Racine Raiders
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| Founded | 1953 |
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| League |
CSFL (1953, 1962-1975) BSFL (1954-1959) TSFL (1960-1961) NSFL (1978-1981, 1983-1985) AFA (1982) MWFL (1986-1990, 1992-1994) Independent (1991) MCFL (1995-2002) NAFL (2003-2009) MSFL (2010, 2012-present) Elite MCFL (2011) |
| Team history | Racine Raiders (1953-1975) North Shore Gladiators (1978) Racine Gladiators (1979-1985) Racine Raiders (1986-present) |
| Based in | Racine, Wisconsin |
| Stadium | Horlick Field |
| Colors | Black, Silver, Original Cardinal Red |
| President | Matt Nelson |
| Head coach | Wilbert Kennedy |
| Championships | 9 (1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2012, 2014) |
| Dancers | Raiders Dance and Stunt Team |
| Mascot | R.J. Raider |
The Racine Raiders American football club is a Mid-States Football League team based in Racine, Wisconsin. Founded in 1953, they are the oldest minor league football team still operating in Wisconsin (United States). After a decade-long drought, the team has risen to prominence again, winning a national championship in two of the past three years, bringing their total to nine national titles. The Raiders were the first minor league football team to gain 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Organization is composed entirely of volunteers.
President: Matt Nelson
General Manager: Curt Barnes
Head Coach: Wilbert Kennedy
Wigs Konicek, a local restaurateur at the time, started the Racine Raiders in 1953. The team began in the Bi-States Football League (BSFL) and won their first league championship in 1954.
The team was able to sustain itself until 1975 when it disbanded. Although they did not field a team for the 1976 and 1977 season, they remained organized for those seasons. New owners started the Racine Gladiators in 1978. They paid players and were successful on the field, winning three National Championships. Unfortunately, the team fell on hard times and disbanded in 1985.
In 1986, Bob Milkie, a retired bearing company executive, Joe Mooney, a police sergeant, Jess Levin, a local banker, and others rebuilt the team, this time as community-owned, non-profit organization.
Perhaps the biggest moment in the team's history, as well as that of minor league football, came in 1989 when the team traveled to Ottawa, Canada, to play in a World Championship game. While the team won the game in five degree weather and a blizzard, just playing the game was the important element. The team was now able to apply for, and received, 501(c)3 Not-For-Profit status from the Internal Revenue Service, setting the tone for dozens of minor league football teams since to be able to do the same.
The Raiders have won nine National Championships and have had nearly a dozen players with National Football League (NFL) experience. They also have 31 players, coaches or staff in the American Football Association (AFA) Semi Pro Hall of Fame, more than any other team.
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Wikipedia