football leagues since 1995. The original Arena Football League team played in Des Moines' Veterans Memorial Auditorium from 1995 to 2001, and subsequently relocated to Uniondale, New York , where they were known as
288-531: A relatively poor season (a five-game winning streak to close the season wasn't able to turn a 4–7 start into a playoff berth) would lead to that franchise suspending operations following their first season. On September 20, 2007, the AF2 announced that they had approved the inactive franchise's new ownership, meaning that the Barnstormers resumed play in 2008 at the Wells Fargo Arena . They held practices at
336-478: A top-level arena football team, mainly because of the difficulty in attracting top-ticket free agents to the AFL's smallest market. On August 27, 2014, Lamberti announced that the Iowa Barnstormers had officially become members of the IFL and named former Barnstormers quarterback Joe Brannen to replace Mike Hohensee . The Barnstormers became the first team to directly leave the AFL for a new league, although previously
384-469: A touchdown by the Chicago Rush , an ominous harbinger of an eventual 7–9 season. On July 27, 2014, Barnstormers president Jeff Lamberti told WHO-TV in Des Moines that the franchise will explore "all options" in the off-season of their continuance to play, including leaving the AFL and going to the Indoor Football League for 2015. The Barnstormers had not had a winning season since their revival as
432-515: Is an accepted version of this page Uniondale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in central Nassau County , New York , on Long Island , in the Town of Hempstead , within the New York metropolitan area . The population was 32,473 at the time of the 2020 United States census . Uniondale is home to Hofstra University 's north campus and a portion of its southern campus, as well as
480-467: The Austin Wranglers had been demoted from the AFL to the AFL's former minor league, af2 . The Arkansas Twisters , Tri-Cities Fever , and Green Bay Blizzard were former af2 teams which jumped to the IFL. "We are excited to bring the Barnstormers to the IFL", said Lamberti. "The chance to sign more local players, see more fans at road games, and create friendly rivalries with other teams of
528-503: The Iowa State Cyclones cardinal and gold. The goggles on the team's helmet make the Barnstormers helmet one of the most recognized helmets in AFL history. In a 2008 Yahoo! article, the Barnstormers' helmet was ranked as the 8th best helmet in pro football history. Until 2012, the helmet was gold with black goggles; this was reversed beginning in the 2013 season. The Barnstormers' original uniform designed consisted of
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#1732798590973576-522: The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum . In the early 1970s, several Uniondale residents attempted to incorporate their hamlet as a village, citing dissatisfaction with the way their community was being represented on the board of the committee for redeveloping Mitchel Field , regarding matters like policies and the plans. Their incorporation plans were unsuccessful, and Uniondale remains an unincorporated hamlet governed by
624-473: The New York Dragons . Des Moines was awarded a franchise in the developmental AF2 league in 2001 that carried on the Barnstormers name and branding, but the team suspended operations after the end of the season. In 2008 a new Barnstormers team began play in the AF2, now based in the new Wells Fargo Arena; this team joined the new AFL in 2010 following the league's reorganization. For the 2015 season,
672-685: The Quad City Steamwheelers 58–38 on April 19 in Moline, Illinois . The team would win their first home game at the Wells Fargo Arena on April 26, 2008, defeating the Stockton Lightning 47–24. During the 2008 season, the Barnstormers ranked 17th in average home paid attendance out of the 46 combined teams in the Arena Football League and AF2. In both 2008 and 2009, Iowa ranked second in AF2 attendance to
720-504: The Spokane Shock , with attendances of 9,341 and 9,520, respectively. On September 28, 2009, the Barnstormers announced their status as a charter member of the new Arena Football League , marking their return to playing top-notch arena football after almost a decade of lower levels and inactivity. A franchise-record 12,184 fans attended the 2010 opener; however, Iowa's first play from scrimmage resulted in an interception return for
768-588: The St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Forced to rebuild after losing the eventual two-time NFL MVP , the Barnstormers limped to an 0–5 start in 1998. After acquiring Aaron Garcia from New Jersey , the Barnstormers improved, with a three-game winning streak sparked by Garcia and rookie sensation Kevin Swayne , putting the Barnstormers in playoff contention late in the year. But, in
