Rome Renegades

The Rome Renegades were a professional indoor football team, based in Rome, Georgia. The Renegades played their home games at Forum Civic Center. They began as a 2002 expansion member of the National Indoor Football League, as the Oklahoma Crude. After three unsuccessful seasons, they moved to Rome, Georgia in late 2004 and became the Renegades. During their only NIFL season as the Renegades, they went 7–7 and got into the playoffs as a wildcard. In the playoffs, they won their Conference Quarterfinal game against the Lakeland Thunderbolts 53–7. Then, they won their Conference Semi-Final game against the Montgomery Maulers 47–31. Afterwards, the won the Atlantic Conference Championship Game against the Cincinnati Marshals 51–41. Unfortunately, they fell in Indoor Bowl V to the Tri-Cities Fever 47–31. In September 2005, they announced their departure for the American Indoor Football League. In their first (and only) season in the AIFL, they ended up 12–2, beating the Richmond Bandits for the best record in the Southern Conference. In the opening round of the 2006 AIFL Playoffs, they won over the newly formed Chattahoochee Valley Vipers (the conference's #4 seed) 64–39. Afterwards, they faced the third-seeded Raleigh Rebels in the Southern Conference Championship Game, easily winning 63–14. Unfortunately, despite hosting American Bowl II against the Northern Conference champion Canton Legends, they couldn't hold them down as they fell shy of their very first league title 61–40. After the 2006 season, their owner, Harry Pierce, announced he was forming the World Indoor Football League, with the Renegades, the Augusta Spartans, the Daytona Beach Thunder, and the Raleigh Rebels- a team also owned by Pierce as charter members. Unfortunately, the Renegades would never have a chance to play in the new league, because on October 16, 2006, it was announced that they would cease operations entirely, along with the Carolina Bombers.