Arkansas Twisters game notes
March 27, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Arkansas Diamonds News Release
QUICK FACTS:
South Georgia Wildcats (0-0)
Vs. Arkansas Twisters (0-0)
Date: 3-31-07
Kickoff: 6:30 pm Central Time
Site: Albany Civic Center
Officials:
Referee: Larry Mallam
Umpire: Chris Hughes
Head Linesman: Jeff Heaser
Line Judge: Abdullah Salaam
Back Judge: Wayne Gautney
Radio: KABZ 103.7 The BUZZ
Pre-Game show starts @ 6:15PM
(Jake Hatley, Dick "Mackie" McDonald)
Internet: www.1037thebuzz.com
Series Record: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: 6//18/05 AR Win
Streaks: Arkansas finished the '06 season with a loss in the National Conference title game to eventual champion Spokane.
South Georgia closed the '06 season by losing its final two games. The Wildcasts won just three of 16 games for the season.
Coaches:
Twisters - John Gregory: 0-0 (15-14, 3rd Year)
Wildcats - Derek Stingley:
PRACTICE, INTERVIEW & TRAVEL SCHEDULE:
Monday - Film work, no practice
Tuesday - Thursday: 8am-10am Pulaski Academy,
Friday: Leave for Albany Georgia, Walk thru practice upon arrival
THE STAKES: SEASON OPENER - Even though its only one game, the season opener sets the tone for the season.
Arkansas is 3-4 all-time to open the season. Coach Gregory is 1-0 in season openers with the Twisters.
THE IFs:
If Arkansas defeats South Georgia, it would...
- be the first win of the '07 season
- be the second win over South GA all-time
- give Arkansas a 4-4 record all-time in season openers
- be the second straight year Arkansas opens the season with a win
ARKANSAS TWISTERS (10-6, 2-1 Playoffs)
2006
Date Opponent Result Score Record
3/31 @ Quad City W 68-58 1-0
4/8 Amarillo W 58-20 2-0
4/15 @ Bossier-Shreveport W 55-35 3-0
4/22 @ Rio Grande Valley L 55-57 3-1
4/29 Tennessee Valley W 62-56 4-1
5/6 @ Amarillo L 34-45 4-2
5/13 Oklahoma City L 44-56 4-3
5/21 BYE --- --- ---
5/27 @ Tulsa W 45-42 5-3
6/3 Bossier-Shreveport W 55-29 6-3
6/10 @ Macon L 35-62 6-4
6/17 Rio Grande Valley W 41-38 7-4
6/25 @ Bakersfield W 50-32 8-4
7/1 Spokane L 23-46 8-5
7/8 BYE --- --- ---
7/15 @ Oklahoma City L 25-64 8-6
7/22 Tulsa W 61-40 9-6
7/29 Macon W 53-33 10-6
8/5 Oklahoma City* W 47-43 11-6
8/12 Tulsa* W 53-51 12-6
8/19 Spokane* L 30-48 12-7
* Denotes Playoff Game
2007
Date Opponent Time Streak Series
3-31 @ South Georgia 6:30 W1 1-1
BYE
4-15 @ Lubbock 3:05 --- ---
4-20 @ Amarillo 7:30 L1 2-1
4-28 CORPUS CHRISTI 7:00 --- ---
5-5 @ Laredo 7:05 L1 0-1
5-12 BOSSIER-SHREVEPORT 7:05 W7 8-2
5-20 SOUTH GEORGIA 7:05 W1 1-1
5-26 @ Tulsa 7:05 W4 7-8
6-2 LUBBOCK 7:05 --- ---
BYE
6-16 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:05 W1 1-4
6-23 @ Everett 7:05 --- ---
6-30 TULSA 7:05 W4 7-8
7-7 @ Bossier-Shreveport 7:05 W7 8-2
7-14 LAREDO 7:05 L1 0-1
7-21 @ Oklahoma City 7:05 W1 1-4
7-28 AMARILLO 7:05 L1 2-1
TWISTERS HEAD COACH:
John Gregory has seen just about everything a coach can see in one sport. His first job in football was back when Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States. Since then he has consistently taken over football programs that have struggled before his arrival and led them to success.
