| Racine Raiders | |
 | |
| Founded | 1953 |
|---|---|
| League | CSFL (1953, 1962-1975) BSFL (1954-1959) TSFL (1960-1961) NSFL (1978-1981, 1983-1985) AFA (1982) MWFL (1986-1990, 1992-1994) Independent (1991) MCFL (1995-2002) NAFL (2003-2009) MSFL (2010) Elite MCFL (2011 - present)[citation needed] |
| Team history | Racine Raiders (1953-1975) North Shore Gladiators (1978) Racine Gladiators (1979-1985) Racine Raiders (1986-present) |
| Stadium | Horlick Athletic Field |
| Based in | Racine, Wisconsin |
| Team colors | Black, Silver, Original Cardinal Red |
| President | Matthew C. Snyder |
| Head coach | Wilbert Kennedy |
| Championships | 7 (1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2001,2012) |
| Dancers | Raiders Dance and Stunt Team |
| Mascot | RJ Raider |
The Racine Raiders American football club is a MidStates Football League team based in Racine, Wisconsin. Founded in 1953, they are the oldest Minor League Football team in Wisconsin (United States) that is still in existence. The team joined the MSFL for the 2010 season.
| PLAYERS | COACHES | SCORES | IMAGES | SEASONS |
The Raiders were the first minor league football team to gain 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Organization is composed entirely of Volunteers.
- Helmet Design: Silver background with a cowboy bandit in black with a half and half bandanna of cardinal and black on a white circular background in a triple circular outline of silver, cardinal and black
President: Bob Milkie
VP - GM: Bob Marcado
Head Coach: Jordan Kopac
Franchise history
Edit
SummaryEdit
Wigs Konicek, a local restaurateur at the time, started the Racine Raiders in 1953. The team began in the Bi-States Football League (BSFL) and won their first league championship in 1954.
The team was able to sustain itself until 1975 when it disbanded. Athough the did not field a team for the 1976 and 1977 season, they remained organized for those seasons. New owners started the Racine Gladiators in 1978. They paid players and were successful on the field, winning three National Championships. Unfortunately, the team fell on hard times and disbanded in 1985.
In 1986, Bob Milkie, a retired bearing company executive, Joe Mooney, a police sergeant, Jess Levin, a local banker, and others rebuilt the team, this time as community-owned, non-profit organization.
Perhaps the biggest moment in the team's history, as well as that of minor league football, came in 1989 when the team traveled to Ottawa, Canada, to play in a World Championship game. While the team won the game in five degree weather and a blizzard, just playing the game was the important element. The team was now able to apply for, and received, 501(c)3 Not-For-Profit status from the Internal Revenue Service, setting the tone for dozens of minor league football teams since to be able to do the same.
The Raiders have won seven National Championships and have had nearly a dozen players with National Football League (NFL) experience. They also have 26 players, coaches or staff in the American Football Association (AFA) Hall of Fame, more than any other team.
2010 Season ScheduleEdit
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 26 | McHenry County Pirates | Home | W, 20-18 |
| July 3 | Stallions of Country Club Hills | Home | W, 34-0 |
| July 10 | Roscoe Rush | Away | L, 29-37 |
| July 17 | Leyden Lions | Home | W, 19-17 |
| July 24 | Chicago Thunder | Away | W, 28-19 |
| July 31 | Chicago Mustangs | Away | L, 5-14 |
| August 7 | Kilbourn City Hawks | Home | W, 58-0 |
| August 14 | Northern Illinois Cowboys | Away | W, 51-10 |
| August 21 | Racine Threat | Home | W, 41-38 |
| August 28 | Lincoln-Way Patriots | Home |
American Football Association (AFA) Minor League Football Hall of FameEdit
| 1982 | Harry Gilbert | Coach Category | ||
