Daytona Beach Thunder Coaching Update
June 24, 2006 - American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Daytona Beach Thunder News Release
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Notes and quotes from the ongoing search by the Daytona Beach Thunder's search for a head coach:
NOT WASTING TIME : Within an hour after the Daytona Beach Thunder announced its head coaching position vacancy on June 14, the first e-mail with an attached resume streamed into the Thunder front office. The total number of applicants now stands at 27.
GOING GLOBAL: Among the resumes are interesting parties from Australia, Austria and Ireland. If the guy from Ireland starts singing "Danny Boy," I'm outta here.
CROSS SECTION: Applicants come from The Arena Football League, the National Indoor Football League, the American Professional Football League, the United Indoor Football Association, the Great Lakes Indoor Football League and of course, the American Indoor Football League. Two of the AIFL applicants put their teams in the playoffs in 2006.
GRUDEN GIVING ADVICE: The Thunder has talked with Orlando Predators coach Jay Gruden about the position. Seriously. Owners and staff sought advice from the Arena Football League playing and coaching legend if there was "a slightly younger and less expensive version" of Gruden among the coaching ranks that'd be a perfect fit in Daytona Beach.
"We left a message with Coach Gruden in the morning and had a return call from him later that day,'' recalled Thunder owner/CEO Zack McDonald. "Jay is a class act and a cool guy. We appreciate him taking him a few minutes to help us get going."
WHAT'S NEXT: Applications are still being accepted through next week. A statement announcing eight finalists will be made around July 3 [the date of the AIFL championship game and after the Pepsi 400 has concluded. Hey, it's Daytona.) Interviews will begin shortly afterwards.
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