Chicago Enforcers

Chicago Enforcers
Founded	2001
Folded	2001
League	XFL
Division	Eastern
Team history	Chicago Enforcers (2001)
Based in	Chicago, Illinois
Stadium	Soldier Field
Colors	Black, purple, silver;
Owner	World Wrestling Federation
Head coach	Ron Meyer
Championships	0
Division titles	0
Playoff berths	1 (2001)

The Chicago Enforcers were a short-lived American football team based at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of WWE and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. NBC dropped the XFL after the first season in 2001 due to dismal ratings, and the dissolution of the league was announced shortly afterwards.

The team name references mob enforcers, alluding to Chicago's history of mafia influence. Their fight song would later become famous as the entrance music for professional wrestler Brock Lesnar, who had signed a contract with WWE but was yet to debut.^[2]

The "Chicago Enforcers" name is currently used by the Chicago Police Department for their works team in the National Public Safety Football League.

2001 season[]

Originally, rumors swirled that former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan would be hired as the team's coach.^[3] Ultimately, Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus was hired for the position. However, just before the season started, he resigned to take a position in the XFL office. He was replaced by Ron Meyer, a former NFL head coach from the 1980s who had not coached professional football since 1994 with the Las Vegas Posse.

Among their players was former NFL running back LeShon Johnson, who had played for the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants. He was starting tailback for the Cardinals for most of 1996. He led the Enforcers with 6 rushing touchdowns, which was second in the league. They also had former NFL running back John Avery who played for the Miami Dolphins. Their wide receiver/kick returner Roell Preston (who previously played for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, and Tennessee Titans) held the distinction of being the only former Pro Bowler (1998 as a Packer) to play in the XFL. The team's starting right guard, Bennie Anderson, went on to be a starter for the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, and last played professional football in 2006 for the Miami Dolphins.

Enforcers game at Soldier Field, 2001. Empty stands were a regular feature at Enforcers games; at about 15,000 fans a game, the Enforcers had the lowest average attendance in the league.

The Enforcers got off to a slow start, losing their first four games with Tim Lester; at the time, Lester was working as a math teacher and assistant football coach at Wheaton Warrenville South High School in the suburbs of Chicago and played for the Enforcers effectively as a semi-professional player. In week 5, the team replaced Lester with the former Notre Dame Quatrerback Kevin McDougal, cut Lester, and brought in Craig Whelihan (an established NFL backup who had been third string on the Memphis Maniax at the time) to serve as McDougal's backup. The team went 5-1 in the rest of the season (winning their last four in a row), coming from behind to make the XFL playoffs at 2nd place in the Eastern Division. In addition to their potent rushing attack led by league leading running back John Avery, they were also known for their hard hitting defense. They lost to eventual XFL champion Los Angeles Xtreme in the crossover semifinals.

The Enforcers were part of the Eastern Division with the Orlando Rage, New York/New Jersey Hitmen and the Birmingham Thunderbolts. Their radio flagship station was WMVP, ESPN Radio 1000.

Poor attendance and the pending renovation of Soldier Field would have meant that, even if the league had continued, the Enforcers would have not; the league was exploring relocating the team to Milwaukee at the time of the league's closure.^[4]

Season-by-season[]

Season records
Season	W	L	T	Finish	Playoff results
2001	5	5	0	2nd Eastern	Lost Semifinals (Los Angeles)
Totals	5	6	0	(including playoffs)

Schedule[]

Regular season[]

Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site
Saturday, February 3, 2001	at Orlando Rage	L 29–33	0–1	Florida Citrus Bowl
Saturday, February 10, 2001	at Los Angeles Xtreme	L 32–39 (2OT)	0–2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Sunday, February 18, 2001	at Birmingham Thunderbolts	L 3–14	0–3	Legion Field
Saturday, February 24, 2001	New York/New Jersey Hitmen	L 0–13	0–4	Soldier Field
Sunday, March 4, 2001	Las Vegas Outlaws	W 15–13	1–4	Soldier Field
Saturday, March 10, 2001	at Memphis Maniax	L 23–29	1–5	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Sunday, March 18, 2001	San Francisco Demons	W 25–19	2–5	Soldier Field
Sunday, March 25, 2001	Birmingham Thunderbolts	W 13–0	3–5	Soldier Field
Saturday, March 31, 2001	at New York/New Jersey Hitmen	W 23–18	4–5	Giants Stadium
Sunday, April 8, 2001	Orlando Rage	W 23–6	5–5	Soldier Field

Post-season[]

Playoff round	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site
Semi-final	Sunday, April 15, 2001	at Los Angeles Xtreme	L 16–33	0–1	Los Angeles Memorial Stadium

Standings[]

Eastern Division
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Orlando Rage	8	2	0	.800	207	162	L1
Chicago Enforcers	5	5	0	.500	163	178	W1
New York/New Jersey Hitmen	4	6	0	.400	110	145	W1
Birmingham Thunderbolts	2	8	0	.200	131	217	L7

^[5]

Roster[]

**2001 Chicago Enforcers final roster**

	Quarterbacks 15 Kevin McDougal Running backs 20 John Avery 42 LeShon Johnson 34 Charles Wiley Wide receivers 83 Aaron Bailey 18 Fred Coleman 2 Luther Leverson 88 Zechariah Lord Tight ends 86 Tyji Armstrong 89 Tim Martin 85 William Tate		Offensive linemen 67 Bennie Anderson G 75 Octavius Bishop T 79 Bryan LaBelle G 66 Rob Murphy G 77 Chris Perez 60 Tony Ramirez T 76 Eric Schnupp G 70 Derrick Turner G Defensive linemen 54 Matt Finkes DE 99 Larry Fitzpatrick DT 50 Aaron Humphrey DE 96 Sterling Palmer 91 Hubert Thompson DE		Linebackers 53 Jaime Baisely ILB 46 Chike Egbuniwe OLB 55 Kivuusama Mays 49 Carlos Timmons Defensive backs 36 Ray Austin CB 27 Jason Bray 29 Quincy Coleman CB 31 Kerry Cooks S 24 Corey Ivy CB 21 Troy Saunders CB Special teams 4 Andy Crosland		Reserve lists 5 Paul Failla QB -- Julian Pittman DT -- Charles Ward DE Practice squad 45 Dorian Brew CB 77 Jason Chorak DE 56 Casey Dailey LB 74 Paul Janus G 13 Tim Lester QB 87 Roell Preston WR -- Craig Whelihan QB Rookies in italics , 7 practice squad

Team leaders[]

Rushing yards: 800 John Avery (league leader)
Receiving yards: 546 Aaron Bailey
Passing yards: 1168 Kevin McDougal
Passing touchdowns: 5 Kevin McDougal

References[]

^ "Chicago Enforcers Logo Sheet". SSUR.org. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
^ "XFL Week 2: Chicago Enforcers vs LA Xtreme - Double OT with Bonus Coverage". YouTube.
^ "XFL May Bring Buddyball to Soldier Field"; Greg Couch, Chicago Sun-Times; June 13, 2000
^ "Sports Business Journal".
^ "XFL Standings". USA Today. May 12, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2011.

[1] "Chicago Enforcers Logo Sheet". SSUR.org. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2019.

[2] "XFL Week 2: Chicago Enforcers vs LA Xtreme - Double OT with Bonus Coverage". YouTube.

[3] "XFL May Bring Buddyball to Soldier Field"; Greg Couch, Chicago Sun-Times; June 13, 2000

[4] "Sports Business Journal".

[5] "XFL Standings". USA Today. May 12, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2011.

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