With the folding of the Pocatello Bandits after the 1998 season, the Gate City had a desire for football again spawning the Silverbacks late in 2000 and joining the Rocky Mountain Football League for the 2001 season.  This team blew through the schedule winning the RMFL title in their first season, the only blemish, a 21-16 loss mid-season to the Boise Roughriders.  That loss would be erased with a 48-20 domination of the 'Riders in the title game on July 7th.  Wide receiver Brock Gunter was named RMFL Offensive MVP and linebacker Al Covington won the Defensive MVP honors.  Gunter accounted for 10 touchdowns on the season.

2002 followed a similar formula with a mid-season stumble, again by five points, this time to the Snake River Rebels.  The Silverbacks would again find themselves in the RMFL title game after vanquishing the Helena Titans in the playoffs. The Idaho Mustangs awaited, and like the Silverbacks the year before, this time it was Idaho Falls getting payback for an early season loss, as they took a 28-21 championship game win, taking the crown from Pocatello.  For the second consective season, receiver Brock Gunter would win Offensive MVP honors with the RMFL while quarterback and kicker Jeff Belnap took home overall MVP honors in the league.  Six players earned All-RMFL honors while five would be named to American Football Association All-America teams.  Gunter accounted for 816 receiving yards on the season.

An expanded RMFL in 2003 brought the Utah Football League into the fold along with other expansion teams and things got a little tougher for Pocatello.  After a 3-3 start to the season, Pocatello got back on track with two dominating wins to close out the regular season before meeting the Mustangs again in the first round of the 2003 playoffs.  For the second year in a row, the Mustangs defeated the Silverbacks to end the season.  Brock Gunter was a 1st team all-league selection again after a 53 reception 931 yard season.

Following the season, the Silverbacks and Rebels got together and decided to merge the teams creating the Pocatello Predators for the 2004 season.  However, this was also the start of the South Ogden Rhino-Raiders dominating run through the RMFL and the new Predator team would not get back to the championship game in the six years to follow. Pocatello would hover around .500 during that stretch.  The Silverbacks run would feature an RMFL title, a South Division crown and a 22-7 overall record over the course of three seasons.

Brock Gunter is one of the all-time leading receivers with nearly 6,000 yards and 56 touchdowns to his credit in RMFL play from 1997 to 2006.

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