This week the Stampede try to get back on track with a tough road game at Washington Eagles next Saturday at 7pm on AIF game of the week on HerbFM Sports Radio.

Harrisburg Stampede will be traveling down to the Baltimore/ Washington area on May 18th to see if they can get back on winning track after losing a tough game at home last weekend to the Cape Fear Heroes by two points. They take on  the Washington Eagles that can beat a team that is above .500 but they are just not getting the breaks at the end of the game to pull out the victory.

The Eagles are coming into this game without a win this season, but this team looks like they are improving each week with offense that can get this team in shootouts with top teams in American Indoor Football.

You can listen to the game from Garden Ice House in Laurel Maryland, Saturday May 18th with our live pregame show starting at 6:45pm and Kickoff starts at 7pm

What started out as a trip for the Cape Fear players after a great inaugural season has turned into a humanitarian endeavor.

Cape Fear Heroes owner and CEO Barbara Spigner announced Wednesday in a news conference that the team has formed a relationship with the Bahamas American Football Federation (BAFF) and will travel to Grand Bahama in November to hold football clinics.

The Heroes, who went undefeated and won the AIFA championship last season, will also hold open tryouts in Grand Bahama during that time for Bahamian players. Those who show promise may have the opportunity to play for Cape Fear in 2014.

The Heroes plan on making and keeping strong connections with the BAFF.

"We are doing this as a means to give promise to a nation," Spigner said. "We wanted to help out and increase diversity between both areas."

"At first, I didn't think it was real," Anthony said. "I've had offers before but what struck me was that the Heroes weren't trying to make this a one-time thing, which is why we agreed to do this."

The players were ecstatic about the news - perhaps no one more than wide receiver Jay Jackson.

"When I found out about the opportunity, the first thing I said is 'let me get my passport' because I am definitely ready," Jackson said. "I coach anyway, so this is in my field."

Jackson is one of six players from last year's squad signed for the 2013 season. The other five are wide receiver Tymere Zimmerman, offensive lineman Troy Bennett, defensive back JeRome Mann, and defensive linemen Dontre Brown and Quincy Malloy.

The Heroes also have signed two new players - quarterback Aries Nelson and wide receiver Tim Jones.

The final tryout to make the Heroes' roster will be held March 2 at the Crown Arena. For additional information, contact coach Charles Gunnings at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 




Cape Fear Heroes football team partners with Bahamian federation

By Junious Smith III

The AIF was recently informed that due to a serious illness to the owner of the Roc City Thunder, the team will not be able to move forward in 2013.

Jeff Teed, the principle owner has worked hard at keeping things going but unfortunately will be unable to proceed forward.   After discussions with Mr. Teed, the AIF decided it was best to remove Rochester from the schedule for 2013 season and re-evaluate the situation in the future.

During the summer of 2012 Mr. Teed was diagnosed with a serious illness and in October he started treatment.

This past January, Mr. Teed’s heath started to fade again and he decided at this time he must devote all his efforts to his health and recovery. Other options were explored including bringing on additional investors to the team but the time frame was too short for a full evaluation. The AIF and the Roc City Thunder have decided the best option is to remove the Roc City Thunder from the 2013 league schedule and the AIF has revised the 2013 schedule.

The AIF and their member teams wish Mr. Teed the best and a speedy recovery in the battle against his illness.

The AIF, American Indoor Football held their annual league meetings this past December 6^th at the Historic Yorktowne Hotel in York Pa. Ownership groups from all 2013 AIF teams where represented at the meeting, the Harrisburg Stampede, Roc City Thunder, Washington Eagles, West Virginia Badgers, York Capitals and last year’s  AIF Champion the Cape Fear Heroes  Also in attendance was the ownership group from the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Pa. market who has committed to play in the 2014 season.

The first order of business announced was the six AIF team members that will be playing in 2013 as well as the under contract expansion markets of Wiles-Barre/ Scranton Pa. and Baltimore Maryland with the return of the AIF to 1^st Mariner Arena in 2014. In addition the AIF announced it was in discussions with two ownership groups about securing teams in the State of South Carolina for the 2014 season

In a long day of meetings league officials and team owners covered a wide variety of topics from team budgets, team revenue streams, vendor products, a weekly AIF radio podcast as well as the radio broadcasts of team games. In addition a league executive and standards committee was formed featuring the owners of three AIF teams as well as members of the AIF ownership and management team to steer the direction and vision of the league. The final order of business was the 2013 AIF Schedule which was completed and will be released to the public in the next several days. 

