af2 Ownership With NFL Ties Keeps Growing
June 13, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Green Bay Blizzard News Release
Right from the start, the Green Bay Blizzard has played in close proximity to the NFL's flagship franchise, the Green Bay Packers. The Resch Center is literally in the shadow of legendary Lambeau Field, and the Blizzard has welcomed numerous Packers players to their games for charitable functions and as honorary captains, with players the likes of WR Donald Driver, G Grey Ruegamer, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and QB Don Majkowski all attending games as special guests of the Blizzard. But what could set the Blizzard apart from other teams in the af2 - their direct ties the NFL through former players - is actually becoming the norm in the league.
Blizzard President Brian Noble, who served as the team's Head Coach in 2004, spent 9 years as the backbone of the Green Bay Packers defense as a LB from 1985-1993. During his career he played against the Mike Ditka-coached Chicago Bears more than a dozen times. Ditka is now an owner of the AFL's Chicago Rush, who were recently crowned AFL Champions. A football icon in the Windy City, Ditka was Head Coach of the Bears for their victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, and the owner of the Rush for their victory over the Orlando Predators in Arena Bowl XX.
Current Blizzard Head Coach Bob Landsee played 4 years on the offensive line of the Philadelphia Eagles, battling Hall of Fame DE Reggie White every day in practice. Blizzard Defensive Backs Coach Sammy Walker used his world-class speed to play 6 years in the NFL as a CB for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins.
When the Blizzard travels to South Georgia to take on the Wildcats this Saturday, June 17th, they will meet up with another team with ownership that has ties to the NFL. Among the group of owners are 3 current NFL players: C Mike Flynn and G Edwin Mulitalo of the Baltimore Ravens, and P Kyle Richardson of the Cleveland Browns. All three were teammates on the 2000 Baltimore Ravens with Frank Wainright, a TE who also played for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins in addition to the Ravens, who is also a member of the Wildcats' ownership group. All four of them won NFL championship rings when their Ravens defeated the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.
Another of the opponents the Blizzard will face this year is the expansion Everett Hawks. They are owned in part by 13-year NFL veteran DT Sam Adams, who has played for the Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. He also won a Super Bowl as a member of the Ravens in 2000.
Also in this elite company are the Manchester Wolves, who have been in the af2 since 2002. Part owner Steve Schubert, who joined the team in 2003, played for 6 years in the NFL as a WR for the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots.
In addition to the current teams, the San Diego Riptide, who were a member of the af2 from 2003-2005 and will return to play in 2007, are owned by current Philadelphia Eagles LT Jon Runyan. A high-profile free agent following the 1999 NFL season, Runyan played in Super Bowl XXXIX for the Eagles (2004) and in Super Bowl XXXIV as a member of the Tennessee Titans (1999).
The NFL ties do not end there. In 2007 the af2 will welcome an expansion franchise in Boise, Idaho, and among the owners of the new team is former NFL RB Glyn Milburn, who played a total of 9 seasons for the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers. Milburn is already very familiar with Arena Football, as he is also a part owner of the AFL's Austin Wranglers.
The AFL has long been connected to the NFL through ownership, dating back to 1998, when New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson became the first of many NFL owners to join the ranks of the AFL. His New Orleans VooDoo took the field for the first time in 2004, and in the interim, the AFL welcomed Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (Dallas Desperadoes), Detroit Lions owner William Ford Jr. (Detroit Fury), Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, and Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams (Nashville Kats). Additionally, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder holds the rights to a future AFL franchise in the Washington, D.C. market.
It's not just NFL owners, either; other sports owners are getting involved in Arena Football. The af2 expansion Stockton Lightning is owned by the Reinsdorf family, owners of several sports franchises in Chicago. In 1985 Jerry Reinsdorf bought the Chicago Bulls and built them into a decade-long powerhouse that generated 6 NBA Championships, and last year their Chicago White Sox defeated the Houston Astros to win the 2005 World Series.
As with Noble and Landsee, many other former NFL players are getting in on the action, too. The aforementioned NFL Hall of Famer "Iron" Mike Ditka, who played TE for the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys and then coached the Bears to a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, recently watched his Chicago Rush defeat the Orlando Predators for the AFL Championship. Former Denver Broncos QB John Elway, who ended his NFL career on the ultimate high note - back-to-back Super Bowl titles - is a part owner of the 2005 AFL Champion Colorado Crush. Former Philadelphia Eagles QB Ron Jaworski, who led the team to Super Bowl XV against the Oakland Raiders, is a part owner of the Philadelphia Soul.
The newest member of the club is former All-Pro CB Deion Sanders, who recently joined the ownership group of the Austin Wranglers. During his 15-year NFL career, Sanders played for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens, winning Super Bowl titles with the 49ers in 1994 (Super Bowl XXIX) and the Cowboys in 1995 (XXX).
There are more NFLers coming, too. RB Marshall Faulk of the St. Louis Rams, who won a championship with the Rams in 1999 behind former AFL QB Kurt Warner, announced during an interview while attending the AFL playoffs that he is currently in talks with an investment group and the AFL to bring a franchise to St. Louis.
The all-star cast of AFL owners continues into show business, as well. Musician and movie star Jon Bon Jovi is a co-owner of the Philadelphia Soul, and Grammy-winning country music star Tim McGraw joined the ownership group of the Nashville Kats in 2004.
Just 20 years ago the AFL was a fledgling league with only 4 teams; now it is a bona fide major professional sport with its own minor league system in the 23-team af2. With the full power of NFL owners, players and alumni behind it - as well as showbiz heavyweights from Hollywood and Nashville - Arena Football has something that it absolutely could not live without: credibility. The AFL just ended its 20th season in rousing fashion with Arena Bowl XX in Las Vegas, and the af2 is running headlong toward the playoffs of their 7th season.
As the Blizzard drives toward their second straight af2 playoff appearance, the team knows what it takes to succeed because they're being taught by men who have tasted success at the highest levels. Noble, Landsee, and Walker, who have played in the NFL and know what it takes to get there, are bringing their expertise and love for the sport from football's biggest stage - the NFL - to its newest one - the af2.
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