Bowers Resigns, Stampede Bring in CFL, Arena League Veterans
January 23, 2007 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Steubenville Stampede News Release
The Continental Indoor Football League franchise, under a state of reorganization this year, not only boasts new Owner and General Manager Ramone Davenport, but a new Head Coach in Demetrius Ross and Offensive Coordinator Marcus Whitehead.
Bowers, citing travel distance and a strong commitment to his current day job, has resigned as the head football coach of the Steubenville Stampede. The ownership of the Stampede have accepted his resignation, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Ross, taking over for departed coach RJ Bowers, hails from Marion, Ohio's Marion Harding High School. Ross attended Walla Walla Community College in Washington state where he earned his Associates Degree.
After graduating from Walla Walla he arrived on the sky blue turf at Boise State University and earned a Bachelors Degree in Social Science/Public Affairs in 2001.
A short stint in the spring of '01 with Boise's Stallions of the IPFL led to a training camp stint with the Cincinnati Bengals. 2002 saw Ross head north of the border to Winnipeg to play for the Blue Bombers of the Candian Football League, where they came up on the short end of 27-19 defeat to Calgary in the Grey Cup - the CFL's version of the Super Bowl.
Three different franchises over the next three seasons in the National Indoor Football League followed for him, and along the way Ross not only played at a high level, but started to take on coaching responsibilities as well. From defensive backs in Dayton with the Warbirds, to a Coordinator position in Tri-City (Kearney, NE) with the Diesel, and finally as a Head Coach of the Marion Wolfpack of the OVFL this past season.
Stampede Owner/General Manager Ramone Davenport's ties to Ross come from 2005 with the Dayton Warbirds, where Davenport was the General Manager.
New Offensive Coordinator Marcus Whitehead attended Cedar Grove High School in Decatur, Georgia. Whitehead, an All-American in baseball and basketball as well as football, continued his careeer collegiately at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Whitehead also attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, but later returned to Atlanta to complete his education at Morris Brown College. Like Ross, Whitehead also holds a Bachelors Degree.
Staying in Georgia after graduation, Marcus signed with the Augusta Stallions of the af2 (the Arena Football League's developmental circuit) and following that he landed with the Macon Knights, also of the af2.
Whitehead's big break came in 2002 when he made the roster of the AFL's Georgia Force. Subsequently, he played the last four seasons of his career back in the af2 with the Cape Fear/South Georgia Wildcats.
Although he plans to spend the off-season back in the Atlanta area, Coach Whitehead said he is looking forward to his first coaching opportunity in Steubenville, and, like Coach Ross, does have his own expectations of what he would like to see from the team.
"I want to see a team that is able to hang out together; to establish a close bond with one another because that produces a team feeling." Whitehead places team chemistry and bonding above raw talent. In other words, there will be no "Terrible" Terrell Owens' on the Stampede roster.
He also has expectations of the fans. "It's important to me that the community embraces us. I hope the fans get very excited about this team, because that kind of thing brings more excitement for our players."
The Steubenville Stampede (www.stampedeindoorfootball.com ) are a professional indoor football franchise participating in the Continental Indoor Football League (www.continentalindoorfootball.com ). Their second season in Steubenville's St. John Arena kicks off on Saturday, March 24th versus the New York/New Jersey Revolution. Tickets can be purchased by called the Stampede offices at (740) 314-1139.
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Continental Indoor Football League Stories from January 23, 2007
- Stallions Welcome Professional Wrestler D' Lo Brown As New Co-owner - Springfield Stallions
- Bowers Resigns, Stampede Bring in CFL, Arena League Veterans - Steubenville Stampede
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