The Honolulu Hurricanes was a Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) team based in Honolulu, Hawaii , that competed in the 1998 season. According to the team's media guide, the ownership partners – registered as Pro Sports Limited Liability Company – were Rev. John Frederick, the team's founder and co head coach ; Sig Schuster, the CEO; Dennis Enomoto; Neil Wiedemann; Louis "Sonny" Souza, the team's on-field coach; and James K. Wong. The team office was based in Honolulu, and played their home games at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center , also in Honolulu. The team colors were red and gold. The Hurricanes were coached by the Hawaii Police Department's Louis "Sonny" Souza.
7-692: The Hurricanes played two preseason PIFL games in 1998, both victories at home: †scheduled 1999 PIFL expansion team All players on the Honolulu opening day roster played high school or college football in Hawaii. The list included: receivers Micah Matsuzaki and Dan Ahuna, running backs Tupu Alualu and Jerry Papalii, quarterback John Hao, offensive lineman Damon Kakalia, defensive back Niko Vitale, linebackers Manly Williams and George Noga and defensive linemen Kalei Cockett and Junior Tagoai. The Hurricanes franchise drew about 5,500 for its first game (preseason), and 3,800 for
14-771: The Indoor Football League (IFL) in 1999 and 2000. The Bombers franchise was owned by Keary Ecklund. The team office was based in Neenah, Wisconsin , and played their games at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena . The Bombers were coached by Mario Russo for the 1998 PIFL season and part of the 1999 IFL season and by Bud Keyes for the remainder of the 1999 and 2000 IFL seasons. The Bombers played four preseason Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) games in 1998. Losing only once: The Green Bay Bombers tied with their sister team, Madison Mad Dogs , for
21-626: The Hurricanes were renamed the " Hawaii Hammerheads " for the 1999 season, for which the league was likewise renamed as the "Indoor Professional Football League" rather than the Professional Indoor Football League. Green Bay Bombers Indoor Football League (1999–2000) The Green Bay Bombers was an indoor football team that played in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL) in 1998, and in
28-586: The Hurricanes were sold. One reason was the mounting financial burden of having to travel to the mainland for games, a problem common to nearly all Hawaii sports teams who schedule competitions on the mainland. The new owners were Straub chief executive officer Dr. Blake Waterhouse, former Hawaii Winter Baseball League owner Duane Kurisu , insurance company executive Carl Hennrich, Borthwick Group owners John and Diane Farias Jr., Borthwick general manager Scott Sells, Robertson and Co. Jewelers owner Robert Wu and Regal Travel owner Ray Miyashiro. Along with ownership change,
35-543: The playoffs, the Bombers beat Duluth, 52–15. Despite the great regular season record, the team was forced to travel to Lincoln in the playoffs. The Bombers brought back a 44–34 victory and a trip to Peoria for the IFL Gold Cup Championship. The Bombers won, 63–60. The following year was very similar. After a mediocre 6–4 start, the Bombers won their final four games by large margins. After being routed 40–16 by Peoria,
42-519: The second best record in the PIFL with a 10–4 record. In the playoffs, the Bombers had to travel to Madison in the first round. They lost 19–46. Keary Ecklund took his Bombers and Mad Dogs teams and defected from the PIFL to form the Indoor Football League (IFL). In 1999, the team finished with the second best record in the league at 9–3. The start of the season was not pretty, as the team lost two of their first three games, both loses to Peoria. The week before
49-460: The second, but averaged between 500 and 1,000 per game after that. Honolulu ended the 1998 PIFL season with a 6-8 record. However, the team nearly made the playoffs when commissioner Richard "Dick" Suess nearly expelled the Green Bay Bombers , Madison Mad Dogs , and Colorado Wildcats after the announcement that they were leaving to start a rival league following the season. After the season,
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