Post by 50yardfan on May 9, 2011 11:16:29 GMT -5
Here is a great article about the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings. 
www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20110508/SPORTS/105080321/Life-without-Wings
After 11 consecutive seasons of arena football in Shreveport and Bossier City, spring 2011 opened without the sounds of pads smacking into the running boards of the CenturyTel Center.
There was no distinct aroma of blood, sweat and tears emanating from the arena turf. The deafening music was silenced. Wedding rings with the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings and similar halftime gimmicks have been buried.
IPFL, af2 and AFL football is gone, possibly forever. Even the lower-level SIFL apparently gave up on placing a team here.
Fans are left with memories of a season with Quincy Carter, the former NFL star who had drug issues and gave the Battle Wings their most successful season. And then there were brief visits from Marcus Dupree, John Fourcade, Pat Tilley and Kenny "The Snake" Stabler.
But the question might be how much are locals really missing without an arena team? After finishing 3-13 last season as the Wings, the team which morphed into the New Orleans VooDoo isn't faring any better. They're last in the 18-team league in at least eight categories including scoring offense, sacks (obtained and allowed) and passing efficiency. They got bumped from a weekend game in the New Orleans Arena to a Thursday night contest due to the New Orleans Hornets' NBA playoff game, showing they're a little fish in a big pond. The VooDoo, under former Battle Wings assistant coach Derek Stingley, carried a 1-6 record into this weekend's games.
The former sponsor
Randy Coburn said life without the Battle Wings has been more difficult and lonely for he and his wife.
The owner/operator of Wipe Your Paws, a business that caters to dog owners, was part of a group that tailgated before every home Battle Wings game for the past several seasons. Everyone was welcome, and he gave prizes to those attending. Sometimes the players and coaches showed up.
Coburn hosted a booth in the CenturyTel Center before each game, which helped him increase business.
"Our business is off probably 10 percent, but we are having to double our work to keep it close to where it was," Coburn said. "We're doing more door-to-door stuff. We really miss them."
Currently, Coburn, who had 10 season tickets, isn't doing anything to supplement the lost Saturday evenings inside the CTC. Following a home game, he and friends would meet at IHOP to plan what they'd do for the next contest. And he isn't keeping up with the VooDoo.
"I could care less. That's a touchy subject," he said. "The way they left put a bad taste in our mouths."
The former assistant coach
A sergeant with the Bossier City Police Department, John Lewis was usually running hither and yon this time of year trying to balance his patrol time with Battle Wings coaching duties.
For just less than a decade, Lewis survived six coaching changes to stay on the sidelines and become the longest-tenured employee of the Wings. Their departure left a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in his heart.
"I don't mind telling you it's been really tough on me. I miss arena football horribly," Lewis said. "I miss the fans, the coaches, the players, you guys. My wife said she wishes the Battle Wings were still here because I've been tough to deal with."
Lewis also misses the side income.
"Anytime you lose your extra income it affects the pocketbook," he said. "I pretty much put my son through college with my coaching salary. And the travel was a heckuva perk. Just the last year we went to Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Tampa Bay and Spokane. The team this year is flying to nine towns."
Lewis has telephone numbers for more than 1,100 former players and remains in contact with many through texting.
"I'm in contact regularly with Jason Schule, P.J. Berry, Joe Wesley, John Fourcade ... you build relationships with the players, and that's what's important," said Lewis, who was hired by coach Chad Carlson in the team's third season. "You can put it in capital letters. I MISS ARENA FOOTBALL!"
The former employee
Grambling graduate Ken Bailey spent the last four years intimately involved with the day-to-day operations of the Battle Wings. As the director of football operations, his duties included securing daily meals for the players and doling out the sustenance while keeping a close eye to see that nothing was abused.
"Having been in sports for four to five years, I really miss it a lot, because it's all I knew. But I'm adapting," Bailey said.
Bailey didn't receive an offer to move with the team to New Orleans, he says, but probably wouldn't have gone anyway. Initially he struggled financially.
"But now I have an even better job with Halliburton, so the Lord has blessed me," Bailey said. "I'm working out of Bossier right now and I couldn't be happier. It's been good the last six months."
Bailey watched his first Voodoo game on niftytv.com last weekend and saw his former club pick up its first win of 2011.
