Salt Lake Screaming Eagles

Last updated
Salt Lake Screaming Eagles
Established 2016
Folded 2017
Played in Maverik Center
in West Valley City, Utah
SaltLakeScreamingEagles.com
SL Eagles.png
League/conference affiliations
Indoor Football League (2017)
  • Intense Conference (2017)
Current uniform
Team colorsNavy blue, red, white
   
Personnel
Owner(s) Project Fanchise
Chairmangygohgok
PresidentThom Carter
Head coach Matthew Sauk
Team history
  • Salt Lake Screaming Eagles (2017)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)
Division championships (0)
Home arena(s)

The Salt Lake Screaming Eagles were a professional indoor football team based in West Valley City, Utah, near Salt Lake City. The Screaming Eagles started as an expansion team in the Indoor Football League (IFL) and began play in 2017 with home games at the Maverik Center. The team folded when ownership left the IFL to start their own league.

Contents

History

The team was announced in April 2016 by a group called Project FANchise with the intent on creating an entirely fan operated indoor football team. [1] The project announced that fans would vote on every aspect of the team including the name of the team, signing players, and calling plays. On June 6, the name of the team was announced as the Screaming Eagles after the 101st Airborne Division. [2] The name was picked over the more controversial choices of "Teamy McTeamface," "Sandtroopers," [3] and "Stormin' Mormons." [4] William McCarthy was voted in as the first head coach in franchise history.

The team made their debut at home against the Nebraska Danger on February 16, 2017. They lost 78–47 in a game which featured the fans storming the field after the Eagles scored the first fan-called touchdown in franchise history. Also, the team introduced their part-owner, Norm Macdonald, who helped call part of the game streamed live on SI.com (Sports Illustrated) and YouTube. [5] The team won their first game the next week defeating the Colorado Crush 42–41 on February 26. On March 1, the team then fired head coach William McCarthy due to philosophical differences [6] and then hired Matthew Sauk as its new head coach without using the fan vote system. However, the FANchise vote system made national news once again when their fans voted against signing former NFL player Greg Hardy on March 30, 2017. [7]

On April 20, 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported that Project FANchise was planning on launching a new league called the "Interactive Football League". Project FANchise CEO Sohrob Farudi confirmed that the Screaming Eagles would finish the 2017 Indoor Football League season [8] and would be leaving the league afterwards. [9] The league was later re-branded as the Electronic Football League (eFL) in October 2017 and then as the Fan Controlled Football League (FCFL) in November 2017. [10] The new league planned to play all of its games in only one city with eight new teams and the Screaming Eagles did not appear to be one the team names considered. The new league eventually began play in February 2021 as Fan Controlled Football with four teams.

Statistics and records

Season-by-season results

League ChampionsConference ChampionsDivision ChampionsPlayoff BerthLeague Leader
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
FinishWinsLosses
2017 2017 IFL Intense4th511

Head coach records

NameTermRegular seasonPlayoffsAwards
WLWin%WL
William McCarthy 2017 11.50000
Matthew Sauk 2017 410.28600

Personnel

Final roster

2017 Salt Lake Screaming Eagles roster
Quarterbacks
  •  1Verlon Reed

Running backs

  • 17Bubba Poole
  • 16 Lucien Walker

Wide receivers

  • 14Dorian Buford
  • 21 Juwan Dotson
  •  8Delric Ellington
  • 84 Devin Mahina
  •  7Chris Robinson
  • 10Dontrelle Sanford
  • 11Tanqueray Towns
Offensive linemen
  • 92Siaosi Aiono
  • 99Zach Fondal
  • 52 Royce Roxas

Defensive linemen

  • 75Quinton Bradley
  • 97Viliseni Fauonuku
  • 53 Sisale Hautau
  • 52 Michael Ward
  • 93 Seante Williams
Linebackers
  • 25Jerome McElroy
  •  9Gionni Paul

Defensive backs

  •  6 Ed Burns
  • 11 James Calhoun
  • 12 Rashard Greene
  • 14Kelvin Lee
  •  3 Don Unamba

Special teams

  • 13Scott Thomsen
Reserve lists
  •  2 Breon Allen RB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  • 10Trent Andrus K (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  • 99 David Gilbert DL (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  • 52 Ofa Hautau DL (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  • 51Alex Land OL (Exempt)
  • 10 Derwyn Lauderdale WR (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  • -- Lene Maiava OL (Exempt)
  • 15Gianni Olivas DB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  •  9Devon Price WR (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  •  5Jesse Scroggins QB (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  • 13 Cy Strahm WR (IR Tooltip Injured reserve) Injury icon 2.svg
  • rookies in italics
  • Roster updated June 13, 2017
  • 25 Active, 12 Inactive