The former 2-time AFL Coach of the Year built the Twisters into a playoff contender in 2006. Gregory led Arkansas to its best start ever by winning his first three games. The Twisters won 10 regular season games for just the second time in franchise history and advanced to the National Conference Championship game. He coached the team to its first victories over Oklahoma City and Macon while beating rival Tulsa three times, the final time coming in the playoffs. The team set a franchise record for most total wins in a season with 12 and the 10 regular wins was the second most in franchise history.
The '06 Twisters also featured one of the best defenses in af2, tying a league record for sacks in a season with two Twisters players being named to the All-af2 first team for the first time ever.
Gregory started his coaching career as an assistant head coach and athletic director at Iowa Central Community College where he was charged with building a football program from the ground up. In just three years, the program had a 24-3-1 record and won the Wool Bowl in '69. Gregory's success at Iowa Central CC went on after he left. John Matusak was a Gregory recruit, and he went on to become the number one pick in the 1974 NFL Draft.
Gregory got his first college head coaching job at South Dakota State in 1971 and stayed for 10 years. To this day, Gregory is still second in school history in coaching victories and he led the team to a single season best of 9-2 in '79. SDSU didn't have a winning record the previous 11 seasons before Gregory's arrival.
After a one year stop as offensive coordinator at his alma mater of Northern Iowa, Gregory went further north to Canada and the Canadian Football League.
While in the CFL, Gregory won a CFL championship in '84 as the offensive line coach for Winnipeg. Gregory's offensive line helped the team set a CFL rushing record in '84 and Gregory was named CFL Outstanding Offensive Line Coach.
Saskatchewan noticed what Winnipeg had, and gave Gregory his first professional head coaching job and he didn't disappoint. Saskatchewan didn't have a winning season in the 11 years prior to Gregory's arrival, and they didn't win a Grey Cup (CFL Title) in 22 years. In 1989, Gregory led a Saskatchewan team that no one gave much of a chance of winning, and won the Grey Cup championship. In the process, Gregory was named CFL Coach of the Year, and he was elected to the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame in 1996.
Gregory went on to coach for Hamilton of the CFL in '91, making the postseason four of the five years he was with the team before the founder of a new football league came calling.
Jim Foster invented Arena Football and needed a coach for a team he was starting in Des Moines, IA. Foster interviewed and hired Gregory to build the Iowa team from scratch. Gregory looked high and low for players; even recruiting a little known quarterback he heard was working at a local grocery store. Gregory gave Kurt Warner a tryout, and the rest is, as they say, history. Gregory coached the Barnstormers to five division titles in six years, led the team to two Arena Bowl title games, and the offense was the one of the most innovative offenses the sport had ever seen. Warner and his processor, Aaron Garcia were recently named as two of the greatest AFL players ever. Gregory earned AFL Coach of the Year honors in '95 and '96, the only coach in AFL history to do so, and nearly made it three in a row when he finished second '97.
The Barnstormers relocated to New York in 2000 and Gregory left the team in '03. After a brief stop at Carolina, Gregory decided to call it a career in coaching.
Then Gregory got another call from Jim Foster.
Foster told Gregory of a team that is the "Jewel of the af2" and needed his help. The team was successful early on, but had won just 4 of its last 20 games. Along with af2 President Jerry Kurz, and Jack Lankford, Gregory was convinced staying in retirement was the thing to do.
Gregory took over the Arkansas Twisters four games into the 2005 season, going 5-7. The final four losses were by a combined score of 19 points, with two games being decided in the last minute of play.
FORWARD MOTION: Arkansas has its first bye week of the season and will resume play the following week against Lubbock on Sunday, April 14.
