The Helena Riot Bowl

TUFF Bowl II was held in Helena between the Baltimore Battalion and the Memphis Shock. The city, rumored to be the new home of the Dallas Destiny franchise, was in euphoria at the thought of a TUFF team inhabiting their fair city. However, Dallas' new owner Michael Gentz decided Helena was not the best bet and located the Destiny to Detroit, and the team became the Michigan Lumberjax. Riots and pandemonium broke out in Montana. In an effort to appease the city, Birmingham Braves' owner Chris Felder offered to play one home game every season in Helena, and the foe would be Michigan if the schedule allowed.

A brief absence by Felder and the Braves didn't stop the game, as Gentz and the Lumberjax continued the tradition. Both Felder and Gentz left the league for short periods of time, but not coincidentally, allowing the game to continue unbroken.

At the end of S006 Felder's lifelong friend David Wales passed away in a motorcycle accident. In memorium, the winner of the Riot Bowl, as it has come to be known, would recieve a trophy named for Wales. The Braves continued to play a home game each year in Helena, wearing the classic Bears logo created by David Wales, who was also an owner in Major League Football.

The Riot Bowl ended after S009 when the Birmingham franchise folded up shop and moved to Sacramento.

More information on Helena and the Riot Bowls can be found here.

Riot Bowl History

Riot Bowl I: S003-Birmingham 37, Michigan 7
Riot Bowl II: S003-Birmingham 47, Michigan 10
Riot Bowl III: S004-Michigan 29, Utah 17
Riot Bowl IV: S005-Michigan 31, Ann Arbor 0
Riot Bowl V: S006-Michigan 19, Birmingham 7
Riot Bowl VI: S007-Memphis 17, Birmingham 12
Riot Bowl VII: S008-Albuquerque 31, Birmingham 3
Riot Bowl VIII: S009-Nashville 22, Birmingham 0

Riot Bowl Helmet History

Michigan began using alternate helmets for the Riot Bowl in S001, Birmingham continued the tradition, and, for the first time in Riot Bowl VI, both teams wore alternate uniforms. The helmets for teams using them in the Riot Bowl are below:

Riot Bowl I - V: Michigan i.e. Helena Lumberjax

Riot Bowl V, VI, IX: Birmingham i.e. Helena Bears

Riot Bowl VI: Memphis Shock