Knoxville NightHawks

Knoxville NightHawks
Knoxville NightHawks
	Established 2011; Folded 2013; Played in Knoxville, Tennessee; at the James White Civic Coliseum
League/conference affiliations
	Professional Indoor Football League (2012–2013)
	Current uniform
Team colors	Royal Blue, Green, Silver, White ;
Nicknames	NightHawks
Mascot	Ace
Personnel
Owner(s)	Southern Sports and Entertainment LLC (Jeff Knight, CEO)
Chairman	Jeff Knight
President	Joe Stroud
Head coach	Cosmo DeMatteo
Team history
	Knoxville NightHawks (2011–2013);
Championships
	League championships (0);
	Conference championships (0);
	Division championships (0);
Home arena(s)
	James White Civic Coliseum (2012-2013);

The Knoxville NightHawks were a professional indoor football team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team was a member of the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL). The NightHawks joined the PIFL in 2012 as an expansion team. The NightHawks were the second indoor/arena football team based in Knoxville, following the Tennessee ThunderCats which played in the Indoor Professional Football League for the 2001 season before joining the National Indoor Football League where they played the 2002 and 2003 seasons (the latter of which they played as the Tennessee Riverhawks) before moving to Greenville, South Carolina. The Owner of the NightHawks was Southern Sports Entertainment, LLC. The NightHawks played their home games at the James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Franchise history

2012

The franchise was announced by Owner Jeff Knight on September 15, 2011.^[1] He announced the team's decision to join the Professional Indoor Football League and that the team would play at the James White Civic Coliseum.^[2] On October 4, 2011, the NightHawks named Chris MacKeown the team's first coach in franchise history.^[3] The team made a splash when they signed veteran NFL defensive lineman Chris Bradwell,^[4] and veteran Arena Football League quarterback, Tony Colston.^[5] In the team's first ever game, the NightHawks fell 45–70 to the Alabama Hammers.^[6] The team started 0–6 on the season before winning their 7th contest on May 5, 2012, an overtime victory over the Hammers. The team finished their inaugural season 1–11 with a 0.083 winning percentage, which was worst in the PIFL. Coach MacKeown said he felt that he would not be back for a second season with the team.^[7]

2013

In October 2012, the NightHawks named Cosmo DeMatteo the second head coach in franchise history.^[8] The NightHawks finished the 2013 season 2–10 with a 0.167 winning percentage, finishing in the bottom of the league.^[9]

Players of note

Final roster

Knoxville NightHawks roster

Quarterbacks

8 Luke Collis
9 Anthony Speight

Running backs

6 Daccus Turman

Wide receivers

10 Kelvin Boldin
4 DeAndre Brown
14 Charles Gilbert
1 Rico Joseph
20 Ryan Schuck

Offensive linemen

72 Dominique Bacon
55 R. J. Bibbs
78 Carnell Stewart

Defensive linemen

62 Adrien Cole
99 Armand Johnson
91 Justin Wells

Linebackers

33 Roosevelt Falls
7 Sam Fehoko

Defensive backs

3 Ginikachi Ibe
2 Kirkland Davidson
23 Derrick Furlow
22 Victor Rogers

Kickers

18 Armando Cuko

Injured reserve

currently vacant

Exempt list

currently vacant

Practice squad

currently vacant

rookies in italics
updated June 15, 2014^[10]
20 Active, 0 Inactive, 0 PS

→ More rosters

Awards and honors

The following is a list of all NightHawks players who won league awards:

Season	Player	Position	Award
2012	Ginikachi Ibe	DB	Defensive Rookie of the Year
2013	Armando Cuko	K	Special Teams Player of the Year

Coaches of note

Head coaches

Name	Term	Regular season				Playoffs		Awards
Name	Term	W	L	T	Win%	W	L	Awards
Chris MacKeown	2012	1	11	0	.083	0	0
Cosmo DeMatteo	2013	2	10	0	.167	0	0

Coaching staff

Knoxville NightHawks staff

Front office

Founder/owner –

Head coach

Head coach – Cosmo DeMatteo

Offensive coaches

Offensive coordinator –
Running backs -
Wide receivers –
Offensive line –

Defensive coaches

Defensive coordinator –
Defensive line –
Linebackers –
Secondary –

Season-by-season results

League Champions	Conference Champions	Division Champions	Wild Card Berth	League Leader

Season	Team	League	Conference	Division	Regular season				Postseason results
Season	Team	League	Conference	Division	Finish	Wins	Losses	Ties	Postseason results
2012	2012	PIFL			6th	1	11	0
2013	2013	PIFL			6th	2	10	0
Totals						3	21	0	All-time regular season record (2012–2013)
						0	0	-	All-time postseason record (2012–2013)
						3	21	0	All-time regular season and postseason record (2012)

References

^ "Nighthawks Newest Professional Franchise in Knoxville". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. September 15, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
^ Dave Link (September 15, 2011). "Indoor football team to give it a go". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
^ "Chris MacKeown named coach of Knoxville Nighthawks". Knoxville News Sentinel. October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
^ "NightHawks sign Bradwell". Knoxville News Sentinel. October 18, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
^ "Veteran QB Colston Is Nighthawks First Signee". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 11, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
^ Dave Link (March 10, 2012). "Nighthawks drop indoor debut, 70-45". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
^ Dave Link (June 10, 2012). "Nighthawks coach Chris MacKeown doesn't expect return engagement". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
^ "Nighthawks Name Cosmo DeMatteo New Head Coach". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 10, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
^ h http://knoxvillenighthawks.com/schedule.html Knoxville Nighthawks Schedule
^ "Roster". Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2012-09-25.

External links

Knoxville Nighthawks official site

[1] "Nighthawks Newest Professional Franchise in Knoxville". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. September 15, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

[2] Dave Link (September 15, 2011). "Indoor football team to give it a go". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

[3] "Chris MacKeown named coach of Knoxville Nighthawks". Knoxville News Sentinel. October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

[4] "NightHawks sign Bradwell". Knoxville News Sentinel. October 18, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

[5] "Veteran QB Colston Is Nighthawks First Signee". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 11, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

[6] Dave Link (March 10, 2012). "Nighthawks drop indoor debut, 70-45". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

[7] Dave Link (June 10, 2012). "Nighthawks coach Chris MacKeown doesn't expect return engagement". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 6, 2012.

[8] "Nighthawks Name Cosmo DeMatteo New Head Coach". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 10, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2012.

[9] ttp://knoxvillenighthawks.com/schedule.html Knoxville Nighthawks Schedule

[10] "Roster". Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2012-09-25.

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v t e Professional Indoor Football League
Teams	Alabama Hammers Albany Panthers Charlotte Speed Columbus Lions Erie Explosion Georgia Fire Harrisburg Stampede Lehigh Valley Steelhawks Knoxville NightHawks Louisiana Swashbucklers Nashville Venom Richmond Raiders Trenton Freedom
Arenas	Von Braun Center (Alabama) Albany Civic Center (Albany) Columbus Civic Center (Columbus) Erie Insurance Arena (Erie) Forum Civic Center (Georgia) Giant Center (Harrisburg) Knoxville Civic Coliseum (Knoxville) Stabler Arena (Lehigh Valley) Sudduth Coliseum (Louisiana) Nashville Municipal Auditorium (Nashville) Richmond Coliseum (Richmond) Sun National Bank Center (Trenton)
Seasons	2012 2013 2014 2015