Frisco Franchise Nicknamed Fighters
December 13, 2019 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Frisco Fighters News Release
FRISCO, TX - Frisco's newest professional sports team will be known as the Frisco Fighters, the Indoor Football League member announced Thursday. The team name prominently features the name of the booming city the team calls home, while also paying homage to the North Texas region's innovative leadership in the country's aviation and military defense industries.
The Frisco Fighters' inaugural season kicks off on Thursday, March 12.
The Fighters also announced their star-studded coaching staff, led by Head Coach Clint Dolezel, the 2019 Arena Football League Coach of the Year and former head coach of the AFL's Dallas Vigilantes. Dolezel, a native of Robinson, TX, and a Hall of Fame quarterback at the former East Texas State University (now known as Texas A&M-Commerce), may be best known as one of the most prolific players in the history of the AFL, which included a record-setting stint as the quarterback of the Dallas Desperados.
"We are extremely excited to announce our new team identity," said team owner Steve Germain. "Not only is it just a cool name, but I'm proud that we arrived at an identity that represents the amazing city of Frisco and the region in a unique way. Frisco is such an impressive community and it continues to grow and innovate at a rapid pace, as do the 900 or so North Texas companies that make up the thriving local aviation and aeronautics industries."
The Fighters also intend to partner with and support various North Texas military organizations and installations as it grows roots within the area, including saluting local Frisco military heroes at each home game.
"We're excited to welcome the Frisco Fighters to our city," said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney. "As Sports City USA, we're already the home (or future home) of seven professional sports organizations, so it's no surprise the Frisco Fighters chose our community to kick off their inaugural season. Frisco is also a community focused on showcasing the great works, service, and contributions of our veterans, so we applaud the Frisco Fighters' commitment to highlighting local military heroes during games."
Joining Dolezel's coaching staff is Assistant Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel Dave Ewart. Ewart is one of the most heralded coaches in the indoor game, earning three AFL championship rings during his more than 20 years in the game.
Along with the veteran coaches will be two of the most successful AFL players from recent years - Offensive Coordinator Dan Raudabaugh and Defensive Backs and Special Teams Coach James Romain. Raudabaugh, a former AFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year who twice quarterbacked the Philadelphia Soul to AFL championships under Dolezel's tutelage, enters his first season of coaching, as does Romain, who in 2019 was named the AFL's Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Back of the Year with the Soul.
"The quality of our coaching staff is but one example of our commitment to the Frisco market," said Stephen Evans, President and General Manager of the Fighters. "In Clint we were able to secure the best head coach in indoor football, and we are thankful to the Germain family for allowing us to go out and build the best coaching staff possible, and we believe we achieved that. Dave Ewart may well be the best line coach and talent evaluator in the game, and Dan and James are two up-and-coming coaches who we are very excited to see grow in their new careers."
In all, the Fighters' coaching staff has a combined 10 ArenaBowl championship rings. Dolezel is one of only two coaches to ever earn the AFL's Coach of the Year award three times. Ewart, who was a finalist for the AFL's Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2019 after helping to build the Albany Empire roster and lead the team to the ArenaBowl championship, earned Assistant Coach of the Year honors during his one season as assistant head coach of the Jacksonville Sharks of the NAL. Raudabaugh and Romain have also both added all-AFL honors on numerous occasions to go along with their Player of the Year honors.
Furthering their commitment to the Frisco community, and as a good faith gesture to the fans of indoor football in the Frisco market, the Germain family has also offered to make whole all season ticket holders of the previous indoor team in Frisco that ceased operations in 2019. The Fighters will provide season tickets to the 2020 Fighters season at no cost to those season ticket holders of the 2019 Texas Revolution team.
"This is something that we feel very strongly about," said Steve Germain. "Certainly making these fans whole is not our responsibility and we have no ties to the previous team or ownership group, but we do believe in doing what's right, and what's right in this instance is reaching out to those fans who did not receive value for the support they showed the previous team. We want nothing more than to convert them to Frisco Fighters fans and earn their trust in our great organization."
Those season ticket holders seeking Fighters season tickets can email tickets@FriscoFighters.com. They will then be instructed on how they can reserve their seats for the 2020 season
Fans can begin reserving season tickets for the Fighters' inaugural season by visiting www.FriscoFighters.com. Those players wishing to be part of the inaugural roster of the Frisco Fighters may email playerpersonnel@friscofighters.com. In the coming days and weeks the team will continue to make announcements about ticket sales, player tryouts, player signings, and other news on its website at www.FriscoFighters.com.
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