Getting to Know….LSFL Championship

Posted: July 18, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Getting to Know..., MB 2013 | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

With the LSFL Shootout coming up this weekend, it is the perfect time to get to know a little bit about the cities involved in the inaugural Lone Star Football League Championship.

Bonus LSFL Link: The Abilene Ruff Riders are holding an online naming contest as they rename and rebrand the team for the 2013 season. The story is here, while you can go directly to their website and give them your suggestions. In case you needed more reason to join in the fun, there is this from the story – “The final selection will be unveiled at a press conference in August. The winning submission will receive 4 complimentary season VIP tickets for the 2013 season, 4 t-shirts and other goodies.” Put your thinking caps on and perhaps you can come up with the next name of the Abilene squad!

#1 Seed – Amarillo Venom

Location: Amarillo, TX (population: 190,695 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1887

Unofficial Nicknames: (self-proclaimed) Helium Capital of the World; The Yellow Rose of Texas, as its name comes from the Spanish word for yellow; Rotor City, USA for its V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft assembly plant

Fun Fact #1: The Amarillo Helium plant was the sole producer of commercial helium in the world for several years in the 20th century

Fun Fact #2: Amarillo is considered the regional economic center for the Texas Panhandle, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and Eastern New Mexico. About 1/4 of the United States’ beef supply is processed in the area

Fun Fact #3:The Palo Duro Canyon State Park is the second largest canyon system in the U.S. after the Grand Canyon

Fun Fact #4: From 1968 to 1996 Amarillo hosted the Women’s NIT

Fun Fact #5: A group of local cattlemen sued Oprah Winfrey in 1998 for her comments tying American beef to mad cow disease. Winfrey relocated her show to Amarillo for nearly a year so she could attend the trial. During the trial she hired Dallas-based jury consultant Phil McGraw to aid her attorneys in selecting and analyzing the jury. He became a regular on her show (and the complete blowhard) known as Dr. Phil. Thanks, Amarillo.

Players I Recognize: Former Ball State QB Nate Davis

Notable Amarilloans: early professional wrestler Dory Funk, father of Terry Funk; professional golfer Ryan Palmer; singer-songwriter J.D. Souther; businessman T. Boone Pickens; actress Carolyn Jones, Moritcia from the Addams Family TV show; and professional gambler Thomas Preston, known as Amarillo Slim

#3 Seed – Rio Grande Valley Magic

Location: McAllen, TX (population: 129,877 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1904

Nicknames: City of Palms; The Texas Tropics

Not So Fun Fact #1: In 2011, census.gov listed McAllen as the poorest metro area in the United States

Fun Fact #2: Commissioned in 1973, the McAllen foreign trade zone was the first inland FTZ in the U.S. The designation offers specific cost-saving opportunities to manufacturers as products can be brought into the FTZ duty-free.

Fun Fact #3: McAllen sits across the U.S.-Mexico border from Reynosa, Mexico, a large manufacturing center, via the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge

Fun Fact #4: McAllen is positioned on the migratory path between North and South America, making it a hotspot for bird and butterfly-watching expeditions

Players I Recognize: former NFL punter Leo Araguz, a kicker for the Magic

Notables Residents of the Rio Grande Valley area (none listed for McAllen specifically): actor Thomas Haden Church (Lowell from Wings); Chicago Bears offensive lineman Roberto Garza; musician Bill Haley (“Rock Around the Clock”); singer, songwriter, and actor Kris Kristofferson (his songwriting and acting histories are pretty solid); former Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry; professional wrestler Tito Santana

Bonus Tito Santana/Professional Wrestling Info: He played football at West Texas A&M with future fellow professional wrestling hall of famer Tully Blanchard, a member of the Four Horsemen. The original Four Horseman were Blanchard, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson, and Ric Flair. Another teammate of Blanchard’s at West Texas A&M was “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.

IFL Playoff Preview

Posted: June 21, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Getting to Know..., MB 2013 | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

With the Indoor Football League serving as the kickoff event for MegaBracket 2013, let’s take a look at the teams and towns of the top two seeds in each conference, Mega-Bracket style…

United Conference

#1 Seed – Sioux Falls Storm

Location: Sioux Falls, SD (population: 153,888 as of 2010 census)

Nicknames: Best Little City in America, Queen City of the West

Motto: The Heart of America

Fun Fact #1: The town’s entire population (approximately 40 people) was evacuated due to the Dakota War of 1862, an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux tribes

Fun Fact #2: The per-capita violent crime rate in Sioux Falls is roughly half the national average

Fun Fact #3: Was named the best place to live in America by Money Magazine in 1992

Fun Fact #4: The city has nearly doubled in population since 1980

Notable Natives and Residents: entertainer Mary Hart; World War II flying ace, former Arena Football League Commissioner, and former state governor Joe Foss; actress January Jones; NFL coach Mike Martz; entertainer Pat O’Brien; MegaBracketeer Ryan Klatt

Players of Note:

  • WR Clinton Solomon – the former Iowa Hawkeye (8th all-time in receiving yards) totaled 61 receptions, 789 yards and 27 TDs (tied for 1st in the IFL) on the season. He was named 2nd-Team All-IFL at WR, his second straight honor of that type after being named 1st-team All-IFL in the league’s first two seasons. Solomon caught 29 TDs for Wichita in 2010, the 3rd highest total in league history.
  • QB Chris Dixon  – set a league record this season with 3,321 yards passing while being named 1st-team All-IFL for the 4th year in a row (all four years the league has existed). Dixon was also named the IFL MVP in 2011. He also set league records for passer rating (133.3) and completion percentage (74.0) this season. Oh yeah, he piloted the winning team and won the MVP award in each of the previous 3 United Bowls. In other words, Chris Dixon is the IFL.

