The expected news from the Amarillo Venom’s news conference Wednesday is that the team is joining the new Lone Star Football League. The LSFL is based in San Angelo, and all league teams will call Texas home. Other teams in the LSFL — Houston Stallions, Laredo Rattlesnakes, Corpus Christi Hammerheads, and the Rio Grande Valley Magic.
Speaking of Amarillo indoor football, former Amarillo Dusters head coach Chris MacKeown is the new head coach of the Knoxville NightHawks of the Professional Indoor Football League. MacKeown, former coach of the Allen Wranglers, got a bad rap last season because of a heated postgame verbal confrontation with former Venom coaches in the Cal Farley Coliseum tunnel. If you were there (and there weren’t many Amarillo media who were), you know MacKeown acted like any man, husband and father would have acted in that situation.
"Minor league pro football is a weird universe filled with bounced checks, unpaid bills, empty promises, out-right lies, empty arenas, endless women, endless booze, occasionally drugs, endless trips on rented buses to towns on the outskirts of the Big Time and, for one night a week, a football game." -- Bill Shea
Amarillo Venom owner/general manager Stephanie Tucker and head coach Julian Reese are hoping a new league deep in the heart of Texas will bring back old memories — and create new ones.
When indoor football kicked off in Amarillo in 2004, the former Amarillo Dusters won the Intense Football League championship — with Reese at quarterback.
In 2012, Amarillo will compete in the new Lone Star Football League — a league with all Texas teams that harkens back to Amarillo’s glory days of 2004.
“The teams, it is like going back basically to 2004 with the locations and where they are and the rules and everything. We’re really excited about it,” said Reese, who led the Venom to a 4-0 record last season after former head coach Rodney Blackshear was fired. “This will mean a lot. So many of the guys live in Texas ... just being able to travel and come right back if they have a job or want to get back to their family.”
This will be the fourth league for Amarillo indoor football — including the Intense Football League, af2 and the Indoor Football League.
In 2011, the Indoor Football League consisted of 22 teams, with Amarillo making road trips to Arizona, Colorado and Wichita, Kan.
“Affordability and travel, that was one deciding factor. Probably the main deciding factor was keeping the excitement of Texas football here in Amarillo,” said Tucker. “When you think of Texas, you think of the talent in Texas. Instead of having them shipped out to other states in the IFL or other leagues, we can keep them here.
“We are family-based, and most of our players do this as a part-time job. So this will help make it more accommodating to all our players.”
Tucker said teams in the LSFL will carry an 18-player roster, with as many as five players not “suiting out.”
Individual player salaries vary in the LSFL with a $3,000 salary cap game-to-game.
In the Indoor Football League, Amarillo won a division title in 2010. Amarillo was a member of the defunct af2 from 2005-2009 and earned two postseason appearances.
“We are really excited about Texas-style football,” Tucker said. “This is an owner-based league, so basically the owners came together and looked for what were the positive things we have to offer the league, and we went from there. We will know our competition and their fans, which will create rivalries and bring excitement to the game.”
■ Based in San Angelo. First year — 2012.
■ Charter members (as of Wednesday): Amarillo Venom; Corpus Christi Hammerheads; Houston Stallions; Laredo Rattlesnakes; Rio Grande Valley Magic; West Texas Roughnecks.
"Minor league pro football is a weird universe filled with bounced checks, unpaid bills, empty promises, out-right lies, empty arenas, endless women, endless booze, occasionally drugs, endless trips on rented buses to towns on the outskirts of the Big Time and, for one night a week, a football game." -- Bill Shea
Administrator: #LFL-US Pacific Cup: Seattle Mist 27, Los Angeles Temptation 25 (FINAL) #IndoorScores
Dec 7, 2013 2:03:30 GMT -5
Banana Cat: This board was revised and updated on 7 December in preparation for the 2014 season. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
Dec 7, 2013 6:38:21 GMT -5
Banana Cat: LFL-AU kicks off inaugural season; New South Wales Surge 44, Queensland Brigade 6 (FINAL)
Dec 7, 2013 7:47:46 GMT -5
Banana Cat: LFL-AU: Victoria Maidens 32, Western Australia Angels 26 (FINAL)
Dec 14, 2013 21:58:09 GMT -5
Banana Cat: Seattle Seahawks vs Denver Broncos for the Super Bowl. Who will win?
Jan 22, 2014 22:00:38 GMT -5
CF4L: Grand Island is up 13-0 early on over Lincoln
Feb 10, 2014 20:24:08 GMT -5
CF4L: 19-0 GI after a quarter.
Feb 10, 2014 20:38:55 GMT -5
Banana Cat: Did you go to the game CF4L?
Feb 17, 2014 11:34:51 GMT -5
danger10: Watching first night of IFL Regular season lets go Danger!
Feb 21, 2014 21:21:56 GMT -5
BNDC: Football bandits.
Mar 2, 2014 17:26:50 GMT -5
dubyaessoh: Sure is quiet in here this year!
Mar 14, 2014 19:15:50 GMT -5
halaroo: Does anyone know where I can watch away games for the AIF online?
Mar 22, 2014 9:53:41 GMT -5
Doom: this shoutbox at the bottom noone really sees it is prolly why its always quiet
Apr 12, 2014 19:11:41 GMT -5
Banana Cat: Everyone's on the facebook group now too, which makes it even more quiet. This shoutbox was quiet when it was at the top this past year, so maybe I should just shut it down.
Apr 14, 2014 20:55:38 GMT -5
Bring Back CFL to KC: so what are the guess about chances for indoor football back in kc
Sept 8, 2014 20:19:30 GMT -5
superpicker: Merry Christmas to all.
Dec 25, 2014 9:29:43 GMT -5
superpicker: Happy New Year 2015 to all fans, friends, players, owners, coaches and anyone else involved with the great sport of Indoor Football.
Jan 10, 2015 12:00:39 GMT -5
superpicker: Happy 2016 to all fans, friends, players, owners, coaches and anyone else involved with the great sport of Indoor Football.