Rob Keefe and the Bay Area Panthers have agreed to another year, bringing back one of the most brilliant minds in the IFL. Prior to joining the Panthers in 2022, Keefe coached the Northern Arizona Wranglers, elevating them from one of the worst to one of the best, winning the IFL championship in 2022. Keefe embraced the same challenge with the last place Bay Area Panthers, who had only one win in their first season.
Joining the Panthers, Keefe quickly implemented a fast-paced style of defense that became feared around the league. Mid-season, he along with Offensive Coordinator Dixie Wooten would assume co-head coaching responsibilities. With their combined one-two punch between offense and defense, the Bay Area Panthers quickly established themselves as one of the top teams in the league with a regular season 10-5 record, ensuring a playoff game with the second seed in the West.
Entering the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, the Bay Area Panthers outlasted the Tucson Sugar Skulls at home by a score of 46-34, then took on the Northern Arizona Wranglers. Keefe's defense kept the pressure on the Wranglers throughout the game, while Wooten's offense was on fire, blasting past the Wranglers with a score of 68-46.
The final destination for Keefe and the Bay Area Panthers was Las Vegas, going up against the Sioux Falls Storm, a team regarded as one of the best across the league. Notorious for their ability to strike quickly and at any time, the Sioux Falls Storm under future IFL Hall of Fame coach Kurtiss Riggs defeated the Frisco Fighters with a miraculous come-back with 12 seconds on the clock, capping a 45-44 victory with a win or go home two-point conversion. Make no mistake, the Sioux Falls Storm with their years of experience and 11 previous titles were just the team to stop Keefe's and the Panthers' Cinderella story.
The Bay Area Panthers proved to be up to the task. At what may have been the most pivotal moment of the game, with the Storm charging forward with another legendary comeback, it was Keefe's defense that stopped the Storm in their tracks. As Sioux Falls quarterback Lorenzo Brown fought to bring the Storm within a single score with 8:20 remaining, former Defensive Player of the Week Bill Atkins deflected Brown's end zone pass to Marquise Bridges who would return it 50 yards for a pick-six touchdown. This incredible defensive play put the Panthers up 51-34, shut the door on any Storm comeback, and immortalized the Bay Area Panthers as the 2023 IFL Champions in just their second season.
Coach Keefe had done it again, taking another team from worst to first.
Building on his already legendary status and championship defense, Keefe rejoins the Bay Area Panthers as Head Coach with one goal in mind – to defend the title and continue to strike fear into offensive lines across the league.
Join the Panthers in defending their title under the leadership of Keefe and reserve your season ticket today.
