Danton Barto Named Wolves New Coach
September 12, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Manchester Wolves News Release
Manchester, NH - The newly named coach of the Manchester Wolves has already led one team to an ArenaCup championship and fans here are hoping for a replay.
The Manchester Wolves have hired Danton Barto as the team's new head football coach, managing partner Steve Schubert announced today. Barto replaces Ben Bennett who leaves after three successful seasons with the Wolves.
"I am excited about the opportunity to come to Manchester as it's a place that has a great passion for football," said Barto. "I promise the people of Manchester that my commitment to football is as great as theirs. I told my friends and family that when I visited Manchester as an opposing coach, the atmosphere and dedication of the fans was incredible."
Barto, a strong defensive coach and an expert on line play, comes to the Wolves from the AFL, where he served as head coach of the Las Vegas Gladiators for the past year. Prior to that, he served as head coach of the Memphis Xplorers of af2 for five years, taking them to an ArenaCup championship in 2005 following a Midwest Division Title.
Barto played for the University of Memphis Tigers, becoming the only player to be named to the All-American team three different years. He is still ranked number one in career tackles for the University of Memphis with 473 tackles, and was inducted into the 2007 University of Memphis Hall of Fame. Barto also enjoyed a 5-year professional career in the CFL and AFL leagues and was a two time Dick Butkus nominee.
"We are extremely excited to hire a coach with Danton's background and experience," said Schubert. "We were impressed with his success as a football coach. He knows how to win."
Barto has had extensive success on the af2 level, with a career record regular season of 45 wins and 37 losses and a career playoff record of 4 wins and 2 losses. He was the af2 Coach of the Year in 2005.
"I believe that the Manchester Wolves and the city of Manchester are the perfect fit for me to make a run at another af2 championship. Looking around the af2 league, there is no one as committed to bringing a championship to their hometown as the ownership group for the Wolves. This organization has been very successful and is primed to make a championship run," said Barto. "I am here for one reason only and that is to bring Manchester an ArenaCup Championship."
Peter Morris, the Wolves' General Manager, said the 2008 season will be the team's fifth in Manchester and that the addition of Barto to an already strong team promises to make this anniversary year a memorable one. "We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and hope to get even more football fans out to our games as we strive to reach our goal of winning an ArenaCup."
Barto resides in Collierville, Tennessee with his wife, Rachel, and their 8-year-old son, Will.
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