The lights dim in Omaha’s Liberty First Credit Union Arena – nicknamed The Slaughterhouse. Spotlights dart across the faces of a few thousand fans in the stands. Cowbells ring. Music blares. A Jeep fresh off the dealership lot cruises out of an inflated bull tunnel. It is game night for the Omaha Beef indoor football team, the oldest active team in the nation. Waving a team flag, the Beef’s mascot, Sir Loin, raises his hands, exhorting the crowd to stand on its feet and cheer on the team. 

The Prime Dancers – the Beef’s cheerleading/dance team – take the field and put on a show, moving and dancing for the crowd. Shortly afterward, about a dozen slightly overweight dudes known as the Rump Roasters do their own impressions of dancing.

One by one, Beef players dance, gyrate and run through the tunnel and onto the field. The loudest cheers await the true stars of the team – former Nebraska Cornhusker quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. and Head Coach Mike Tatum. 

Armstrong walks along the field, stopping short of midfield and basks in the glory as Beef fans – many of them also Husker football fans – cheer on the quarterback. The all-star QB then joins his teammates as they huddle for last-second encouragement. Following behind, Tatum raises his arms encouraging fans to get raucous and root on their team.

The Omaha Beef celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2024. With three league championships, including the 2024 National Arena League (NAL) championship, the team has become a fan favorite among Husker loyalists looking for more tastes of football after the fall season ends. The Beef finished the 2023 season undefeated, winning its second league championship in the Champions Indoor Football League, before moving to the NAL, where the Beef still dominated the game 10-0 in 2024.

 

Indoor football is played on a surface the size of a hockey rink. The fields are 50 yards long. Teams play seven-on-seven, with a quarterback and lone running back in the backfield and three offensive linemen to block defenders. Defenses often feature five defensive backs, creating a challenge for passing teams. Each team still gets four downs to travel 10 yards for a first down, but they often gun the ball downfield for quick scores. Netting hangs above the end of the field, with goal posts only 10 feet wide – a challenge for any kicker, and kickoffs can be played off the nets. 

With 36 players on its roster, Beef players aren’t going to get rich playing indoor football. Cashing checks for $200 a game (up drastically from 20 years ago when players were lucky to get $75 a game), players know the indoor game isn’t the answer to their dreams. However, Beef ownership and coaches will do what it takes for players to get a shot at the National Football League, Canadian league and even the upstart United Football League.

Originally filling its roster with former Huskers, Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks and small state college players, the Beef always makes room for a player from Concordia University, Nebraska or University of Nebraska-Kearney.

Surveying the field, Most Valuable Player (MVP) Armstrong takes the shotgun snap from his center and rolls to his right looking for an open receiver. He finds Troy Evans, a speedy receiver, who spurts past a defender en route to the end zone.

With a defense capable of shutting down teams, the Beef doesn’t need to score a plethora of points, but when they’re behind, watch out for a stampede. Trailing the Sioux City Bandits by three touchdowns at the start of the fourth quarter, Armstrong scored the tying touchdown with nine seconds left in the game. A two-point conversion gave the champs a 34-32 win, their second over their I-29 rivals in consecutive weeks. 

After a long career from high school quarterback to playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers to leading the Omaha Beef to two undefeated consecutive championships, Armstrong retired in 2024. The Omaha Beef press on for another undefeated season with newly signed quarterback, Lorenzo Brown Jr. Brown joins the 2025 roster with five league championships and two MVP awards with over 16,000 passing yards, 4,000 rushing yards, 305 passing touchdowns and 150 rushing touchdowns.

 

The new quarterback will be right at home with the Beef as he joins former teammates Coach Tatum and Offensive Coordinator James Terry. University of Nebraska-Kearney alum Olukayodo “June Bug” Akinmoladun also returns this year to bring the third consecutive championship home to Omaha. Akinmoladun is the longest tenured player for the Omaha Beef and helped clinch three league championships as an offensive lineman.

The commitment is similar for the fans. Wearing orange and black, Pat Kenison and Peggy Frederick ring their cowbells in support of Armstrong and his teammates. The longtime fans – Kenison and her husband were among the original season ticket holders and have been loyal to the Beef all 25 years – are easily recognized by the Rump Roasters, with some of the dancers joining them in the stands.

The speed of the game enthralls them, as does the Beef’s ability to score points in a hurry. It’s a big change from the outdoor game where teams can take up to 20 plays to drive downfield, eating the clock. For indoor football, the clock isn’t your friend; time runs almost constantly, requiring teams to move the ball quickly.

Kenison, an original member of the “Meathead” fan group, once organized road trips for fans and anything else needed to show the fans’ love for the team. The Beef recognized her by naming her to the team’s Hall of Fame in 2024.

Fellow fans David and Darla Bates ring their cowbells from seats in the end zone. Their affection for the Beef started when their daughter’s dance team performed at halftime five years ago. Darla bought David (and herself) season tickets for his birthday. They’ve been donning the team’s orange, black and silver ever since. 

For Coach Tatum, his path to the Omaha Beef began in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Losing his brother to violence at a young age, the Beef’s rookie head coach started a flag football team called Stop the Violence and focused on training his players into better athletes and people. His team went on to win championships at national tournaments, eventually leading Tatum to play indoor football, originally in Ohio before he took gigs in the Midwest with stops in Bismarck, North Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Grand Island, where he became friends with Armstrong as teammates on the Nebraska Danger and Brown with the Sioux Falls Storm. 

Calling plays on the field as the offensive coordinator in 2023, Tatum engineered a game plan that took the Beef to the top of the league, setting the stage for another run at the title in 2024. The Beef didn’t miss a beat with Tatum at the helm, winning the championship and named NAL Franchise of the Year, Best Fan Base and Best Mascot. As the Beef drives for another championship in the 2025 year, the players get ready to take over the Slaughterhouse as fans clang their cowbells for another undefeated season.