Bloomington Edge indoor football 2016 Gameday Program
(Warning, ads were placed on pages 6, 16, 19 & top half of back cover after my completion of design & overall layout)
3. O
mar Khokhar
is the Owner
and CEO of the
Bloomington Edge.
After relocating to
Bloomington in 2012, he
became an avid fan of
Edge football. In addi-
tion to his team respon-
sibilities, Dr Khokhar is a
practicing gastroenterol-
ogist with OSF St Joseph
Medical Center. He sees
patients in Blooming-
ton-Normal, Pontiac, and
the surrounding region
with a special interest in
colon cancer prevention.
Dr Khokhar serves on mul-
tiple local and national
medical committees per-
taining to medical educa-
tion and mentoring.
Dr Khokhar is a fan of
all sports, in particular,
football, basketball, and
cricket. He enjoys travel-
ing, playing with his fam-
ily, and attending sporting
events.
Z
aki M. Anarwala is the Principal of the
firm and is a well-respected trans-
actional and corporate attorney. Mr.
Anarwala advises a wide range of business
clients regarding business law, real estate, and estate planning. Mr. Anarwala has
facilitated the purchase of a portfolio of hotels worth over $100 million and has
represented emerging growth companies in connection with venture capital in-
vestments. Mr. Anarwala is also general outside counsel for many com-
panies and medical practices, helping them resolve their day-to-day
legal issues. Contact him at zaki.anarwala@zmalegal.com.
J
eff McKinzie is a passionate and creative
sports public relations professional. As a
PR & Social Media intern for the Bloom-
ington Edge, Jeff is responsible for community
outreach throughout the Central Illinois region
as well as maintaining the Edge’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Jeff is also
the creator of edgesider.com, the official blog of the Edge. Contact him at
jeff.mckinzie@bloomingtonedge.net
K
im Boise was born and raised locally in central Illi-
nois, originally from Tolono. She is a former NCAA
track and field/cross country athlete, who graduat-
ed from Eastern Illinois University with a B.A. in journal-
ism and public relations. She has worked with a few Divi-
sion II colleges in their sports information division. Kim is
responsible for Edge community outreach, with a focus in the Champaign, Decatur, and
Springfield markets. Contact Kim at kim.boise@bloomingtonedge.net.
M
att Dixon is a grad student at Illinois State Uni-
versity getting his master’s degree in Sports
Management. He is extremely passionate
about sports and the Bloomington-Normal communi-
ty. Matt resides in Bloomington with his wife Ellie and two dogs Maggie and Fallon. He
looks forward to serving you, the Edge United members, as an account executive. It is
his mission to provide you with the best experience possible. Contact him at
matt.dixon@bloomingtonedge.net.
Nurgis & Omar Khokar
Owners
Randy Neal Account Executive, Corporate Sales
Matt Dixon
Account Executive
Kim Boise
Account Executive,
Community Outreach
Jeff McKinzie
Public Relations/Social Media
Zaki Anarwala
Esq. General Council
N
argis Khokhar
has been Owner
and President of
the Bloomington Edge
since 2015. Her com-
mitment to community
building serves as the
inspiration to make the
Edge a success on and
off the field.
Along with serving
as the President of the
team, she is a practic-
ing attorney, mediator,
and educator. She is a
member of the Illinois
State Bar Association,
McLean County Bar As-
sociation, and McLean
County Medical Alli-
ance. Nargis is involved
with emotional intel-
ligence based social
and business initiatives
that enhance the qual-
ity of life for citizens of
Bloomington-Normal
and beyond.
Nargis enjoys reading,
traveling, and spend-
ing time with her family.
She lives in Blooming-
ton with her husband,
Omar, and daughters,
Zara and Aliyah.
Jeff Gonos serves as the front office lead for the Bloom-
ington Edge. He brings a distinguished track record to
the Edge, having most recently served as the executive
director of the Professional Indoor Football League. Prior to that, he previously served as the
Director of Football Operations of the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League, as
football operations staff of the Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europe) and the Carolina Panthers
of the NFL. He can be reached at jeff.gonos@bloomingtonedge.net.