| 1987 | Bob Milkie | Player Category | ||
| 1988 | Kurt Kampendahl | Player Category | ||
| 1988 | Ed O'Reilly | Coach Category | ||
| 1989 | Greg Johnson | Player Category | ||
| 1990 | Charlie Bliss | Player Category | ||
| 1994 | Norm Killion | Coach Category | ||
| 1996 | Ron Hart | Player Category | ||
| 1997 | Tom Kohr | Coach Category | ||
| 1999 | Arnie Garber | Coach Category | ||
| 1999 | Joe Mooney | Executive Category | ||
| 2000 | John Scardina | Player Category | ||
| 2001 | Phil Micech | Player Category | ||
| 2002 | Tony Lombardo | Player Category | ||
| 2003 | Jordan Kopac | Coach Category | ||
| 2003 | Dennis Galipo | Player Category | ||
| 2004 | Brian Forston | Player Category | ||
| 2004 | Brian Erickson | Player Category | ||
| 2005 | Ron Anton | Player Category | ||
| 2005 | Terry Converse | Coach Category | ||
| 2005 | Gary Kuykendall | Player Category | ||
| 2005 | Mike Willkomm | Player Category | ||
| 2006 | Dan Dragan | Player Category | ||
| 2006 | Gary Suhr | Media Category | ||
| 2007 | Chris Pivovar | Coach Category | ||
| 2007 | Scott Smith | Player Category | ||
| 2010 | Greg Fictum | Player Category | ||
| 2010 | Jerry Kupper | Coach Category |
Minor League Football News Hall of FameEdit
| 2007 | Brian Forston | |
| 2007 | Peter Deates | |
| 2007 | Jordan Kopac |
Retired numbersEdit
| 10 | Jim May | Quarterback | 1964-1965 |
| 11 | Charlie Bliss | Quarterback | 1980-1989, 1992 |
| 23 | Tony Lombardo | Running Back | 1962-1966 |
| 51 | Bob Milkie | Center | 1957-1971 |
| 53 | L. Fred Vondra | Center | 1979-1985 |
| 55 | Wilbert Kennedy | Defensive Tackle | 1988-2009 |
| 74 | Kurt Kampendahl | Defensive Tackle | 1982-1993 |
| 75 | Ron Hart | Defensive Tackle | 1964-1975 |
| 82 | Ron Anton | Tight End | 1964-1973 |
| 83 | Phil Micech | Defensive End/Defensive Tackle/Tight End | 1985-1995, 2001 |
Players that played in the NFLEdit
| Tony Lombardo, Philadelphia Eagles (1964) |
| Tim Rucks, New York Jets (1983) [1] |
| Ron Daugherty, Minnesota Vikings (1987) |
| Phil Micech, Minnesota Vikings (1987) |
| Brett Wilson, Minnesota Vikings (1987) |
| Matt Turk, Washington Redskins (1995-99), Miami Dolphins (2000-01, 2003-05), New York Jets (2002), St. Louis Rams (2006), Houston Texans (2007-present) |
| Brent Moss, St. Louis Rams (1995) |
Head coachesEdit
| 1953 | Don Perkins | (1-2-2) |
| 1953 | Les Kalchik | (1-6-0) |
| 1954-1962 | Frank Schinkowitch | (46-47-5) |
| 1963 | Jim Haluska | (2-8-0) |
| 1964-1967, 1982 | Harry Gilbert | (44-9-2) |
| 1968-1969 | Jim Thompson | (11-12-0) |
| 1970-1972 | Bruno Wojtaszek | (15-24-0) |
| 1973-1974 | Warren Greco | (16-9-0) |
| 1975, 1979 | Larry Benjamin | (15-12) |
| 1980-81, 1986-90, 1997-2000 | Bob Milkie | (137-29-0) |
| 1983-1984 | Pete Bock | (32-3-0) |
| 1985 | Rich McClure | (9-7-0) |
| 1991-1994 | Terry Converse | (49-3-0) |
| 1995-1996 | Kurt Kampendahl | (29-4-0) |
| 2002-2004 | Gregg Brenner | (36-10-0) |
| 2001, 2005-2007, 2011 | Jordan Kopac | (49-16-0) |
| 2008-2010 | John Mamerow | (17-10-0) |
Current coaching staffEdit
Head CoachEdit
- Gino Perfetto
- Head Coach
Offensive CoachesEdit
- Matt Nelson - Offensive Coordinator
- Nick Aiello - Running Backs
- Arnie Garber - Offensive Line
Defensive CoachesEdit
- Alex Powell - Defensive Coordinator
- Wilbert Kennedy - Defensive Line
- Pedro Trevino -Defensive Backs
Special Teams CoachesEdit
- Vacant - Special Teams Coordinator
External linksEdit
- Racine Raiders Official Website
- Play for the Raiders - Racine Raiders Official Recruiting Website
- WRJN 1400 AM
- Racine Journal Times
- MidStates Football League (MSFL)
- Minor League Football News (MLFN)
- National Football Events (NFE)
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ Carthage College website "Tim Rucks biography", accessed December 27, 2010.
