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This page is designed for owner press releases. For now, it is one long, text-based page. Eventually it may evolve into several smaller pages (one for each team). [By the way, the commissioner does not correct bad spelling or bad grammar. He just converts press releases to HTML.]
High Plains Drifters--10 January 98 New Owner to Keep Franchise in Oklahoma Tulsa - In a suprising move, the Oklahoma Stars new owner, Devin Barber, announced that the franchise would not be relocating. Instead, the team will change it's name to the High Plains Drifters. "I can't in good conscience take away this team from the fans of this region who have been so loyal. We need to take this team in a new direction, but not a new area code." Barber, who made his money in the tar and feather industry, was expected to relocate the team to Florida; instead, the Drfiters will play out of a new stadium in Tulsa. "I can fly in on my private jet if I need to be in town," Barber said"This is the Nineties, people, if you can't run a business from another city, stick to newspaper stands." The newly unvieled coaching staff included head coach Steve Tasker, offensive coordinator Ron Jaworski, and defensive coordinator Bobby Stoops. Vast changes are expected out the team which finished 6-8. The Drfiters return a strong corps of running backs led by rookie sensation Corey Dillon and verteran Marcus Allen.With the fifth overall pick in the draft, the Drfiters are well positioned to start a rebuilding process that may not require much time to show success. Carolina Tigers--8 October 97 Carolina Off to Solid Start The Tigers take to the road again after defeating the Tennessee Dead 23-17 in front of a packed home crowd in Erickson Stadium, NC. The game was key as the Tigers completed their second season sweep of Tennessee in a row. Still, Carolina is only tied for second place, although they technically would earn a playoff spot over Tennessee. The 4-2 record is the best start of this franchise, and an important nonconference matchup against Camden may decide if the Tigers are contenders or pretenders. "We have a long way to go," said coach/general manager Jay Marcoux. "We have the exciting priviledge of playing in the strongest division thus far yet, we're 4-2, yet we're struggling wo stay alive. That says something about the competitiveness of this conference. Still, I feel that we are a much more balanced team this season capable of winning games and we are certainly worthy of the playoffs. It is too early to make decent predictions, but we have proven ourselves capable thus far." The Tigers have beaten Tennessee twice, split with Phoenix, and beat Boonville. Carolina's only other loss besides to Phoenix was to Beaverton. Carolina has a 3-1 division record. Interestingly enough, Camden enters this game 2-0-1 in nondivisional matchups. Carolina defeated Camden last season to snap the Crimson Tide's short-lived 3-0 perfect record, a feat thought to be impossible for an expansion franchise. Orange Park Raiders--7 October 1997 Contact: Chad Jackson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orange Park Raiders October 7, 1997 EMMITT SMITH BENCHED BY RAIDERS; DUNN HANDED JOB Orange Park, Fla. -- The Orange Park Raiders announced today that franchise running back Emmitt Smith will be benched in this week's upcoming game against the Tennessee Dead in favor of No. 1 draft pick Warrick Dunn. Smith, who has been the Raiders main running back since the inception of the Orange Park franchise, has simply "not produced to the level we expect him [Emmitt] to," said Owner/GM Chad Jackson. "We know that Emmitt is unhappy with his play and will continue to work hard in practice. We just feel that Warrick is ready to step in." Dunn filled in admirably for an injured Terry Allen in two early games this season and is ready to accept the challenge. "I'm prepared, both in mind and body, to become the starting running back for the Raiders," Dunn said. Following harsh questions from the media after Orange Park escaped Oklahoma with a one-point win, Smith declined to comment further after the game and could not be reached this afternoon. Mark Brunell, the Raiders starting QB, said "I think Warrick will do an excellent job for us. We still haven't clicked on all cylinders on offense yet this season." Jackson also denied any trade rumors surrounding Emmitt or even his injured franchise receiver, Jerry Rice. "Yes, I've gotten calls, but that's all they've been so far - just calls. You know, like, 'Hi, how ya doin'?" The Raiders entertain the Tennessee Dead this weekend in what will be a sold-out Biletnikoff field. Game time is 1 p.m. Boonville Bobcats--29 September 1997 Boonville Changes Coaches In the normally quite Bobcat camp an eruption occured this morning when owner Jeff Scherrer announced the firing of his coach Billy Bob Hogwaller. Sources close to the owner said that Jeff was "totaly disgusted" with his teams poor showing this season and that Jeff believed Hogwaller was spending to much time in the office and not enough time with the players. When reached for comment Coach Hogwaller said "he was let go because Jeff was to tight to spend money on quality players" and that "he (Hogwaller) couldn't play the #@$%&! game for the #&@%@!