The Evansville BlueCats were a professional indoor football team based in Evansville, Indiana. They were a member of the United Indoor Football Association (UIF). They debuted in 2003 as a member of the National Indoor Football League .
20-471: Evansville is located along the Ohio River in southwest Indiana. The BlueCats played their home games at Roberts Municipal Stadium . The stadium seating capacity when configured for Evansville BlueCats football is 11,310. According to the team, the proper and official way to spell the team name, Evansville BlueCats, was with a capital "C" in the word BlueCats. Evansville is a river city and the blue cat, part of
40-414: A 501c non-profit organization. The Booster Club had a written Mission Statement and Code of By Laws, as well as a Board of Directors with elected officers. The Club raised their funds through membership dues, Booster Club sponsorships, and half pot drawings at BlueCats home games. The Evansville BlueCats had three cheerleader/dance teams organized by age. The Baby Blues and Junior Blues were for children and
60-416: A crowd of 13,500. Roberts Stadium hosted concerts by musicians such as Garth Brooks , Taylor Swift , Jimi Hendrix , Led Zeppelin , Alice Cooper , Bon Jovi , Bob Dylan , and Tool . The arena received a $ 16 million upgrade in 1990. In 2007, the city of Evansville hired a professional consultant to examine whether the stadium should be renovated or replaced with a new downtown arena. In December 2008,
80-519: A multitude of spectators. The word derives from Latin harena , a particularly fine-grained sand that covered the floor of ancient arenas such as the Colosseum in Rome , Italy, to absorb blood. The term arena is sometimes used as a synonym for a very large venue such as Pasadena's Rose Bowl , but such a facility is typically called a stadium . The use of one term over the other has mostly to do with
100-478: A tough year of growing pains, was sold to new owners in 2004 and was closed after year five in 2007. The Evansville BlueCats Booster Club, also known as the “FinHeads”, were a unique organization within the ranks of the United Indoor Football family. The “FinHeads” were more than just a fan group, they were the only UIF Booster Club in the league that was registered with the government and was classified as
120-421: Is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre , musical performances , and/or sporting events . It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by a roof. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the lowest point, allowing maximum visibility. Arenas are usually designed to accommodate
140-910: The Evansville Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association , who were slated to be coached in 1984 by future Utah Jazz coach and University of Evansville alumnus Jerry Sloan , who instead, accepted a position that season as an assistant coach for the Jazz. From 2003 to 2007 Roberts was also home to the Evansville BlueCats of the National Indoor Football League in 2003 and 2004 and United Indoor Football from 2005 to 2007. 37°58′45″N 87°30′57″W / 37.97903°N 87.515926°W / 37.97903; -87.515926 Arena An arena
160-401: The 1980 and 1983 Midwestern City Conference (now Horizon League) men's basketball conference tournament. Roberts Stadium hosted the 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament first and second rounds. It also hosted multiple Indiana High School Athletic Association regional and semi-state basketball games in the single-class tournament. From 1984 to 1986, Roberts Stadium was home to
180-674: The Aces moved downtown into the new Ford Center in 2011. From 1957 to 1976, Roberts Stadium served as the host site for the NCAA College Division (now referred to as Division II) Men's Basketball National Championship . It again hosted the "Elite 8" in 2002. In addition, it regularly hosted a variety of other sporting events, most notably the Great Lakes Valley Conference ( NCAA Division II ) men's and women's basketball tournaments in early March of every year. It also hosted
200-629: The BlueCats logo. In 2001, Michael Arnold received NIFL franchise rights to build a team in Evansville, and after months of site surveys and putting together a business plan, Arnold went to the city for approval. The city wanted to see samples from the league, so Arnold and SMG Director Sandy Aaron went before the Evansville Parks and Rec. with video samples and letters from the NIFL. Local media jumped all over
