The Chicago Enforcers were an American football team of the XFL based at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The XFL was begun by Vince McMahon of the WWE and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. NBC dropped XFL broadcasts after the first season in 2001 due to dismal ratings, and the league was dissolved shortly thereafter.
The team name references mob enforcers, alluding to Chicago's history of mafia influence. The team's fight song would later become the entrance music for professional wrestler Brock Lesnar who had signed a contract with the WWE but was yet to debut.[2]
Enforcers game at Soldier Field, 2001. Empty stands were a regular feature at Enforcers games; at about 15,000 fans a game, the Enforcers had the lowest average attendance in the league.
The Enforcers got off to a slow start, losing their first four games with Tim Lester; at the time, Lester was working as a math teacher and assistant football coach at Wheaton Warrenville South High School in the suburbs of Chicago and played for the Enforcers effectively as a semi-professional player. In week 5, the team replaced Lester with the former Notre Dame Quatrerback Kevin McDougal, cut Lester, and brought in Craig Whelihan (an established NFL backup who had been third string on the Memphis Maniax at the time) to serve as McDougal's backup. The team went 5–1 in the rest of the season (winning their last four in a row), coming from behind to make the XFL playoffs at 2nd place in the Eastern Division. In addition to their potent rushing attack led by league leading running back John Avery, they were also known for their hard hitting defense. They lost to eventual XFL champion Los Angeles Xtreme in the crossover semifinals.
Poor attendance and the pending renovation of Soldier Field would have meant that, even if the league had continued, the Enforcers would have not; the league was exploring relocating the team to Milwaukee at the time of the league's closure.[4]
^"XFL Standings". USA Today. May 12, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
December 01, 2023
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The template below Infobox sports team is being considered for merging See templates for discussion to help reach a consensus The Chicago Enforcers were an American football team of the XFL based at Soldier Field in Chicago Illinois The XFL was begun by Vince McMahon of the WWE and by NBC a major television network in the United States NBC dropped XFL broadcasts after the first season in 2001 due to dismal ratings and the league was dissolved shortly thereafter Chicago EnforcersFounded2001Folded2001LeagueXFLDivisionEasternBased inChicago IllinoisStadiumSoldier FieldColorsBlack purple silver 1 OwnerWorld Wrestling FederationHead coachRon MeyerPlayoff berths1 2001 The team name references mob enforcers alluding to Chicago s history of mafia influence The team s fight song would later become the entrance music for professional wrestler Brock Lesnar who had signed a contract with the WWE but was yet to debut 2 The Chicago Enforcers name is used by the Chicago Police Department for their works team in the National Public Safety Football League Contents 1 2001 season 2 Season by season 2 1 Schedule 2 1 1 Regular season 2 1 2 Post season 3 Standings 4 Roster 5 Team leaders 6 References2001 season editOriginally rumors swirled that former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan would be hired as the team s coach 3 Ultimately Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus was hired for the position However just before the season started he resigned to take a position in the XFL office He was replaced by Ron Meyer a former NFL head coach from the 1980s who had not coached professional football since 1994 with the Las Vegas Posse Among their players was former NFL running back LeShon Johnson who had played for the Green Bay Packers Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants He was starting tailback for the Cardinals for most of 1996 He led the Enforcers with 6 rushing touchdowns which was second in the league They also had former NFL running back John Avery who played for the Miami Dolphins Their wide receiver kick returner Roell Preston who previously played for the Atlanta Falcons Green Bay Packers Miami Dolphins San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans held the distinction of being the only former Pro Bowler 1998 as a Packer to play in the XFL The team s starting right guard Bennie Anderson went on to be a starter for the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills and last played professional football in 2006 for the