TWISTERS' INJURY REPORT:
Pos. Name Injury Status
3-27 Sam Witcher Hamstring IR
3-27 Ben Witcher Turf Toe IR
IR- Injured Reserve, min 4 games missed
RECENT ROSTER MOVES:
Date Action Player
3-27 Re-Assignment Wesley Thibault
3-27 Suspension Tobias Brown
3-27 Suspension Scott Dutile
3-27 Suspension Ray Goodson
2006 AWARDS
Schutt Offensive Player of the Week:
Week 1: Walter Church, QB Arkansas
U.S. Army Ironman of the Week:
Week 3: Lennie Johnson, WB/DB Arkansas
Week 5: Kevin Williams, WR/LB Arkansas
ADT Defensive Player of the Week:
Week 10: C. J. McLain, DLS Arkansas
Week 12: Delenell Reid, DS Arkansas
Cutters Catch of the Week:
Week 7: Jon Schoonover, WR/LB Arkansas
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
Week Opp. Player
1 QC Walter Church, QB
2 AM Walter Church, QB
3 BS Walter Church, QB
4 RGV Dwight Counter, RGV
5 TV Ted Alford, WR/DB
6 AM Gathan McGinnis, Amarillo
7 OK Jarrial Jackson, OK City
8 Bye week
9 TUL Kevin Williams, WR/LB
10 BS Walter Church, QB
11 MAC Chavis McCollister, Macon
12 RGV Mel Long, Rio Grande Valley
13 BK Walter Church, QB
14 SPK Kyle Rowley, Spokane
15 Bye Week
16 OKC Al Hunt, OK City
17 TUL Walter Church, QB
IRONMAN OF THE GAME AWARD
Week Opp. Player
1 QC Jack Walker, Jr. Quad City
2 AM Lennie Johnson, WR/DB
3 BS Kevin Williams, WR/LB
4 RGV Pierre Thomas, RGV
5 TV Kevin Williams, WR/LB
6 AM Mike Broussard, Amarillo
7 OK Chavis McCollister, OK City
8 Bye Week
9 TUL Don McGee, Tulsa
10 BS Steve Watson, FB/LB
11 MAC Matt Jackson, Macon
12 RGV Steve Watson, FB/LB
13 BK DeRonn Finley, Bakersfield
14 SPK Charles Fredrick, Spokane
15 Bye Week
16 OKC Alan Krutulis, OK City
17 TUL Jon Schoonover, WR/DB
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME AWARD
Week Opp. Player
1 QC Steve Watson, FB/LB
2 AM Delenell Reid, DS
3 BS Delenell Reid, DS
4 RGV Brent Wither, RGV
5 TV Shakorr Bryant, OL/DL
6 AM Trenton Jordan, Amarillo
7 OK Steve Watson, FB/LB
8 Bye week
9 TUL James Sadler, Tulsa
10 BS CJ McLain, DLS
11 MAC Courtney Young, Macon
12 RGV Delenell Reid, DS
13 BK Delenell Reid, DS
14 SPK Rob Keefe, Spokane
15 Bye Week
16 OKC Cliff Holloman
17 TUL Delenell Reid, DS
CUTTERS CATCH OF THE WEEK
Week Opp. Player
1 QC
2 AM Jon Schoonover, WR/LB
3 BS Lennie Johnson, WR/DB
4 RGV Mel Long, RGV
5 TV Jon Schoonover, WR/LB
6 AM Jon Schoonover, OS
7 OK Jon Schoonover, WR/LB
8 Bye Week
9 TUL Andre Forde, Tulsa
10 BS Robert Kilow, OS
11 MAC Chavis McCollister
12 RGV Jon Schoonover, WR/DB
13 BK Rennard Reynolds, Bakersfield
14 SPK Jon Schoonover, WR/DB
15 Bye Week
16 OKC Al Hunt, OK City
17 TUL Jon Schoonover, WR/DB
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