Billings Outlaws Forge Ahead in Arena Football League's New Era
By Mitch Bohn, NPSN Correspondent
The Billings Outlaws in their pre-season game against the Denver Sharks (Photo: M. Bohn)
Indoor football, especially the Billings Outlaws, has been a fixture in the Billings community for as long as I can remember. This all changed one fateful Father's Day (in 2010) when Billings had a fluke tornado.
The aftermath of the the 2010 Billings tornado inside the arena (Submitted Photo)
That F2 tornado, for that matter, really only affected one area: Rimrock Auto Arena, where the Outlaws played, and many concerts and other sporting events were held. This tornado eventually led to the Outlaws ceasing operations.
Hungry for the Return of Indoor Football in the “Magic City”
Since 2010, the Billings community has tried again to make indoor football what it once was with the Outlaws. When Rimrock Auto Arena was finished, they brought the Wolves into the Indoor Football League (IFL). However, due to several factors, the Wolves only lasted two years, from 2014 to 2016
Then, a couple of years ago, it was announced that indoor football would be returning, this time again as our beloved Outlaws! The Outlaws returned to play in Champions Indoor Football and would join the re-started Arena Football League for the 2024 season.
Takeaways from the first AFL Pre-Season Game in Billings
So, I went to their first game of the year this Thursday against the Denver Sharks. It was a preseason game, so the score was not great, and the Outlaws won 68-0, but here are a few takeaways I did have.
1. I had forgotten how fast the game played. Since it is only on a 50-yard field, the play is quite a bit faster than that of, say, College Football or the National Football League
2. They play eight-man football instead of the traditional 11 we are all
used to seeing.
3. Lastly, the teams the Outlaws will be playing this time are from all different parts of the country, where, in the past, the leagues we have played in have been Midwest and Rocky Mountain area-driven.
4. It will be fantastic to watch the Outlaws progress this year, and I for one. I am so glad they are back in the Magic City.
