Sioux Falls Storm


The Sioux Falls Storm are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Storm joined the original Indoor Football League as an expansion team in 1999 as the Sioux Falls Cobras, and first took the field for the 2000 season. They currently participate in another iteration of the Indoor Football League; prior to that, the Storm were in United Indoor Football, where they won all four of the league's championship games. In the newer IFL, the Storm have won seven of the eleven championships in the league as of 2019.
They play their home games at Denny Sanford Premier Center. In mid-April 2014, the team announced that the 2014 season would be its last at the aging Sioux Falls Arena, originally constructed in 1961. In 2015, the Storm followed the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League to the newly constructed Denny Sanford Premier Center.

History

The Storm were founded as an expansion team in the original Indoor Football League in 1999 as the Sioux Falls Cobras. In their inaugural 2000 season, they won their first game defeating the Sioux City Attack 44–30. They went 8–6 on the season and finished fourth in the Southern Division. After one season, the became members of the National Indoor Football League and changed their name to the Storm. The Storm hosted the 2004 NIFL championship game against the Lexington Horsemen in the Storm Shelter in front of a sellout crowd. The Horsemen won the championship game, but the Storm defeated the Horsemen a year later in the second round of the 2005 UIF playoffs in Lexington.
The Sioux Falls Storm were charter members of United Indoor Football in 2005 and were the first UIF champions with a win over the Sioux City Bandits, 40–38 at Sioux City. Sioux Falls won its second consecutive UIF championship in 2006 at their home ground, the Arena, defeating the Lexington Horseman 72–64 on July 29, 2006. Quarterback Terrance Bryant was named United Bowl II MVP after throwing eight touchdowns in the match. Defensive end Nate Fluit recorded 16.5 sacks in 2005 and 15.5 in 2006.
Sioux Falls became one of the few teams in indoor football history to post a shutout, beating the Peoria Rough Riders 71–0 on June 3, 2006.
On Saturday, August 4, 2007, the Storm defeated the Lexington Horsemen for the second United Bowl in a row, 62 to 59. With 19 seconds left to go in the game Storm quarterback Terrance Bryant threw up a prayer, and though protested by the small crowd of Horsemen fans, it was ruled a touchdown pass. With three seconds left in the game, and with the help of a frantic fan going for the game ball, the Horsemen gained 15 yards for a chance to kick a field goal and tie the game, but the kick was missed by Horsemen kicker Collin Barber.
On March 29, 2008, the Storm lost to the Omaha Beef 34–18, ending their historic 40-game winning streak and giving them their first loss since July 15, 2005. They went on to win their fourth United Bowl later that season against the Bloomington Extreme.
On April 25, 2009, after switching to the Indoor Football League, the Storm were found in violation of the IFL's rule of not complying with regulations related to workers compensation coverage. As punishment, the team's first five wins of the 2009 season were forfeited; this resulted in a 6-8 season, the first losing season in team history. The other three losses all came to the Billings Outlaws. In 2010, the Storm rebounded to reach the United Bowl before losing 43-34 to the Outlaws.
After a tornado dubbed the Father's Day Tornado hit Billings' Rimrock Auto Arena on June 20, 2010, causing major damage, the Outlaws franchise folded, and their star quarterback Chris Dixon signed with the Storm. Led by Dixon, Sioux Falls scored an astounding 1022 points on the 2011 regular season, with 70 or more points in 10 games and opening with a 105-71 win over the Kent Predators in Kent, Washington. Only twice did the Storm fall short of 50 points and both were against the Omaha Beef, who handed them a 41-37 loss in the regular season finale after Sioux Falls had started 13-0. The two teams met in the next game, which was the playoff opener. The Storm won it, 52-39, then beat Green Bay 52-12 to return to the United Bowl. Although they tied their lowest scoring game of the season, Sioux Falls rolled over the Tri-Cities Fever 37-10 to earn the league championship after a two-year hiatus and also win its first IFL title. Dixon and the Storm dominated again in 2012, this time with a perfect 14-0 record and 941 points in the regular season. On April 14, the Storm beat the Allen Wranglers, then featuring former NFL standout receiver Terrell Owens, 52-45 on the road in Allen, Texas. Dixon threw his 500th career touchdown pass, when he hit James Terry with a 42-yard pass during a May 19 game against the Blizzard. Sioux Falls defeated the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks 79-21 in the playoff opener, then again beat Green Bay in the semifinal and Tri-Cities in the United Bowl.
Dixon then left, attempting to make it with the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. Sioux Falls did not suffer greatly in 2013 as Storm legend Terrance Bryant returned to play quarterback. Following a 10-4 season, the Storm again prevailed in the playoffs and defeated the Nebraska Danger by a close 43-40 score for the title. Bryant then retired again, as on January 6, 2014, it was announced that Dixon would be returning to the Storm, citing his desire to graduate from Augustana College and be close to his family. Dixon did not disappoint, leading the Storm to their eighth title in 2014. The Storm again defeated Nebraska in the United Bowl by a 63-46 score. The Sioux Falls Storm completed its era at the Sioux Falls Arena with a 112-14 home record including 82-3 from 2006–2014.
In 2015, the Storm's first season at the Denny Sanford Premier Center was very successful, completing another undefeated season at 16-0 overall, and was capped off with winning their ninth league championship by a score of 62–27 over the Danger.
In 2016, the Storm continued their dominance. But lost their first game since the 2014 season as they lost at the Cedar Rapids Titans, 60–57. But despite that setback, they capped off another successful season with a win over the newly minted Spokane Empire, 55–34, to capture their tenth championship overall and their sixth IFL Championship and sixth in a row. They returned to the championship game in 2017, but lost for the first time since the 2010 season to the Arizona Rattlers.
Prior to the 2018 season, the Storm announced they would join Champions Indoor Football on August 30, 2017, in order to have smaller travel budget and reignite rivalries with the nearby Sioux City Bandits and Omaha Beef. However, after the IFL's offseason meetings, the Storm re-joined the IFL on October 4.

