Baton Rouge Bombers

Did You Know?

• The Bombers played for the league championship in 1997, losing 12–9 to the Lafayette SwampCats.
• More than half of Baton Rouge's regular season losses were to the Lafayette SwampCats, and both of the Bombers' playoff losses were to the SwampCats.

History

The Bombers' 1997 season got off to a rocky start when their artificial turf did not arrive until one week before the team's inaugural home opener because the manufacturer, Tech Turf of Georgia, accidentally destroyed the turf they originally manufactured for the Bombers. The regular season ran from June through August 1997 with the playoffs taking place in early September. The Bombers finished second overall in the seven-team league with a record of 16 wins and 8 losses (including 1 shootout loss) for a total of 49 standings points.

In the playoffs, they beat the Tallahassee Scorpions 23–16 in the semi-finals, then lost to the Lafayette SwampCats 12–9 in the inaugural EISL championship game. Head coach Rob Ryerson was named the EISL Coach of the Year for the 1997 season. Irad Young was selected as the Bombers' Most Valuable Player and named to the 1997 EISL All-League Second Team. In May 1998, head coach Rob Ryerson signed his younger (by 11 months) brother Rich Ryerson as a defender for the upcoming season.

The 1998 regular season ran from late May through mid August 1998 with the playoffs taking place in late August. The team averaged 3,004 fans per game over their 14 home games in the 1998 regular season, third-best in the league. On the field, the Bombers finished fourth overall in the seven-team league with a record of 16 wins (including 1 shootout win) and 12 losses for a total of 47 standings points. The Bombers made the playoffs, losing to the Lafayette SwampCats 2 games to 0 in the semi-final round.

Rich Ryerson was named EISL Defensive Player of the Year for the 1998 season. Baton Rouge Bombers players named to the 1998 EISL All-League Second Team included defender Rich Ryerson and midfielder Olivier Grava. Players named to the EISL All-League Third Team included goalkeeper Dave Tenney. Players receiving All-League Honorable Mentions included midfielders Doug Smith and Irad Young plus forward Renato Sampaio.

Head coach Rob Ryerson announced he was leaving the Bombers due to 'philosophical differences over business decisions' just days after the team's exit from the playoffs, a move later made moot when the league shut down in late December.