American Indoor Football names Signature Style Jewelry as
“Official League Championship Ring Supplier”


American Indoor Football is pleased to announce that Signature Style Jewelry has been chosen as the “Official Championship Ring Supplier of the AIF”. After discussions with four leading ring manufacturers Signature Style Jewelry was chosen for its high level of product quality and customer service. Chad Beeman Vice President of Signature Style has been a pleasure to work with says AIF President John Morris, along with his staff they have worked countless hours to design the 2012 AIF Championship ring for this year’s AIF winner the Cape Fear Heroes.

Founded in 1969, Signature Style Jewelry has come to the forefront of the industry in custom jewelry. Signature Style Jewelry is a leading online retailer of championship rings, class rings, corporate rings, military rings, and fashion jewelry. The company’s rapid growth over the years has come from their innovative and numerous options when it comes to customizing jewelry. Their aspirations to continually improve customer options are what make them different from the rest of the industry. 

Chad Beeman of Signature Style Jewelry says Signature Style is excited about the opportunity to serve the AIF organization and be named the Official Provider for Championship Rings and Pendants.  Signature looks forward to a long lasting relationship, and rewarding your Champions with the finest quality championship rings in the industry!

The Heroes got off to a quick start offensively scoring 25 unanswered points and scoring on four of their six drives in the first half to take a 34-7 lead into halftime. Both quarterbacks Patrick Pickney and Garrett Sutphen had impressive games leading the Heroes offensive up and down the field at will most of the night.

The defense also got into the scoring action too with touchdowns from Clenton Cochran and J.R. Hair. The Heroes defense also sacked California's quarterbacks eight times, recording four safeties, and forcing three turnovers.

Charles Gunnings the head coach of the Heroes says the Heroes set many goals before the season started and players and coaches alike stayed on track and worked hard to achieve those goals by putting in countless hours of preparation on the practice field, in the weight room and in the film room. That dedication has paid off for the Heroes I could not be happier for these guys.

 In a town known for its sports the Cape Fear Heroes now join a list of notable athletes and sporting accomplishments from the area. From Babe Ruth hitting his first home run in professional baseball in Fayetteville to being a hotbed for professional athletes including NFL players like Brad Edwards (Washington Redskins), Marvin Powell (New York Jets), Doug Wilkerson (San Diego Chargers), Joe Harris (Rams), Joe Horn (Atlanta Falcons), Donnell Wolford (Chicago Bears) as well as NFL owner Jerry Richardson and PGA golfer Raymond Floyd

Fayetteville’s North Carolina’s current and past professional championships.

2012- Cape Fear Heroes (Arena Football Team)
American Indoor Football National Champions
(9 wins – 0 losses)

2007 Fayetteville Fireantz (Hockey Team)
Southern Professional Hockey League

2007 Fayetteville Guard (Arena Football Team)
Indoor Football Championship Bowl

1956 Fayetteville Highlanders (Baseball)
Carolina League Baseball Title

Topic: Ontario Warriors
For Immediate Release

Effective May 17, 2012, the AIF indefinitely suspended the Ontario Warriors franchise from all AIF play, to include the final 2 games of the regular season as well as any playoff and All Star Classic participation. 

This suspension is a result of numerous violations of the Membership Agreement and the AIF Operating Manual. 

Jack Bowman
AIF National Director

The Results are in and the fans have spoken! The Ontario Warriors have the best defense!

Did you vote? Watch for future polls to make sure your team is represented in a big way! Congratulations to the Fans and the team for bragging rights this season: 

"Warriors Have The Best Defense" 

Which Team Has The Best Defense?

Ontario Warriors 101
Virginia Badgers 77
California Eagles 68
Maryland Reapers 50
Carolina Force 39
Cape Fear Heroes 39
Harrisburg Stampede 28
Macon Steel 14
Nevada Lynx 8
Tri-State Redhawks 6
Arizona 5
North Alameda Knights 2

Poll Results: http://aifprofootball.com/index.php?option=com_poll&id=17:which-team-has-the-best-defense-#content

Custom Marques Colston and Fearon Wright Figurines courtesy of Joe Jacobs from BDJML Customs. 

