The Rockford Fury was a Premier Basketball League ( PBL) team based in Rockford,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Franchise History

Inaugural Season - 2006-07

The team began existence as the Hammond Rollers of the ABA's current incarnation (based out of

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Located along Lake Michigan, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the Li ...

, and playing at the

Hammond Civic Center Hammond Civic Center is a 4,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Hammond, Indiana. The arena opened in 1938. It is well known for hosting various local concerts, and sporting events such WWE Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, mixed martial arts figh ...

), before being sold to Tom McGinn (owner of the Quad City Riverhawks), relocated to

Dixon, Illinois Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 15,274 as of the 2020 census. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River (Mississippi River ...

, and renamed the Sauk Valley Rollers.
/sup> The Rollers finished the regular season 16-16, good for third place in the White Conference, Northern Division, and earning them a #17 ranking in the ABA playoffs, before losing to their brother franchise, the Quad City Riverhawks, by a score of 100–86.

Second Season - 2007-08

The team moved to

Rockford College Rockford or Rockfords may refer to: Places United States * Rockford, Alabama, a town * Rockford, Idaho, a census-designated place * Rockford, Illinois, a city, the largest municipality of this name * Rockford metropolitan area, Illinois, a Unite ...

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...

for 2007–08. Also, because of the "Rollers" nickname and logo referenced gambling, they changed their name to the Rock River Fury

On August 27, the Fury announced they would be moving to the PBL along with their brother franchise, the Quad City Riverhawks

End of the line

The Fury met their end in the summer of 2008 when the PBL added a rule prohibiting one owner having multiple teams in the league. The Riverhawks were maintained and the Fury folded.

References

External links

Official website of the Rockford Fury
Defunct American Basketball Association (2000–present) teams Former Premier Basketball League teams Basketball teams in Illinois Fury {{Illinois-basketball-team-stub