Stampede Remove Nowotarski; Resignalo Named Head Coach
April 26, 2011 - Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL)
Harrisburg Stampede News Release
HARRISBURG, PA (April 26, 2011) - The Harrisburg Stampede have announced they have removed Bernie Nowotarski as General Manager and Head Coach following the team's 0-6 start.
"When you look at this team on paper; we should be winning. You can't hang everything on the coach, but when the team is 0-6 something has to change and I felt that was a change in the head coach. We owe it to our fans, sponsors, and the players themselves to put our best foot forward and end this season with a strong finish," stated Stampede Co-owner and founder John Morris.
After a 12-4 season in 2010, which saw the team advance all the way to the conference championship game in just its second season of play there were great expectations for this season. Nowotarski who had won four division championships, two conference championships and won a national title in 2009 in his five seasons as a head coach and/or general manager, was viewed as the final piece of the puzzle that could bring Harrisburg a championship.
In 2011 the team is 0-6, has been outscored by over 20 points a game (63.5 to 41.3) and has averaged over ten penalties per game. The Stampede suffered an especially tough loss to division leading Erie 89-35 on April 15th, which set new Harrisburg marks for most points against and largest margin of defeat.
"People may ask why I waited so long to make a change, but Bernie is a class act and I wanted to give him every chance to succeed. It just didn't happen this season," commented Morris.
Morris also announced Josh Resignalo as the new head coach of the Stampede. Coach Resignalo brings eight years of coaching experience to the Stampede, most recently with the Huntington Hammer of the United Indoor Football League (UIFL). Resignalo was 4-3 with the Hammer in 2011 before resigning due to personal reasons.
He also brings knowledge from 13 seasons of playing experience including time with the Raleigh Rebels, as well as, the Carolina Speed and Florence Phantoms of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA). Coach Res also assists with and operates the Tulsa Talons Free Agent Mini Camps across the United States.
Coach Res is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran of two tours in Iraq. He was a Crew Chief of an amphibious armored assault vehicle during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, and was a Squad Leader during combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq.
Resignalo is from Greensboro, North Carolina. He and his wife Angela have a daughter Shaelyn. He will make his debut with the Stampede at home this Saturday, April 30th at 7:30 when the Stampede hosts the Erie Explosion at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex Equine Arena.
For more information on the Harrisburg Stampede, their remaining schedule, and tickets please visit www.HarrisburgStampede.com.
• Discuss this story on the Southern Indoor Football League message board...
Southern Indoor Football League Stories from April 26, 2011
- Stampede Remove Nowotarski; Resignalo Named Head Coach - Harrisburg Stampede
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
