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Jack Welch
Last week I wrote about the new spring football leagues; XFL, USFL, and the IFA. When the International Football League (IFA) begins play next year then there will be traditional professional football year around. I also need to mention another professional football league, the Arena Football League. Although it is not the traditional game, it has become a viable game of professional football.
Arena Football includes three professional indoor American football leagues. The first Arena League was founded in 1986, and continued for 22 consecutive seasons until going bankrupt following the 2008 season. Kurt Warner was the face of the AFL. He was the first player to eventually become an NFL star.
The Arena League has had a hard time surviving financially. It has stopped and started several times. In 2008, the United Indoor Football League and the Intense Football League merged to become the new Indoor Football League. The IFL competed with 19 teams in its 2009 inaugural season. The Billings Outlaws defeated the River City Rage for the first United Bowl championship.
The IFL has a solid fan base. In 2018, they celebrated their tenth anniversary season. Indoor football is entertaining and exciting because the game is quick and fast.
Indoor football is played inside arenas. The field is about one fourth the size of a regular outdoor football field. The playing area is approximately 50 yards long with eight-yard end zones. When compared to an outdoor field, it is easy to see how condensed play is for the players. An outdoor field is 120 yards long by 53 yards width.
In 2022, the IFL and XFL announced a monumental player personnel partnership. The partnership provides the framework for transferring players between leagues and the opportunity for players released from XFL teams to be transferred to IFL squads. The two leagues will also work together in scheduling joint tryouts and sharing video and game films.
Who are some of the greatest arena league players? Of course, you must start with Kurt Warner. He is the face of the league because he went on to star in the NFL. Wikipedia names one of my players at Ft. Scott Community College as the greatest player ever, Touchdown Eddie Brown. Brown, father of NFL star Antonio Brown, won the AFL’s MVP in 1994 and the Arena Bowl MVP in 1999. He was voted best player in league history in 2006 and named to the AFL Hall of Fame in 2011.
The top five listed quarterbacks of all-time include some names of interest. First is Sherdrick Bonner, 42,246 career passing yards. Second is Jay Gruden. He was the league MVP, leading the Tampa Bay Storm to four ArenaBowl championships. Of course, he later became an NFL head coach. Third is Mark Grieb. He holds the single-season passing yardage record with 5,312 yards. Fourth is Aaron Garcia. He is the only player in professional football history to pass for 1,000 touchdowns in a career. Fifth is Clint Dolezel. He was a three-time All-Arena selection during his 13-year career. He was the first quarterback in League history to win 15 games in a season. He was also the first quarterback to have 900 passing touchdowns.
Dolezel is now serving his first-year as the head football coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce. After 13 years of playing, he served for 13 seasons as head coach in indoor professional football. He led each of his professional teams to the postseason in his first season as head coach.
Thought for the week — “Tradition: one of those words conservative people use as a shortcut to thinking.” Warren Ellis.
Dr. Jack Welch is an educator and college football coach. His doctorate is in educational administration, and he has been an educator, administrator, and football coach, mentoring young minds, for over 40 years. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching. He can be reached at jackwelch1975@gmail.com.