Pirates Add Tatum to Coaching Staff
May 24, 2025 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Massachusetts Pirates News Release
Mike Tatum with the Omaha Beef
(Massachusetts Pirates)
LOWELL, MA - The Massachusetts Pirates have hired Mike Tatum as an Assistant Offensive Coordinator. Tatum was The Head Coach of the Omaha Beef in the National Arena League this season and had a record of 3-0 before the management there decided to make a change. Last season, Tatum guided the Beef to the NAL title, and in 2023 was the assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator for Omaha as they won the title in Champions Indoor Football. Now Tatum looks forward to helping the Pirates.
"I want to bring some knowledge to the Pirates," Tatum said. "Bring a younger mentality. I want to relate to the guys. Looking at the coaching staff, I'm probably going to be one of the younger guys. I want to be a player's coach. I want to get the most potential out of each player that others are not getting at this point. I will try to learn from the coaches who are already there, and I want to add. I want to add to the championship pedigree that is already going on in Massachusetts. Let's create a monster, that's what I want to do." he added.
Tatum, who makes his home in Columbus, OH, is no stranger to the Indoor Football League. A former wide receiver, he is the all-time yards leader in IFL history.
"I had a little over eight thousand yards since 2018, so I kind of know what I'm talking about and kind of know what I'm doing when it comes to the IFL and the indoor game. I bring that four-time championship pedigree. I won four championships in Sioux Falls from 2013 through 2016. In '17, we lost to Arizona, but I've always been around championships. I came out and coached and won two championships in a row." Tatum said.
After a standout career at Oxnard College in Oxnard, California, Tatum embarked on an 11-yard career in indoor football which included stops in the CIFL and the IFL. His accolades include being a First Team All-CIFL kick returner, a two-time CIFL Special Teams Player of the year and a First Team All-CIFL wide receiver.
In the IFL Tatum was a First Team All-League kick returner in 2012 as well as the IFL Special Teams Player of the Year.
"I never went to an NFL camp," Tatum said. I had two or three shots in the CFL. In 2017, I was scheduled to go to Saskatchewan. I decided to play one more IFL game, and I wound up breaking my arm," he lamented.
After all this time, he still finds enjoyment in the indoor game.
"I love it, man. I love the indoor game. That was my NFL. I didn't get a chance to play in the NFL, but it was always a dream of mine, so I just used the arena game as my NFL, and I played it as such, he said.
Images from this story
 Mike Tatum with the Omaha Beef |
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