Jeff Gonos
Front Office Consultant
4 5www.bloomingtonedge.net
4. J
ohnson graduated from Northern Mich-
igan University in 1984 with a Bachelors
of Science degree. After college, John
worked as the Administrative Assistant and
Special Teams Assistant for the Green Bay
Packers. From 1989-1993 he assisted the Head
Coach with the day-to-day running of the team.
After four seasons in Wisconsin, John became
the Head Coach at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
In Kentucky, Johnson received many awards in-
cluding Coach of the Year in 1997 and 1999 Na-
tional Division II Mid-Major Coach of the Year.
He helped raise KWC football team’s GPA to its
highest average ever and graduated a rate of
97%, had the best record in KWC history in ’99,
and remains the winningest coach in KWC his-
tory. In 2003, John became the Head Coach for
the Midstate Steel and led the team to the best
season in history. During that same run (’03-’05)
he also coached Special Teams for the Peoria
Pirates who would go on to be the 2005 Arena
Cup Runner Up. In 2005, Johnson transitioned
to Offensive Coordinator of the Peoria Rough
Riders. Three years later, in 2008, he made his
way to Bloomington where he coaches Special
Teams and acts as Offensive Co-Coordinator.
This is John Johnson’s seventh season coaching
the Bloomington Edge.
John Johnson
Head Coach
S
chmitz 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 East-
ern Illinois University
graduate has been in-
volved in coaching at the colle-
giate and professional level for
four decades, including time
on the staffs of Illinois State
and Illinois Wesleyan. Schmitz
coached in the Canadian
Football League from 1981 to
1990, mostly with the Hamil-
ton Tiger Cats winning a Grey
Cup championship and a stint
as head coach. He continued
his association with the CFL as
a scout. He has been an an-
alyst on Illinois State University
radio network football broad-
casts 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 for-
ward in a new league.”
Ted Schmitz
Player Personnel Director
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5. W
est started his professional football career
as a free agent with the Arizona Cardi-
nals in 1995. He has played for the Otta-
wa Rough Riders, Hamilton Tiger Cats (1999 Grey
Cup Champion), and Peoria Pirates (AF2 champion
2002). He entered coaching with the Peoria Pirates
in 2003, and has been an integral part of the Bloom-
ington football franchise since its inception in 2006.
Coach West graduated from Illinois State University
in 1994 and is proud to call Bloomington home.
C
overt is entering his third year with the Bloomington Edge.
Wendell Covert has been involved in coaching football since
1998. Coach Covert was the owner and coach of the Mid-
State Steel out of Peoria from 2002 to 2014. He coached the Steel to
the playoffs 10 of 13 seasons and won the USFA National Championship in 2005. The teams’ over-
all record in 13 seasons was 72-56-2. Coach Covert also co-founded the 8FL, an 8 man football
league in Central Illinois in 2001. Covert won three 8Man Championships in 2001, 2005, and 2014,
and was runner up in 2002 and 2013. He is a graduate of Canton H.S. and Spoon River College,
attended Illinois State University (with a minor in Coaching) and graduated from Bellevue Univer-
sity with a Bachelors in Adult Education and Training. Coach Covert is married with one daughter
and works in Morton at Caterpillar and resides in Pekin IL.
T
homas is in his second
season as Defensive
Coordinator for the
Edge. He is a graduate of
South Shore H.S. in Chicago.
Also a Graduate of Illinois
State University, Thomas
has over 20 years of coach-
ing experience on the High
School, Semi Pro and Indoor
Professional levels. He’s been
involved in some capacity
with the Bloomington Indoor
franchise since the inaugural
season. He currently teach-
es Social Studies and also
coaches Football and Track at
NCHS. Coach Thomas is mar-
ried with 3 adult children. He
was inducted into the GMFL
Hall of Fame in 2009.