→ More rosters

All-League selections

Individual awards

Staff

Salt Lake Screaming Eagles staff
Front office
  • Majority owner – Project FANchise
  • President – Thom Carter
 

Head coach

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator – The Fans
  • Offensive line coach – Jaren Skinner

Defensive coaches

  • co-Defensive Coordinator – Sergio Gilliam
  • co-Defensive Coordinator – Kevin Bello

2017 season

2017 Salt Lake Screaming Eagles season
OwnerProject FANchise
Head coachWilliam McCarthy (2 games)
Matthew Sauk
Home field Maverik Center
Results
Record5–11
Conference place5th
Playoff finishDid not qualify

Schedule

Key:   Win  Tie  Loss   Bye

WeekDayDateKickoffOpponentResultsLocationAttendance
ScoreRecord
1ThursdayFebruary 167:00pm Nebraska Danger L 47–78 [11] 0–1 Maverik Center 8,191
2SundayFebruary 263:00pmat Colorado Crush W 42–41 (OT)1–1 Budweiser Events Center
3 BYE
4MondayMarch 137:00pm Spokane Empire L 35–41 [12] 1–2Maverik Center4,196
5 BYE
6FridayMarch 247:00pmat Spokane EmpireL 36–53 [13] 1–3 Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
7FridayMarch 317:00pmColorado CrushL 49–52 [14] 1–4Maverik Center4,121
8SaturdayApril 87:05pmat Wichita Falls Nighthawks L 33–391–5 Kay Yeager Coliseum
9FridayApril 147:00pm Arizona Rattlers L 60–731–6Maverik Center3,785
10SaturdayApril 227:05pmat Nebraska DangerL 30–491–7Eihusen Arena
11SundayApril 303:00pmat Spokane EmpireL 29–311–8Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
12SundayMay 74:30pmat Colorado CrushW 64–412–8Budweiser Events Center
13FridayMay 127:00pmColorado CrushW 38–373–8Maverik Center4,855
14SaturdayMay 207:00pmat Arizona RattlersL 33–633–9 Talking Stick Resort Arena
15MondayMay 297:00pm Cedar Rapids Titans W 64–274–9Maverik Center2,981
16FridayJune 27:00pm Iowa Barnstormers L 36–584–10Maverik Center3,873
17SaturdayJune 107:05pmat Green Bay Blizzard L 34–374–11 Resch Center 4,657
18FridayJune 167:00pmSpokane EmpireW 45–425–11Maverik Center4,581

Standings

2017 Intense Conference
WLTPCTPFPACONGBSTK
y - Arizona Rattlers 1240.7507826108–1—W8
x - Nebraska Danger 970.5637176605–23.0W1
Spokane Empire 880.5006546777–54.0L3
Salt Lake Screaming Eagles 5110.3136757624–87.0W1
Colorado Crush 3130.1886298212–108.0L4

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References

  1. ↑ "Project FANchise Launches First-Ever Fan-Run Pro Sports Team". OurSports Central. April 21, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Fans Have Spoken: Team Name is "Screaming Eagles"". OurSports Central. June 7, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Teamy McTeamfaces losing ground in naming contest for Utah's Indoor Football team". KSTU. June 1, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Stormin' Mormons and Teamy McTeamFace lead fan vote to name Utah pro football franchise". Salt Lake Tribune . May 24, 2016.
  5. ↑ Joe Coles (February 16, 2017). "Fans rush the field, but Screaming Eagles fall to Nebraska Danger in inaugural game, 78-47". Deseret News .
  6. ↑ "Screaming Eagles Make Coaching Change". IFL. March 1, 2017.
  7. ↑ Shalise Manza Young (March 30, 2017). "Fans of Indoor Football League team vote no to adding Greg Hardy to roster". Yahoo Sports .
  8. ↑ "How Can Football Video Games Get More Realistic? Real Humans". The Wall Street Journal . April 20, 2017.
  9. ↑ "WEEKLY SPORTS LEAGUE & FRANCHISE REPORT". OurSports Central. April 24, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Hello World – Introducing the eFL and the FAN Token". Electronic Football League. October 11, 2017.
  11. ↑ Brennan Smith (February 17, 2017). "Arena football: Salt Lake Screaming Eagles drop opener to Nebraska Danger 78-47 (with video)". www.sltrib.com. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Empire ground Screaming Eagles in IFL action". www.spokesman.com. The Spokesman-Review. March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Spokane Empire thwarts Salt Lake – and its play-calling fans". www.spokesman.com. The Spokesman-Review. March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Screaming Eagles lose to Crush on last-second field goal". www.si.com. Time Inc. April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
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