New Orleans VooDoo Coach Mike Neu named Arena Football League\'s Coach of the Year
June 10, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
New Orleans VooDoo News Release
New Orleans VooDoo Coach Mike Neu was selected as the Arena Football League's Coach of the Year in a vote by AFL head coaches, fan online voting, members of the Arena Football League Writers Association and AFL players. Neu guided the VooDoo to an 11-5 record in their inaugural season, finishing tied for the league's best regular season record and capturing the Southern Division title. This is the first time that Neu has won Coach of the Year honors.
Since being named head coach of the VooDoo on June 17, 2003, Neu worked tirelessly to make the expansion VooDoo a winner in their inaugural season. He successfully molded a 24-man roster comprised of a mix of AFL veterans and rookies, allowing the VooDoo to get off to a 7-1 start, one of the fastest starts for a first-year AFL entry. The VooDoo's Southern Division title marked only the fourth time in Arena Football League history that an expansion franchise has won their division in their first year of play.
"This is a great honor for Mike and getting this recognition for all of his hard work is truly special in his first year," said Saints Owner Tom Benson. "Credit goes to Mickey Loomis for identifying Mike as our head coach and getting him in here and having the confidence in him to field a winner and make the playoffs. The future is bright for the VooDoo and I look forward to seeing Mike lead us to an ArenaBowl very soon."
"It is a major task to put together an entirely new roster, establish strong team chemistry and have a high level of success in such a short period of time," said Executive Vice President/General Manager of Football Operations Mickey Loomis. "The success we experienced this season is a testament to the hard work of Mike and his coaching staff."
"I would like to thank Mr. Benson and Mickey Loomis for bringing me to New Orleans and providing our team with outstanding facilities and a great work environment," said Neu. "I am honored to receive this award, but this is a reflection of the effort of my coaching staff, our players, as well as the entire organization. We have gotten off to a great start and our objective is to build on this solid foundation."
In two full seasons as a head coach in the Arena Football League, this is the second time that Neu has led his team to the playoffs, having led the Carolina Cobras to the second round of the 2002 playoffs.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from June 10, 2004
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- New Orleans' Mike Neu named Coach of the Year - AFL I
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- New Orleans VooDoo Coach Mike Neu named Arena Football League's Coach of the Year - New Orleans VooDoo
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