$ players". He also stated he would return to driving a beer truck and hunting season was coming up so he wasn't worried. It is speculated that Jeff will take over the coaching duties himself. Scherrer has been highly successfull coaching youth leagues and has captured quite a few championships. There was no response from the owner as he was in a meeting with Jerry Jones owner of the Dallas Cowboys. Phoenix Scorpions--13 September 1997 Scorpions look forward to Blizzard The Phoenix Scorpions,pleased by their upset win last week, sets their sights on Inter-Divisional Rival Ithaca for week 3. To add to Phoenix's rapidly improving team, owner Keith Sesler picked up former Univerity of Michigan player, Jay Riemersma, the Indy [actually Buffalo -- ed.] tight end who has had touchdowns in each of the last two weeks thrown to him by former teammate Todd Collins. Phoenix also tweaked their lineup by adding WR Andre Rison, who sat out game 2 so that "Erkelenz would have a chance". Either that, or the owner did not have the foresight to use him in game two. You decide which was the correct reason. Carolina Tigers--3 September 1997 Carolina Wins Opener Tradition has taken a turn for the better as the Carolina Tigers start off the season with a victory for a change. "After last season's opening heartbreaker to Orange Park, we needed a kickstart like this one," said coach/GM Marcoux. "A victory over a division rival makes opening day meaningful to us. Now we have to work an staying consistent all season long." The former Palmetto Tigers did actually win their first game ever in the former OFL, but lost the next four games before earning another victory. Last season, Palmetto was in the playoff race with Ithaca and the former Southgate Wolverines right down to the last week. "We'd like to avoid getting into that situation again," said Marcoux. "The only way to do that is win every game possible, no matter how important it is. In my eyes, every game is another step to the playoffs. We intend to be there this season." Carolina's 39-9 victory over Phoenix was a dominating statement to the rest of the division. The Tigers did it with youth. Second-year running back Eddie George put up a team-high 16 points as he rushed for over 200 yards for the first time in his career. Tony Banks, a quarterback also in his second year, held his own and ended any possible controversy with Ty Detmer with his 10-point, two-touchdown performance. "Tony is the starter," said Marcoux. "He may very well be a very important part of the future of this team." Tiki Barber, a fourth-round rookie, started in the backfield and produced nine points with his touchdown. The Tigers struck gold with this pick especially after a questionable trade with Orange Park which involved Terry Allen. The performances by Tony Banks and Terry Glenn put the press to rest. "It justifies our trade - we needed help at the quarterback and running back positions, and we wanted youth. We realize that Terry Allen is one of the best running backs in the game, but we had no air game. So we traded him." The Jacksonville defense and Al Del Greco perfomed brilliantly. In fact the only negative aspect of the game was the performance of Yancey Thigpen, whose starting role will be challenged by Wayne Chrebet and possibly Torrance Small and Andre Hastings. "All of the sudden, we have a deep receiving corps. Talentwise, we are at the best level we've ever been." The Tigers take to the road for the second week in a row and visit Beaverton, a team still seeking its first victory. Orange Park Raiders--2 September 1997 Contact: Chad Jackson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Orange Park Raiders General Manager September 2, 1997 RAIDERS SAY RICE WILL BE READY FOR PLAYOFFS JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Franchise wide receiver Jerry Rice, injured in the first game of the season, will not be released by the Orange Park Raiders, General Manager Chad Jackson announced Tuesday morning. "Jerry Rice has been nothing but a class act ever since donning a Raider uniform," Jackson said. "We want to show the same type of loyalty and committment to Jerry as he has shown to us in his time here." Rice, who was acquired two seasons ago from the Minnesota Muskies franchise for Curtis Martin and Terence Mathis, underwent successful knee surgery on Monday to repair damage to his ACL (anterior crucitate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament). "The prognosis is for four to six months of recovery, but