Erie Explosion The Erie Explosion is a professional indoor football team . It is a member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League , and plays its home games at the Louis J . Tullio Arena in Erie , Pennsylvania . History . The Explosion began play in 2007 as the Pittsburgh RiverRats , playing that season ' s home games at the Rostraver Ice Garden in Rostraver Township , Pennsylvania . The " RiverRats " name and logo were originally supposed to be used by the Reading Express , but that team chose the Express branding instead , freeing it up for use by another AIFA team . On August 20 , 2006 , the RiverRats signed quarterback David Dinkins , formerly of the Erie Freeze of the AIFA , and designated him as the team ' s franchise player for the 2007 season . The RiverRats played their first game on February 3 , 2007 on the road in Tupelo , MS , but lost 54 - 34 to the Mississippi Mudcats . Their first home game was on February 18 , 2007 which they lost 35 - 28 to the Reading Express . Pittsburgh won its first home game by beating the Danville Demolition 47 - 21 on March 4 , 2007 , and then won its first away game by beating Danville a second time , on March 9 , 2007 , by a score of 34 - 29 . The team finished their inaugural season at a respectable 7 - 7 record , good for fourth place in the Northern Conference and a wild - card playoff berth . Unfortunately , the Rats were eliminated in the first round , losing 42 - 24 to the eventual conference champions Reading Express . On January 8 , 2008 the RiverRats announced they would be leaving the Mon Valley in favor of Erie for the 2008 season , renaming themselves the Erie RiverRats . They replaced the city ' s previous AIFA team , the Erie Freeze . The RiverRats have several Freeze connections , including many of the Freeze ' s best players : QB / WR David Dinkins , cornerback Jovon Johnson ( himself an Erie native ) , ace kicker J . R . Cipra , center Jonathon Sitter , and defensive tackle Roosevelt Benjamin . League owner Michael Mink stated that he considers the RiverRats to be a consolidation of the original RiverRats and the Freeze with the team retaining the RiverRats name , franchise and management structure . The team signed Rod Rutherford , a former NFL backup , as the starting quarterback in the middle of the 2008 season . It is said that Dinkins recommended Rutherford to the team , and Dinkins ( who originally was playing quarterback ) moved to wide receiver to accommodate his arrival . At the end of the 2008 season , five RiverRats ( QB Rod Rutherford , OL Anthony Peluso , K J . R . Cipra , LB Glenroy Watkins , & LB Roosevelt Benjamin ) were named onto the AIFA Eastern Conference All - Star team . In 2009 , Dinkins departed for the Wheeling Wildcats , and as a result , the RiverRats struggled all season to score points and missed the playoffs for the first time , finishing with a 3 - 11 record under head coach Steven G . Folmar . On September 8 , 2009 the RiverRats announced that Shawn Liotta would return to Erie as the head coach for the 2010 season . In December , it was announced that owner Jeff Hauser had sold a stake in the franchise to a local group that included Jeff Plyler ( owner of Plyler Overhead Door of McKean , PA ) and Bill Stafford ( owner of several Subway restaurant locations in Erie ) , among others . Hauser will maintain a smaller stake in the team , which immediately dropped the RiverRats name . The team will remain in the AIFA , and the team adopted the corporate name " Erie Professional Football , Inc . " in December 2009 , in anticipation of a new franchise name to be announced in January 2010 . On January 5 , 2010 , the team announced the four finalists of the name - the - team contest ; " Storm " , " Blizzard " , " Pulse " , and " Punishers " . On January 14 , 2010 the team was officially named the Erie Storm via a press conference , in which the team logo and colors were also released . Aided by Dinkins ' s return , the briefly rechristened Storm rebounded to an 8 - 6 season in 2010 , before losing to the Harrisburg Stampede in the playoffs . Dinkins retired at the end of the season . On May 5 , 2010 , Lake Erie College based in Painesville , Ohio has asked a court judge to order the Erie Storm not use the Erie Storm name due to similarities with their own name the Lake Erie Storm . As of October 2010 , the name " Storm " has been dropped , and the team is once again using the name " Erie Professional Football , " which remains the name of the team ' s corporate entity . On December 3 , 2010 , the team announced its new identity as the Erie Explosion , including a new logo , but retaining the same color scheme as the Storm previously had . After dealing with the legalities of the previous name , the ownership of the Explosion have secured the legal trademark of the new name , ensuring that this will be the last re - brand in the foreseeable future . The Erie Explosion was also one of 6 AIFA teams which were merged with the SIFL prior to the 2011 season . The Explosion announced the signing of Quarterback , Adam DiMichele , along with former local Erie Strong Vincent star , Maurice Williams , and college star receiver David Ball . On May 21 , 2011 , the Explosion set a single - game franchise record , including an unofficial indoor football record , for the most points scored in a 138 - 0 blowout win over the Fayetteville Force after the Force was forced to restock its team with scrubs in an ownership change . The margin of victory is the third - highest in all of professional football , and the highest in over 100 years : only the 1903 Massillon Tigers ( who won a game 148 - 0 ) and 1904 Watertown Red & Black ( who won a game 142 - 0 ) have had wider margins of victory Erie was only one of the six charter AIFL markets to have continuously held an AIFL or AIFA team since the AIFL ' s founding in 2005 , counting both the Freeze and the RiverRats / Storm . On August 25 , 2011 , the Explosion left the SIFL and joined the Ultimate Indoor Football League . The change reunites Erie with Andrew Haines , who founded the city ' s previous indoor football team , the Erie Freeze . ( The Explosion ' s departure came two weeks before the SIFL broke up into the Lone Star Football League and the Professional Indoor Football League , neither of which included Pennsylvania in their territories . ) Season - by - season . ! Totals | | 37 | | 35 | | 0 2007 Season Schedule . As the Pittsburgh RiverRats 2008 Season Schedule . As the Erie RiverRats ¶ Exhibition match 2009 Season Schedule . As the Erie RiverRats 2010 Season Schedule . As the Erie Storm