Coaches Who Played in the AFL
Published on February 22, 2024 under Arena Football One (AF1) News Release
The Arena Football League has been full of talented players since its conception. Quite frequently, those players return to the league and become coaches after their playing days. Here, we highlight some AFL coaches who were once players in the very league they are coaching in.
Rickey Foggie Minnesota Myth
Rickey Foggie represents the Minnesota Myth very well, considering he played a massive 17 years of professional football - the longest of any current AFL coach. He started as a quarterback for the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the 1984-1987 seasons. Afterward, he dove straight into professional football in the CFL. He made his way to the AFL in 1996 with the Minnesota Fighting Pike, returning to the state of his alma mater.
He played all 17 years professionally from the quarterback position. Eight of which he spent in the AFL. He certainly has one of the most impressive stat sheets of the current coaches, with 17,921 yards, 325 touchdowns, and a 96,38 passer rating. After his playing career, he took up a short stint coaching in the AFL and af2. He is making his return for the first time in 20 years.
EJ Burt Orlando Predators
Orlando, Florida, is where EJ Burt takes the helm for the Orlando Predators. Burt spent a decade as a defensive lineman, playing with familiar teams like the Orlando Predators and the Philadelphia Soul. He got his start in the af2 with the Ohio Valley Greyhounds. In only his second year, he won Lineman of the Year and made the All-af2 team. After that successful 2002 season, he moved up into the AFL, where the success continued. He made the AFL All-Rookie team in that 2003 season with the Orlando Predators. Burt capped his career with 100 tackles and 33.5 sacks.
He now makes his debut as the head coach for the Predators- a team that he is very familiar with. Burt spent four seasons playing with the Predators, including his final season in 2010. He took a break from the AFL but made his way back to Orlando in the role of their defensive coordinator in 2019.
Tyus Jackson Iowa Rampage
Over in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Tyus Jackson takes the reins of the Rampage. The Birmingham, Alabama native made his leap into Arena Football in 2007 with the Fort Wayne Fusion of the af2. He took his 10-year tenure as a solid 6-3 and 265 lb linebacker. He spent eight of those years in the AFL and af2, including a season with the New Orleans Voodoo, who returned to the AFL this year as the Louisiana Voodoo. As a linebacker, he totaled 84 tackles and 25.5 sacks. After his final season in 2016, he transitioned directly into coaching and now has two years of experience as a head coach in Arena Football.
Coach Jackson talked at length about the importance of pouring knowledge into players and teaching them. The role of coach is much more high-level and requires being able to juggle multiple things while still focusing on the hard work and the grind, said Jackson. As a coach, "I think the guys also have a special type of respect for you, knowing that you are one of them because you have played and respected the game," said Jackson.
"The entire game itself. Arena is a very unique game. From the bar balls for TDs, over-the-wall catches, one-hand catches, fans in your face, the autograph sessions at the end of games, celebrations in the end zones...The little things you learn with knowing the dimensions and angles are smaller. On defense, you are set up to lose, so with the odds being stacked against you, anytime the defense had a stop, whether it was a four-and-out, turnover, or field goal, it's the most memorable moment in the Arena." ** Cedric Walker** Billings Outlaws
The Billings Outlaws boast a very successful former player in their head coaching spot in Cecric Walker. As a defensive back, the Lufkin, Texas-born player, called the AFL home for over a decade, signing with some familiar teams like the Albany Firebirds and the Orlando Predators. He stood atop the AFL twice in his career. As a player, he conquered the AFL in 1997 with the Arizona Rattlers when they won ArenaBowl XI. As a coach, he took home the win in ArenaBowl XXVIII in 2015. In his career, he has had an impressive total of 614 tackles and 23 interceptions. At the time, his total tackles put Walker 6th highest all-time.
When asked about transitioning to coaching, Walker emphasized that the coach has to bring together the whole team. As a player, Walker said, you are only focused on a sliver of the action, but as a coach, you are expanding your responsibilities and have to make the whole team successful.
"Being a coach is a lot more difficult because you are the leader of a group of men that can make or break you."
Clinton Solomon Wichita Regulators
Clinton Solomon is the head coach of the Wichita Regulators. Before he dove into coaching, he played professionally for over ten years, three of them in the AFL. Standing at 6-4 and 210 lbs, Solomon was a force to be reckoned with as a wide receiver. In the AFL, he played with the Chicago Rush, Las Vegas Outlaws, and the San Antonio Talons. Over his AFL career, he amassed 74 receptions with 846 yards and 16 touchdowns. Over the span of his professional career, he was a three-time league champion, tallied three 1st-team all-league honors, and an Offensive Player of the Year award in 2017.
Arena Football One Stories from February 22, 2024
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