Bryan Thomas
Defensive Coordinator/ D-Line coach
Wendell Covert
Offensive Line Coach
Frank West
Defensive Backs
Sam Fornelli
Linebackers
M
cFarland graduated from Illinois
State University in 2010 with a
degree in Criminal Justice. He is
married with a daughter Lyla, who loves
coming to practices and helping coach.
“Football has been a passion of mine for a long time and I knew when I
was done playing, I wanted to get into coaching. I was introduced to the
Edge and the indoor game in 2008. I learned a great deal about the game
from Coach J, Coach Schmitz, and my high school linebacker coach, BT. I
was able to take things they taught me and apply it to coaching at U-High.” Coach McFarland has
coached at U-High for 3 seasons as the Varsity Linebacker/Running Backs/Special Teams coach.
This’ll be his second season coaching Special Teams and Running Backs for the Edge.
F
ornelli played for the Edge (2012, 2014) and
Chicago Blitz (2013), where he starred as a CIFL
2nd teamer and team captain. He also played
semi-pro football for the Twin City Dawgs from 2010-
2012. Coach Fornelli assists Coach Thomas at NCHS
as a defensive backs coach. This will be Fornelli’s
first season coaching with the Bloomington Edge.
Lee McFarland
Running Backs, Special Teams
Josh Coyle #52
Position: OL
Height: 6’4
Weight: 325
College: Quincy
University
Eric Tapley
Position: LB
Height: 5’11
Weight: 245
College: Western
Illinois
Andrew Larson
Position: Kicker
Height: 6’0
Weight: 180
College: Wyoming
Andre Raymond
Position: RB
Height: 6’0
Weight: 225
College: Eastern
Illinois
8 9www.bloomingtonedge.net
6.
7. Champions
Indoor Football
On August 10, 2012, representa-
tives from six cities
began meeting in
Council Bluffs, IA and convened the first owners
meeting of the Champions Professional Indoor
Football League. All six teams were approved
for membership which included Sioux City,
Lincoln, Wichita, Oklahoma,
Kansas City, and Mid-Missouri.
The next day,meetings concluded with James Bain named the CIF’s first Commissioner.
On September 25, 2012, team owners voted unanimously to approve four additional teams for member-
ship in the league. The four additions were Omaha, Salina, Kansas and Bloomington.
The inaugural game in history was played on March 9, 2013 with Wichita traveling to Tulsa to play
against the Oklahoma Defenders. Wichita won the game 70-26. Wichita would finish the regular season
with a 10-2 record. Sioux City and Omaha also finished with 10-2 records. Salina rounded out the play-
offs with a record of 9-3. Salina QB Dane Simoneau was named league MVP.
Both playoff semifinals were down to the wire with Sioux City missing a game tying field goal at home
vs. Salina. The Bombers defeated the Bandits 29-26. In Omaha, Wichita defeated the Beef by a score
of 31-25. Wichita hosted Salina in the inaugural Champions Bowl on June 22. The Wild defeated the
Bombers 47-34. Wild QB Rocky Hinds was named Champions Bowl I MVP.
Field
Fifty yards long by 28 yards wide with endzones
eight yards deep, surrounded by four feet high
padded walls or dasher boards.
Goal Posts
Ten feet wide, ten feet off the ground, generally
suspended from the ceiling.
Players
Eight players from each team on the field at one
time. Each team can have up to 25 players active
for each game. Players must be at least 18 years of
age at the time of signing.
Offense/Defense
Three linemen must line up on the line of scrim-
mage.
Coaches
One coach is allowed on the field from each team.
Time Clock
Four quarters, 15 minutes each.The offense has
to make forward yardage in the last 60 seconds of
each half for the clock to keep running, if forward
yardage is not obtained the clock stops.
Kickoff
Ball is kicked from any point along the goal line.
