Billings Outlaws (AFL)
| Billings Outlaws | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
| Established 2021 Play in MetraPark First Interstate Arena in Billings, Montana outlawsfootball | |
_Logo.svg){kind=logo} | |
| League/conference affiliations | |
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Current uniform | |
| Team colors | Black, blue, silver, white |
| Personnel | |
| Owner(s) | Steven Titus |
| Head coach | Cedric Walker |
| Team history | |
| |
| Championships | |
| League championships (1) | |
| Conference championships (0) | |
| Division championships (0) | |
| Playoff appearances (3) | |
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| Home arena(s) | |
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The Billings Outlaws are a professional indoor football team that began play as a member of Champions Indoor Football for the 2022 season. Based in Billings, Montana, the Outlaws play their home games at MetraPark First Interstate Arena. For 2024, they have been announced as members of the revived Arena Football League. They are the 2024 AFL champions, defeating the Albany Firebirds 46-41 at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
History
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The Outlaws will be the third indoor football team to be based in Billings following the original Billings Outlaws (2000–2010) and the Billings Wolves (2015–2016).
Champions Indoor Football (2022-2023)
[edit]On April 30, 2021, Keith Russ and Tel Koen, owners of fellow Champions Indoor Football (CIF) team the Wyoming Mustangs, announced they would bring an expansion CIF team to Billings for the 2022 season.[1] A name-the-team contest was held, with the Outlaws being named the winner on July 22.[2] Despite using the original Outlaws' name, logo, and colors, the current Outlaws are considered to be a new franchise with no other connection to the previous Outlaws, but continues to market itself as a continuation.
In June 2022, it was announced Steven Titus, a Gillette, Wyoming, attorney purchased the Outlaws and Wyoming Mustangs.[3] On August 29, 2023, the Outlaws were announced to become members of the third incarnation of the Arena Football League.[4] Titus named the Mustangs' head coach, Cedric Walker, as the new head coach of the Outlaws.[4]
Arena Football League (2024-present)
[edit]In 2024, the CIF merged with the latest incarnation of the Arena Football League along with remaining members Rapid City Marshals, Salina Liberty and Southwest Kansas Storm while the Omaha Beef, Sioux City Bandits and Topeka Tropics opted for the National Arena League and the Gillette Mustangs folding. The league faced massive turmoil and owner Steven Titus led the charge to oust league commissioner Lee Hutton III as the league was cut in half during the season with teams either folding or being removed from the schedule. Despite all of the turmoil, the Outlaws played on and made the playoffs as the #1 seed in the revamped system. The Outlaws would make it to ArenaBowl XXXIII, which was played at American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and face the Albany Firebirds. The Outlaws won the championship 46-41 over the Firebirds giving the Outlaws their first championship of any kind since the original Outlaws won their last title in 2010.
Season-by-season results
[edit]| League Champions | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Playoff berth | League leader |
| Season | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason results | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | |||||
| 2022 | CIF | 4th | 7 | 3 | 0 | Won Quarterfinal (Wyoming Mustangs) 49–40 Lost Semifinal (Salina Liberty) 14–26 | ||
| 2023 | CIF | 4th | 6 | 4 | 0 | Won Quarterfinal (Sioux City Bandits) 39–31 Lost Semifinal (Omaha Beef) 6–42 | ||
| 2024 | AFL | 1st | 7 | 1 | 0 | Won Semi-Final (Nashville Kats) 35–32 Won Arena Bowl XXXIII (Albany Firebirds) 46-41 | ||
| Totals | 20 | 8 | 0 | All-time regular season record | ||||
| 4 | 2 | — | All-time postseason record | |||||
| 24 | 10 | 0 | All-time regular season and postseason record | |||||
Notes
[edit]- ^ "Professional Indoor Football to Return to Billing [sic] for the 2022 season". April 30, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ "Billings fans take new indoor football team back to the future for nickname". July 22, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ "'Rebuild, refocus, improve:' New Billings Outlaws owner Steven Titus introduced at press conference". Billings Gazette/406 MT Sports. June 4, 2022.
- ^ a b "OUTLAWS JOIN AFL FOR 2024 SEASON". BillingsOutlaws.com. August 29, 2023.
External links
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