Players

Current roster


Retired numbers

Awards and honors

Notable Sioux Falls alumni

Coaches

Head coaches

* Records do not reflect the five forfeits due to insurance violations in 2009.

Staff


Season-by-season results

Records vs. opponent

  • * win forfeited to a loss for insurance violation
OpponentOverallHomeAwayPlayoff
Allen Wranglers
Arizona Rattlers
Bemidji Axemen
Billings Outlaws
Billings Wolves
Bismarck Bucks
Bismarck Roughriders
Black Hills/Rapid City Red Dogs
Bloomington Extreme**
Bricktown Brawlers
Cedar Rapids River Kings
Cedar Rapids Titans
Chicago Slaughter
Colorado Ice/Crush
Evansville BlueCats
Fairbanks Grizzlies
Fort Wayne Freedom
Green Bay Blizzard
Iowa Barnstormers
Kent Predators
La Crosse Spartans
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks
Lexington Horsemen
Lincoln Capitols
Louisiana Swashbucklers
Louisiana Bayou Beast
Mississippi Fire Dogs
Muskegon Thunder
Nebraska Danger
Ohio Valley Greyhounds
Omaha Beef**
Peoria Rough Riders
Quad City Steamwheelers
Reading Express
RiverCity Rage
Rochester Raiders**
Rock River/Tenn. Valley Raptors
San Diego Strike Force
Sioux City Bandits**
Spokane Empire
Texas Revolution
Tri-Cities Fever
Tri-City Diesel
Tucson Sugar Skulls
Utah Rattlers
Utah Warriors
Wenatchee Valley Venom
Wichita Falls Nighthawks
Wichita Wild**
Wyoming Cavalry

Season schedules (2001–2017)

2001


2001 National Indoor Football League Season Summary

DateOpponentResult
April 7@ Tri City Diesel 42–41
April 14Billings Outlaws 52–26
April 21@ Wyoming Cavalry 45–34
April 28@ Utah Rattlers 78–75
May 5@ Mississippi Firedogs 44–33
May 12Sioux City Bandits 31–28
May 19Rapid City Red Dogs 25–21
May 25@ Billings Outlaws 44–39
June 2@ Rapid City Red Dogs 44–42
June 9Sioux City Bandits 27–24
June 16Louisiana Bayou Beast 58–21
June 23@ Sioux City Bandits 23–19
July 7Wyoming Cavalry 48–47
July 14Tri City Diesel 32–30
July 20@ Rapid City Red Dogs 40–25
July 26@ Wyoming Cavalry 37–31

2002


2002 National Indoor Football League Season Summary

DateOpponentResult
March 9@ Bismarck Roughriders 48–20
March 24Billings Outlaws 51–31
March 30@ Rapid City Red Dogs 52–40
April 7Wyoming Cavalry 46–3
April 14@ Sioux City Bandits 40–21
April 20Tri City Diesel 48–34
April 27@ Omaha Beef 43–33
May 11Lincoln Capitols 41–33
May 18Bismarck Roughriders 65–58
May 24@ Tri City Diesel 51–44
June 1@ Billings Outlaws 59–30
June 15Sioux City Bandits 35–22
June 21@ Wyoming Cavalry 53–46
June 29Rapid City Red Dogs 45–17