Miami Dolphins nbsp Enforcers game at Soldier Field 2001 Empty stands were a regular feature at Enforcers games at about 15 000 fans a game the Enforcers had the lowest average attendance in the league The Enforcers got off to a slow start losing their first four games with Tim Lester at the time Lester was working as a math teacher and assistant football coach at Wheaton Warrenville South High School in the suburbs of Chicago and played for the Enforcers effectively as a semi professional player In week 5 the team replaced Lester with the former Notre Dame Quatrerback Kevin McDougal cut Lester and brought in Craig Whelihan an established NFL backup who had been third string on the Memphis Maniax at the time to serve as McDougal s backup The team went 5 1 in the rest of the season winning their last four in a row coming from behind to make the XFL playoffs at 2nd place in the Eastern Division In addition to their potent rushing attack led by league leading running back John Avery they were also known for their hard hitting defense They lost to eventual XFL champion Los Angeles Xtreme in the crossover semifinals The Enforcers were part of the Eastern Division with the Orlando Rage New York New Jersey Hitmen and the Birmingham Thunderbolts Their radio flagship station was WMVP ESPN Radio 1000 Poor attendance and the pending renovation of Soldier Field would have meant that even if the league had continued the Enforcers would have not the league was exploring relocating the team to Milwaukee at the time of the league s closure 4 Season by season editSeason records Season W L T Finish Playoff results2001 5 5 0 2nd Eastern Lost Semifinals Los Angeles Totals 5 6 0 including playoffs Schedule edit Regular season edit Date Opponent Result Record Game siteSaturday February 3 2001 at Orlando Rage L 29 33 0 1 Florida Citrus BowlSaturday February 10 2001 at Los Angeles Xtreme L 32 39 2OT 0 2 Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumSunday February 18 2001 at Birmingham Thunderbolts L 3 14 0 3 Legion FieldSaturday February 24 2001 New York New Jersey Hitmen L 0 13 0 4 Soldier FieldSunday March 4 2001 Las Vegas Outlaws W 15 13 1 4 Soldier FieldSaturday March 10 2001 at Memphis Maniax L 23 29 1 5 Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumSunday March 18 2001 San Francisco Demons W 25 19 2 5 Soldier FieldSunday March 25 2001 Birmingham Thunderbolts W 13 0 3 5 Soldier FieldSaturday March 31 2001 at New York New Jersey Hitmen W 23 18 4 5 Giants StadiumSunday April 8 2001 Orlando Rage W 23 6 5 5 Soldier FieldPost season edit Playoff round Date Opponent Result Record Game siteSemi final Sunday April 15 2001 at Los Angeles Xtreme L 16 33 0 1 Los Angeles Memorial StadiumStandings editEastern DivisionTeam W L T PCT PF PA STKOrlando Rage 8 2 0 800 207 162 L1Chicago Enforcers 5 5 0 500 163 178 W1New York New Jersey Hitmen 4 6 0 400 110 145 W1Birmingham Thunderbolts 2 8 0 200 131 217 L7 5 Roster edit2001 Chicago Enforcers final roster Quarterbacks 15 Kevin McDougalRunning backs 20 John Avery 42 LeShon Johnson 34 Charles WileyWide receivers 83 Aaron Bailey 18 Fred Coleman 2 Luther Leverson 88 Zechariah LordTight ends 86 Tyji Armstrong 89 Tim Martin 85 William Tate Offensive linemen 67 Bennie Anderson G 75 Octavius Bishop T 79 Bryan LaBelle G 66 Rob Murphy G 77 Chris Perez 60 Tony Ramirez T 76 Eric Schnupp G 70 Derrick Turner GDefensive linemen 54 Matt Finkes DE 99 Larry Fitzpatrick DT 50 Aaron Humphrey DE 96 Sterling Palmer 91 Hubert Thompson DE Linebackers 53 Jaime Baisely ILB 46 Chike Egbuniwe OLB 55 Kivuusama Mays 49 Carlos TimmonsDefensive backs 36 Ray Austin CB 27 Jason Bray 29 Quincy Coleman CB 31 Kerry Cooks S 24 Corey Ivy CB 21 Troy Saunders CBSpecial teams 4 Andy Crosland Reserve lists 5 Paul Failla QB Julian Pittman DT Charles Ward DEPractice squad 45 Dorian Brew CB 77 Jason Chorak DE 56 Casey Dailey LB 74 Paul Janus G 13 Tim Lester QB 87 Roell Preston WR Craig Whelihan QBRookies in italics 7 practice squadTeam leaders editRushing yards 800 John Avery league leader Receiving yards 546 Aaron Bailey Passing yards 1168 Kevin McDougal Passing touchdowns 5 Kevin McDougalReferences edit Chicago Enforcers Logo Sheet SSUR org Archived from the original on November 28 2010 Retrieved December 4 2019 XFL Week 2 Chicago Enforcers vs LA Xtreme Double OT with Bonus Coverage YouTube XFL May Bring Buddyball to Soldier Field Greg Couch Chicago Sun Times June 13 2000 Sports Business Journal XFL Standings USA Today May 12 2001 Retrieved February 18 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chicago Enforcers amp oldid 1168638502, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