816-512: The playoffs , the Barnstormers avenged a regular season defeat against 7th-seeded San Jose , 68–59, before racing past 4th-seeded Orlando 52–34 to reach the franchise's second ArenaBowl in three seasons. However, in ArenaBowl XI , Arizona used a 42–13 scoring stretch over the 2nd and 3rd Quarters to roll past Iowa, 55–33. Star offensive specialist Willis Jacox retired after the 1997 season, while star quarterback Kurt Warner signed with
864-399: The 2022 season. The team made the playoffs yet again under his leadership. The 2023 season will be remembered as one of the worst in franchise history. The team only won four games and struggled on offense. When the Barnstormers began playing in 1995, the team's logo consisted of a circular logo, which depicted a barnstorming airplane over the city of Des Moines. The logo was surrounded by
912-456: The 6th-seeded Predators with a chance to advance to another home ArenaBowl. However, Orlando continued its shocking run to ArenaBowl XIII with a 56–49 upset of the Barnstormers. The 2000 Barnstormers put up startling offensive numbers, as Garcia threw for 92 touchdowns against just 8 interceptions, with 46 of the touchdowns going to Mike Horacek . Despite this prolific offense, Iowa started slowly, losing three of their first four games. However,
960-695: The Barnstormers have ranked high in home paid attendance. In the Arena Football League , they finished 7th in 1995, 8th in 1996, 9th in 1997, 8th in 1998, 9th in 1999, and 9th in 2000. The need for a more modern venue as well as the league's desire for a larger market led to the move to New York City despite two failed past attempts in the city, the New York Knights ( 1988 ) and the New York CityHawks ( 1997 – 1998 ), both of which played at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan . The team
1008-478: The Barnstormers left the AFL and became members of the IFL. On April 25, 1994, the Arena Football League approved an expansion team to be based in Des Moines, Iowa , to begin play in the 1995 season. The team was owned by Jim Foster , the inventor/creator of arena football, and the founder of the Arena Football League. On May 12, 1995, the Barnstormers played their first regular season game, on
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#17327985909731056-594: The Barnstormers played their first regular season game of 2008, falling at the Louisville Fire 58–28 on March 29, 2008. The following week, they would return home for a Monday Night primetime match-up with the Lexington Horsemen on April 14, 2008. In the debut of Arena Football at the Wells Fargo Arena , the Barnstormers lost a close 43–41 contest. The next week, Iowa won their first regular season match-up since 2001 (their 75th overall), defeating
1104-399: The Barnstormers raced to a 3–0 start and secured the 5th seed for the playoffs. After upsetting defending ArenaBowl champion Arizona , 56–52, in their first playoff game, the Barnstormers fell, 56–49, to 6th-seeded Orlando in the semifinals. After an 0–1 start to their second season, the Barnstormers won their first Central Division title on the strength of eight consecutive wins to close
1152-619: The Barnstormers returned to their original jerseys from the Kurt Warner days. Running backs Wide receivers Offensive linemen Defensive linemen Linebackers Defensive backs Kickers Rookies in italics Roster updated June 26, 2024 25 active, 0 Inactive → More rosters The following Barnstormers players have been named to All-Arena Teams: The following Barnstormers players have been named to All-IFL Teams: Uniondale, New York This
1200-507: The Midwest are just a few of the opportunities that we look forward to." AFL commissioner Jerry Kurz released a statement regarding the Barnstormers departure from the AFL: "We wish the Iowa Barnstormers all the best in their new endeavor. Their organization has been a part of the rich history of Arena Football for years now and will always be thought of fondly by those who love our sport." It
1248-778: The Rampage issued a statement stating the team was folding immediately, accusing commissioner Lee Hutton of reneging on promises to compensate the Rampage and the Champions Indoor Football teams that had agreed to join the AFL for increased expenses. Fellow CIF transplants, the Marshals and Billings Outlaws , corroborated the Rampage's claims, as did the Washington Wolfpack . The Rampage owner walked back its previous accusations against Hutton, stating he would not specifically blame any entity or person for
