Nashville Venom
 | |
| Founded | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2015 |
| League | PIFL (2014–2015) |
| Team history | Nashville Venom (2014–2015) |
| Based in | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Arena | Nashville Municipal Auditorium |
| Colors |
Green, Silver, Black, White |
| Owner(s) |
Jeff Knight Terry Burns |
| Head coach | Billy Back |
| General Manager | Billy Back |
| Championships |
(1) 2014 |
| Conference titles |
(1) American: 2014 |
| Playoff berths |
(2) 2014, 2015 |
| Dancers | Snake Charmers |
| Mascot | Freddie Fangs |
| Website | Official website |
The Nashville Venom were a professional indoor football team, one of eight franchises of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL).[1] Based in Nashville, Tennessee, the Venom were members of the American Conference. The team began play in 2014 as an expansion team. The team played at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, which opened in 1962.
The Venom were the second indoor/arena football team to call Nashville home, and the first since the Arena Football League's Nashville Kats (1997–2001 and 2005–07).
After two seasons and the folding of the PIFL, the Venom ceased operations in 2015.
Franchise history
2014
In November, 2012, it was announced that the Venom would be the eighth and final expansion team of the Professional Indoor Football League for the 2014 season.[2] A few days after being introduced it was announced by Managing Partner Jeff Knight that Billy Back would be the first coach in Venom history.[3] The Venom began their inaugural season on March 29, 2014, in Huntsville, Alabama against the Alabama Hammers. Their first home game was on April 5, against the Harrisburg Stampede.[4] The Venom finished the regular season 10-2, the best record in the league, and won the American Conference regular season title. Their 9 All-PIFL selected players were the most of any team.[5] In the American Conference Championship Game, the Venom defeated the Columbus Lions 44-39 to advance to PIFL Cup III.[6] On July 12, 2014, the Venom won their first PIFL Cup Championship, defeating the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks 64-43.[7]
2015
Following the 2015 PIFL season, the league folded and the franchise folded soon afterward.
Players of note
Current roster
| Nashville Venom roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks.
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Kickers
|
Injured Reserve
Exempt List
Left Squad
Failure to report
Rookies in italics | |||
Awards and honors
The following is a list of all Venom players who have won league awards:
| Season | Player | Position | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Phillip Barnett | Wide Receiver | Offensive Player of the Year |
All-League players
The following Venom players have been named to All-League Teams:
- WR Phillip Barnett, Jordan Jolly (2)
- OL Chris Thompson, Stanlee Bradley
- DL Wayne Daniels, James Frazier, Walter Thomas
- LB Cobrani Mixion, Douglas Rippy, Will Johnson
- DB Scooter Rogers, Corry Stewart (2), Kenny Veal
- K Christian Reed
- KR Mike Whittaker
Head coaches
Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2015 PIFL season.
| Name | Term | Regular Season | Playoffs | Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | Win% | W | L | |||
| Billy Back | 2014–2015 | 17 | 6 | 0 | .739 | 2 | 1 | PIFL Coach of the Year (2014) |
Coaching staff
| Nashville Venom staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coach
|
Offensive Coaches
Defensive Coaches
| |||||
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 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 2014 | PIFL | American | 1st | 10 | 2 | 0 | Won American Conference Championship 44–39 vs. Columbus Won PIFL Cup III 64–34 vs. Lehigh Valley | |||
| 2015 | 2015 | PIFL | 3rd | 7 | 4 | 0 | Lost Semi-Finals 35–54 vs. Richmond | ||||
| Totals | 17 | 6 | 0 | All-time regular season record (2014–2015) | |||||||
| 2 | 1 | — | All-time postseason record (2014–2015) | ||||||||
| 19 | 7 | 0 | All-time regular season and postseason record (2014–2015) | ||||||||
* Season currently in progress
References
- ↑ Hester, Matthew. "PIFL Sinks Their Fangs Into Nashville." Professional Indoor Football League. November 11, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ↑ J. R. Lind (November 9, 2013). "Indoor football set to return to Nashville". www.nashvillepost.com. SouthComm Inc. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ Audra Martin (November 12, 2013). "Indoor football returns to Nashville". www.wkrn.com. WorldNow and WKRN. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ "2014 Regular Season Schedule." Nashville Venom. 2013. Retrieved on November 11, 2013.
- ↑ "2014 All-PIFL Teams Announced". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. July 7, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
- ↑ Lauren Moore. "Nashville Venom advance to PIFL title game". www.tennessean.com. The Tennessean. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
- ↑ Lauren Moore (July 13, 2014). "Nashville Venom win first indoor football title". www.tennessean.com. The Tennessean. Retrieved July 14, 2014.