if the Raiders make it to Kirk Cup III, I feel confident that Jerry will be in the lineup for that game."" In other injury news, the rehab of starting QB Mark Brunell has been quite impressive. With Terry Allen's thumb injury in week one as well, however, Jackson denied rumored reports that he might come out of retirement. "I don't have those cool new shoes like Joe Namath," Jackson said. Orange Park Raiders--17 August 1997 Contact: Chad Jackson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OPR General Manager August 17, 1997 RAIDERS SETTLE QB SITUATION: HARBAUGH IN, PEETE OUT, BRUNELL REHAB JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Orange Park Raider faithful breathed a huge sigh of relief as its franchise QB, Mark Brunell, learned that he will not have to miss the entire season as a result of his injury. The announcement came less than 48 hours after Raiders General Manager Chad Jackson pulled off a trade, bringing in the veteran Jim Harbaugh in a deal with the Oklahoma Stars that cost a future draft pick and promising, if oft-injured, wide receiver Michael Westbrook. "We were unhappy with the play of Rodney Peete after being named the starter following Mark's injury," Jackson said. "Some quarterbacks apparently just can't handle the pressure." Harbaugh will inherit the helm of the Raiders until Brunell returns from his injury. Optimistic reports have the former Washington Husky QB returning by week five, but Jackson remains cautious. "We don't want to rush him back," Jackson said. "He is the future of our franchise. I'm just happy to know that with all we've invested in him, he will be able to pay dividends in 1997." Rodney Peete, who went from starter to clipboard-holder in three days with the Raiders, would not comment other than to say he was "disappointed" with the acquisition of Harbaugh. Raiders franchise running back Emmitt Smith did have this to say about the bizarre week: "Each time a quarterback handed me the ball, I felt the need to introduce myself." Virginia Beach Uprising--11 August 1997 VBU places Rob Johnson "On the Block" As luck would have it, our pick feel at just the right time to snatch up current Jacksonville QB Rob Johnson. I am sure there will be specualtion galore over the future of the Jaguars team with him at the helm. I just as soon care to stay out of that and am willing to trade him away. I am interested in obtaining a RB, a WR, and/or TE....you can look at my roster and see where a few holes lie. I am not interested in any of this years draft picks since we are hitting the bottom of the barrel at the moment. Any offers will be considered and replied to. Orange Park Raiders--11 August 1997 Contact: Chad Jackson FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE General Manager, OPR August 11, 1997 RODNEY PEETE TO SUCCEED MARK BRUNELL AS RAIDERS QB Jacksonville, FL - In a shocking turn of events early Monday morning, the Orange Park Raiders have tabbed QB Rodney Peete as the new starting quarterback following the injury suffered by Mark Brunell. "Peete is a survivor in this league," General Manager Chad Jackson said. "Remember - he's taken two different teams to the playoffs in his career. And face it - all he's had to do is beat out Ty Detmer." Rumors had the Raiders looking towards Rob Johnson as a possible successor, but in the current MFL draft, the Virginia Beach Uprising selected the third-year player from Southern Cal just before the Raiders' pick. Rumors also had Jackson and the Raiders staff trying to work a deal all weekend long after Brunell's injury, but ran into problems. An unnamed source quoted Jackson from his home late Sunday night as saying, "Damn JD Roth and the house he painted!!" Jackson has denied publicly ever uttering these words. "Certainly the loss of Mark Brunell gives us a cause for concern for the upcoming season, but we are all professionals here. We shall overcome," Jackson said. Orange Park Raiders--1 August 1997 The Orange Park Raiders select: RB Byron Hanspard (ATL) Quick comment from general manager Chad Jackson: Carolina Tigers--31 July 1997 Press Release: The Carolina Tigers fill in important backup roles via the 1997 draft despite having traded away their first round selection. "We needed depth at quarterback and receiver, and our trade for Banks and Glenn cleared up most of that. The drafting of Andre Hastings in the second round gave us the receiver depth we desperately needed," said coach/GM Jay Marcoux late Wednesday night. "Drafting Kimble Anders gives us the added depth we need as he is a great receiver out of the backfield, but was drafted to back up Hampton and Eddie Geroge." Some feared that this season's draft will not help the Tigers establish a decent pass attack. By trading away the aging yet effective Terry Allen for young talents like Terry Glenn and Tony Banks, however, may keep Carolina in playoff contention. "We won't be an easy team