2003


2003 National Indoor Football League Season Summary

DateOpponentResult
March 23@ Rapid City Red Dogs 30–26
March 27@ Lincoln Capitols 31–21
April 5Wyoming Cavalry 36–18
April 12@ Billings Outlaws 47–44
April 19@ Bismarck Roughriders 55–48
April 26@ Utah Warriors 59–35
May 3@ Fort Wayne Freedom 55–19
May 10Sioux City Bandits 43–25
May 17@ Wyoming Cavalry 58–27
May 24Billings Outlaws 36–32
June 7Utah Warriors 47–34
June 14Fort Wayne Freedom 52–49
June 28Rapid City Red Dogs 31–23
July 5Bismarck Roughriders 44–27
July 12@ Utah Warriors 68–55

2004


2004 National Indoor Football League Season Summary

DateOpponentResult
March 13@ Omaha Beef 41–14
March 22@ Utah Warriors 51–49
March 26@ Sioux City Bandits 66–43
April 3Wyoming Cavalry 47–13
April 16@ Lincoln Capitols 34–28
May 1Black Hills Red Dogs 47–28
May 8@ Wyoming Cavalry 57–54
May 15Lincoln Capitols 68–9
May 22Billings Outlaws 30–21
May 29Utah Warriors 62–37
June 5@ Black Hills Red Dogs 62–40
June 12Billings Outlaws 44–34
June 19Omaha Beef 79–26
June 26Sioux City Bandits 36–32
July 17Utah Warriors 65–41
July 25Billings Outlaws 44–13
August 7Lexington Horsemen 59–38

2005


2005 United Indoor Football Season Summary

DateOpponentResult
March 19@ Omaha Beef 55–31
March 26@ Black Hills Red Dogs 60–31
April 9Lexington Horsemen 52–24
April 16Sioux City Bandits 50–43
April 23@ Omaha Beef 47–30
April 30Fort Wayne Freedom 34–31
May 7Peoria Rough Riders 56–21
May 15@ Black Hills Red Dogs 58–30
May 21Evansville Bluecats 49–42
May 28Black Hills Red Dogs 55–15
June 11@ Lexington Horsemen 61–43
June 18@ Tennessee Valley Raptors 49–39
June 25Sioux City Bandits 38–34
July 2Omaha Beef 49–44
July 9Black Hills Red Dogs 65–14
July 15@ Sioux City Bandits 54–48
July 30@ Omaha Beef 51–41
August 6@ Lexington Horsemen 62–58
August 14@ Sioux City Bandits 40–38

2006


2006 United Indoor Football Season Summary

DateOpponentResult
March 24@ Omaha Beef 51–29
April 1@ Rock River Raptors 46–20
April 8Sioux City Bandits 28–6
April 15Rock River Raptors 48–34
April 22@ Fort Wayne Freedom 47–44
April 29@ Ohio Valley Greyhounds 51–24
May 6Fort Wayne Freedom 44–25
May 13Omaha Beef 34–24
May 20@ Sioux City Bandits 51–34
June 2@ Omaha Beef 40–38
June 10Peoria Rough Riders 71–0
June 17Sioux City Bandits 25–17
June 24@ Sioux City Bandits 49–28
July 1Bloomington Extreme 66–35
July 8Evansville Bluecats 33–26
July 23Evansville Bluecats 32–26
July 29Lexington Horsemen 72–64

2007


DateOpponentResult
March 24@ Rock River Raptors 44–34
March 31@ Billings Outlaws 52–49 OT
April 6@ Sioux City Bandits 44–29
April 14@ Omaha Beef 61–17
April 21Billings Outlaws 51–18
May 5@ Colorado Ice 49–20
May 12Sioux City Bandits 56–31
May 19Omaha Beef 33–19
Jun 2@ Colorado Ice 51–17
June 9Sioux City Bandits 50–25
June 16Ohio Valley Greyhounds 56–20
June 23@ Lexington Horsemen 76–45
June 30Colorado Ice 48–3
July 7Rock River Raptors 34–30
July 14Billings Outlaws 34–9
July 21Colorado Ice 44–16
July 29Billings Outlaws 45–23
August 4Lexington Horsemen 62–59

2008


2008 United Indoor Football Season Summary

DateOpponentResult
March 8@ Bloomington Extreme 50–37
March 17Colorado Ice 48–24
March 29@ Omaha Beef 34–18
April 5@ Billings Outlaws 38–31
April 12Sioux City Bandits 45–34
April 19Billings Outlaws 54–43
April 26@ RiverCity Rage 41–32
May 3Sioux City Bandits 51–46
May 10RiverCity Rage 60–13
May 17Wichita Wild 57–14
May 24@ Billings Outlaws 62–52
May 31@ Sioux City Bandits 41–34
June 6@ Colorado Ice 29–24
June 14Bloomington Extreme 49–41
June 28Billings Outlaws 46–44
July 12Bloomington Extreme 40–35
August 2Louisiana Swashbucklers 54–42

