IFL Frisco Fighters

Full Family Effort for Backs

December 22, 2022 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Frisco Fighters News Release


In the never-ending churn that is the line of professional football - with the moves, trades, and job changes that have come to seem commonplace - the human aspect of it all can go unnoticed.

A supporting cast makes a world of difference.

For over half of the calendar year, Frisco Fighters head coach Billy Back is zeroed in on the Xs and Os, doing his best to prepare his team. Meanwhile, his wife, Stacie, stays home in Greensboro, N.C., taking care of the couple's three children and rooting for her husband from afar.

With his most loyal supporters states away, the prior go-round had a much different feel.

"It was difficult being away from the family," Back said. "I'd missed them. Normally, they're really hands-on with the team and involved with the decisions I make day-to-day and how practice goes and my boys, my daughter, and my wife are communicating about the team.

"With them being in Carolina when I was in Texas, it just made it a harder situation. They (the Fighters) are trying to make that easier this year for us ... It's more of a joy when your kids can run on the field and enjoy the things that being an indoor football coach brings."

Inflated gas prices, expensive plane tickets, and busy schedules were obstacles that kept Stacie and the kids from visiting. For the Backs, it beat the alternative.

When Back decided to take over for Frisco, he and Stacie decided the family would stay put. They didn't want to uproot their daughter, London, who's now 14 years old; and two sons - Larkin, 5, and Lennox, 4.

"We moved around from town to town, place to place," Back said. "I lost a couple of good years and my daughter missed out on going to the same school."

The family initially fell in love with the area when he took over for the Carolina Cobras in 2018. Then, it moved across the country to Spokane, Wash. where he took charge of the Spokane Shock in 2020.

The family's move to the Pacific Northwest coincided with the COVID-19 outbreak. London was pulled away from her friends for two and a half years and Stacie had to change jobs. Simply put, it wasn't an enjoyable time.

So, now Back splits time between his job and his loved ones. The parenting aspect of his job certainly isn't ideal and, of course, he couldn't follow his passion without Stacie's approval.

"If she isn't good with it, then it's not going to happen," Back said. "She holds it down at home. She's a great nurse and an even better mother ... For six months out of the year, she's a single parent."

Stacie works the first shift as a nurse for a plastic surgeon on weekdays, along with the responsibilities that come with motherhood.

"I have to stick to a strict schedule with the kids," she said. "It's hard, obviously ... But, it gives him the opportunity to do what he loves.

"He loves coaching, he works super hard, and he's great at what he does."

Back heads to the Lone Star State for about a week and a half of each month in the off-season to help get business matters in order.

"We recruit guys through social media, film, agents send us stuff and we look at it," he said. "As we look at these things, we pass it around as coaches and evaluate it."

Tryouts and word-of-mouth also help him fill out his roster with the talent required to stand out from the rest of the pack. The excitement that comes as a product of the work appeals to Back's boys.

"The boys want to be there full-time," said Stacie, who's been a big supporter at previous stops, hosting players for dinners and holiday gatherings. "It was different this year. I'm used to living in the same city as the coaches, so this year was a little difficult, just because I wasn't there. I didn't know all of the players like I usually do."

Still, on game days, Stacie and the kids make a point to watch the Fighters' live streams. Back couldn't be more thankful for that - not to mention all the sacrifices they make.

"She's had my back since Day 1 and is the backbone of our family," he said. "As long as she allows me to do what I enjoy doing - and it fits in with our family goals - I'll continue to give this all I've got. The last 18 years of my life have been indoor football and I still pinch myself every day I get to call this my job. Like the old saying goes, 'If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.'

"I believe that's true."



Indoor Football League Stories from December 22, 2022


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