to beat," said Marcoux. "Although we are rebuilding this team, we have enough firepower to draw some attention." We shall soon see. Camden Crimson Tide--25 July 1997 For Immediate Release: Jul. 25, 1997 Crimson Tide Wallow in Self-Pity Management of the Camden Crimson Tide regrets to inform all other participants of the Matthews Football League that the Tide will be refraining from issuing any press releases at this time. It seems that when the management realized that they were going to have to put either Trent Dilfer or Gary Brown on the cover of the media guide, everyone connected with the team got very depressed. Although the team had high hopes of improving on last year's dismal performance, it seems that we are destined to remain the league's doormat. However, the Tide is very proud to own a record in the MFL record books, (Most Consecutive Losses). Phoenix Scorpions--20 July 1997 With pick 2.01, Phoenix selects: Frank Sanders, WR Arizona. Upon hearing of his selection to the cellar-dwelling Scorpions, Sanders did not seem as disappointed as one might expect. "I'm going to an up-and coming organization", says Sanders. "The addition of Steve McNair at QB should really give this team a lift at that position, and, of course, the selection of me at WR really helps at that position too. New owner Keith Sesler is actively trying to turn this team around, and I am sure he will succeed. He is ready and willing to deal any and all of his players and draft picks to help acquire the players that will improve this team, and is keeping an open dialogue to all other team owners regarding this". Texas Mustangs--20 July 1997 FROM: The Mustang News Network (MNN) Mustangs Accuse Cougars of Foul Play Owner and G.M. of the Texas Mustangs, Jeff Berger, called a press conference today to put an end to allegations that Texas was wanting out of the Pacific Division. Owner Jeff had sitting at his side his head coach of the Texas Mustangs, Tom Foolery. "I have called you all here to put an end to the rumors that we want out of the current division we are in. These allegations are false. Simply not true. And wrongly reported. This has been an attempt by the Canby Cougars management to get us out of the division in an attempt to soften the competition for them. Last year scared the heck out of the Cougars with The Mustangs taking them right down to the wire in the last game. Now I understand the concern on their part....they must keep revenues up or they won't be able to pay their water boys again and have to resort to hiring off shore sweat shops to do their laundry and manufacture their team memorabilia again. We don't resort to that kind of tactics in the Mustang organization. A simple Cougar jersey, made by one of those nine-year old children costs the team $1.50 including import duty per jersey. Of this $1.50 each child only sees $.05 per jersey, not enough to buy a bowl of rice on most of the Cougar sweat-shop locals. The team then turns around and sells the jerseys for $150.00 per shirt. Now that is a tidy little sum the owners are raking in for themselves. A little known fact was that the Cougars tried to get the Mustangs charter revoked from the league last year out of fear of having to play us. I quickly thwarted this attempt when I found that the Cougars fight song, "Born Free" was on the market for sale. I snatched that puppy up quicker than a Yankee rushing to a water pitcher during a jalapino eating contest. This infuriated the Cougars ownership and we were able to come to a mutual agreement. As you see we are still in the league but here we go with another blatant attempt on the Cougars part to not have to play us. This time they are trying to get us moved to the Midwest division. Which is a good division and we would be just as proud to play against such great teams if the Commissioner deems it neccessary. But for once I wish the Cougars would just quit turning tail. There is no need to be a fraidy cat. They have a good team and once again will pose a challenge for the Mustangs, but the Cougar management must feel different. Now I'm gonna turn the mic over to Coach Foolery, Coach...." Coach Foolery takes the mic. "Thank ya Jeff. I want to be brief in my statements as the rookies are to be ran through drills today with the vets. We have a good bunch of kids here. Ready to play. Remember the lose to the Cougals last year and are ready to find some new ways to skin a cat. I'm gonna try and keep them focused on camp. We will not be playing any pre-season games this year and are going to three-a-days. It's rough but the team has asked for it to prepare them better. Stamina. Speed. And agility. Just some factors we are working on that we realize the Cougals don't have. So in parting I'd like to say, WE GONNA DO IT BABY! BRING ON THOSE SINGING CATS!" Orange Park Raiders--15 July 1997 Contact: Levi Buckshot FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OPR