2009


2009 Indoor Football League Season Summary

DateOpponentResult
March 8@ Bloomington Extreme 50–47 *
March 19@ Rochester Raiders 31–18 *
March 29Omaha Beef 67–49 *
April 4@ Wichita Wild 45–41 *
April 11@ Sioux City Bandits 46–13 *
April 18Sioux City Bandits 53–32
April 25@ Billings Outlaws 42–41
May 9Muskegon Thunder 74–13
May 16Wichita Wild 49–21
May 23@ Muskegon Thunder 87–26
June 6@ Billings Outlaws 70–35
June 13Billings Outlaws 34–22
June 20Fairbanks Grizzlies 58–18
July 11Sioux City Bandits 54–31

2010–2018

  • 2010 Sioux Falls Storm season
  • 2011 Sioux Falls Storm season
  • 2012 Sioux Falls Storm season
  • 2013 Sioux Falls Storm season
  • 2014 Sioux Falls Storm season
  • 2015 Sioux Falls Storm season
  • 2016 Sioux Falls Storm season
  • 2017 Sioux Falls Storm season
  • 2018 Sioux Falls Storm season

    Team player records

Single season

As of the end of the 2018 season
  • Pass Attempts: Ryan Aulenbacher, 401
  • Completions: Chris Dixon, 268
  • Passing Yards: Chris Dixon, 3,321
  • Passing Touchdowns: Chris Dixon, 74
  • Carries: Sean Treasure, 201
  • Rushing Yards: Sean Treasure, 812
  • Rushing Touchdowns: Marques Smith, 32
  • Receptions: James Terry, 94
  • Receiving Yards: Carl Sims, 1,108
  • Receiving Touchdowns: Clinton Solomon, 27
  • Kick Return Yards: James Jones, 1,350
  • Kick Return Touchdowns: Korey Williams, 5
  • Missed Field Goal Return Yards: Shannon Poppinga, 237
  • Missed Field Goal Return Touchdowns: Shannon Poppinga, 2
  • Field Goal Percentage : Miles Bergner, 64.7%
  • PAT Percentage : Parker Douglass, 95.7%
  • Total Yards: James Jones, 2,198
  • Total Touchdowns: Korey Williams, 34
  • Field Goals: Parker Douglass, 27
  • PATs: Parker Douglass, 134
  • Total Points: Korey Williams, 204
  • Tackles: Tyler Knight, 140.5
  • Tackles for Loss: Brandon Peguese, 25.5
  • Sacks: Nate Fluit, 18.0
  • Interceptions: Shannon Poppinga, 10
  • Pass Breakups: Bobby Perkins, 20
  • Blocked Kicks: Nate Fluit, 10

    Career records

As of the end of the 2018 season and does not include the postseason
  • Pass Attempts: Terrance Bryant, 2,268
  • Completions: Terrance Bryant, 1,491
  • Passing Yards: Terrance Bryant, 15,011
  • Passing Touchdowns: Terrance Bryant, 280
  • Carries: Lorenzo Brown, 752
  • Rushing Yards: Lorenzo Brown, 3,192
  • Rushing Touchdowns: Lorenzo Brown, 118
  • Receptions: James Terry, 607
  • Reception Yards: James Terry, 6,601
  • Reception Touchdowns: James Terry, 145
  • Total Yards: James Terry, 8,417
  • Field Goals: Adam Hicks, 131
  • FG % : Miles Bergner, 66.0%
  • PATs: Parker Douglass, 567
  • PAT % : Parker Douglass, 90.1%
  • Kick Return Yards: James Jones, 2,469
  • Kick Return Touchdowns: Korey Williams, 9
  • Missed Field Goal Return Yards: Shannon Poppinga, 416
  • Missed Field Goal Return Touchdowns: Shannon Poppinga, 3
  • Total Touchdowns: James Terry, 166
  • Total Points: James Terry, 1,000
  • Tackles: Mark Blackburn, 715.5
  • Tackles for Loss: Rachman Crable, 73.0
  • Sacks: Cory Johnsen, 64.5
  • Interceptions: Shannon Poppinga, 46
  • Interception Touchdowns: Shannon Poppinga, 6
  • Pass Breakups: Shannon Poppinga, 109
  • Forced Fumbles: Rachman Crable/Cory Johnsen/Tyler Knight, 10
  • Blocked Kicks: Tyler Knight, 24