Minnesota Fighting Pike
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The Minnesota Fighting Pike were an Arena football team based in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. They joined the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
(AFL) in 1996 as an expansion team. The Fighting Pike were the first ever attempt at an arena/indoor football team in the state of
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. The owner of the Fighting Pike was Tom Scallen. The Fighting Pike played at the Target Center in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. The team colors were green and gold. In a 2012 AFL Poll, the Fighting Pike were voted as the 8th greatest nickname in AFL history.


Franchise history

In November 1995, the announced that they would be nicknamed the "Fighting Pike" and that Art Haege was named the team's head coach. During the team's first tryout, Haege walked out, stating he was going "Back to Iowa." The next day, Haege faxed in his resignation to team owner Tom Scallen. The Pike were 0-7 at home, and the average attendance for the seven home games was 8,894. The roster was full of players who had played at the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
or other Minnesota colleges and universities. Tony Levine, a former Golden Gopher, joined the team and received 8 passes for a total of 83 yards and 1 touchdown. Former Gopher Rickey Foggie was the quarterback and he struggled adapting to the Arena Football League after many years in the
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
. Once during the season he was benched in favor of Southwest State's Jeff Loots, who threw four
interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...
s in a game. Loots was playing on his third expansion team in three seasons. Another player from Southwest State was Alvin Ashley. The best-known ex-Pike is kicker Mike Vanderjagt, later a star in the CFL and NFL. Ray Jauch was the head coach. He was assisted by John Coatta Jr. on offense and Frank Haege on defense. The team's lack of exposure or advertising was the key reason for the team's folding at the end of the 1996 season. The team did not have a regional television deal to promote their games or have the games advertised in newspapers and other media. The Pike's final game of the season against the Memphis Pharaohs was played in
Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1860, the population was 37,923 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 7th-most populous ...
, because the Pharaohs had been evicted from their arena. The Pike's official mascot was a giant Pike named "Tackle." He was known to "dive" into a promotional hot tub at the arena.


Legacy

In 2024, a revival of the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
brought it the Minnesota Myth, a team which played only two games (one at Target Center) before folding themselves.


Players


Final roster


Coaches


Head coaches


Coaching staff


1996 season results


Statistics


Team leaders

* Leading rusher: Harry Jackson 22 carries, 26 yards and 0 touchdowns * Leading passer: Rickey Foggie 224-443 for 2,269 yards, 40 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. * Leading receiver: Reggie Brown 79 catches, 964 yards 17, touchdowns


Offense


Passing


Rushing


Receiving


Touchdowns


Defense


Special teams


Kick return


Kicking


1996 regular season


Week 1: vs Texas Terror

''at The Summit,
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
'' Attendance: 4,520


Week 2: vs Iowa Barnstormers

''at the Target Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
'' Attendance: 14,840


Week 3: vs St. Louis Stampede

''at the Target Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
'' Attendance: 8,726


Week 4: vs Albany Firebirds

''at the Times Union Center,
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
'' Attendance: 11,712


Week 5: vs Tampa Bay Storm

''at the Target Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
'' Attendance: 7,781


Week 6: vs Anaheim Piranhas

''at the Target Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
'' Attendance: 8,117


Week 7: vs Arizona Rattlers

''at the Target Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
'' Attendance: 8,207


Week 8: vs Florida Bobcats

''at the West Palm Beach Auditorium,
West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...
'' Attendance: 4,450


Week 10: vs Milwaukee Mustangs

''at the Target Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
'' Attendance: 7,207


Week 11: vs Connecticut Coyotes

''at the Hartford Civic Center,
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
'' Attendance: 9,249


Week 12: vs Orlando Predators

''at the Amway Arena,
Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
'' Attendance: 15,107


Week 13: vs Texas Terror

''at the Target Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
'' Attendance: 7,380


Week 14: vs

San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

''at the HP Pavilion,
San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
'' Attendance: 14,901


Week 15: vs Memphis Pharaohs

''at the BancorpSouth Arena,
Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1860, the population was 37,923 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 7th-most populous ...
'' Attendance: 4,520


Other media

* The team appeared on the game '' EA Sports Arena Football'' as a hidden bonus team.


Notes

*All game scores and statistics are from arenafan.com


External links


Minnesota Fighting Pike at ArenaFan.com

Minnesota Fighting Pike statistics
{{1996 Arena Football League American football teams established in 1996 American football teams disestablished in 1996 1996 establishments in Minnesota American football teams in Minnesota 1996 disestablishments in Minnesota American football teams in Minneapolis–Saint Paul 1996 in sports in Minnesota 1990s in Minneapolis American football in Minneapolis