Veteran coach Dick Adams to direct Pythons in 2005
December 8, 2004 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Tennessee Valley Raptors News Release
HUNTSVILLE - Tennessee Valley owner and president Art Clarkson announced Wednesday that veteran coach Dick Adams had been hired to direct the Pythons during their inaugural 2005 United Indoor Football season.
Adams, 57, has over 25 years of coaching experience. He most recently served as an assistant coach for the Arena Football League's New York Dragons during the 2003 season. In 2002, he was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the arenafootball2 league champion Peoria Pirates.
"I'm excited about being here,'' Adams said. "This has always been one of the top organizations in indoor football. It's a good, winning franchise both on the field and as far as the management goes. We'll have a brand new, exciting football game for the people of Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley."
Adams spent six seasons (1996-98, 99-01) as an assistant for the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers and served as head coach and director of football operations for the Professional Indoor Football League's Madison Mad Dogs (98-99), where he led the team to the PIFL championship game and was named the Co-Coach of the Year.
He also coached with the CFL's Ottawa, Calgary and Saskatchewan, where he was part of a Grey Cup championship in 1989. Adams served as head coach of Bethel College (93-95) and was an assistant at Murray State (92-93) in addition to stints at several Canadian colleges.
"We hired who we felt was compatible with what we are trying to accomplish in UIF,'' Clarkson said. "We made the best choice we possibly could have and we're expecting great things out of Dick Adams.
"We're entering into a league with veteran teams that will be highly competitive. That will be evident when the schedule comes out and now we have a coach that will handle the situation very well."
Adams played wide receiver and defensive back at Miami-Ohio from 1967-70, where he lettered under Bo Schembechler and Bill Mallory. He was a Second-Team All-American and MVP of the Mid-American Conference in 1970 before being drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1971.
He then joined the CFL's Ottawa Rough Riders, where he was All-Canadian from 1972-75 and led the team to the '73 Grey Cup. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Adams and his wife, Catherine, reside in Gulf Breeze, Fla. They have three children: Rachel (21), Daniel (20) and Chelsey (17).
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United Indoor Football Association Stories from December 8, 2004
- Veteran coach Dick Adams to direct Pythons in 2005 - Tennessee Valley Raptors
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