Media Relations Director Tuesday, July 15 (904) 724-3377 RAIDERS MAKE "DUNN" DEALS TO OPEN MFL DRAFT ORANGE PARK, Fla. -- After a weekend flurry of player movement and trades, the Orange Park Raiders opened up the 1997 Matthews Football League by making Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Warrick Dunn their first selection. "Dunn has the type of talent that will keep the Raiders running game at the top of the league for years to come," General Manager Chad Jackson said in a press conference early Tuesday morning. "He may not see a lot of time for us this season with Emmitt and Terry, but he will be a vital part of the future of this franchise." The Raiders acquired the first pick in the draft in a late trade Sunday afternoon with the Southgate Polar Bears in which Orange Park sent three draft picks and disgruntled third-string quarterback Steve McNair for the top selection. This trade came just moments after a rumored deal from last week finally went through in which the Raiders dealt Tony Banks, Terry Glenn and a draft pick to the Carolina Tigers for Terry Allen and their first round pick. "Our immediate goal in this offseason was to upgrade the running back position," Jackson said. "Now we have a good core and three of the top 16 picks in the draft with which we can work on the future." Starting quarterback Mark Brunell echoed Jackson's remarks in a prepared statement read at the press conference. "I have every confidence that the Raiders will put a tremendous team on the field each week with the intention of winning a championship," Brunell said. The Raiders have been knocked out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons despite being among the league leaders in points scored. "You can't sit still in this league and hope everyone plays to their potential. If you see someone you want, you have to go out and get him," Jackson said. The Raiders will select next at No. 13 in the first round. "We're not done dealing, either. We've got Adrian [Murrell] who we could possibly move for the right trade, and we do have draft picks we need to recoup," Jackson said. Camden Crimson Tide--17 September 1996 For Immediate Release: Sept. 17, 1996 Crimson Tide Left Searching For Answers The expansion Camden Crimson Tide are still a little unsure of what's going on after their first threesome of games in the MFL. "We keep looking at the roster and wondering who is going to produce for us," exclaims confused owner Bo Boehringer, "we just aren't seeing any marquee players, and we are really confused about this early success." The Tide have opened their inaugural season in the Matthews Football League with three straight wins, leaving the Tide as the only unbeaten team. "We are confident that the whole thing will come crashing down sooner than later, and then we will most likely put together a string of losses that will mark the record books," explains Boehringer. The Tide was criticized early on for their poor draft choices that left them with plenty of kickers and quarterbacks, but no serious run threats. The Tide only have one tailback on their roster, but three burley blocking fullbacks that really aren't known for their scoring. "We will get this ship turned around," assures Boehringer, "Honestly, we don't have the players to sustain this, we were hoping to jockey for next years number one draft pick." Tennessee Dead--12 September 1996 The folks in Tennessee have begun to notice that there is another football team in the state besides the Volunteers. The Tennessee Dead have made people take notice by jumping out to a 2-0 start. Most "experts" had written the Dead off as, well, dead. Last year the Dead made the playoffs, but they had a rough offseason. The two first round picks have yet to see action. Means is hurt and Morris got busted with a trunk full of marijuana. Brian Blades shot his cousin, was convicted, but somehow managed to get the verdict reversed. The staring QB was lost in the expansion draft. This seasons roster is filled with backups, risks and players who are question marks at best. The fortunate signing of Brad Johnson sparked the team to its second consecutive victory. The Dead seem confident that Johnson will get a lot of playing time this year. Moon is too old and fragile to make it thru a full season. Dorsey Levens, a 3rd round draft pick this year, has performed well. He is the kind of player the Dead like, someone who does nothing the whole game, except score a garbage TD. Can this team of backups, misfits, rejects and criminals keep the wins coming? Sure they aren't the typical team. They have tie-dyed uniforms that seem to change color patterns each week, and the after game parties often last until Tuesday, but they seem to have found the right combination. Can they keep on winning? Probably not, but 2 wins is more than most people expected them to get all year and it is only week 3. Texas