Omaha Beef

Omaha Beef
Established 1999
Play in Ralston Arena
in Omaha, Nebraska
BeefFootball.com
HelmetLogo
League/conference affiliations

Indoor Professional Football League (2000–2001) National Indoor Football League (2002–2004)

  • Pacific Conference (2002–2004)
    • Northern Division (2002–2004)

United Indoor Football (2005–2008)

  • Western Division (2006–2008)

Indoor Football League (2009–2012)

  • United Conference (2009–2012)
    • Central Division (2009)
    • Central West Division (2010)
    • Great Plains Division (2011)

Champions Professional Indoor Football League (2013–2014)
Champions Indoor Football (2015–present)

  • Northern Division (2016)
  • North Conference (2017–present)
Team colors Orange, black, white
              
Mascot Sir Loin
Personnel
Owner(s) Rich Tokheim
Jim Tokheim
Head coach Vacant
Team history
  • Omaha Beef (2000–present)
Championships
League championships (0)
Conference championships (0)

Division championships (3)

  • 2001, 2003, 2017
Playoff appearances (14)
  • 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017
Home arena(s)
*No current lease for 2019 season and arena has removed tenant from website


The Omaha Beef are an indoor football team and a charter member of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF). Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Beef play their home games at the Ralston Arena in nearby Ralston.

History

Omaha originally played in the Indoor Professional Football League in 2000 and 2001 as an expansion team. The Beef made the playoffs their inaugural season, and again in their second season, advancing to the 2001 IPFL Championship.[1] With the IPFL folding, the Beef moved to the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) on October 10, 2001.[2] The Beef then joined the newly formed United Indoor Football (UIF) in 2005 as a charter member. In 2008, the UIF merged with the Intense Football League to create the Indoor Football League.

From 2009 to 2011, the organization went through several general manager and head coaching changes. Despite those changes, the team finished in the top tier of the league. In 2009, James Kerwin was head coach of the Beef and led the team to a 12–2 record and to the second round of the IFL playoffs. The Beef continued their consecutive playoff qualification streak, which ended after 14 years across five leagues when the Beef failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2014.

The organization entered their thirteenth year of existence and fourth year as a member of the IFL in 2012. Despite constant changes within the league of expansion and contraction, the Beef were a constant and competitive member. 2012 saw the addition of new general manager Josh Roehr from the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (UFL) and the hiring of Bruce Cowdrey as head coach. Neither lasted a full season. As the rest of the 2012 season unfolded, the ownership of the team was then taken over by the IFL due to the owner not paying the fees associated with being a member. The head coach was let go, the general manager left for new employment, and several other changes were made to cut costs. Despite this, Andy Yost and James Kerwin took over as co-head coaches and the Beef qualified for the playoffs with some key wins, but the league determined they were not going to be allowed to participate in the playoffs. This resulted in the ending of a 12-year playoff appearance streak.

The Omaha Beef were not included on the 2013 IFL schedule released on October 22, 2012. Their position in the United Conference was taken by the Texas Revolution being realigned from the Intense Conference.[3] This was due to negotiations with the possible sale of the team or a new replacement team taking over the Beef's position. There were discussions that the team might change leagues and move into the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL). In December 2012, the Omaha Beef was accepted by the CPIFL to begin play in March 2013.

The Beef posted a 123–65 (.654) record up to this time.

New ownership

In December 2012, the Omaha Beef were bought by Cornhusker Beef, Inc. On December 6, 2012, the Beef announced the new ownership group composing of Rich Tokhiem, Gerard Daly and Jim Tokhiem. As of early 2013, the new ownership group made up of brothers Rich Tokheim and Jim Tokheim began administering the day-to-day operations of the Omaha Beef franchise, which was entering its 14th season of competition.[4]

In their first season in the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL), the Beef hired Andy Yost as head coach, who had finished the previous season as interim co-head coach. Yost led the Beef to a 10–2 record and qualified for the playoffs as they finished second, in a three-way tie (Sioux City(1), Wichita(3)) in the league. Despite a valiant effort the Beef fell to Wichita in the first round 31–25.

After leading the team to the playoffs in 2013, Yost moved from head coach to quarterback coach for the 2014 season. The Beef hired Steve Heimann as head coach and he coached the Beef to a win in their 2014 exhibition game. However, he then resigned before coaching a regular season game. The Beef promoted defensive coordinator Dan Thurin to head coach. The Beef finished with a record of 4–8, which was an all-time franchise worst at that time.

On January 7, 2015, the Beef announced that former Cornhusker and NFL veteran Cory Ross would be the head coach for the 2015 season.[5] Ross previously coached the Lincoln Haymakers of the CPIFL, also owned by Beef owner Rich Tokhiem, which ceased operations after the 2014 season.

