The Huntington Heroes were a professional indoor football franchise and member of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). The Heroes played their home games during their inaugural 2006 season at the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse in Huntington , West Virginia , before moving to the larger Big Sandy Superstore Arena for the 2007 and 2009 seasons. The Heroes were the second indoor football franchise for Huntington, following the River Cities LocoMotives , who played one season (2001) in the National Indoor Football League , and were followed by the Huntington Hammer in 2011. The Heroes were usually known for featuring many former Marshall University football players from the Marshall Thundering Herd program located in Huntington.
30-479: The team's mascot, due in part to the name of their original arena, was a tribute to local military veterans. The uniform colors were red, white, and blue. The team wore blue helmets and blue home jerseys with white pants, and white away jerseys with red pants. The Huntington Heroes made their debut on March 11, 2006, in front of 3,100 fans at the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse with a 62–13 victory over
60-496: A consultant and a member of the board of directors for Assured Equities. For 2012, there will be at least eleven new expansion teams, based in Rome, Georgia ; Estero, Florida ; Tupelo, Mississippi ; Marion, Ohio ; Cincinnati, Ohio ; Erie, Pennsylvania , and Lakeland, Florida . Of these markets, five (Rome, Tupelo, and Lakeland) previously had teams in the AIFL, while Estero previously had
90-575: A game between two teams near the top of the standings on May 6, the Canton Legends traveled to Huntington and played with four players not on their roster, including some players from other teams. Canton won the game, 54–41, but controversy followed. Initially, the league gave a forfeit win to the Heroes, but the league later ruled that the Legends would retain the win but pay an $ 800 fine. Despite controversy,
120-847: A new name in a fan contest. Fred Ray - QB - 2006 AIFL Northern Conference ProStars First Team James Martin - DL - 2006 AIFL Northern Conference ProStars First Team Shane Holsinger - WR - 2006 AIFL Northern Conference ProStars Second Team James Hawkins - WR - 2006 AIFL Northern Conference ProStars Second Team Chris Nunn - OL - 2006 AIFL Northern Conference ProStars Second Team Marcus Hairston - DL - 2006 AIFL Northern Conference ProStars Second Team Donte Newsome - RB - 2007 AIFA Northern Conference All-Star Nate McPeek - OL - 2007 AIFA Northern Conference All-Star Connie Brown - DB - 2007 AIFA Northern Conference All-Star Darnell Kennedy - QB - 2008 AIFA Northern Conference All-Star Honorable Mention Jimmy Skinner (American football) James "Jimmy" Skinner (born May 13, 1984)
150-740: A team in arenafootball2 ; The Cincinnati Commandos and Marion Blue Racers have come previously from the Continental Indoor Football League ; and the Erie Explosion moves from the Southern Indoor Football League . (Incidentally, the acquisition of the Explosion brings the league full-circle; the Explosion was the last surviving remnant of the AIFL, tracing its history to the Erie Freeze in 2005.) On July 22, 2011,
180-756: Is an American football coach and former quarterback who played in the 2007 season of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). Skinner was born on May 13, 1984, in Chillicothe, Ohio. He and his sister Emily are two children born to Jim and Teresa Skinner. Skinner played quarterback for the Chillicothe High School football team. He also earned a letter for basketball. As a four-year honor roll student, Skinner's football accolades included twice winning first team all-district honors. He committed to Marshall University in 2002. Upon
210-679: The Miami Inferno and Missouri Voodoo joined the league. Another team called the Austin Nitro had been listed on the UIFL's website, however, no further information was ever announced about that team. In addition, a new team based out of Columbia, South Carolina known as the Capital City Revolt was set to join in time for the 2015 season. However, the Voodoo and Inferno both folded mid-season, leaving
240-856: The Saginaw Sting and the Eastern Kentucky Drillers . The inaugural game was held at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan . The league co-founders are Michael Taylor and Andrew Haines; Haines was also the owner and founder of the Atlantic/American Indoor Football League and the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League . The UIFL has a logo nearly identical to the one used by the AIFL in the 2006 season (though it favors blue instead of red), and will apparently also use