#2 Seed – Green Bay Blizzard

Location: Green Bay, WI (population: 104,057 as of 2010 census)

Unofficial Nickname: Titletown, USA for the NFL-record 13 championship won by the Green Bay Packers

Fun Fact #1: A trading post was established at the town’s location in 1634, making it one of the oldest permanent settlements in America.

Fun Fact #2: The town remained under control of the British until 1783, seven years after the Revolutionary War ended.

Fun Fact #3: The town is home to the National Railroad Museum

Fun Fact #4: The state of Wisconsin’s first newspaper, The Green Bay Intelligencer, was published here in 1833. That paper may have been the first, but certainly not the last, failed attempt to spread literacy throughout the state.

Notable Residents: founder, player, and first coach of the Packers, Curly Lambeau; actor Tony Shalhoub (Monk & Wings); Alfred Lawson, the inventor of the airliner; WWE wrestler Ken Anderson (“Mr. Kennedy”); and Joel Hodgson, creator and star of the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K is one of the greatest TV shows ever made. This is not up for debate. Also, Wings was awesome, too.)

Players of Note:

  • RB La’Ron Council – became the first 1,000 yard rusher in league history this season, gaining 1,040 yards. He broke the triple crown of rushing records, also establishing IFL standards for rushing attempts (256) and rushing TDs (32).
  • WR Desmond Tardy – the Purdue alum finished 3rd in the Big Ten in receptions and receiving yards in 2008. Tardy ranks second on the Blizzard in catches (39), receiving yards (512), and receiving TDs (14) this season.

Intense Conference

#1 Seed – Tri-Cities Fever

Location: Kennewick, WA (population: 73, 917 as of 2010 census)

Nickname: The Grassy Place

Fun Fact #1: The name of team, Tri-Cities, references the metropolitan area in Washington state comprised of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland.

Fun Fact #2: A prehistoric man, named the Kennewick Man, was found on the shores of the Columbia River in 1996. The remains are more than 9,000 years ago and contain Caucasoid features despite being indigenous to the area. Nearly the entire skeleton was found including the head and all of the teeth, making it one of the most ancient complete skeletons ever discovered. More information about the Kennewick Man can be found here.

Fun Fact #3: In 2008, Kennewick aspired to wrestle the title of Slurpee Capital of the World from Winnipeg, CA. The owner of the lone 7-Eleven in Kennewick declared, “Move over Winnipeg, Kennewick is king”. However, a 7-Eleven spokesperson cited market statistics and controversially crowned Winnipeg again in July of 2008, marking the city’s 9th consecutive title. As of this writing, Winnipeg still reigns supreme as the 12-time defending champion, the most title awarded last July. Is this the year Kennewick finally dethrones Winnipeg? The world will know in July…

Notable Residents: Washington Redskins DE and former Nebraska Cornhusker Adam Carriker; former MLB pitcher Jeremy Bonderman; former NBA player Scot Pollard; former NHL players Olaf “Olie the Goalie” Kolzig and Stu Barnes, who are both part-owners of the Western Hockey League’s (part of MB) Tri-City Americans

Players of Note:

  • WR Steven Whitehead – finished tied for 1st in the IFL with 84 receptions and earned 2nd-team All-IFL honors. He led the team with 791 yards receiving and 20 TDs. Whitehead is an alumnus of McNeese State.
  • LB Frantz Joseph – although he only played in two games this year, recording 17 tackles, there is no way I can ignore someone named Frantz Joseph. Not when the original Franz Joseph sported such excellent facial hair that his variation was named in his honor.

#2 Seed: Allen Wranglers

Location: Allen, TX (population: 84,246 as of 2010 census)

Fun Fact #1: The town was established by the Houston and Central Texas Railroad in 1872 and named for Ebeneezer Allen, a state politician and railroad promoter.

Fun Fact #2: In February of 1878, a gang led by Sam Bass committed what is regarded as Texas’ first train robbery near Allen.

Fun Fact #3: The town had only a few hundred residents when it was incorporated in 1953. It has increased rapidly to nearly 85,000 due to the DFW airport, development in Dallas and Plano, and the construction of U.S. Route 75.

Fun Fact #4: Allen is also home to the Allen Americans of the Central Hockey League (also in MB) and the Dallas Sidekicks of the Professional Arena Soccer League (not in MB…yet).

Notable Residents: Heisman Trophy winner and NFL Hall-of-Famer Tony Dorsett; actor Jim Parrack (True Blood); actor Burton Gilliam (Lyle in Blazing Saddles, Colt Gun Salesman in Back to the Future III); 2004 Olympics All-Around Champion gymnast Carly Patterson

Players of Note:

  • RB Darius Fudge – earned 2nd-team All-IFL honors this season, the 3rd time he has made 1st or 2nd-team in the league’s four seasons. Fudge finished 2nd in rushing yards in the league with 701, and tied for 3rd in TDs with 23. He ran for 936 yards for Wichita in 2009, which had been the league record until LaRon Council’s 1,040 yards this season. I have to assume his nickname is “Super”.
  • DB Frankie Solomon, Jr. – earned 1st-team All-IFL honors at defensive back, the only Wrangler named to the 1st team. Solomon ranked 4th in tackles (115), tied for 7th in interceptions (7), 4th in interception return yards (123), and tied for 3rd in interception return TDs (2) in the IFL.

 

Wars with Native Americans, Mystery Science Theater 3000, a prehistoric man, Franz Joseph, a Slurpee fight and Super Fudge. Yep, just another day in MegaBracket…