Carr, Schmitz Return to Lead Bloomington Edge

The Bloomington Edge, presented by Heller Stores, have announced two familiar names will lead the eighth season of indoor football in U.S. Cellular Coliseum as Kenton Carr returns as head coach and Ted Schmitz is back as assistant coach and director of recruiting.
Carr guided the Edge to their sixth straight post-season berth last year in what was arguably his finest coaching job. Despite a late start to prepare for the season, the Edge finished 10-5, tying a Bloomington record for single season wins, and also won a team-record seven straight games and were 6-1 at home. He is a native of Washington, Ill.
Carr was a quarterback at Illinois Valley Community College and Eureka College. After his college career concluded in 1992, Carr continued playing in the Arena Football League, af2, the original Indoor Football League and United Indoor Football, concluding in Bloomington in 2006 before taking on head coaching duties here in 2008.
"I'm very excited to be back," said Carr. "It's a new beginning with new ownership and a new league. Right now we're doing a lot of recruiting to hopefully carry over what we did during an outstanding season last year. I'm getting fired up to get back at it."
Schmitz has been a part of indoor football since its Bloomington beginnings in 2006, serving as head coach for the first two seasons. The Streator, Ill. native and Eastern Illinois University graduate has been involved in coaching at the collegiate and professional level for four decades, including time on the staffs of Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan. Schmitz coached inthe Canadian Football League from 1981 to 1990, mostly with the Hamilton Tiger Cats includinga Grey Cup championship and a stint as head coach, and continued his association with the CFL as a scout. He has been the analyst on Illinois State University radio network football broadcasts for 12 seasons.
"We can sell this place as Number One in our league, and we're working on keeping the players who have made us successful," said Schmitz. "We love indoor football because it's truer to the outdoor game. We're anxious for people to check us out as we move forward in a new league."
The Edge will play in the new Champions Professional Indoor Football League, which includes teams in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The league is planning a 12-game regular season from March through June. The schedule will be released in coming weeks, and the team's web site at www.bloomingtonedge.com will be placed online soon followed by information on tickets and sponsorships. The Edge office can be reached by calling 309-827-7678.

Bloomington Edge To Join CPIFL

Indoor football will remain in Bloomington under new ownership that’s already familiar to the community.
Hockey Sensations LLC led by Sandra Hunnewell has agreed to purchase the Bloomington Edge indoor football team from principal owner Jim Morris. Hunnewell’s group formed the Bloomington Blaze hockey team last year; that team begins its second Central Hockey League season next week.  Morris operated the Edge for the 2011 season.
“We are very confident with the overall commitment of Blaze owner Sandra Hunnewell and the leadership of Blaze President David Holt,” said John Butler, President of Central Illinois Arena Management (CIAM) which operates U.S. Cellular Coliseum. “There are many advantages to the Blaze operating the football team. They have a full-time dedicated front office staff and Mr. Holt understands the commitment it takes to operate successful minor league teams. They will bring a lot of excitement to downtown Bloomington and U.S. Cellular Coliseum next season.”
“Indoor football has proven to be popular in Central Illinois and we are happy to include the Edge in our operations,” said Hunnewell. “We have the necessary resources already in place with the Blaze, which will allow for a smooth transition as we continue to provide Bloomington-Normal with professionally-operated teams of which the community can be proud.”
The Edge are finalizing plans to play in the new Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL), which is scheduled to begin play in February 2013 with teams in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The Edge are the eighth team to announce plans to join the new circuit, with at least two more teams expected to announce their plans to join in coming weeks.
“The idea behind the CPIFL is to bring together like-minded owners with an emphasis on geography and professionalism,” said CPIFL Commissioner James Bain. “Bloomington has a successful history of putting exciting teams on the field, and adding the Edge to our league brings a great deal of credibility.”
Hockey Sensations will assume the final year of the current indoor football license agreement, pending approval by the Bloomington City Council. “The indoor football team is dependent on the final year of the license agreement with the city,” said Butler. “The terms and conditions of the current license agreement will not change for next season.”