West Michigan's Dominant Arena Football Team
The Muskegon-based Ironmen have a hard time finding a league to play in, but feature record-breaking talent
Enjoyers who are disappointed with the relocation of the UFL’s Michigan Panthers just have to look to the opposite side of the state for some spring football this year.
The West Michigan Ironmen, who play in Muskegon, were established in 2016 and have played in seven different leagues since. Most of the team did not play higher than Group of 5 college football, with some even playing NAIA collegiate football before joining the semi-pro organization.
The organization immediately joined the American Indoor Football league upon creation, and after losing their first game as a franchise went on to win every regular season game for the rest of the year. In the final AIF championship game, the Ironmen lost to the Columbus Lions 74-32.
The most interesting part about that game? The Ironmen gave up 74 points in a game that never finished. The Ironmen coaching staff chose to pull their team from the game after fans were attempting to punch Ironmen players.
Since then, the Ironmen have been through six more leagues, and currently play in a revamped version of the AIF. The league has six teams, including two teams in Texas and one in Wyoming. The 2026 season started in March, and the Ironmen are still yet to lose a game. They have three more regular season games before the playoffs start, and according to the incompetent AIF website, the Ironmen are 4-0.
If you think the AIF website is incomplete, the Ironmen website itself is a whirlwind of confusion. Under their coaching staff page, no Head Coach is listed, and the team’s QB1 is listed as the team’s Director of Football operations.
Terry Mitchell was named Head Coach of the Ironmen in 2024 and won the 2025 AIF championship with the team. The Port Huron native played college football at Grand Valley State, where he won two national championships.
Interestingly, that QB1/Director of Operations Alex Carder played college football at Western Michigan, where he set the MAC record with seven touchdowns in a single game against the Toledo Rockets, and also set a Western Michigan record with 548 passing yards in a single game.
The Ironmen were supposed to face off against the North Michigan Muskies on April 4, but after their first matchup of the season the team was kicked out of and absorbed by the AIF after a violation of league rules.
After seven leagues in ten years, and the AIF seemingly a disaster, who knows how much longer this arena team will be around.
