The

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Fort Wayne Firehawks The Fort Wayne FireHawks were a professional indoor football team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The team joined the Continental Indoor Football League as an expansion team during the 2010 season. The FireHawks were the fourth attempt at indoor ...

season was the first season for the

Continental Indoor Football League The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor American football, indoor American football, football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as ...

(CIFL) franchise. In November 2009, the FireHawks were announced as the successor team to the

Fort Wayne Freedom The Fort Wayne Freedom was a professional indoor football team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The team was most recently a member of the Continental Indoor Football League, but originally began play in 2003 as an expansion team in the National ...

. Owners J. Michael Loomis and John Christner purchased the assets left from the Freedom franchise, who had played the two seasons before the FireHawks were announced. Christner's first action as General Manager was naming former Freedom head coach Willie Davis as the team's first head coach. On December 9, 2009, it was confirmed that Loomis and Christner would take over the entities that used to run the Freedom. Before the season started, the team announced they had signed

Katie Hnida Katharine Anne Hnida (; born May 17, 1981) is a former American football player who became the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I-A game, college football's highest level. She accomplished this as placekicker for the University of New Me ...

as the team's placekicker. Hnida is best known for becoming the first woman to score a point in an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

football game and speaking out during the recruiting scandal at her first school, the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

. According to ''

The Journal Gazette ''The Journal Gazette'' is the morning newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It publishes six days a week, and contends for circulation and advertising in a 15-county area. History ''The Journal Gazette'' traces its origins to 1863 when ''The Fort ...

'' in 2011, former players said they were still owed from the 2010 season. Team owner Mike Loomis did not confirm or deny the reports in that article. The team drew about 2,000 fans per game, according to CIFL stats.

Players

Signings

Final roster

Staff

Schedule

Regular season

Standings

Regular season results

Week 4: vs. Cincinnati Commandos

The FireHawks suffered a loss in their first game as a franchise April 2, 2010, a 55–27 loss to the

Cincinnati Commandos The Cincinnati Commandos were a professional indoor football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team suspended operations for the 2013 season, with hope of returning in 2014. They began play in 2010 as an expansion team in the Continental Ind ...

. During the game, the FireHawks also lost their quarterback, Adam Gibson, during the game, leaving the FireHawks searching for another quarterback before the next week.

Week 5: vs. Miami Valley Silverbacks

The FireHawks earned their first victory April 10, 2010, 44–28 against the Miami Valley Silverbacks, as new quarterback, Kota Carone-Colors, paced the team with seven touchdown passes.

Week 6: vs. Wisconsin Wolfpack

Throughout the season the team experienced many ups and downs, none lower than a 0–49 defeat at the hands of the Wisconsin Wolfpack. Three weeks into the season, the FireHawks received a blow, when co-owner and general manager John Christner left the organization, leaving Loomis as the sole owner.

Week 7: vs. Chicago Cardinals

The FireHawks' showed no effects from the front office problems, as the following week the team came out and defeated the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

69–45, but the team played without Hnida, as a blood clot on her foot put her out for the season.

Week 8: vs. Wisconsin Wolfpack

The FireHawks got a quick chance at revenge against the Wolfpack, but they failed losing 32–33 as they couldn't score from the 1-yard line with seconds left, as backup quarterback, Mike Whitaker's pass sailed over the hands of Jermaine Woolfolk. The FireHawks didn't dress a kicker during the game, citing "low ceilings" as the reason not to dress the team's new kicker, David McLane, an intern for the team.

Week 9: vs. Miami Valley Silverbacks

The FireHawks won their next game against Miami Valley, 26–8.

Week 10: vs. Marion Mayhem

During the week before the team's first game at the

Marion Mayhem The Marion Mayhem were a professional indoor American football, indoor football team based in Marion, Ohio. The team was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL), later renamed the Continental Indoor Football League (CIF ...

, Loomis stated that the team would continue to play despite its mounting financial struggles. The Mayhem, who were having financial problems of their own, forced the FireHawks next game back to June 12.

Week 11: vs. Cincinnati Commandos

The FireHawks continued their season the following week against the undefeated Commandos, losing 46–49 after leading by 12 with 4:12 left in the game.

Week 12: vs. Marion Mayhem

The team was scheduled to the Mayhem the next week, but before they played the FireHawks the franchise folded. The folding of Marion credited the FireHawks with two forfeit wins, but hurt the team financially by costing them a home game. Because the Mayhem didn't finish the season, several of Marion's players were signed by Fort Wayne in the subsequent weeks to join in the FireHawks' playoff run.

Week 14: vs. Chicago Cardinals

The FireHawks went to Chicago and shutout the Cardinals 48–0. The FireHawks finished 6–4 during the 2010 Continental Indoor Football League season, earning a third-seed in the playoffs.

Postseason

Schedule

Postseason results

Semifinals: vs. Wisconsin Wolfpack

In the first playoff game in team history, the FireHawks lost to the second-place Wolfpack, 25–24.

Stats

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

CIFL awards

*Co-Defensive Player of the Year - Tramaine Billie *Special Teams Player of the Year - Mike Tatum (Also played with the

during 2010 season) 1st Team All-CIFL *WR Justin Wynn *LB Tramaine Billie *KR Mike Tatum 2nd Team All-CIFL *C Anothony Harrison *DE Brodrick Johnson *DE Thomas McKenzie (Also played with the

during 2010 season) *DB Paul Carter

References

External links

2010 stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 Fort Wayne FireHawks Season 2010 Continental Indoor Football League season Sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne FireHawks