Ironman League not for the meek
- By Randy Donais
- The Bayviewer
- Published: 10/31/2002
They don't play on television in half-billion stadiums, but their passion and love for football runs every bit as deep as that of any NFL player. These are the weekend warriors of the Milwaukee Ironman Football League. They range from 19-year-olds one year removed from there high school teams all the way up to former college players and NFL training camp cuts.
They come from all over southeastern Wisconsin. Some are accountants, office managers, teachers, high school coaches, students, bartenders and health club pros. Most have wives or girlfriends, families, mortgages and credit cards like their NFL counterparts. They don't drive Porches or Hummers, but many have hairlines and waistlines which exceed NFL norms.
Now wrapping up it's seventh season with the playoffs, the IFL is a league of amateurs who play a high caliber of football on Sunday afternoons behind KP Classics tavern just off I-43 South at Highway 164 North of Big Bend.
There are no salaries. The only ones who get paid are the four officials. There are no sideline cheerleaders, no benches no medical staff, and there is no music filling the air. The 80-yard fields are marked off across softball outfields. The bare spots are obvious, but so is the hitting.
"Its amateur tackle football at its grass-roots level", said Pete Narrai, a member of the leagues board of directors. "The level of football is unbelievable. This is small college-caliber football. These guys know what there doing."
Chris Chudada and his late father, Joe, started the league in 1996 with two teams, and it has since grown to six, then 10 and now 12. Narrai said at least two more teams have expressed an interest in paying the $1,500 franchise fee and competing next year.
"We don't need their money if they're going to come in here, lose by 60 and then drop out after the third week," said Narrai, who has brought some integrity, business sense and professionalism to the young league.
Almost every team finds sponsorship to help with expenses. Many have fundraisers or conduct raffles. Each player must buy his own equipment, which runs in the $300 range, but Narrai said the league can help with keeping costs down. Players are responsible for their own insurance and transportation.
Some games have even drawn up to 100 fans who either sit atop the few portable bleachers or bring lawn chairs. Up until now, no admission has been charged.
Narrai said six league meetings are held over the course of the year. Rules are a combination of college and Pro and tailored toward minimizing injuries. There are no kickoffs. The ball is placed on the opposite 20 after every score. The center may not be hit while snapping for extra points and punts. There is no hitting on punt coverage.
Each team has 30 players plus a five-man taxi squad. Nine players are on the field at one time. The games feature hard hitting, athletic plays, some trash-talking and showboating. The bottom line is everybody knows how to play, plays hard and has fun. Most players are under 30. some are in their 30s and 40s, even a few in their 50s.
Reggie Lawrence, 35, is a former Milwaukee Vincent and UW-Whitewater player who also used to play for the Lake County (ILL) Vikings.
"This is just perfect for me," said Lawrence, a running back with the unbeaten Bay View Beast. " I don't have time to travel to practice two nights a week and to games every weekend. This league is only going to get better. I figure I have at least a couple more years left."
Many players also compete in a Milwaukee County touch football league on Tuesday and/or Thursday nights.
"That's just for practice," Lawrence said.
The league has attracted some former Division I college players like Kevin Lyles, a former University of Wisconsin player who played on the 1994 Rose Bowl team.
"It's real competitive. They play every down," said Lyles, a Daunte Culpepper type of Quarterback who plays for the Milwaukee Bulldogs. "They come to play. There's some real camaraderie and passion for the game."
And as Narrai says, "This isn't for the meek."
"Once people see this, it will sell", he added, "It has to be a great product and it is." The 6-1 Oostburg Rebels, the top seed in the National Conference, and the 7-0 Beast, the top seed in the American, received first-round byes for the playoffs.
In first-round games, the Madison Seminoles beat the Menomonee Falls Crusaders, 34-26, and the Milwaukee Bulldogs downed the Waukesha Devils, 24-6.
Oostburg eliminated Madison, 34-18, and the Beast defeated the Bulldogs, 27-16, in the semifinals, so Sunday's 1:30 p.m. Iron Bowl will feature the Rebels against the Beast at KP Classics.
Narrai said he will talk with teams serious about meeting the league's strict criteria for entry. His home phone number is (414) 281-7903.