The Port Huron Pirates were a professional indoor football team based in Port Huron, Michigan. The team was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL) joining the league in 2006 as an expansion team. The Pirates were the first professional indoor football team to be based in Port Huron. They played their home games at McMorran Arena in Port Huron, Michigan.
The Pirates are the only team to never lose a regular season game in the history of the Continental Indoor Football League, going 22–0 for the only two years that the team existed.
Franchise history
2006 In their inaugural season, Pirates owner hired Brian Hug to be the head coach. the Pirates went undefeated (10–0), defeated the Battle Creek Crunch in the semifinals, and won the inaugural Great Lakes Bowl I 40–34 over the Rochester Raiders, with RB Rayshawn Askew winning the game's MVP title. Over 2,500 fans witnessed the game, marking one of the biggest crowds to watch a sporting event at McMorran Place. Adding some more great news was that QB Shane Franzer was named the inaugural GLIFL MVP of the All-Star game and Rayshawn Askew was named the inaugural GLIFL Running Back of the Year.
Standings
2007 After the season, head coach Brian Hug left the Pirates to become head coach of the Pahrump Valley High School football team. The Pirates went on to promote assistant Karl Featherstone as their new head coach. In March 2007, Hug was hired by the Las Vegas Gladiators as an assistant offensive/defensive line coach. Featherstone got the team off to a fast start as they defeated the Miami Valley Silverbacks, 54–7, en route to another perfect regular season.
Unfortunately, at halftime of the May 26 game against Marion, in front of an announced crowd of 1,216 fans, the team announced this would be their final season in Port Huron, as they could no longer pay the bills with such lackluster attendance. Speculated relocation cities included Binghamton, New York, Flint, Michigan, and one other Michigan city.
Afterwards, the team announced they would be playing their playoff games at the Perani Arena and Event Center in Flint, Michigan. They were using the playoffs as a test of the arena and the city of Flint for potential relocation. They then renamed themselves The Michigan Pirates for the rest of the season.
After winning their first 26 games, the team finally met their Waterloo in the 2007 CIFL Indoor Championship Game, losing to long-time rival Rochester Raiders by a score of 37–27 at Rochester's Blue Cross Arena.
After an offseason of uncertainty regarding whether the team would return, the CIFL moved the Port Huron Pirates from the "Active Teams" section of their message board to the "Defunct Teams" section of their message board, indicating the team has left the league. It was later confirmed by league officials that The Pirates were no more, as Peter Norager sold the team to the owner of Perani Arena and the team was renamed the Flint Phantoms.
Schedule DateOpponentHome/AwayResultMarch 17Rochester RaidersAwayWon 62–30March 24Miami Valley SilverbacksHomeWon 54–7March 30Rochester RaidersHomeWon 60–13April 14Springfield StallionsAwayWon 54–6April 21Muskegon ThunderAwayWon 47–13April 28Summit County RumbleHomeWon 70–34May 4Miami Valley SilverbacksAwayWon 78–19May 12Muskegon ThunderHomeWon 76–37May 19Summit County RumbleAwayWon 63–0May 26Marion MayhemHomeWon 56–9June 8Kalamazoo XplosionHomeWon 55–20June 16Chicago SlaughterAwayWon 46–12July 7Marion Mayhem (Playoffs)Home (Flint)Won 70-20July 13Kalamazoo Xplosion (Playoffs)Home (Flint)Won 37–29July 28Rochester Raiders (CIFL Indoor Championship Game)AwayLost 27–37
Standings
Logos and uniforms The logo featured a fierce pirate, symbolic of the surrounding Great Lake Huron. In the background is a depiction of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.
Awards and honors The following is a list of all Port Huron/Michigan Pirates players who won GLIFL/CIFL Awards.
Season Award Player Position2006 Running Back of the Year Rayshawn Askew RB2006 Defensive Player of the Year Eddie Bynes DE2006 Great Lakes Bowl I MVP Rayshawn Askew RB2006 GLIFL All-Star Game MVP Shane Franzer QB2007 Most Valuable Player Robert Height RB2007 Offensive Player of the Year Robert Height RB2007 Defensive Player of the Year Eddie Bynes DE
Head coaches Name Term Regular season Playoffs Awards W L T Win% W LBrian Hug2006100020Coach of the YearKarl Featherstone2007120021Coach of the Year
Season-by-season results League championsConference championsDivision championsWild card berthLeague leader
SeasonTeam League Conference Division Regular season Postseason resultsFinishWinsLossesTies 2006 2006 GLIFL 1st 10 0 0Won GLIFL semifinals (Crunch) 74-3Won Great Lakes Bowl I (Raiders) 40-34 2007 2007 CIFL Great Lakes 1st 12 0 0Won Division Semifinals (Mayhem) 70-20Won Division Championships (Xplosion) 37-29Lost 2007 CIFL Championship Game (Raiders) 27-37Totals2200All-time regular season record (2006-2007)41-All-time postseason record (2006-2007)2610All-time regular season and postseason record (2006-2007)
References