Austin Turfcats



Years of Existence: 2009
Venue: Austin Expo Center (Austin, TX)
Accomplishments:
2009 – Championship game appearance
Lifetime Record: 10-3
Home: 6-1
Away: 4-2
Playoffs: 1-1
Average Attendance: 1,486

The Austin Turfcats were a new team for the first year SIFL. The team focused on the rushing game, something not all that common even in indoor football. The team scored 33 rushing touchdowns and ran for 839 yards, while giving up just 11 rushing scores and 302 yards. Quarterback Deron Ellis rushed for 11 of those 33 scores and passed for just 17, while being picked ten times. The Turfcats recovered fifteen of their opponents' eighteen fumbles and picked off the opponent fourteen times. After an opening night home loss to Acadiana, the team would cruise to a 9-2 record, with the other loss coming to Louisiana. A David Banks two yard touchdown run won an overtime thriller against Acadiana in the semifinal round of the postseason, giving Austin and Louisiana a rubber match for the season series. Any hopes of another Swashbuckler upset were quickly dashed, as Austin found itself down 28-3 in the second quarter. Louisiana claimed the first ever SIFL championship with a 59-38 victory.