Cape Fear Heroes
 | |
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| League |
AIF (2012–2014) XLIF (2015) SIF (2016–) |
| Team history | Cape Fear Heroes (2012–present) |
| Based in | Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| Arena | Crown Coliseum |
| Colors |
Red, White, Silver, & Blue |
| Owner(s) |
Barbara Spigner Crystal Williams |
| President | Robert Williams |
| Head coach | Michael Coleman |
| General Manager | Michael Coleman |
| Championships |
(1) AIF: 2012 |
| Conference titles |
(1) AIF Eastern: 2012 |
| Division titles |
(1) AIF Eastern: 2012 |
| Playoff berths |
(3) 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| Dancers | Heroes Dance Team |
The Cape Fear Heroes are a professional indoor football team based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which is currently a member of Supreme Indoor Football (SIF). The Heroes are owned by Barbara Spigner (who is also the CEO of the SIF).
They began play in 2012 as an expansion member of American Indoor Football (AIF). The Heroes fared very well in their first three seasons of play, going to back-to-back-to-back AIF Championship Games, going undefeated in 2012. They Heroes finished as runner-up in 2013 and 2014. In 2015, it was announced that the Heroes would be leaving the AIF, and joining the X-League Indoor Football (X-League). In June 2015, the team's season was abruptly ended when they were suspended by the league.[1]
They have won one conference title, in their only season playing in a conference, while finishing with the best regular season record in the AIF for 3 consecutive seasons. The Heroes play their home games at the Crown Coliseum.
History
The Heroes are the fourth arena/indoor football team to be based in Fayetteville, following the Cape Fear Wildcats of arenafootball2 (which played from 2002 until 2004 after which they to Albany, Georgia and became the South Georgia Wildcats), the Fayetteville Guard which played in the National Indoor Football League (2005-2007) and American Indoor Football Association (2008-2010), and the Fayetteville Force which only played in the Southern Indoor Football League for the 2011 season, after which both the Force and the SIFL folded. Despite the AIF's purchase of the Force, the Heroes are considered a completely new franchise.[2]
2012
The Heroes went 7-0 during the regular season, and defeated the California Eagles 79-27 in the AIF Championship Game.[3]
2013
The Heroes returned to the AIF Championship game in 2013, and fell to the Harrisburg Stampede 57-42.[4]
2014
In 2013, General Manager Barbara Spigner, took over the Heroes from Jack Bowman.[5] In December, 2013, Spigner named Josh Resignalo the team's head coach.[6] Tragedy struck the team when DL Cory Groover died from injuries in a car crash in May.
2015
On July 31, 2014 the Cape Fear Heroes announced that they have joined the X-League Indoor Football (X-League). After falling to 4-4, it was announced that the X-League had suspended the Heroes for the remainder of the season for not being in good standing with the leagues rules.[1] Just days later, the Heroes announced that they would be leaving the X-League entirely and operating independently the rest of the season.[7]
2016: Suspension of operations
On August 23, 2015 it was announced that the Heroes would be the charter member of Supreme Indoor Football, one of the two leagues (along with the Continental Indoor Football League) which comprises the Indoor Football Alliance.[8] However, after the CIFL effectively disbanded in January 2016 when the Erie Explosion (the last remaining CIFL team) announced they would take the season off and only one of the SIF's teams (the Buffalo Lightning) were ready to play a 2016 season, the Heroes announced that it would sit out the 2016 season on March 3.[9]
2017
Heroes' owner Barbara Spigner has again relaunched Supreme Indoor Football as a league with the Heroes as one of the charter members.
Head coaches
Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2015 X-League Indoor Football season.
| Name | Term | Regular Season | Playoffs | Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||
| Charles Gunnings | 2012–2013, 2015 | 19 | 5 | 0 | .792 | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Resignalo | 2014 | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 | 0 | 1 | |
| Michael Coleman | 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | ||||||||
| 2012 | 2012 | AIF | Eastern | 1st | 7 | 0 | 0 | Won Eastern Conference Championship (Stampede) 57-32 Won AIF Championship Game (California) 79-27 | |||
| 2013 | 2013 | AIF | 1st | 7 | 1 | 0 | Lost AIF Championship Game (Stampede) 42-57 | ||||
| 2014 | 2014 | AIF | 1st | 7 | 1 | 0 | Lost AIF Championship Game (Baltimore) 44-45 | ||||
| 2015 | 2015 | X-League | 7th | 4 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| Totals | 25 | 6 | 0 | All-time regular season record (2013-2015) | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | — | All-time postseason record (2013–2015) | ||||||||
| 27 | 8 | 0 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2013–2015) | ||||||||
* Season currently in progress
References
- 1 2 "Edge season over as X-League skips to title game". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, IL: Lee Enterprises. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ↑ Batten, Sammy (November 18, 2011). "Heroes welcomed as Fayetteville's latest indoor football team". FayObserver.com. Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ↑ Sammy Batten (June 8, 2013). "Cape Fear Heroes seeking second straight American Indoor Football championship". www.fayobserver.com. The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
- ↑ Al Myatt (June 9, 2013). "Cape Fear Heroes lose American Indoor Football championship to Harrisburg Stampede 57-42". www.fayobserver.com. The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
- ↑ Sammy Batten (November 14, 2013). "Owner overhauls Cape Fear Heroes". www.fayobserver.com. The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
- ↑ Sammy Batton (December 12, 2013). "Josh Resignalo named head coach of Cape Fear Heroes". www.fayobserver.com. The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ↑ Sammy Batten (May 30, 2015). "Cape Fear Heroes leaving X-League". www.fayobserver.com. Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Supreme Indoor Football and Continental Indoor Football League Join Forces". OurSportsCentral. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ↑ "Cape Fear Heroes to Sit out 2016 Season". OurSportsCentral. March 3, 2016.