The former statistician
During basketball season, Trey Bergeret can be found sitting at the scorer's table at Centenary or LSUS basketball games. He used to do the same for the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings until the team departed for New Orleans.
"I enjoyed the games and the extra money and it was great to work with the front office staff, like Sam (Newman)," Bergeret said. "It seemed this was one of the smaller markets and things ended up a mess. Their biggest downfall was players with names, like Raymond Philyaw, getting hurt or moving around. They brought Gary Cooper in and there were issues there."
Bergeret said some people were sad and some were happy to see the team leave north Louisiana.
"The extra income was nice to have, but I have an 8 to 5 job (AEP Swepco), so I wasn't affected too much," Bergeret said. "And now I have more time to spend at home with my daughters who are six and two."
The former player
Signed last season to make the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings an AFL title contender, former Southwood/ULM quarterback Raymond Philyaw was injured just a couple of games into the season and the Wings' title hopes went with him.
Philyaw slipped into the offensive coordinator's role for the remainder of the ill-fated 2010 season, then went to back to work at Dick's Sporting Goods and Calvary as an assistant football coach. He was still working at Dick's a couple of weeks ago when Stingley fired offensive coordinator Ben Bennett and hired Philyaw to replace him. The team started the season 0-4, but defeated a previously undefeated Cleveland team for its first win.
"We made some dramatic changes in our personnel over the last few weeks, but being here in New Orleans made a huge difference in convincing guys to come play for us," Philyaw said. "I wish I could have stayed home to coach, but this is an opportunity to get where I want to be."
Philyaw isn't sure if he'll return to Calvary after the AFL season ends in August, because of the coaching change to John Bachman Sr.
"He wanted me to be there in the spring and summer, which I can't do and be here," Philyaw said. "He's a great coach and I understand if they have to move on. But hopefully things will work out where I can do both."
Philyaw said home attendance for the VooDoo in New Orleans has been in the 8,000 to 10,000 range and that "it's been crazy" since the team defeated Cleveland.
"People were pulling for us to get that first win. They really support the team," he said.
It's cool that people miss the games, but most people in the article say they also miss the extra income. Unfortunately getting paid by Indoor teams is not for sure thing, like it is with Arena teams.
www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20110508/SPORTS/105080321/Life-without-Wings
After 11 consecutive seasons of arena football in Shreveport and Bossier City, spring 2011 opened without the sounds of pads smacking into the running boards of the CenturyTel Center.
There was no distinct aroma of blood, sweat and tears emanating from the arena turf. The deafening music was silenced. Wedding rings with the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings and similar halftime gimmicks have been buried.
IPFL, af2 and AFL football is gone, possibly forever. Even the lower-level SIFL apparently gave up on placing a team here.
Fans are left with memories of a season with Quincy Carter, the former NFL star who had drug issues and gave the Battle Wings their most successful season. And then there were brief visits from Marcus Dupree, John Fourcade, Pat Tilley and Kenny "The Snake" Stabler.
But the question might be how much are locals really missing without an arena team? After finishing 3-13 last season as the Wings, the team which morphed into the New Orleans VooDoo isn't faring any better. They're last in the 18-team league in at least eight categories including scoring offense, sacks (obtained and allowed) and passing efficiency. They got bumped from a weekend game in the New Orleans Arena to a Thursday night contest due to the New Orleans Hornets' NBA playoff game, showing they're a little fish in a big pond. The VooDoo, under former Battle Wings assistant coach Derek Stingley, carried a 1-6 record into this weekend's games.
The former sponsor
Randy Coburn said life without the Battle Wings has been more difficult and lonely for he and his wife.
The owner/operator of Wipe Your Paws, a business that caters to dog owners, was part of a group that tailgated before every home Battle Wings game for the past several seasons. Everyone was welcome, and he gave prizes to those attending. Sometimes the players and coaches showed up.
Coburn hosted a booth in the CenturyTel Center before each game, which helped him increase business.
"Our business is off probably 10 percent, but we are having to double our work to keep it close to where it was," Coburn said. "We're doing more door-to-door stuff. We really miss them."
Currently, Coburn, who had 10 season tickets, isn't doing anything to supplement the lost Saturday evenings inside the CTC. Following a home game, he and friends would meet at IHOP to plan what they'd do for the next contest. And he isn't keeping up with the VooDoo.