1296-551: The Rampage never played in Iowa; had the team survived to play its first home game, it would have played at the Mid-America Center . Four years after the AFL folded for the second time, it was announced on February 1, 2023, that the league intended on relaunching in 2024. On July 18, the 16 intended market cities were announced. Iowa was not among the inaugural markets announced. The AFL announced on October 10, 2023, that
1344-414: The Rampage would become the newest team to join the league. The name "Rampage" appears to have originated from a hoax in which critics of the league had set up a fake "St. Louis Rampage" social media account (itself a parody of the St. Louis Rams , who left St. Louis in 2016; St. Louis had been one of the 16 announced markets but would ultimately not get a team); after revealing the hoax, those who had set up
1392-711: The Town of Hempstead. The community unsuccessfully tried incorporating itself as a village in the 1970s. According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP had a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km ), all land. The Uniondale CDP gained territory between the 2010 census and the 2020 census, due to the former CDP of East Garden City being absorbed by the CDP of Uniondale. Lufthansa United States has its headquarters in Uniondale, moving to
1440-472: The age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.9% were non-families. Of all households 16.0% were one person and 8.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.66 and the average family size was 3.95. The age distribution was 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% 65 or older. The median age
1488-543: The end, they faltered, finishing 5–9, their worst season of their years in Iowa. In 1999, the Barnstomer resurgence under Garcia continued, with Iowa winning nine of their last ten regular season games (following a 2–2 start) to capture their third Central Division title in four seasons and secure the 2nd seed in the playoffs . A thrashing of division rival Milwaukee in the quarterfinals paired with 8th-seeded Orlando's 41–19 shocker at Tampa Bay set Iowa up at home against
Iowa Rampage - Misplaced Pages Continue
1536-478: The fake team said they would turn the social media account over to the AFL. (This never came to pass, and the account remains operational as a satire page.) The owner was Trevor Burdett and the head coach was Tyus Jackson, both of whom had filled similar roles for the Topeka Tropics of Champions Indoor Football the previous year. On May 2, 2024, following a 58–28 road win over the Rapid City Marshals ,
1584-528: The hamlet from adjacent East Meadow in 2019. At one point, Swiss International Air Lines operated its United States office at 776 RexCorp Plaza in the EAB Plaza in Uniondale. The airline moved its offices from 41 Pinelawn Road in Melville , Suffolk County , around 2002. As of the census of 2000, there were 23,011 people, 6,026 households, and 4,826 families living in the CDP. The population density
1632-458: The historic Veterans Memorial Auditorium , and they inherited the tradition of the original Barnstormers. The team adopted the original unique uniforms, which in keeping with the aviation theme included the depiction of goggles on the helmets, wings on the shoulders of the jerseys, and propellers on the pants legs. The mascot, a dog named Ace, is featured in this helmet, along with the uniform jersey and pants. After being on hiatus for six seasons,
1680-779: The now-nonexistent Rampage and would pay the Rampage players to travel to Dodge City to play the game; the Storm defeated the Rampage, 34–18, in what would be the final game of their existence. The Rampage directed fans and sponsors to the Omaha Beef , who play across the Missouri River from the Rampage in Omaha, Nebraska and agreed to honor tickets for Rampage events. Iowa Barnstormers AF2 ( 2001 , 2008 – 2009 ) Arena Football League ( 2010 – 2014 ) Indoor Football League ( 2015 –present) The Iowa Barnstormers are
1728-614: The road against the Milwaukee Mustangs . In a wild finish that saw both teams combine to score 24 points in the final 40.4 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Barnstormers won, 69–61. The next weekend, May 20, 1995, the Barnstormers played their first regular season home game against the Miami Hooters at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, winning 41–29. Behind the strength of AFL Coach of the Year John Gregory ,
1776-466: The season. After edging St. Louis and Albany in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the top-seeded Barnstormers lost a 42–38 heartbreaker at home to second-seeded Tampa Bay in ArenaBowl X . In 1997, the Barnstormers repeated as Central Division champions with an 11–3 record, including a 61–38 road thrashing of the rival Storm to avenge the previous season's ArenaBowl defeat. With the 2nd seed in
