Green Bay Blizzard



Years of Existence: 2010-
Venue: Resch Center (Green Bay, WI)
Accomplishments
2010 – Central North Division champions, playoff appearance
2011 - Great Lakes Division champions, semifinal appearance
2012 - Semifinal appearance
2013 -
2014 -
2015 -
2016 -
2017 -
2018 -
2019 - Playoff appearance
2021 -
2022 -
2023 -
Lifetime Record: 83-112
Home: 52-45
Away: 31-67
Playoffs: 2-4
Average Attendance: 3,411

The Green Bay Blizzard joined the IFL when the af2 was dissolved. The team was quarterbacked by Jake Phillips, who threw for 34 touchdowns and 13 picks. Scott Burnoski and Daniel Robinson were the favorite targets, catching 24 touchdowns. Randy Bell led the ground game with 18 scores. The team outscored opponents by an average of 48-39. The team was involved in several tight games; a 46-45 win in Maryland, a 72-69 victory at West Michigan, a 69-61 victory in Sioux City, a 24-20 loss to Bloomington, and five other games decided by ten points or less. The team won its division and hosted Chicago in its first IFL playoff game. The Slaughter had won previously in Green Bay, 46-43, and were out for blood again as the eighth seed. Chicago led the game 39-37 with under a minute to go and while trying to run the clock out, managed to take a safety, which tied the game at 39. Green Bay got the ball with 20 seconds left and threw a pick six, which would seal their fate, 46-39. The Blizzard returned with more success in 2011, with Willie Copeland and AFL veteran James Sewell at quarterback. Sewell was injured midseason and only threw for 12 scores. However, Copeland was a more than capable replacement, tossing for 1,929 yards, 40 touchdowns, and just 13 picks. A new group of wide receivers featured Agim Shabaj and former Fairbanks Grizzlies standout Lonnie Sanders. Sanders racked up 448 yards and 11 scores, while Shabaj racked up 743 yards and 13 scores. On defense, Arkeith Brown picked 12 passes, while Jeremiah Rice and James McClinton combined for 20.5 sacks. The Blizzard were unbeaten at home, including all three meetings agsinst the Reading Express, including a 68-51 playoff contest. The Blizzard would face the Sioux Falls Storm for a second time on the year for a chance to go to United Bowl. However, Green Bay would muster just one touchdown all game, losing 52-12 in North Dakota. The team returned in 2012, led by Donovan Porterie, who threw for 1,990 yards, 44 scores and 18 picks. However, the real story on offense for the Blizzard was LaRon Council, who became the eighth indoor football player in history to run for 1,000 yards. He scored 32 times. B.J. Hill and Aaron Moore combined to pick off 17 passes for the Blizzard defense. Of the team's 11 regular season wins, five of them came against playoff teams. Two of the three losses came against Sioux Falls. The team clinched the second seed in the United Conference playoffs and hosted Bloomington in the first round. The Blizzard dispatched of the Edge, 51-30, advancing to a conference title rematch with the Storm. The Blizzard led 28-26 at half, but would ultimately fall to Chris Dixon and company, 61-42. The Blizzard returned in 2013, quarterbacked again by Porterie but also by Spencer Ohm. Their statistics were pretty much identical, with Portiere throwing for 23 scores and Ohm 28. Ryan Balentine led all receivers with 834 yards and 12 scores, while BJ Hill scored eleven. The team won just four games on the campaign, defeating Cedar Rapids, Tri-Cities, Texas, and Nebraska. The victory over Cedar Rapids came in double overtime. The slide continued for the Blizzard in 2014, as the team won just twice. Nathan Wara was at the helm of this team, passing for 1,848 yards, 37 touchdowns and 14 picks. Wara also ran for 20 scores. His top target was Donte Sawyer, who caught 13 scores on 73 catches for 713 yards. Defense was an issue for this Blizzard team, as they allowed 55 points per game and only picked off five passes all year. The team improved as the season went on, with both wins coming at home in the final three weeks, but giving up 60 or more points in five games would help doom Green Bay to a second straight year of not making the playoffs. The team missed the playoffs again in 2015, going 6-8. Quarterback Donovan Porterie threw 56 touchdowns, but was also picked 23 times. Markeith Summers, Donte Sawyer, and Carl Sims each caught ten touchdowns. A 39 yard field goal at the horn gave the Blizzard a 52-49 victory over the Cedar Rapids Titans, in one of the best highlights of the Blizzard season. The team returned for a 5-11 campaign in 2016, quarterbacked by Matt Behrendt. Behrendt passed for 2,832 yards, 63 touchdowns and 14 picks. His top receiver was Markeith Summers, who snagged an astounding 26 touchdowns and 913 yards on 54 grabs. The Blizzard suffered from a lackluster offense, however, as they surpassed 40 times only twice in their 11 losses. The Blizzard allowed 46 sacks, while getting to the opposing quarterback just 14 times. Four of the Blizzard's wins game by a combined eleven points, with high drama and one overtime victory over Nebraska at home. The 2017 Blizzard again missed the playoffs, going 3-13. Behrendt remained the quarterback for most of the season, passing for 30 scores and 11 picks, getting near 2,000 yards. Two of the three wins came against the Cedar Rapids Titans, while the other came against Salt Lake City. Seven of the thirteen losses came by one score or less. The Blizzard continued their time in the playoff wilderness with a 2-12 2018 season. Bryan Hicks spent the most time at quarterback, throwing for 1,234 yards, 22 touchdowns and eleven interceptions. B.J. Hill led all rushers with 351 yards and four scores. Perhaps the best game Green Bay was involved in was their triple overtime loss at Sioux Falls in the final week of the season. The Blizzard led in the first and second overtimes before finally falling, 69-61. Perhaps most impressively, Bryan Hicks almost overcame four interceptions for the victory. The Blizzard played to a 9-5 regular season in 2019. Lenoris Footman passed for over 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also had over 700 rushing yards. The team fell to Nebraska in the first round of the playoffs. In 2021, the team went 5-9 and missed the postseason. Jack Sheehan quarterbacked the Blizzard in 2022, passing for 1,940 yards, 40 touchdowns and eight picks. Keshaun Taylor was the top target, snagging 57 balls for 625 yards and 22 touchdowns. The team dropped the first two games of the year to Bismarck by three and two points and also lost to Frisco by two. The Blizzard did end a several year losing stream to Sioux Falls by defeating them 42-40. The team returned in 2023 and failed to make the playoffs, going 7-8. Ja'Rom Johnson and Maxwell Meylor combined for 2,474 yards, 46 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Marquis Irvin led all receivers with 886 yards and 16 touchdown catches. Steve Newbold hauled in 14 touchdown passes of his own. The team was well-balanced, scoring 50 times rushing, as well. The defense struggled, however, and six of the team's eight losses came by nine points or less.