Wheelers win post-season IFL awards

By: Timothy Wallis

Before the Indoor Football League's (IFL) National Championship, the league announced the season's award winners. Following the National Championship, the league announced its team award winners for the 2025 season. Quad City Steamwheelers head coach Cory Ross was named 2025 Coach of the Year by the league, while general manager Destiny Brown was named the John Pettit Person of the Year, and the team as a whole was voted as the Best Dressed team of the 2025 season. 

Head Coach of the Year: Cory Ross

Ross was at the helm for the Wheelers and helped them achieve arguably their best season in the IFL in franchise history. His leadership guided Quad City to an 11-5 record, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, a berth in the conference finals, and made them one of the most balanced teams in the league. 

Offensively, under his guidance, the Wheelers ranked among the league's best offenses, racking up 2,345 passing yards, 49 touchdowns, and 7.5 passing yards per attempt, while rushing for 1,670 yards and 53 touchdowns. Their 844 points and 46.9 points per game were also in the top three in the league in those categories.

In his time with the Steamwheelers, Ross has helped the team reach the playoffs in each of their last four seasons, and his coaching efforts were finally rewarded with the award this season. It highlights his ability not only to maximize the talent on the offensive side of the football but also to keep the team as one of the best in the conference.

John Pettit Person of the Year: Destiny Brown

"This award goes to the individual who shows dedication and exemplary service to their team as well as their community. This award will be given to a caring individual who always has the best interest of their team, fan base, community, and the Indoor Football League in mind."

The John Pettit Person of the Year award recognizes extraordinary leadership and dedication to both the team and the community. After joining the Steamwheelers organization in 2018, Brown was named the general manager in 2022 and became the youngest female GM in IFL history. That same year, her contributions helped the Steamwheelers win the Franchise of the Year award for the first time and helped connect the team with the community. Under her direction, the Wheelers have been a perennial playoff team in the Eastern Conference and have become a staple in the Quad Cities community, which saw playoff football for the first time in 18 years thanks to the help from Brown and head coach Cory Ross.

Best Dressed Team: Quad City Steamwheelers

The Wheelers were recognized as the best-dressed team for the uniforms they wore throughout the season. In addition to not receiving any league fines for uniform infractions, the sQUAD also wowed the IFL fan-base with some of the best looking jerseys the league has ever seen. The team brought back their classic navy uniforms with gold numbers, while retaining their road white uniforms with blue numbers. The Wheelers also brought out special themed uniforms for Halfway to Halloween night, Military Appreciation Night, and John Deere Night! The Steamwheelers inked a ground-breaking partnership with LIGHT Helmets that introduced white helmets with red face-masks that sported a script "Wheelers" on the side. LIGHT Helmets is an established outfitter with some of the highest rated helmets according to NFLPA testing.