1824-610: The semifinals. After the season, he was hired away by the 2019 expansion team Tucson Sugar Skulls . Wooten was replaced by Ameer Ismail, the former head coach of the Massachusetts Pirates . However, he would not coach a game for the team as the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Longtime general manager John Pettit died in December 2020 after complications from COVID-19 and his daughter Juli
1872-467: The sidelines as is typical of high school sports venues. The Barnstormers organization constantly lobbied for the construction of a better facility during their time in Des Moines to no avail. The arena Football organization awarded an AF2 franchise to Iowa for the 2001 season , which continued the Barnstormer name. However, low attendance (less than half of the average of the AFL franchise) and
1920-543: The team's failure, after Hutton accused him of spreading "knowingly false information." The Rampage apologized to the Council Bluffs community and fan base and announced that its assets would be liquidated in an effort to cover its expenses up to that point. Hours after the announcement, the Southwest Kansas Storm claimed that the league was still going forward with the Storm's upcoming game against
1968-446: The word "arena" from their logo as they are no longer with the Arena Football League, yet will retain the history of their time with the AFL. They did use the rebound nets they owned from their AFL days in 2015, but under IFL rules, any ball that hits the netting is a dead ball. The rebound nets were taken down in 2016 and replaced by the standard indoor football goalposts with netting surrounding each end zone. On July 11, 2016, Brannen
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2016-471: Was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males. The median household income was $ 61,410 and the median family income was $ 67,264. Males had a median income of $ 32,417 versus $ 31,169 for females. The per capita income was $ 19,069. About 6.0% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over. Uniondale
2064-442: Was 8,676.5 inhabitants per square mile (3,350.0/km ). There were 6,201 housing units at an average density of 2,338.1 per square mile (902.7/km ). The racial makeup of the CDP was 26.97% White, 55.53% Black, 0.35% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 9.95% from other races, and 5.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.86% of the population. Of the 6,026 households 39.3% had children under
2112-494: Was also noted that players currently under contract with the team were not obligated to remain with the club, essentially making them free agents. IFL commissioner Mike Allshouse commented: "This is a monumental day in the history of the Indoor Football League. These are exciting times for the IFL as we continue to improve and expand our business model." To adjust to their new league, the Barnstormers removed
2160-624: Was fired as the Barnstormers head coach. On August 24, 2016, Brannen was replaced by Dixie Wooten. Wooten had been serving as the offensive coordinator for the Cedar Rapids Titans . In his second year as head coach, Wooten led the Barnstormers to their first championship on July 7, 2018, over the Sioux Falls Storm 42–38 in the United Bowl. Wooten led the team to a 12–2 record in 2019, but again lost to Sioux Falls in
2208-637: Was formerly the home of the NHL's New York Islanders , who played at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum from 1972 until 2015, and again from 2018 until 2021. The 2014–15 NHL season was originally their final year at the Coliseum before the team moved to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn , New York City. Beginning in 2018, home games were split between Barclays and the Coliseum, and beginning in 2020,
2256-603: Was named the team's new general manager. The Barnstormers hired former Jacksonville Sharks head coach Les Moss for the 2021 season. Moss then brought former Albany Empire head coach Rob Keefe to Iowa after serving as Keefe's assistant in Albany. The Barnstormers finished 6–6 and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Moss was released in September 2021. The Barnstormers then hired former Albany Empire assistant general manager Dave Mogensen as its head coach for
2304-605: Was purchased by Charles Wang , who is also the Islanders' majority owner, and renamed the New York Dragons . Aside from the league's desire to re-enter the New York market, another major reason cited for the team's relocation was the inadequacy of their Des Moines venue, the Iowa Veterans Memorial Auditorium , also known as "The Barn". Most of the seats in this venue were located directly along
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