Fort Wayne moves to the UIF This year would be the Freedom's first in a new league, United Indoor Football
(UIF). With a new head coach at the helm the Freedom would have it's most successful season thus far, finishing with a record
of 14-3. Previously the offensive coordinator for the team, Matt Land flourished in his role as head coach.
The team
started off strong with 10 straight wins before incurring their first loss of the season to the Omaha Beef in Omaha on June
11, 2005. The next week the Freedom suffered their second straight loss in a game against one of their biggest rivals, the
Lexington Horsemen, at home. The team would finish strong, however, winning their remaining games during the regular season
and grabbing the top seed in the east.
|
| 2005 Program Cover |
The playoffs were not kind to the Freedom, as they suffered a first-round loss to an inspired Tennessee Valley Raptors
team. The Freedom saw much success on the field this season, but had just as many challenges off the field and those seemed
to come to a head as they came out flat and never seemed to find their spark in a game that ended in a 22-57 loss. Newly signed
QB Ben Sankey led the Raptors with a 20-29 completions, no interception and five touchdown performance.
| Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Record |
| Mar 20, 05 |
vs OV Greyhounds |
W 29-25 |
(1-0) |
| Apr 10, 05 |
at OV Greyhounds |
W 31-20 |
(2-0) |
| Apr 16, 05 |
vs BH Red Dogs |
W 59-34 |
(3-0) |
| Apr 23, 05 |
at Tup Fire Ants |
W 51-15 |
(4-0) |
| Apr 30, 05 |
at S. Falls Storm |
W 34-31 |
(5-0) |
| May 7, 05 |
vs S. City Bandits |
W 57-50 |
(6-0) |
| May 13, 05 |
vs Peo Rough Riders |
W 52-32 |
(7-0) |
| May 21, 05 |
at Peo Rough Riders |
W 41-13 |
(8-0) |
| May 28, 05 |
vs Tup Fire Ants |
W 45-20 |
(9-0) |
| Jun 05, 05 |
vs Omaha Beef |
W 42-40 |
(10-0) |
| Jun 11, 05 |
at Omaha Beef |
L 30-33 |
(10-1) |
| Jun 18, 05 |
vs LEX Horsemen |
L 41-58 |
(10-2) |
| Jun 25, 05 |
at Peo Rough Riders |
W 56-35 |
(11-2) |
| Jul 02, 05 |
at BH Red Dogs |
W 40-26 |
(12-2) |
| Jul 08, 05 |
at OV Greyhounds |
W 44-34 |
(13-2) |
| Jul 17, 05 |
vs OV Greyhounds |
W 41-31 |
(14-2) |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Top Players
Rocky Harvey had another stellar season, finishing with 1,095 yards rushing and 30 TD's. He also grabbed another 16 catches
for 146 yards and three more TD's. WR Jeremy Dutcher returned to the Freedom after spending a season with the AFL's Grand
Rapids Rampage. Dutcher led the Freedom receivers in 2003 and picked up where he left off in 2005. He had 72 catches for
911 yards and 26 TD's.
The Freedom defense was a force to be reckoned with this season. The team led the league in Sacks, with 38, and Passes
Defended Efficiency, with a 56.3, including a league-low 31 TD's allowed and 26 INT. Leading the defense were DL Rachman
Crable and DB Scott Heighland. Crable, a constant on the defensive line, accumulated 70.5 total tackles and 15 sacks. Heighland,
a crowd favorite for his heart and hard hits, had 71 total tackles of his own, along with six INT's and seven pass breakups.
|
| Freedom vs. Omaha Beef |
2005 UIF Season
For complete stats and paticipation for the 2005 season please click
here.
|
|
|
|
|
