Indiana Firebirds
The Indiana Firebirds are a team in the Arena Football League. The team is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Home games are played at the Conseco Fieldhouse, also the home of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. The team was based in Albany, New York from 1990 to 2000. At that time home games were played at the Pepsi Center. After the move, the Firebirds competed in the Central Division of the AFL's American Conference.
The Firebirds won the 1999 ArenaBowl championship.
The 2004 Firebirds just missed the playoffs after a disappointing 0-5 start. However, they finished the season winning eight of the their last eleven games and were considered by some a contender for the 2005 Arena Bowl championship led by 2004 Rookie of the Year, quarterback Adrian McPherson.
However, in early September of 2004, Indiana Firebirds owner Dave Lageschulte announced that his company, Lags Football LLC, would cease all business operations for the Firebirds. Lageschulte had been actively, but unsuccessfully, pursuing local investors to purchase the Firebirds since he had assumed ownership in 2002.
On September 20, 2004, the date of the announced sales deadline, the Arena Football League announced the termination of the Firebirds franchise and that the players would be made available to continuing AFL teams in an expansion draft. However, on September 22 The Indianapolis Star reported that Scott Hines, president and CEO of Indianapolis-based H3 Sportsgear, stated he'd reached a verbal agreement to purchase the Firebirds and keep them in Indianapolis, contingent on AFL approval. League spokesman Chris McCloskey said that if an application were presented to the AFL by the end of the week, it would be "given consideration for play in 2005." (AFL checks background and financial qualifications before approving any new team ownership.) The September 23 Star reported a confirmation of the expected sale from Rich Simeone, legal counsel to Lageschulte.
