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The AFL launched a sister league in the
Spring of 2000 called the af2 where 15 teams would begin operations.
Jim Foster, founder of Arena Football and then owner of the Iowa
Barnstormers AFL franchise, put an af2 franchise in the Quad Cities.
The team hired Frank Haege as their head coach and they held a tryout camp
at Brady Stadium in fall of '99. Nearly 300 guys tried out and about
25 were invited back to their second tryouts. Two made the team with
Jay Eilers being one of them.
The season started with a game against
Tulsa. It was an arial assault and an exciting way to introduce
Arena Football. The game was a sell-out with over 9,100 fans in
attendance. The season rolled on with win after win. Fans
tailgated along the river bank on The MARK parking lot. It was like
Mardi Gras every home game.
The Steamwheelers made history with their
103-3 thumping of the Greensboro Prowlers on the road. Rivalries
were being forged between Quad City and Tennessee Valley due in part to
the beatings they took and the political power struggle between the two
owners. Quad City sealed the deal earning a 19-0 record and winning
the inaugural af2 ArenaCup Championship by beating the Vipers at The MARK
of the Quad Cities on TNN national television. The game was closer
than many fans thought it would be. The game was a sellout crowd,
standing room only and no one sat during the entire game. The
Steamwheelers won it 68-59.
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Frank
Haege - Coach