270-531: The 2007 season, coach Gary McPeek, who had led the team since its inception and compiled a 19–11 record, announced his intention to leave the team to join the coaching staff with the Lexington Horsemen in AF2. The Heroes turned to Coach Teddy Keaton from the 2007 AIFA champion Lakeland Thunderbolts to lead the team in 2008, bringing with him a professional indoor football coaching record of 50–7 plus six players from
300-610: The AIFL red, white, and blue football also in use in the American Indoor Football Association . The league is based in Canton, Ohio . The league's first five teams were located in the Appalachia region, with teams based in Canton, Ohio ; Johnstown, Pennsylvania ; Pikeville, Kentucky ; Highland Heights, Kentucky ; and Huntington, West Virginia . Of those five markets, three (Canton, Johnstown, and Huntington) had teams in Haines' previous league,
330-660: The AIFL. The two markets in Kentucky have never had a professional indoor football team in any league (though Highland Heights is usually considered part of the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area, and the city of Cincinnati has had several indoor teams). The sixth team, the Saginaw Sting , came from the Indoor Football League . The complete 2011 season concluded without any teams folding, nor any games being missed or rescheduled. The Northern Kentucky River Monsters finished with
SECTION 10
#1732858559538360-531: The Heroes announced they would be moving to the Big Sandy Superstore Arena and that they would be remaining in the AIFL. Before the start of the following season, the Heroes joined all other AIFL league teams in disbanding the AIFL and joining the AIFA. The early 2007 season was marked by quarterback issues. Former Marshall quarterback Jimmy Skinner and former Glenville State quarterback Joey Conrad led
390-612: The Heroes finished the 2006 regular season with a 9–5 record, 4th in the Northern Conference, and qualified for the AIFL playoffs. However, the 2006 season would end in the first round of the AIFL playoffs with a 57–23 loss at #1-seed Reading Express. On July 28, 2006, the Heroes announced that they were joining the Augusta, Daytona Beach, Rome, and Raleigh to form the World Indoor Football League. However, on August 16,
420-583: The Heroes in their final game of the season. The Heroes would actually make the trip to Florence to play the AIFA Championship against the Phantoms, but the Heroes finished with a 55–9 defeat. In 2010, AIFL owner and founder Andrew Haines announced that he would be reviving his league as the Ultimate Indoor Football League in 2011, with Huntington as one of its teams. The team will receive
450-649: The Miami Valley Silverbacks. Following their first road win the following week at Johnstown, the Heroes suffered the franchise's first defeat at home on March 25, 2006, to the Erie Freeze. The Heroes got their revenge two weeks later by defeating the Freeze in Erie, 55–33, handing the Freeze their first regular season loss since their inception and standing as the Heroes' first signature win. Two league controversies soured
480-542: The UIFL came to terms allowing the River Monsters to leave the UIFL. Draft On June 15, 2011, Michael Taylor and Andrew Haines sold their controlling slate in the UIFL to Assured Equities IV, a Florida corporation, for the sum of 1.45 million dollars. As part of the acquisition, UIFL Co-founder Andrew Haines will remain as League President and a member of the Board of Directors, and UIFL Co-founder Michael Taylor will continue as
510-463: The UIFL named Jared Lorenzen the league's Commissioner . On January 19, 2012, the league was sold by Cecil Van Dyke and Assured Equities IV, back to Andrew Haines and Michael Taylor. The league took on the name United Indoor Football League for the 2012 season (at the time, the United (outdoor) Football League had suspended operations; the league reverted to the Ultimate Indoor Football League when
540-456: The best regular season record, 11–3. However, due to league sanctions they were not able to host any playoff games and were dropped to a four seed. Saginaw finished 9–5, followed by Eastern Kentucky at 8–6, Huntington at 7-7, Johnstown at 6–8, and Canton at 1–13. Saginaw defeated Northern Kentucky, 48–47, in the first semifinals of the Ultimate Bowl I Playoffs, sponsored by Trophy Awards. In
570-564: The coaching staff resigned. On April 25, a team hastily constructed of Florence-area players and members of the Baltimore Mariners practice squad was put together by the AIFA and played as the Huntington Heroes, losing to the Phantoms 66–12. The Heroes announced a restructuring, with former Game day operations director Michael Napier taking over as General manager and naming Jason Hunter the team's head coach. Ten remaining members of
