Dusters Announce Front Office, Coaching Additions
October 25, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Amarillo Venom News Release
At a press conference held today at the Ambassador Hotel, the Amarillo Dusters announced three key additions to the organization. The Dusters hired Jeff Barger as the Community Relations Director, Chris Hixson as Offensive Coordinator, and Jim Beverly as the Line Coach.
"Every move we make is strategic," said Dusters General Manager Warren McCarty. "Jeff Barger is a man that people in this area trust, love, and respect. I knew we needed to get a person of his stature and credibility involved. People gravitate towards him. Coach Chad Watson will be back as a game-day assistant, and will handle our substitution flow and scheme recognition. Coach Perdue and I mapped out what we wanted in our assistant coaches for 2006, and we were aggressive in finding the right guys. Coach Hixson played in the AFL and af2, and he's a quarterback. He's a leader, and he played under several outstanding coaches in his career. He went to back-to-back Arena Bowls in 2002 and 2003. He's a winner. We finished as the number one scoring offense in af2 in 2005, and that is our goal again this season. Coach Beverly has played in the NFL, he's played arena football, and he's coached at the college level and in af2. In addition to the knowledge of line play that he brings to the table, he'll also be instrumental in developing our strength and conditioning program. We've set our goals for 2006 and for our long-term success. Bringing these three gentlemen on board was paramount, and we made it happen. Our vision is becoming reality."
Barger graduated from Amarillo High School, and played baseball at West Texas A&M. He is married to current NBC4 News Anchor Faith Miller-Barger. Jeff has previous minor-league sports experience, and has worked in television the past 11 years. He recently received the prestigious honor of Sportscaster of the Year in the 2005 Amarillo Globe-News Best Of Awards.
"I saw this as a great opportunity to continue my career in sports, and at the same time gain experience in the business world," said Barger. "The Dusters have been a tremendous success on the field, and with the leadership of Warren McCarty and the ownership group, I know that same success will translate to the business operations as well. I'm excited about being part of something so dynamic in Amarillo."
Chris Hixson is the University of Rhode Island's all-time leading passer, and holds almost every school passing record. After enjoying a stellar career at 1-AA Rhode Island, he played the 2001 season in af2 with Tallahassee, throwing for 2,921 yards with 65 touchdowns through the air and on the ground. He then played from 2002 through 2005 with the Arizona Rattlers and Georgia Force. In Arizona, he studied under head coach and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White.
"Chris and I really click," said Dusters Head Coach Steve Perdue. "He's an entrepreneur, and he's passionate about his business and he's passionate about arena football. He knows what we expect to do offensively, and his expectations are the same. We want to be the best. I'm fired up about having him lead our offense this season."
Jim Beverly was an All-American and All-Conference performer at 1-AA East Tennessee State, playing center, guard, and tackle throughout his career. He went to camp with the Carolina Panthers, and played two years in NFL Europe with Frankfurt and Barcelona. He also played briefly in af2 with the Macon Knights and Cape Fear Wildcats. He has coached at the college level at Pikeville College and at East Tennessee State, and has also coached high school football in High Springs, FL and in Laredo, TX. In 2004, Beverly coached the linemen for the Laredo Law in af2.
"Coach Beverly has been where most of our guys want to be," said Dusters Head Coach Steve Perdue. "He has coached the big guys at every level, and he knows his stuff. I think having him lead our strength and conditioning program will set us apart from a lot of other teams in af2. He'll be an outstanding addition to our program."
The Dusters kickoff the 2006 season in April, and season tickets are on sale now. More information is available by contacting the Dusters offices at (806) 322-7277 or visiting the team's website at www.dustersfootball.com.
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