In 2015 season, the Beef started playing in Champions Indoor Football (CIF), created by the merger of the CPIFL with the Lone Star Football League (LSFL).

Omaha opened 2015 with their worst start in franchise history at 0–5. On April 1, defensive coordinator Demetrius Ross opined that the Beef's poor start was in part due to preparations beginning in January instead of October and that the coaches did not get to select the players that they wanted.[6] The Beef finished the 2015 season with a record of 1–11, their worst record in franchise history. The Beef also finished in ninth place in the nine-team CIF, marking the first time the Beef ever finished last in a league. In their 11 losses, the Beef lost by an average of 25.0 points per game, were last in the league in points with given up at 672 (56.0/game), points scored at 395 (32.9/game), and a turnover differential of –16.

In 2016, the Omaha Beef took advantage of their schedule to improve their record to 7–5. Omaha played six of their 12 games against first year franchises (Chicago Eagles and Salina Liberty) in which the Beef recorded five of their seven wins. Omaha only had one win over a team with a winning record when they played (Wichita Force 4-1 on April 16) and only played three games all season against teams that came into the contest with a winning record. In the Beef’s seven wins, the opponent’s combined 2016 records were 29–54. Despite playoff expansion for the CIF in 2016, where half of all teams in the league qualified for the playoffs, the Beef failed to make the playoffs for the third year in a row, the longest playoff drought in franchise history.

The 2017 season saw the team return to the playoffs. Wide receiver Kayne Farquharson would continue to play for the Beef in the 2017 season, despite already being indicted on federal charges in January 2016[7]. Omaha would be forced to release their star wide receiver on March 29, as his plea agreement would lead to a 21-month federal prison sentence that began in April.[8] The Beef took advantage of an again increased playoff field, where the top four of seven division teams qualified for the playoffs, a schedule with five of 12 games against first-year expansion teams and a division with three first-year expansion teams to qualify for the 2017 playoffs. Omaha was outscored by their opponents during the regular season and only played four games against teams with winning records at the time of the game, winning only one (Bloomington on March 18) and dropping three (Sioux City on March 31, Sioux City on May 27, and Dallas on June 3). Omaha's seven regular season wins came against teams with a combined 2017 record of 25–59. The Beef's wins during the 2016 and 2017 seasons came against teams with a combined 54–113 record. Omaha qualified as the North Division representative for the CIF Championship game. The South division saw six of the seven teams post winning regular season records as the Texas Revolution came out of the tougher division for the Champions Bowl III bid. Texas controlled most of the championship game, never trailing. The Revolution played conservatively in the fourth quarter, with a 30-point lead to defeat the Beef 59–49 and claim the league title.

The Beef have only qualified for the playoffs twice under the new ownership and have posted a 33–39 (.458) regular season record as of 2018 since taking over the team before the 2013 season. This is the only ownership group that has posted a non-winning record.

The 2018 season provided many unanswered questions for fans. For the second time under this ownership, after qualifying for the playoffs, the head coach left the position before the upcoming season. On August 16, 2017, head coach Cory Ross was announced as the head coach for the CIF expansion Quad City Steamrollers. Victor Mann was named head coach, who had led the Texas Revolution to the league championship in 2017. Despite being a centerpiece in the Beef's off-season marketing campaign, days before the opening of the 2018 season, the Omaha Beef announced that Mike Bonner would be head coach for the upcoming season[9] with Mann never coaching a game for the Beef. Bonner became the sixth person to hold the position in six seasons dating back to 2013. Four games into the 2018 season, though a public announcement was not made by the organization at the time, players confirmed that Mike Bonner was removed from the head coach position and Rod Miller, then-current assistant head coach and former Beef head coach, was appointed head coach before Omaha's fifth game of the season. Bonner was head coach for only four games, posting a 1–3 record, including losing the last three straight by a combined five points. Miller became the seventh person to hold the position over the previous six seasons. Midway through the season, Omaha suspended starting QB Anthony Iannotti. Iannotti led the Beef to the 2017 Champions Bowl, where he started 14 out of 15 games. Iannotti would later be released. Omaha finished the season losing four out of the last five games and posting a 4-8 record, tied for 2nd worst in franchise history (2014). The Beef failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons, the longest stretch in franchise history.

Rivalries

Omaha has had some very heated battles in their time together with the Sioux City Bandits (since the NIFL days) and also Sioux Falls, which also move from the NIFL to the IFL. Omaha's rivalry with Sioux City has become one-sided, however, as the Bandits have defeated the Beef in 13 of their last 15 meetings, including the last 10 regular season contests. A new rivalry developed when the IFL expanded to Grand Island, Nebraska, in 2011 as the Nebraska Danger creating the I-80 rivalry. However, Sioux Falls and Nebraska stayed in the IFL (Indoor Football League) when the Beef moved to the CPIFL before the 2013 season.

