Eastern Indoor Soccer League (1997-1998)
Tombstone
Born: 1997 – EISL Founding Franchise
Folded: December 31, 1998
First Game: June 13, 1997 (L 12-11 @ Tupelo Hound Dogs)
Last Game: August 22, 1998 (L 14-4 @ Lafayette SwampCats)
EISL Championships: None
Arena
Riverside Centroplex (8,284)
Opened: 1977
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners: Thomas Galloway & D. Wayne Elmore
Background
The Baton Rouge Bombers were a minor league indoor soccer team in the short-lived Eastern Indoor Soccer League (1997-1998). The EISL featured teams in cities with 5,000 to 10,000 seat arenas in the Southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge owners, Thomas Galloway and Wayne Elmore, also owned the Bombers’ in-state rivals, the Lafayette SwampCats. During the EISL’s first season, the SwampCats finished in first place and the Bombers were right behind in second with a 16-8 record. The clubs met in an all-Louisiana championship game in September 1998, with Lafayette triumphing 12-9.
The following season, the Bombers went 16-12 but fell to the arch-rival SwampCats once again in the playoffs, this time in the semi-final round.
After two seasons of operation, membership in the EISL dropped to just five clubs in the winter of 1998. The league decided to close its doors on December 31, 1998.
Links
Eastern Indoor Soccer League Media Guides
Eastern Indoor Soccer League Programs
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