The 2013 Knoxville NightHawks season was the first season for the professional indoor football franchise and their first in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL). The NightHawks were one of six teams that competed in the PIFL for the 2013 season.
The team played their home games under head coach Chris MacKeown at the James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. The NightHawks earned a 1–11 record, placing seventh in the league, failing to qualify for the playoffs.
The franchise was announced by Owner Jeff Knight on September 15, 2011. 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. On October 4, 2011, the NightHawks named Chris MacKeown the team's first coach in franchise history. The team made a splash when they signed veteran NFL defensive lineman Chris Bradwell, and veteran Arena Football League quarterback, Tony Colston. In the team's first ever game, the NightHawks fell 45–70 to the Alabama Hammers. 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.
Schedule Key:
Regular season All start times are local to home team Week Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Score Record 1 BYE 2 Saturday March 17 7:30pm at Columbus Lions L 59–64 0–1 Columbus Civic Center 3 Saturday March 24 7:00pm at Richmond Raiders L 42–70 0–2 Richmond Coliseum 4 Saturday March 31 7:00pm Richmond Raiders L 29–80 0–3 James White Civic Coliseum 5 BYE 6 Saturday April 14 7:00pm Albany Panthers L 10–59 0–4 James White Civic Coliseum 7 Saturday April 21 7:05pm at Alabama Hammers L 25–62 0–5 Von Braun Center 8 Friday April 27 7:00pm Louisiana Swashbucklers L 28–61 0–6 James White Civic Coliseum 9 Saturday May 5 7:00pm Alabama Hammers W 64–61 OT 1–6 James White Civic Coliseum 10 Saturday May 12 7:00pm Columbus Lions L 55–58 1–7 James White Civic Coliseum 11 Saturday May 19 7:05pm at Louisiana Swashbucklers L 51–53 1–8 Sudduth Coliseum 12 BYE 13 Saturday June 2 7:00pm at Albany Panthers L 64–74 1–9 James H. Gray Civic Center 14 Saturday June 9 7:00pm Richmond Raiders L 57–60 1–10 James White Civic Coliseum 15 Saturday June 16 7:00pm at Columbus Lions L 63–76 1–11 Columbus Civic Center
Roster 2012 Knoxville NightHawks roster Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen Linebackers
Defensive backs
Kickers Injured reserve
Exempt list Currently vacant
Rookies in italics updated June 23, 2012 14 Active, 1 Inactive
Division standings
References
External links