600-425: The end of his redshirt period during the 2002–2003 season at Marshall, Skinner's 2004 sophomore season included a total of six games played as quarterback. He played his junior season in 2005 and his senior season in 2006. While attending Marshall, Skinner majored in sports management and marketing. Skinner was a member of the Huntington Heroes in the AIFA during the 2007 season. While attending Marshall, Skinner
630-526: The former Lakeland team. Through the first six weeks of the 2008 season, the Huntington Heroes stood at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 3–1 record and led the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense. On April 24, 2008, Heroes players refused to board the bus and travel for a game the following day against the Florence Phantoms. Ultimately, eight players and three members of
SECTION 20
#1732858559538660-535: The four teams that had been eliminated had announced their intentions to jump leagues and join the Xtreme Indoor Football League. The UIFL has stated it is exploring all options regarding the future of the league. The Florida Tarpons won Ultimate Bowl III, with a victory over the Corpus Christi Fury . The UIFL fielded four teams for the 2014 season; in addition to the returning Tarpons and Fury,
690-552: The last half of the 2006 regular season. On April 23, the league had scheduled the Steubenville Stampede to play at Huntington, with a return visit by Huntington to Steubenville on June 3. However, Steubenville had been given an incorrect schedule and refused to travel to Huntington on April 23 once the error was discovered. The league awarded Huntington a forfeit win and scheduled the Florence Phantoms to play at Huntington on June 10 for its seventh home game. Additionally, in
720-632: The other semifinal game, Eastern Kentucky advanced to the championship game with a 20–4 victory over Huntington. Ultimate Bowl I, also sponsored by Trophy Awards, was played Friday, June 9, 2011, at the Dow Center in Saginaw, MI, with the Sting claiming an 86–69 victory over the visiting Drillers. Following the Northern Kentucky River Monsters' elimination from the playoffs, owner Jill Chitwood and
750-522: The outdoor UFL ended its suspension). Six teams folded in the process, including charter members Canton and Huntington, plus four teams ( Carolina Aviators , Danville Dragons , Tennessee Rail Runners , and Kentucky Monsters ) that never took the field, reducing the number of teams in the league from 16 to 10. Haines resigned his post as league president in June 2012. The 2013 season saw a reduction to six teams. Furthermore, prior to championship weekend, three of
780-433: The regular season that would determine who had the home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs between the same two teams. The Heroes finished the 2007 season with a 10–4 regular season record, finishing 3rd in the Northern Conference, and qualifying for the AIFA playoffs. The Heroes made the return trip to Canton the following week, but could not match the intensity of the previous week, losing 76–43. Following
810-420: The team and several new players, including several former Heroes players from prior years, announced they continue for the rest of the season. Following three consecutive losses to division foe Fayetteville which then featured several Heroes players that played for Huntington just two weeks earlier. the Heroes gained momentum defeated rival Reading at home, 50–41,and made the playoffs but special teams mistakes cost
840-515: The team to a slow 3–3 start as well as a loss to the Carolina Speed in the exhibition Charity Bowl. Heroes quarterback coach Dane Damron traded in the headset for a helmet and suited up as started as starting quarterback in the April 7th game against the Erie Freeze. The Heroes, led by Damron at QB, would win seven games in a row (franchise record) before falling by 2 at rival Canton in the final game of
870-606: Was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His paternal grandparents are Jim and Sharon Skinner. He has a maternal grandmother named Betty Clark. After his playing career, Skinner moved to Richmond, Kentucky where he and his own family reside. He became a football coach for the Frederick Douglass High School Broncos. The team won the 2022 5A State Championship . Ultimate Indoor Football League The Ultimate Indoor Football League ( UIFL )
900-480: Was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011 as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012, then switched back to "Ultimate" for the 2013 season. After the 2014 season, the league merged with X-League Indoor Football . On February 18, 2011, the first-ever UIFL game was played between
#537462