IFL Katy kicks off
November 16, 2006 - Intense Football League (Intense)
Abilene Ruff Riders News Release
KATY, TEXAS - The new professional indoor football franchise entry into the Intense Football League (IFL), will formally introduce team owners, head coach, team name and other plans Friday at Don McGill Toyota of Katy starting at 11:30 in the morning. Beginning in April, the Katy team will play a 14 game schedule against other franchises in Lake Charles, LA and the cities of Belton, Corpus Christi, Frisco, El Paso, Anchorage, Alaska, Odessa and San Angelo.
The team owners are Albert and Brandon Smith. The Smiths' are a father and son duo who own Allegiance HR Solutions, a staffing company with offices in Houston, El Paso, Odessa, and College Station. They formed Allegiance Pro Sports, LLC and purchased not only the Katy franchise for play in 2007, but also a franchise in El Paso, TX for the 2008 season.
Football Operations: Additionally, the team opened things up with a key signing in the Football Operations department by announcing the team's head coach, Donald Hollas. Hollas, a former NFL quarterback and alumnus of Rice University, will lead the Katy team in 2007. After graduating from Rice in 1991, Hollas played professionally for nine years. He quarterbacked in the National Football League for four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and two seasons with the Oakland Raiders as well as spending time with the Detroit Lions, Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins organizations.
Hollas has a significant announcement himself. He has hired Stephen Wiggins as the team's defensive coordinator. Wiggins brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience from the professional and collegiate ranks. As a defensive back for the Prairie View Panthers from 1985-86, Wiggins earned team co-MVP honors during the 1986 season and participated in the Cleveland Browns training camp during the fall of 1987. The San Antonio native earned a starting position with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football league in 1989 and helped the team capture the coveted Grey Cup Championship
What's Next: The "Name the Team Contest" has officially ended, and the team's name was picked from over 400 entries from the community. The winner will be announced at the press conference on Friday. The winner is to be honored at the team's inaugural game in April along with a pair of season tickets for the 2007 season. Season tickets will go on sale Monday, November 20, and the team will be welcoming corporate partners in the coming weeks along with opening offices in Katy. For more information, please contact Molly Reed at (979) 777-6914 to receive this information or with any additional questions log onto the team's website, www.KatyIFL.com
Intense Football League Stories from November 16, 2006
- IFL Katy kicks off - Abilene Ruff Riders
- Frisco Indoor Football Team Becomes Official - Frisco Thunder
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