The Iowa Rampage are a professional arena football team based in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They were announced as one of the inaugural teams for the revived Arena Football League (AFL), beginning play in 2024 at Mid-America Center.
They are the second official Iowa-based team to play in the league and the first since the Iowa Barnstormers who played off and on in the previous two AFL incarnations from 1995 to 2014 in Des Moines before moving to the Indoor Football League.
History
AFL returns to Iowa
Four years after the AFL folded for the second time, it was announced on February 1, 2023, that the league intended on relaunching in 2024.[1] On July 18, the 16 intended market cities were announced. Iowa was not among the inaugural markets announced.[2]
The AFL announced on October 10, 2023, that the Rampage would become the newest team to join the league. The name "Rampage" appears to have originated from a hoax in which critics of the league had set up a fake "St. Louis Rampage" team (itself a parody of the St. Louis Rams, who left St. Louis in 2016; St. Louis had been one of the 16 announced markets but would ultimately not get a team); after revealing the hoax, those who had set up the fake team turned the social media account over to the AFL.[3][4]
The owner is Trevor Burdett and the head coach is Tyus Jackson[5]
References
- ^ Thompson, Jaylon (February 1, 2023). "Arena Football League announces it's returning for 2024 season with 16 teams". USA Today. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "16 ORG. LOCATIONS REVEALED Chicago, Philly Get Teams". 18 July 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ St. Louis Rampage [@STLRampageAFL] (July 31, 2023). "Well, uhh... we got em'. Conglatulations AFL, you finally noticed. This is what happens when you just announce locations and not ownership, arenas, team mascots, etc. This is not how you run a football league. Get everything prepared before you do something" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Hutton, Lee (July 31, 2023). "OFFICIAL AFL STATEMENT". Arena Football League. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Iowa Rampage (January 23, 2024). "Jackon Takes The Helm As Head Coach For The Iowa Rampage". Retrieved March 1, 2024.
External links
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