Duster's Off-Season Update
February 2, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Amarillo Venom News Release
Amarillo, TX 2/2/09 - The Amarillo Dusters have made several changes in preparation for the 2009 season-new ownership, new coach, new colors, and even a new mascot-yet are keeping several vital pieces in place from last season's National Conference championship contender.
Randy Sanders has taken over majority ownership of the franchise, with an eye towards long-term success in Amarillo. Sanders also serves as the owner of the Amarillo Gorillas hockey team, and has been hard at work leading the synergistic effort of the two organizations. As part of the movement towards synergy, the Dusters altered their traditional logo this off-season, replacing their trademark orange with a stunning crimson look. The team will sport new jerseys in 2009 as well, replacing their former orange and black digs with a new crimson and black color scheme alongside stylish numerals and trim.
With last season's head coach Chris McKeown taking a position with the Colorado Crush of the AFL, Sanders and Dusters Vice-President Joe Morgado had to move quickly to find a replacement. The two didn't have to look far to find Ben Bennett, a member of the AFL Hall of Fame. Bennett was the coach of the Florida Firecats when the Ft. Myers-area franchise won an ArenaCup championship in 2004-Morgado served as the Vice-President of the franchise at the time. Following a stint in Manchester, Bennett took over the Austin Wranglers, where he and Sanders met. Bennett has never suffered a losing season while at the helm of an af2 team, and has twice coached in the ArenaCup.
Amarilloans got a taste of success on the field last year, when the Dusters caught fire late in 2008. They carried away victories in three of their last four games, before Amarillo's only professional football team pulled major upsets of Tulsa and Bossier-Shreveport in the af2 playoffs. Despite a loss to Spokane in the National Conference Finals, optimism reigned supreme for an even better 2009.
Bennett began the off-season by solidifying his receiving corps. John King, who played with Lubbock in 2008, and long-time Duster Craig Fulton Jr. were both signed by Bennett early in the off-season. Fulton Jr. has played each of his professional seasons in a Dusters uniform, while King will make his Dusters debut in 2009. Abilene Christian alum Kendrick Walker was also signed to the receiver position shortly after Bennett's regime began.
Adding local star T.J. Nickleberry as a FB/LB and 6'7", 360-pound Brandon Hurd of North Texas helped to solidify other positions on the field. Once again in 2009, the Dusters will be strong up front-Bennett has assembled a roster of linemen with size and skill to take on the arenafootball2 competition.
Amarillo's first game in 2009 will be against the Oklahoma City YardDawgs, as the Dusters will play in the National Conference's Central Division this season. In addition to facing off against divisional opponents Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Amarillo will continue rivalries with Bossier-Shreveport and Rio Grande Valley, as they strive for their third af2 playoff appearance in the last five years.
arenafootball2 Stories from February 2, 2009
- Shock to host Twisters on March 18th - Spokane Shock
- Duster's Off-Season Update - Amarillo Venom
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