Founded 1999 Based in Minneapolis-Saint Paul Colors Black & Red | Team history Minnesota Vixen Stadium Simley High School | |
League WPFL (1999-2007)
NWFA (2008)
IWFL (2009-2016)
WFA (2017-present) | ||
The Minnesota Vixen is a professional women's football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The team has been known as the Minnesota Vixens and Minneapolis Vixens prior to being known as the Vixen (note lack of "s").
Contents
- 1999 Barnstorming Tour
- 2000 WPFL kicks off
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- Season by season
- References
Established in 1999, the Vixen are the longest continuously operating women's American football team in the nation. The team plays full contact, tackle football following a combination of NCAA and NFL rules. The season is from April to June each year with playoffs in July. In April 2017 they will begin their 19th season.
In 2014, the Vixen's record was 6-2 with an invite to the inaugural Legacy Bowl in South Carolina. In 2016, the team went undefeated in the regular season winning the IWFL Midwest Division. They then faced the New York Shark for the IWFL Eastern Conference Championship, winning in double overtime and appeared in the IWFL World Championship Game in South Carolina against the Utah Falconz. In 2017, the Vixen changed leagues and joined the Women's Football Alliance (WFA)and will compete in the Great Plains Division.
In 2014, Brandon Pelinka was named full-time head coach. In 2017, the Vixen coaching staff includes Defensive Coordinator Damion Topping, Special Teams Coordinator Adam Griffith, Running Backs Coach Jeff Gehring, Wide Receivers Coach Danny Ekstrand, Defensive Backs Coach Darrion Branscomb and Offensive Line and Defensive Line Coach Stefan Dahl Holm. Current owners are James and Laura Brown.
1999 Barnstorming Tour
Vixen history dates back to 1999, when businessmen Carter Turner and Terry Sullivan decided to explore the feasibility of a professional women's football league by gathering together top female athletes from across the United States and dividing them into two teams for a nationwide series of exhibition game. More than 100 women attended tryouts. The teams were named the Minnesota Vixens and the Lake Michigan Minx, and the "No Limits" Barnstorming Tour featured six games in such locations as Miami, Chicago, and New York. The final exhibition game was played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis (known worldwide as home to the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings). While the Vixens lost the game by a score of 30-27, the tour's success inspired the expansion of the Women's Professional Football League to 11 teams in 2000.
2000: WPFL kicks off
The success of the tour led Turner and Sullivan to form the Women's Professional Football League; although the Minx would not join the Vixen in the WPFL's first full season, the Austin Rage, Colorado Valkyries, Daytona Beach Barracudas, Houston Energy, Miami Fury, New England Storm, New York Galaxy, New York Sharks, Oklahoma City Wildcats, and Tampa Tempest would join the Vixen to form the WPFL's inaugural roster of teams. The Vixen would finish the regular season unbeaten at 5-0, clinch the Central Division title, and ensure home-field advantage throughout the American Conference playoffs. However, that playoff run would only last one game, as the Vixen lost the American Conference Championship Game to the eventual WPFL Champion Houston Energy by a score of 35-14.
2001
The Vixen played a three-game season, going 1-2 against the Arizona Caliente and the Indianapolis Vipers.
2002
The Vixen finished 2-3 and fourth place in the National Conference.
2003
The Vixen finished 2-7 and fourth place in the American Conference, North Division.
2004
The Vixen finished 6-4 and second place in the National Conference, North Division, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in four years. However, they would lose the National Conference Semifinal game to the Delaware Griffins.
2005
Once again, the Vixen finished 6-4, second place in the North Division, and qualified for a playoff spot. Although they defeated the Indiana Speed in the National Conference Semifinal, the Vixen lost to the New York Dazzles in the National Conference Championship game.
2006
The Vixen finished 2-6 and third place in the National Conference, East Division.
2007
In their final year in the WPFL, the Vixen finished 2-5 and third place in the National Conference, North Division. Soon afterwards, the Vixen left the WPFL to join the National Women's Football Association.
2008
In their first and only year in the NWFA, the Vixen qualified for the playoffs for the first time in three years, finishing 6-2 and second place in the Northern Conference, North Division. However, that playoff run would only last one game, as the Vixen lost by a score of 31-7 to the North Division Champions and eventual NWFA runners-up West Michigan Mayhem. After the season ended, the Vixen switched leagues again, this time to the Independent Women's Football League.
2014
In 2014 the current owner Laura Brown acquired the Vixen and runs operations with co-owner James Brown. They named Brandon Pelinka Head Coach along with Damion Topping as Defensive Coordinator and Adam Griffith as Special Teams Coordinator. The Vixen also brought in 2 new coaches, Running Backs Coach Jeff Gehring and Defensive Backs Coach Darrion Branscomb. That season, the Vixen went 6-2 and appeared in the Legacy Bowl facing the Carolina Queens. In 2014, the Minnesota Vixen also established a relationship with Northwestern Health Sciences University as their Official Integrative Sports Care Provider.
2015
In 2015, the Vixen moved to their current home stadium, Simley Athletic Field in Inver Grove Heights and brought in Brian 'Announcer Guy' Sweeney. In addition, Town Square Television started broadcasting all Vixen home games and by live web-stream. The Team had another successful year finishing 6-2 just missing the post-season.
2016
The Vixen added Coach Danny Ekstrand as Wide Receivers Coach in 2016. The Vixen team then went undefeated (8-0) with the Vixen defense only allowing once touchdown the entire regular season. They earned their first IWFL Midwest Division Title. The Vixen then hosted the New York Sharks at home stadium Simley Athletic Field setting a new attendance record of over 1,000 fans. The Vixen won the game in double overtime with an 101 yard interception returned for a touchdown by rookie Crystal Ninas. The winning play was highlighted on ESPN's Sports Center's Top Tens Plays of the Week. The Vixen then went on to face the Utah Falconz in the IWFL World Championship Game in South Carolina losing 6-49.
2017
In 2017, the Minnesota Vixen left the IWFL for the Women's Football Alliance (WFA) and will compete in the Great Plains Division. Coach Stefan Dahl Holm was added to the staff as the Offensive Line Coach and the Defensive Line Coach.
Season by season
* = Current Standing