Stampede drop Simpson

Published on November 3, 2005 under Intense Football League (Intense)
San Angelo Stampede Express News Release


San Angelo Stampede Express head coach Chris Simpson has been relieved of his duties, the team announced Wednesday.

Simpson was let go after one season, during which he led the team to a 3-11 record in the National Indoor Football League.

''We want to be real aggressive and felt we needed to go in a different direction,'' team co-owner Darlene Jones said. ''We had agreed to make changes for this season, and those changes weren't happening. Coach Simpson is a great guy, and he was good for the community.''

Simpson could not be reached for comment.

''We are looking for a coach with arena experience that has contacts with premium players,'' Jones said. ''We want a coach that isn't afraid to cut players and say he is sorry, and that they are not for the Express team.

''We want to put a championship team on the field. We don't have time to be a developmental team.''

Simpson came to San Angelo after two years of coaching a semi-pro team in Tuscon, Ariz. He has more than 19 years of football experience as a player and coach from NCAA Division I through the professional ranks. He has a career coaching record of 70-38 in eight seasons as a head coach or coordinator.

Jones said the search for Simpson's replacement has begun.

''I get applications on a daily basis,'' Jones said. ''I am going to give myself 30 to 45 days to find a new coach. We wanted Chris to have the opportunity to find another job also. We could have gone on and hoped things would get better, but that would not have been fair to him or the organization.''

Already this off-season, the team has changed its name from the Stampede to the Stampede Express, changed its logo and colors, and hired a new general manager, Bridget Jones, Darlene Jones' daughter.

The team has also signed two players from last year's team, Wali Mumin and Demont Burdine. The team will begin its third season in the spring.

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