Post by Banana Cat on Sept 16, 2010 16:03:47 GMT -5
www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpnewssum/?p=10680
Bucs bring back Lee as coach
September 16, 2010
By WARREN ARCENEAUX / AMERICAN PRESS
The Louisiana Swashbucklers have a new head coach, again — their third in 11 months — and this time its the old coach.
Darnell Lee is back as head coach after leaving the team last October to accept the head coach position with the Alaska Wild of the Indoor Football League, which folded midway through last season.
Lee replaces longtime friend and former assistant Michael Warren — who hired Lee as an assistant after Lee’s departure from the Wild.
Both Lee and Warren are assistant coaches at Washington-Marion High under head coach Freddie Harrison, a longtime Swashbucklers quarterback.
During his first stint with the Swashbucklers from 2006-2009, Lee went 52-10, leading the team to three consecutive league championships from 2007-2009. Last year the Swashbucklers were 6-7, the first losing season in franchise history.
Lee served as offensive coordinator last season under Warren, who was Lee’s defensive coordinator on Louisiana’s three championship seasons from 2007-2009.
Warren went 4-4 and led the Swashbucklers to the Southern Indoor Football League championship game, where the Swashbucklers lost 68-13 to the Columbus Lions after upsetting top seed Albany on the road in the first round. He took over for Shadrick McAfee, who went 2-3 to start the season after being hired to replace Lee.
Lee said he has not spoken with Warren about returning to the team.
“We have been friends since 1993 and will continue to have that friendship,” said Lee. “As far as the business side of it, that is something we are going to have to talk about.”
Lee said the Swashbucklers will have a different look next season.
“The goal, even when we were winning, were to build a team that would beat the previous year’s team,” Lee said.
“We are going to have a busy offseason, bring in a lot of top prospects. A lot of guys won’t be back. Last year Lafayette and Albany used a lot of guys with Arena experience. The SIFL is more attractive to guys like that because the rules are closer to the Arena league. I think guys will want to come here because of the tradition and because they will know we want to bounce back this season.”
Swashbucklers owner Thom Hager said the league will add five teams next season — Abilene, Rio Grande Valley, Houston, Mobile and Corpus Christi, while Greenville will not compete next season as new ownership is being sought. Albany, Columbus, Lafayette and Louisiana will return.
September 16, 2010
By WARREN ARCENEAUX / AMERICAN PRESS
The Louisiana Swashbucklers have a new head coach, again — their third in 11 months — and this time its the old coach.
Darnell Lee is back as head coach after leaving the team last October to accept the head coach position with the Alaska Wild of the Indoor Football League, which folded midway through last season.
Lee replaces longtime friend and former assistant Michael Warren — who hired Lee as an assistant after Lee’s departure from the Wild.
Both Lee and Warren are assistant coaches at Washington-Marion High under head coach Freddie Harrison, a longtime Swashbucklers quarterback.
During his first stint with the Swashbucklers from 2006-2009, Lee went 52-10, leading the team to three consecutive league championships from 2007-2009. Last year the Swashbucklers were 6-7, the first losing season in franchise history.
Lee served as offensive coordinator last season under Warren, who was Lee’s defensive coordinator on Louisiana’s three championship seasons from 2007-2009.
Warren went 4-4 and led the Swashbucklers to the Southern Indoor Football League championship game, where the Swashbucklers lost 68-13 to the Columbus Lions after upsetting top seed Albany on the road in the first round. He took over for Shadrick McAfee, who went 2-3 to start the season after being hired to replace Lee.
Lee said he has not spoken with Warren about returning to the team.
“We have been friends since 1993 and will continue to have that friendship,” said Lee. “As far as the business side of it, that is something we are going to have to talk about.”
Lee said the Swashbucklers will have a different look next season.
“The goal, even when we were winning, were to build a team that would beat the previous year’s team,” Lee said.
“We are going to have a busy offseason, bring in a lot of top prospects. A lot of guys won’t be back. Last year Lafayette and Albany used a lot of guys with Arena experience. The SIFL is more attractive to guys like that because the rules are closer to the Arena league. I think guys will want to come here because of the tradition and because they will know we want to bounce back this season.”
Swashbucklers owner Thom Hager said the league will add five teams next season — Abilene, Rio Grande Valley, Houston, Mobile and Corpus Christi, while Greenville will not compete next season as new ownership is being sought. Albany, Columbus, Lafayette and Louisiana will return.