Mustangs--14 July 1996 The crowd is astir as the first card gets handed to the comish. He takes the card and looks at it with a raised eyebrow. He approaches the microphone and speaks, "With the first pick in the 1996 MFL draft... The Texas Mustangs select: Lawrence Philips RB St. Louis Rams and potential yearly troublemaker." The camaras switch down to the war room of the Texas Mustangs with Head coach Tom Foolery. Tom Foolery was the former head coach of football at Lolligag High school in Lolligag, Texas. He was hired during the off season to replace the former Texas head coach Rocky Rhode (who led the Mustangs to the worest record in the OFL last season). And now Coach Tom Foolery: "I jus wanna say, that we here at The Tex-as Muz-tang organi-ization, weelcooome Larry Phelps with open arms and a hardy Texas handshake. We think that he will be among one of oour best...defensive liinemen and a great addition to the team. I want to assure you that I am a hands on..coach. And that I made this decision to take Phil Lawrence based on us having him so high on our draft board. I know that it is odd to take a kicker with sucha high, pick. But he was the best there... We have seen filims of him... Tried him out in workoout situations and he passed with flyin colors. There were others that we looked at... The kid out of Navy Roger Staw-back and the runner from USC O.J. Simp-son, but we liked Paul Leham. Simple as that. And with him at shooting guard we can beat Jordan and Bird. "Now, I won't be fielding any questions rite chnow cuz the beer is backiing up in me somethiing feirce, but I will answer questions later at the big media event and BBQ in the back." And with that walks off the stage the Mustangs head man and GM. The heart and soul of Texas Mustang football lay in that man's hands. Bless him and all of Texas. This has been a press release from Texas Mustangs Football. All rights and copyright have been reserved. Palmetto Tigers--6 July 1996 After an exceptionally awful inaugural season, Palmetto has traded its way to a decent lineup by the end of the horrific 4-9-1 1995 season. In the final three games, the Tigers managed to go 2-0-1, including a huge victory over the Camby Cougars. "It all has to do with management," said Jay Marcoux, the Tigers' head coach and general manager. "This was an inaugural seaon for me as well. For a first-timer, avoiding double-figure losses was amazing considering how poorly we conducted last year's draft. We went for names, not numbers. Though numbers aren't everything, we needed better personnel." In response, Marcoux traded away perhaps the team's best quarterback Steve Bono as well as starting running back Jerome Bettis and, under much criticism, Cris Carter. This may seem to be a travesty, but coming from a team which consisted of a backfield of Louis Tillman, Bettis, and Troy Aikman at quarterback, some improvements were in store. By the season's end, the Tigers nabbed Rodney Hampton and Terry Allen, two players considered league veterans by the amount of years they've been active. Also, Yancey Thigpen was grabbed to compliment Quinn Early who surprised everyone by overtaking Fred Barnett for the starting role. "I am thrilled about our starters," said Marcoux. Jim Kelly was protected in favor of Troy Aikman in the expansion draft, a move that turned a few heads. Even more surprising, Michael Westbrook and Fred Barnett were left unprotected and drafted by other expansion teams. "My feeling is that the wide receiver corps on this team will be fine. I am most concerned with keeping the backfield fresh and supplying our passing game with a solid backup. We are confident in Jim Kelly, but we do realize that he is getting up there in age," added Marcoux. "But this forces our program to pay attention to other problems. A quarterback controversy isn't one of them. Getting a backup is a concern, however." The Charlotte Observer slammed Marcoux for letting Aikman go. "I do not see what the problem is," said Marcoux. "We are rebuilding. Jim Kelly is hands down the better man for the job." But not protecting an incredible receiver like Westbrook -- not to mention Barnett? "Look, we couldn't hold onto every good player on this football team. Those that are here are responsible for our late-season surge. They are the building blocks." Last year's draft was a heralded disaster in the Palmetto history books. But like Marcoux says, it's history. "We will be drafting youth and potentially strong players to improve this team. We will take some risks. For example, we decided to protect Bernie Parmalee whom we feel has the potential to contribute. If not, we will find somebody else who will." The Tigers' biggest concern is depth. "I am not worried about it," added Marcoux. "If depth is what we're looking for, fine. Last season, we were looking for players." We shall soon see. |
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