These custom Marques Colston and  Fearon Wright figurines will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting Coach Bernie's fight against cancer.

Marques Colston is currently an NFL wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints and Co-Owner of the Harrisburg Stampede football team of the AIF. Fearon Wright is a former NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings and Current AIF player for the Harrisburg Stampede.

 

"Any Sports Collector will love to have these Signed, One of a Kind, Custom Figurines!"

 The figurines are each, custom made and are one of kind. They are approximately 6 inches tall and created out of Mcfarlane Sports Pick Action Figures, hand painted and customized to the specific players likeness. The Marques Colston figurine will be signed by him personally and the Fearon Wright figurine will be signed personally by him. 

These figurines will be auctioned off via Silent Auction thru April 25th, 2012 11:59pm. The winner will be notified and the winner will be announced at the April 27th benefit for Coach Bernie. 

About Joe Jacobs

Joe lives in Reading Pa and has been making custom Mcfarlane sports figures as a hobby for over four years. Joe created a charitable effort where he donates custom figures to local charities called Customs for Causes. All profit made from the figures goes right to the charity. Joe has worked with many different Charities including Relay for Life and American Cancer Society.

Entries For Silent Auction

Entries will ONLY be accepted via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

All entries must include the following to be considered valid:

Your Full Name

Your Full Address

Your Contact Phone Number

Your Bid Amount in US $

Figurine Your Bidding On - Fearon or Colston

**NOTE - IF YOU WANT TO BID ON BOTH FIGURINES - you must do it as such:

Fearon Bid = $XXX

Colston Bid - $XXX

Rules For Silent Auction

All entries are appreciated and bidders are welcome to bid as often as they want thru April 25th, 2012 at 11:59pm.  

All information will be kept completely confidential and will not be used for any reason other than to be considered as a bid in the silent auction for this figurine. Winning bidder agrees to be contacted and agrees that their name and photo likeness can be used in a future article identifying them as the winning bidder for the silent auction.

Winning bidder will be contacted via email and phone number provided during the bidding process and will have 24 hours to respond and pay for their winning bid. Winner agrees to pay via Paypalinvoice and can retrieve their figurine(s) either at the benefit event on April 27th  for Coach Bernie or at the Stampede game on April 28th. If winning bidder does not respond or process the winning bid within 24 hours, then the next runner up bidder will be selected from the entries. Non-winning bidders will not be disclosed in anyway.

All profits from the auction will directly benefit Coach Bernie and his battle with cancer.  Harrisburg Stampede Leadership will be the final and deciding factor in selecting a winner in the silent auction.

Additional photos can be viewed in the image gallery below.

 

 Wide receiver Marques Colston is re-signing with the New Orleans Saints -- and he's re-joining the Harrisburg Stampede, as well.

Stampede owner Justin Coble says Colston has agreed to be a partner in the franchise, which begins its inaugural season of American Indoor Football (AIF) on April 7.

"Getting a high-character guy like him is huge," said Coble of Colston, who amassed more than 1,000 yards receiving in five of his six seasons. "He wants to be involved in the community."

Colston was previously involved with the club at its inception. But after making an initial investment, he left the team shortly thereafter; his lawyers said in April 2009 that Colston wanted to focus on his pro career, instead.

Colston credits Coble's enthusiasm for getting him back on board. Coble assumed control of the Stampede in February 2012.

"Just having a new ownership with a new attitude," explained Colston, in a brief phone call with CBS 21 News Sports Director Jason Bristol on Wednesday afternoon, on why he decided to rejoin the team. "Justin is willing to do whatever it takes (to make the product successful)."

Colston, a graduate of Susquehanna Township High School, agreed to a new five-year contract with New Orleans on Tuesday.

He also said he will attend some of the team's games and Coble expects Colston to be a hands-on partner, as well; involved with the day-to-day decision-making as much as possible.

And that's fine with Colston, 28, who is currently taking graduate business classes and knows he won't be playing in the NFL forever. "Having a skill set to transition into the business world is a huge asset," he said.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Tuesday that Colston is everything the team wants as both a player and a person. He added that Colston deserves credit for working to get a deal done before the opening of free agency.

Coble said making Colston a part-owner had been in the works for the past three or four weeks.

 

 

Original Article: Marques Colston becomes part-owner of Harrisburg Stampede 
Reported by: Jason Bristol