Odessa Roughnecks

The Odessa Roughnecks is a professional indoor football team based in Odessa, Texas. The team's nickname is a tribute to the oil industry, which has been the source of Odessa's wealth over the past century. The team began operations in 2004 as a charter member of the Intense Football League. In 2005, the Intense Football League merged with the National Indoor Football League. For the 2006 season, the Intense Football League was resurrected, and the Odessa Roughnecks returned to their original league. In 2008 the Intense Football League merged again, this time with United Indoor Football to create the Indoor Football League. The team plays its home games at the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa. The team's founder and owner was Tommy Benizio until he resigned to become the IFL's commissioner. In September 2008, the Roughnecks were purchased by the ownership group Allegiance Pro Sports, Inc, led by President & CEO Brandon Smith, a Odessa native, local business owner and 1991 graduate of Odessa High School. The Roughnecks are coached by Chris Williams (former head coach of the Tennessee Valley Vipers of the af2 and was the Roughnecks first head coach). The 2009 season will be Coach Williams's sixth season with the Roughnecks. The Roughnecks won its first championship in 2006 at Intense Bowl 2, beating the Corpus Christi Hammerheads by a score of 97-56, which was an Intense Football League record for most points scored by one team in a game. The team finished with an overall record of 14-2.