2009 Wisconsin Wolfpack season

The 2009 Wisconsin Wolfpack season was the first season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. Prior to the Wolfpack franchise's 2008 outdoor campaign, the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League approached the Wolfpack coaches and staff and asked them to assist with the completion of their 2008 season following Gilbert Brown's decision to resign as head coach and the resulting resignation of most of the Bonecrushers' staff. Kopac assumed the role of general manager for the Bonecrushers, and brought with him the core coaches of the Wolfpack outdoor team that would later become the core of the Wolfpack indoor team.[1] Kopac led the team to its only win, a 51-46 victory of the Muskegon Thunder.

2009 Wisconsin Wolfpack season
Head coachJordan Kopac
Home fieldVeterans Memorial Coliseum
1919 Alliant Energy Coliseum Way
Madison, WI 53713
Results
Record7-5
League place2nd
Playoff finishLost in the Chicago Slaughter

With infrastructure already in place from the outdoor team, and following the previous year's experience with the Bonecrushers, Wolfpack management announced in early 2009 it would field both indoor and outdoor teams that year. To start the indoor team, Kopac coordinated with Lowe Entertainment, owners of the Rock River Raptors, also in the CIFL, to have Lowe run the indoor franchise while retaining Kopac as head coach. The Wolfpack were Madison's second indoor football franchise and the first to call Madison home since the Madison Mad Dogs folded in 2001.

The Wolfpack played its inaugural season's home games at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the campus of the Alliant Energy Center and used AstroTurf previously belonging to the Pensacola Barracudas of AF2. In its inaugural season, the team finished 7-5 and qualified for the CIFL Playoffs, The team started 5-1 but struggled late in the season after former All-American UW-Platteville quarterback Tom Stetzer was lost to injury.[2] The Wolfpack would fall to the eventual undefeated CIFL champion Chicago Slaughter in the 2009 CIFL Western Conference Championship Game, 63-19.[3]

Schedule

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Date Opponent Home/Away Result
March 7 Rock River Raptors Away Won, 40-38
March 21 Chicago Slaughter Home Lost, 36-40
March 28 Milwaukee Bonecrushers Away Won, 36-20
April 4 Rock River Raptors Home Won, 50-23
April 10 Fort Wayne Freedom Home Won, 38-34
April 25 Rock River Raptors Away Lost, 21-25
May 2 Milwaukee Bonecrushers Home Won, 69-26
May 9 Marion Mayhem Home Lost, 19-59
May 16 Chicago Slaughter Away Lost, 22-67
May 23 Miami Valley Silverbacks Home Won, 53-30
May 30 Chicago Slaughter Home Lost, 14-49
June 6 Wheeling Wildcats Away Won, 49-46
June 20 Chicago Slaughter (Western Division Championship) Away Lost, 19-63

Roster

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The Wolfpack started pre-season training camp with 40 players. The 25 man Roster was announced on March 1, 2009.

Roster

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2009 Wisconsin Wolfpack roster
Quarterbacks
  • -- Tom Stetzer

Offensive backs

  • 21 Derrick Brown
  •  3 Eric Donoval

Receivers

  • -- Reggie Davis
  •  6 Marques Johnson
  • -- Ric Levy
  •  5 Will Norwood
  Offensive linemen
  • 14 Rob Gilbreath
  • -- Mike Sherman
  • -- Scott Tyrcha

Defensive linemen

  • -- Bobby Langston
  • 34 Kurt Ware
  • -- James Washington
  • -- Eric Zilisch
  Linebackers
  • 27 Jim Cichon

Defensive backs

  • -- Derek Brown
  • -- George Carpenter
  • -- Sam D'Alie
  • -- Zak Gordon
  • -- Matt Helgemo
  • -- Corey Roberson
  • -- Gabe Schultz

Kickers

  • -- Paul Schroeder
  Inactive
  • Currently vacant

Injured reserve  

  • Currently vacant
  • Rookies in italics
  • Roster updated March 1, 2009
  • 23 Active, 0 Inactive

Standings

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Team Overall Division
W L T PCT W L T PCT
East Division
Marion Mayhem-y 9 3 0 .750 8 1 0 .889
Fort Wayne Freedom-x 6 5 0 .545 5 2 0 .294
Wheeling Wildcats 2 10 0 .167 2 5 0 .286
Miami Valley Silverbacks 0 10 0 .000 0 7 0 .000
West Division
Chicago Slaughter-y 12 0 0 1.000 8 0 0 1.000
Wisconsin Wolfpack-x 7 5 0 .583 4 4 0 .500
Rock River Raptors 7 5 0 .583 3 5 0 .167
Milwaukee Bonecrushers 3 8 0 .273 1 7 0 .167

References

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  1. ^ The Bonecrushers bite back, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, retrieved December 29, 2010.
  2. ^ Wolfpack Open 2010 Campaign Saturday at Hartmeyer Arena[permanent dead link], Wisconsin Wolfpack, retrieved December 29, 2010.
  3. ^ Chicago Slaughter to play for CIFL championship Archived 2012-07-23 at the Wayback Machine, Chicago Sun-Times, retrieved December 29, 2010.