220-469: The Catfish family, is the largest fish found in the Ohio River, often growing to over 100 pounds. Originally called the 'Rivertown Mudcats' (before being announced), the team's founder, Michael Arnold, changed the name to Evansville BlueCats to reflect that the blue cat is particularly known for its strength and endurance. The BlueCats mascot, T. D. Fiddler, was a giant, walking, kid-friendly catfish that resembled
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#1732897678979240-463: The Evansville BlueCats professional cheerleading team was made up of adults. The adult cheerleaders won the NIFL "Best Dance Team" award in back-to-back seasons in 2003 and 2004, and were known around the league and around the country as one of the elite cheer/dance programs in minor league sports. In 2006, the Evansville BlueCats got off to a slow start (1-4) but rebounded in the second half of
260-516: The Evansville city council approved plans to construct the new arena, which opened in the fall of 2011 as the Ford Center . It was co-managed with Mesker Amphitheatre , The Centre , and Victory Theatre . The building was demolished in 2013. The sports arena seated 12,500 for basketball. It was the home of the University of Evansville 's Purple Aces basketball program from its opening in 1956 until
280-893: The UIF semi-finals. Sioux Falls went on to win the League Championship a week later. John Hart took over as the head coach of the Evansville BlueCats prior to the 2006 season and led the team to their best season ever. Coach Hart was named as the UIF Coach of the Year "Honorable Mention" by the league following the 2006 season. Coach Hart also served as Head Coach in 2007. Running backs Wide receivers Running Backs/Wide receivers Offensive linemen Defensive linemen Defensive backs Kicker Inactive Protected Reserve Injury Exempt [REDACTED] Roster Updated 2007-07-24 Roberts Municipal Stadium Roberts Municipal Stadium
300-596: The concept and the word was quickly published making front page news. In early 2002, Arnold and League President Carolyn Shiver spent hours in the league ownership meetings, in Denver, attempting to get a 'Short Field' variance for Roberts Stadium. They were successful and the Evansville Bluecats were due to kick off in March 2002, but Arnold and city officials felt that it was too quick as the funds had not been developed yet, so
320-457: The facility is called Cameron Indoor Stadium . Domed stadiums, which, like arenas, are enclosed but have the larger playing surfaces and seating capacities found in stadiums, are generally not referred to as arenas in North America. There is also the sport of indoor American football (one variant of which is explicitly known as arena football), a variant of the outdoor game that is designed for
340-691: The kickoff was postponed until 2003. After months of working long hours and much planning, Arnold was able to secure a group of local investors and went to work on building the team. On March 23, 2003, the Evansville Bluecats kicked off indoor football in Roberts Stadium with a crowd of almost 9000 fans and 92 cheerleaders leading the chant "BlueCats"! In their inaugural season the Bluecats were led by Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Avery Atadero, Offensive Coordinator John Hart, Offensive line coach Tim Shipp, and Defensive Line Coach Greg Myers. The franchise, after
360-465: The season to win four of their last five games of the regular season and clinch a playoff berth for the second consecutive season. Evansville earned the #5 seed in the UIF playoffs. The team continued their late season surge in the playoffs and claimed an impressive 37-15 road win over the Omaha Beef in the first round. Evansville lost by only 6 points, 32-26, to the #1 seed and unbeaten Sioux Falls Storm in
380-531: The type of event. Football (be it association , rugby , gridiron , Australian rules , or Gaelic ) is typically played in a stadium, while basketball , volleyball , handball , and ice hockey are typically played in an arena, although many of the larger arenas hold more spectators than do the stadiums of smaller colleges or high schools. There are exceptions. The home of the Duke University men's and women's basketball teams would qualify as an arena, but
400-453: Was a multi-purpose arena in Evansville, Indiana , for sports, public events, and concerts. The arena was built in 1956. It seated up to 12,732 spectators and featured four locker rooms and a press room. On June 13, 1972, it hosted a concert by Elvis Presley . He then again performed at Roberts, for the second and last time on Oct. 24, 1976, breaking all existing attendance records, by drawing
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