Michigan Pirates

The Port Huron Pirates were a charter member of the Continental Indoor Football League from 2006-2007. They began their existence playing their home games at McMorran Place in Port Huron, Michigan. The logo features a fierce pirate, symbolic of the surrounding Great Lake Huron. In the background is a depiction of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.

In their inaugural season (when the league was called the Great Lakes Indoor Football League), the Pirates went undefeated (10-0), defeated the Battle Creek Crunch in the semifinals, and won the inaugural Great Lakes Bowl I 40-34 over the Rochester Raiders, with DL Ed Bynes winning the game's MVP title. Over 2,500 fans witnessed the game, marking one of the biggest crowds to watch a sporting event at McMorran Place. Adding some more great news was the fact that QB Shane Franzer was named the inaugural GLIFL MVP of the All-Star game and Rayshawn Askew was named the inaugural GLIFL Running Back of the Year.

After the season, head coach Brian Hug left the Pirates to become head coach of the Pahrump Valley High School Trojans football team, leaving the Pirates to hire Karl Featherstone as their new head coach. In March 2007, Hug was hired by the Las Vegas Gladiators as an assistant offensive/defensive line coach. [http://www.continentalindoorfootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=26]

Unfortunately, at halftime of the May 26 game against Marion, in front of an announced crowd of 1,216 fans, the team announced this would be their final season in Port Huron, as they could no longer pay the bills with such lackluster attendance. Speculated relocation cities include Binghamton, New York, Flint, Michigan, and one other Michigan city. [http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070526/NEWS05/70526010]

Afterwards, the team announced they would be playing their playoff games at the Perani Arena and Event Center in Flint, Michigan. They were using the playoffs as a test of the arena and the city of Flint for potential relocation. They then renamed themseleves The Michigan Pirates for the rest of the season. [http://www.porthuronpirates.com/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=1] Also, the team has announced that they are changing their name to the Michigan Pirates. [http://www.porthuronpirates.com/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=99&Itemid=1]

After winning their first 26 games, the team finally met their Waterloo in the 2007 CIFL Indoor Championship Game, losing to long-time rival Rochester Raiders by a score of 37-27 at Rochester's Blue Cross Arena.

After an offseason of uncertainty regarding whether the team would return, the CIFL moved the Port Huron Pirates from the "Active Teams" section of their message board to the "Defunct Teams" section of their message board, indicating the team has left the league. It was lated confirmed by league officals that The Pirates were no more.

Season-By-Season

-
colspan="6" align="center" | Port Huron Pirates (GLIFL)
-
2006 || 10 || 0 || 0 || 1st League || Won Semifinal (Battle Creek)
Won Great Lakes Bowl I (Rochester)
-
colspan="6" align="center" | Port Huron/Michigan Pirates (CIFL)
-
2007 || 12 || 0 || 0 || 1st Great Lakes || Won GLD Semifinal (Marion)
Won GLD Championship (Kalamazoo)
Lost CIFL Indoor Championship Game (Rochester)
-!Totals || 26 || 1 || 0
colspan="2"| (including playoffs)
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2007 Season Schedule

External links

* [http://www.porthuronpirates.com Port Huron Pirates Official Site]
* [http://www.ciflstats.com/leaguestats/2006/POR.HTM Pirates' 2006 Stats]
* [http://www.thestatguys.com/CIFL/POR.HTM Pirates' 2007 Stats]