"I could care less. That's a touchy subject," he said. "The way they left put a bad taste in our mouths."
The former assistant coach
A sergeant with the Bossier City Police Department, John Lewis was usually running hither and yon this time of year trying to balance his patrol time with Battle Wings coaching duties.
For just less than a decade, Lewis survived six coaching changes to stay on the sidelines and become the longest-tenured employee of the Wings. Their departure left a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in his heart.
"I don't mind telling you it's been really tough on me. I miss arena football horribly," Lewis said. "I miss the fans, the coaches, the players, you guys. My wife said she wishes the Battle Wings were still here because I've been tough to deal with."
Lewis also misses the side income.
"Anytime you lose your extra income it affects the pocketbook," he said. "I pretty much put my son through college with my coaching salary. And the travel was a heckuva perk. Just the last year we went to Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Tampa Bay and Spokane. The team this year is flying to nine towns."
Lewis has telephone numbers for more than 1,100 former players and remains in contact with many through texting.
"I'm in contact regularly with Jason Schule, P.J. Berry, Joe Wesley, John Fourcade ... you build relationships with the players, and that's what's important," said Lewis, who was hired by coach Chad Carlson in the team's third season. "You can put it in capital letters. I MISS ARENA FOOTBALL!"
The former employee
Grambling graduate Ken Bailey spent the last four years intimately involved with the day-to-day operations of the Battle Wings. As the director of football operations, his duties included securing daily meals for the players and doling out the sustenance while keeping a close eye to see that nothing was abused.
"Having been in sports for four to five years, I really miss it a lot, because it's all I knew. But I'm adapting," Bailey said.
Bailey didn't receive an offer to move with the team to New Orleans, he says, but probably wouldn't have gone anyway. Initially he struggled financially.
"But now I have an even better job with Halliburton, so the Lord has blessed me," Bailey said. "I'm working out of Bossier right now and I couldn't be happier. It's been good the last six months."
Bailey watched his first Voodoo game on niftytv.com last weekend and saw his former club pick up its first win of 2011.
The former statistician
During basketball season, Trey Bergeret can be found sitting at the scorer's table at Centenary or LSUS basketball games. He used to do the same for the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings until the team departed for New Orleans.
"I enjoyed the games and the extra money and it was great to work with the front office staff, like Sam (Newman)," Bergeret said. "It seemed this was one of the smaller markets and things ended up a mess. Their biggest downfall was players with names, like Raymond Philyaw, getting hurt or moving around. They brought Gary Cooper in and there were issues there."
Bergeret said some people were sad and some were happy to see the team leave north Louisiana.
"The extra income was nice to have, but I have an 8 to 5 job (AEP Swepco), so I wasn't affected too much," Bergeret said. "And now I have more time to spend at home with my daughters who are six and two."
The former player
Signed last season to make the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings an AFL title contender, former Southwood/ULM quarterback Raymond Philyaw was injured just a couple of games into the season and the Wings' title hopes went with him.
Philyaw slipped into the offensive coordinator's role for the remainder of the ill-fated 2010 season, then went to back to work at Dick's Sporting Goods and Calvary as an assistant football coach. He was still working at Dick's a couple of weeks ago when Stingley fired offensive coordinator Ben Bennett and hired Philyaw to replace him. The team started the season 0-4, but defeated a previously undefeated Cleveland team for its first win.
"We made some dramatic changes in our personnel over the last few weeks, but being here in New Orleans made a huge difference in convincing guys to come play for us," Philyaw said. "I wish I could have stayed home to coach, but this is an opportunity to get where I want to be."
Philyaw isn't sure if he'll return to Calvary after the AFL season ends in August, because of the coaching change to John Bachman Sr.
"He wanted me to be there in the spring and summer, which I can't do and be here," Philyaw said. "He's a great coach and I understand if they have to move on. But hopefully things will work out where I can do both."
Philyaw said home attendance for the VooDoo in New Orleans has been in the 8,000 to 10,000 range and that "it's been crazy" since the team defeated Cleveland.
"People were pulling for us to get that first win. They really support the team," he said.
It's cool that people miss the games, but most people in the article say they also miss the extra income. Unfortunately getting paid by Indoor teams is not for sure thing, like it is with Arena teams.
