Quad City Steamwheelers (2018)

This article is about the team that began play in 2018. For the former AF2 team of the same name which played from 2000 until 2009, see Quad City Steamwheelers.

The Quad City Steamwheelers are an indoor American football team that began play in 2018. They played their first season as part of the Champions Indoor Football, and then joined the Indoor Football League prior to their second season.^[2] Based in Moline, Illinois, the Steamwheelers play their home games at the Vibrant Arena at The MARK. The team announced it would be dormant for the 2021 season due to the arena capacity restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned to play in 2022.

Quad City Steamwheelers
Current season
Established 2017 Play in Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, Illinois steamwheelersfootball.com
League/conference affiliations
Champions Indoor Football (2018) North Conference (2018) Indoor Football League (2019–present) Eastern Conference (2022-present)
Current uniform
Team colors	Navy blue, gold and scarlet red
Personnel
Owner(s)	Doug Bland
General manager	Destiny Brown[1]
Head coach	Cory Ross
Team history
Quad City Steamwheelers (2018–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (1) 2022
Division championships (0)
Playoff appearances (4)
2018, 2022, 2023, 2024
Home arena(s)
Vibrant Arena at The MARK (2018–present)

The Steamwheelers are named after the Quad Cities' previous team of the same name, which played in all ten of the AF2's seasons (2000–2009) and won the first two ArenaCups.

History

Initial CIF/IFL Logo (2018-2021)

After the original Quad City Steamwheelers folded along with the AF2, TaxSlayer Center director Scott Mullen had been in talks with various investors seeking to bring back the Steamwheelers, but none were financially secure enough to meet his standards. During 2017, a splash page emerged allegedly belonging to a revived Steamwheelers team in the CIF, however, neither Mullen nor the CIF would comment on the page.^[3]

On August 15, 2017, the Center confirmed that a deal had been reached which would see the Wheelers return as members of the CIF for 2018, with a press conference taking place the following day.^[4] At the press conference, the Wheelers introduced their owner/general manager Doug Bland (previously part-owner of fellow CIF team the Dallas Marshals) and head coach Cory Ross (most recently head coach for the Omaha Beef).^[5]

After one season in the CIF, the Steamwheelers announced they were joining the Indoor Football League for the 2019 season.^[2]

Helmet Logo

After playing only one game in 2020, the Steamwheelers' season was initially postponed and the league's season was eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 23, 2020, the team announced that due to the restrictions on arena capacity during the pandemic, they would be dormant for at least the 2021 season.^[6] In September 2021, they announced they planned to return for the 2022 season.^[1]

Roster

Quad City Steamwheelers roster

Quarterbacks  5 Judd Erickson  6 Mike Irwin Running backs  7 Edward Vander Wide receivers  0 Ka'ron Ashley 18 Easton Bianchi 16 Jarrod Harrington  9 Rahim Harvey  3 Warren Newman 13 Keyvan Rudd 15 Jordan Vesey

Offensive linemen 67 Paul Fay 65 Joe Krall 71 Ivory Scott 52 DJ Stuckey Defensive linemen 91 Dominion Ezinwa 41 KeShaun Moore  4 Melik Owens  8 Jaylin Swan

Linebackers 22 Bubba Arslanian Defensive backs 17 Malik Duncan 11 Brian Hughes 34 Dareon Jackson 23 Suni Lane 10 Dreko Statham  2 Trey Smith Special teams 24 Kyle Kaplan

Reserve list Currently vacant Rookies in italics Roster updated March 18, 2024 33 Active, 0 Inactive → More rosters

Statistics and records

Season-by-season results

League champions

Conference champions

Division champions

Playoff berth

League leader

Season	League	Conference	Division	Regular season				Postseason results
				Finish	Wins	Losses	Ties
2018	CIF	North		3rd	8	4	0	Lost Conference Semifinal (Sioux City) 46–54
2019	IFL			7th	6	8	0
2020	IFL			—	1	0	0	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021	IFL			—	0	0	0	Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022	IFL	Eastern		3rd	9	7	0	Won First Round (Massachusetts Pirates) 39–38 Won Second Round (Frisco Fighters) 48–41 Lost Championship (Northern Arizona) 45-47
2023	IFL	Eastern		4th	9	6	0	Lost First Round (Frisco Fighters) 29-57
2024	IFL	Eastern		4th	8	8	0	Lost First Round (Green Bay Blizzard) 23-34
Totals					41	33	0	All-time regular season record (2018–2020)
					2	3	—	All-time postseason record (2018–2022)
					35	28	0	All-time regular season and postseason record (2018–2022)

References

1. "Steamwheelers announce they will return for 2022 season". Quad-City Times. September 12, 2021.
2. "Quad City Steamwheelers join the IFL for 2019 season". Nebraska.tv. 7 September 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
3. Tappa, Steve (August 1, 2017). "Steamwheelers return talk resurfaces". The Dispatch–Argus. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
4. Doxsie, Don (August 15, 2017). "Steamwheelers indoor football returning to Q-C". Quad-City Times. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
5. Doxsie, Don (August 16, 2017). "Dallas-based group bringing Steamwheelers back to life". Quad-City Times. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
6. "Quad City Steamwheelers cancel 2021 season". KWQC. October 23, 2020.

External links

• Official website