Season-by-season

League Champions Conference Champions Division Champions Playoff Berth League Leader
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results
FinishWinsLossesTies
2000 2000IPFL 3rd880Lost Semifinal (Mississippi) 40–43
2001 2001IPFL 1st1510Lost 2001 IPFL Championship Game (Tennessee) 38–47
2002 2002NIFLPacificNorthern 2nd960Lost Divisional (Bismarck) 40–69
2003 2003NIFLPacificNorthern 1st950Won Divisional (Bismarck) 72–46
Lost Pacific Conference Championship (Utah) 51–62
2004 2004NIFLPacificNorthern 2nd1240Won Wild Card Round (Sioux City) 46–40
Lost Divisional (Billings) 59–68
2005 2005UIFNorthern 2nd960Lost Divisional (Sioux Falls) 41–51
2006 2006UIFWestern 2nd870Lost Wild Card Round (Evansville) 15–37
2007 2007UIFWestern 3rd870Lost Divisional (Billings) 27–62
2008 2008UIFWestern 3rd1040Lost Wild Card Round (Billings) 30–47
2009 2009IFLUnitedCentral 1st1130Lost Divisional (Wichita) 34–37
2010 2010IFLUnitedCentral West 2nd950Lost Wild Card Round (Sioux Falls) 23–42
2011 2011IFLUnitedGreat Plains 2nd950Won Wild Card Round (Bloomington) 39–34
Lost Divisional (Sioux Falls) 39–52
2012 2012IFLUnited 5th680
2013 2013CPIFL 2nd1020Lost Semifinals (Wichita) 25–31
2014 2014CPIFL 7th480
2015 2015CIF 9th1110
2016 2016CIFNorthern 4th750
2017 2017CIFNorth 2nd750Won Northern Semifinals (Bloomington) 43–30
Won Northern Championship (Sioux City) 55–45
Lost Champions Bowl III (Texas) 49–59
2018 2018CIFNorth 5th480
Totals 1561090All-time regular season record (2000–2018)
514—All-time postseason record (2000–2018)
1631230All-time regular season and postseason record (2000–2018)

Players

Current roster

Omaha Beef roster
Quarterbacks
  • 2 John Gibbs
  • 17 Chuck Wright

Running backs

  • 10 Jeff Mack

Wide receivers

  •  5 Brandlynn Clark
  • 0 Jeremiah Eaton
  •  8 Daniel McKinney
  • 88 Jamal Williams
 Offensive linemen
  • 50 Olu'kayode Akinmoladun
  • 71 Dominique Johnson
  • 70 Reginald Patrick
  • -- Trevis Turner

Defensive linemen

  • 15 Cameron Hall
  • 90 Brandon Jenkins
  • -- Mitch Moore
  • 99 Rusmin Nikocevic
  • 21 Walter Walker
  • 55 Terrance Woodard

Linebackers

  •  6 LaTreze Mushatt

Defensive backs

  •  1 Raymond Berry
  • -- Jevon Colbert
  • 23 Paul Dodson
  • 19 Mike McGee
  •  3 Chris Perry
  •  4 JerMichael Williams

Special teams

  • 11 Cody Barber
 Reserve lists
  • -- Aaron Berg DL
  • -- Ken Van Heule OL (Susp.)
  •  9 Karsman Johnson DL
  • 2 Skyler Scott WR (Susp.)

Rookies in italics
Roster updated May 31, 2018
25 Active, 4 Inactive

→ More rosters

Awards and honors

The following is a list of all Beef players who have won league Awards

SeasonPlayerPositionAward
2010Ben SankeyQuarterbackOffensive Player of the Year
2012Peter BuckLinebackerDefensive Rookie of the Year

Non-player personnel

The Beef organization have the only all-male dance team in indoor football, the Rump Roasters, along with an all-female dance team, the Prime dancers.[10] The Prime dancers have won several awards including the best dance team three times in the UIF and 2009 dance team of the year in the IFL. They are ambassadors for the Beef organization as well and perform in conjunction with the Rumproasters, including a routine for the last regular-season home game which can include ballroom dancing. The Prime were named Dance team of the Year once again for 2012.

The mascot for the Beef is an Angus bull named Sir Loin. He won mascot of the year three times in UIF and was named 2009 Mascot of the year in the IFL[11] and is a fan favorite. He was named Mascot of the Year for 2011 and again in 2012.