If a kickoff hits the ceiling or goes out of bounds
through the endzone or sideline before touching
the ground, it comes out to the 25 yard line. Should
a kickoff hit the back wall of the endzone or bounce
over the back wall of the endzone, it is considered
a touchback and the drive starts at the 5-yard line.
Punting
No punting is allowed. The offense must either at-
tempt to convert the fourth down or kick a field
goal.
Out of Bounds
The wall itself is an extension of the ground. If a
pass hits the wall or ground, it is ruled dead.
If the ball or a player goes over the wall, they are
considered out of bounds. During the final 90 sec-
onds of each half, a player can give themselves up
intentionally to stop the clock by purposely con-
tacting the wall and holding the ball over the wall
with arms extended.
Blitzing
One player may blitz; he must be lined up five yards
from the line of scrimmage and be stationary. The
blitzing player must identify himself, stay between
the defensive ends, and is not allowed to blitz
around the outside of the defensive line.
The Basic Rules of the CIF
Robert Garcia
Position: WR
Height: 5’10
Weight: 190
College: Monmouth
College
Marcus Lewis #8
Position: WR
Height: 6’5
Weight: 225
College: Northern IL
University
Eric Sopher # 67
Position: OL
Height: 6’7
Weight: 320
Darrelynn Dunn
Position: LB
Height: 6’1
Weight: 220
College: Illinois State
1312www.bloomingtonedge.net
8. Touchdown Party - $150
• Ten (10) tickets
• One (1) gift item for the birthday boy or girl
• Name recognition on the video board
• Cookie cake delivered to your seat
*An additional charge of $12 will be assessed for any
additional tickets above the group number of 10.
Field Goal Party - $125
• Ten (10) tickets
• One (1) gift item for the birthday boy or girl
• Name recognition on the video board
Group Tickets
Group tickets are available for parties of 10 or more and are
as low as $10! A discounted group ticket rate will apply to
bowl seating only and excludes the Front Row and Bar Rail.
For more information on group tickets, please contact
Matt Dixon at 484-840-EDGE or send an email to
tickets@bloomingtonedge.net
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All Edge home games
are played at
Birthday Packages
All times are p.m.
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9. Get to
know our
home
Regular Box Office Hours
- Monday – Friday 11am – 5:30pm
- Saturday (Event days only) open at 10am thru start of the event (switch to Events
Box Office 1 1/2 hours prior to event start)
- Sunday (Event days only) open 3 hours prior to start of event at Events Box Office.
Events Box Office
- Monday – Saturday Event Days open 1 1/2 hours prior to start of event
- Sunday – Open 3 hrs prior to start of event
- GIFT CARDS are available for purchase at the Box Office.
- Available in all dollar amounts and can be redeemed for tickets to upcoming events
and concession stands.
*Coliseum Gift Cards are NOT redeemable for team or special event merchandise.
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Box Office Policies
- All policies are subject to change without notice.
- All patrons age 2 and over must have a ticket.
**Age limit will vary by event on occasion.
- We accept VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and Cash. No checks for
individual events will be accepted.
- The resale or attempted resale of tickets at a price higher than the printed value is
ground for seizure and cancellation of this ticket without refund or other compensation.
Tickets obtained from unauthorized sources, lost, stolen, or counterfeit are void. This
ticket is NOT redeemable for cash.
**NO REFUNDS-NO EXCHANGES. EVENT, DATE AND TIME SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Special Needs & Accessible Seating
The U.S. Cellular Coliseum is ADA compliant for accessibility including restrooms, park-
ing, drop off lanes, and service counters. Accessible seating is located throughout the
Arena. Accessible seating may be purchased by calling the box office directly at 309-
434-2678. Tickets prices in these sections vary by event and each price for the event
will be offered throughout these sections.
www.bloomingtonedge.net
11. 484-840-EDGE
www.bloomingtonedge.net
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“By 2018, the Bloomington Edge will be the premier national destination for
professional football players to showcase their talents.”
