The Racine Raiders schedule for their 72nd season, and first as members of The Players Football Association (PFA), is full of competitive games against national powerhouse teams and all of them will count in league standings. The schedule features three trips to Detroit, Mich., to play three different teams and a trip to Findlay, Ohio. They will play six different teams that are playing in bowl games taking place in Florida in January. The team currently has five home games scheduled and is still working on two possible additional home dates. All home games will be played at Historic Horlick Athletic Field in Racine.
The Raiders will begin the season at home against a Wisconsin foe on May 3, the Midwest Warriors, out of Madison. The Warriors are also beginning their first season in a league as they move from the Northern Lights Football League (NLFL) to the Mid-West United Football League (MWUF) which has teams based in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Warriors finished last season with an 8-3 record, losing to the NLFL champion Illinois Cowboys in the first round of the league playoffs.
The Raiders then hit the road for a pair of games playing at the Michigan Bills on May 10, and at the Flag City Phantoms on May 17. The Raiders beat the Bills, 21-0, at Historic Horlick Athletic Field last year. The Bills are just in their second year of operations and gained a lot of respect and notoriety last season. In their first year, they finished 12-4 and earned an invite to a bowl game and will play the Southington Gems in the Tangerine Bowl on January 18. Their only losses came to the Raiders, Detroit Ravens, and twice to the PFA champion Motor City Rams
The Raiders game against the Phantoms was washed out by thunderstorms before the second half. The game was close with the Raiders holding onto a 21-13 lead heading into the half before the storms rolled in. The Phantoms finished the season 11-5 and will be playing in a Florida bowl game on January 19. The Phantoms were a AA organization last season and will be making the move to be a AAA organization in the Premier Amateur Football League in 2025.
The Raiders then return home to play the Kalamazoo (MI) Titans on May 24. The Titans make the move from the United Football League to the PFA in 2025. The Titans played in the Sunshine Bowl in 2020 and won one of the AA national championship games in 2019 along with the Mid States Tournament. They played in three consecutive bowl games between 2018 and 2020.
The following week is a rematch six years in the making as the Raiders travel to Detroit to play the Ravens on May 31. The Ravens won 38 straight games beginning in 2022 and ending with the 2024 PFA title game where the Motor City Rams squeaked out a 16-10 win. The Ravens lay claim to six national titles, two bowl titles, and eight league championships. The Ravens will play the Missouri Cyclones in the USA Bowl in Florida.
Racine then host the Indy Bison on June 7. The Raiders beat the Bison 28-0 on June 17, 2023, at Noblesville High School in Indiana. The Bison joined the PFA this year after spending their first two years in the Mid Central Football League (MCFL). They appeared in the league championship game twice and made trips to Florida for bowl games twice.
The June 14 date is still to be determined. The Raiders will host three straight games beginning with the return of the Michigan Gators on June 21. The Michigan Gators are the team that came into Historic Horlick Athletic Field in 2011 when they were both members of the Elite Mid-Continental Football League and beat the Raiders, dropping Racine from the top seed in the league to the five-seed and forcing the Raiders to travel to Detroit three-out-of-four weeks.
The Raiders then host the Illinois Grizzlies of the MCFL on June 28. The Grizzlies were the runners-up in the MCFL in 2024, falling to the Indy Bison, and will participate in the I-75 Classic Bowl Series.
The Raiders will then host their annual Armed Forces Appreciation Night on July 5. An opponent hasn’t been identified for that game.
The regular season finishes on the road for the Raiders on July 12 as they travel to Detroit again, this time to play the reigning PFA champion Motor City Rams. The Raiders beat the Rams at home, 27-19, in a classic game in 2023, on Alumni Night. The rematch at Horlick Field last year saw the Raiders jump out to a 27-0 halftime lead. Racine was unable to score in the second half and held on to win, 27-14. The Rams will play the Austin Vipers in a Florida bowl game on January 18.
The 2025 Raiders season will be a test for the team as they look to extend the 27-game winning streak the team has compiled since the start of the 2023 season. With an opening week win, they would equal the longest winning streak in team history accomplished by the 1992-1993 squads.
Ticket information will be available in the coming months as will information on special dates like Alumni Night and the free youth football camp.