Past seasons

2013

Season schedule

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Results
Final score Record
1 Bye
2 March 17 (Sun) 2:00pm @Kansas City Renegades W 38–27 1–0
3 Bye
4 March 29 (Fri) 7:30pm Kansas Koyotes W 54–27 2–0
5 April 7 (Sun) 7:30pm Sioux City Bandits W 32–26 3–0
6 April 13 (Sat) 7:05pm @Lincoln Haymakers W 55–49 4–0
7 April 20 (Sat) 7:05pm @Wichita Wild L 17–29 4–1
8 April 27 (Sat) 7:05pm @Sioux City Bandits W 38–24 5–1
9 May 5 (Sun) 7:30pm Mid-Missouri Outlaws W 68–13 6–1
10 May 11 (Sat) 7:30pm Lincoln Haymakers W 27–23 7–1
11 May 17 (Fri) 7:05pm @Bloomington Edge W 51–33 8–1
12 May 24 (Sat) 4:30pm Oklahoma Defenders W 59–21 9–1
13 June 1 (Sat) 7:05pm @Lincoln Haymakers W 34–24 10–1
14 June 7 (Fri) 7:30pm Kansas City Renegades L 27–42 10–2
Playoffs
1 June 14 (Fri) 7:00pm Wichita Wild L 25–31 10–3

2014

Season schedule

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Results
Final score Record
1 March 2 (Sun) 3:00pm Dodge City Law L 35–61 0–1
2 March 9 (Sun) 3:00pm Kansas Koyotes W 55–27 [12] 1–1
3 Bye
4 March 22 (Sat) 7:05pm Lincoln Haymakers L 20–59 1–2
5 March 29 (Sun) 7:05pm @Bloomington Edge W 70–69 2–2
6 April 5 (Sat) 7:05pm @Kansas Koyotes W 52–30 [13] 3–2
7 April 11 (Sat) 7:05pm Sioux City Bandits L 55–61 3–3
8 April 19 (Sat) 7:05pm Wichita Wild L 33–66 3–4
9 Bye
10 May 3 (Sat) 7:05pm @Dodge City Law L 20–60 [14] 3–5
11 May 10 (Sat) 7:05pm @Sioux City Bandits L 47–61 3–6
12 May 16 (Fri) 7:05pm @Lincoln Haymakers L 56–67 3–7
13 May 24 (Sat) 7:05pm Bloomington Edge W 80–69 4–7
14 May 31 (Sat) 7:05pm @Salina Bombers L 43–50 4–8
15 Bye

2018

Season schedule

Week Date Kickoff Opponent Results
Final score Record
1 March 10 (Sat) 7:05pm Salina Liberty W 42–37 1–0
2 March 16 (Fri) 7:05pm @Kansas City Phantoms L 61–62 1–1
3 March 24 (Sat) 7:05pm Sioux City Bandits L 30–33 1–2
4 Bye
5 April 7 (Sat) 7:05pm @Bismarck Bucks L 32–33 1–3
6 April 14 (Sat) 7:05pm @Salina Liberty L 43–69 1–4
7 April 21 (Sat) 7:05pm Kansas City Phantoms W 47–41 2–4
8 April 28 (Sat) 7:05pm Quad City Steamwheelers W 47–36 3–4
9 May 5 (Sat) 7:05pm @Sioux City Bandits L 40–51 3–5
10 May 12 (Sat) 7:05pm @Bismarck Bucks W 79–78 4–5
11 May 19 (Sat) 7:05pm @Quad City Steamwheelers L 36–58 4–6
12 May 26 (Sat) 7:05pm Sioux City Bandits L 31–77 4–7
13 June 2 (Sat) 7:05pm Bismarck Bucks L 39–41 (OT) 4–8

References

  1. ↑ "Beef battle T-Cats for IPFL title". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. August 22, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  2. ↑ Paul Reeths (October 10, 2001). "Omaha Beef move to NIFL". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  3. ↑ "2013 IFL Schedule Announced". Indoor Football League. October 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Omaha Beef Set To Announce New Ownership Group". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. December 4, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Beef name former Husker Ross new head coach". Omaha World-Herald. Omaha, NE: Berkshire Hathaway. January 7, 2015. p. 6C. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ http://www.beeffootball.com/know-your-beef-defensive-coordinator-demetrius-ross/
  7. ↑ https://www.justice.gov/usao-ne/pr/january-grand-jury-2
  8. ↑ http://nebraska.tv/news/local/former-danger-player-sentenced-to-prison
  9. ↑ http://www.beeffootball.com/beef-announce-2018-coaching-staff/
  10. ↑ "About the Rump Roasters". www.rumproaster.com. Rump Roasters. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Former RiverCity Rage Players Join the Beef". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. December 22, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  12. ↑ Peterson, Jr., Rick (March 22, 2014). "Koyotes set for home opener against Salina". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  13. ↑ Peterson, Jr., Rick (April 6, 2014). "Koyotes drop to 0-4 with loss to Omaha Beef". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Archived from the original on April 28, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Law shreds Beef again". Dodge City Daily Globe. May 3, 2014. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
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