Post by Free Agent Fan on Sept 19, 2007 20:18:17 GMT -5
www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/SPORTS/70918008
Stingrays name head coach
By Carl Bleich
cbleich@news-press.com
The American Indoor Football Association’s Florida Stingrays have taken the first steps of preparation in order to be ready for the 2008 season.
The Stingrays, who will play their home games at the Lee Civic Center, have named Bryan Jernigen head coach and former Fort Myers Tarpons head coach Bernard Edwards assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
“They fit together like a hand and a glove,” Stingray general manager Gary Vaughn said of Jernigen and Edwards. “They think so much alike that it is kind of scary. It’s a good thing.”
The team also announced that they will hold their first tryout Saturday, Oct. 6 and continuing through Sunday, Oct. 7. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Oct. 6 and tryouts will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday’s tryouts will be from 2-4 p.m.
The tryouts are open to the public and former Houston Oiler player Henry Ford will be there and signing autographs.
Jernigen played for the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm. He coached the AIFA’s Gulf Coast Raiders last season.
“He is very outspoken and he is a leader,” Vaughn said. “I chose someone I knew who would demand the respect of the players.”
Jernigen also worked for the league last year, helping with football operations.
He has stepped down from that position to focus full attention on the Stingrays.
“I think we are going to have a very good team this year,” Jernigen said. “I have heard there is a lot of talent down there.
“I am looking for talent, but my main concern is conditioning. I want to finish the game the way we started it.”
Edwards, a Fort Myers High graduate who played football at Ohio State and for the Storm, coached the Fort Myers Tarpons in the only two games the NIFL team played last season. He will use the same defensive principles he did when he coached the Tarpons, pressure the quarterback and make plays on the ball.
Edwards expects many former Tarpons to come out to the tryout.
“We want a lot of the guys on this team to be local,” Edwards said. “I think that really makes a difference with the fan base. The talent is here, it’s a no-brainer.”
Stingrays name head coach
By Carl Bleich
cbleich@news-press.com
The American Indoor Football Association’s Florida Stingrays have taken the first steps of preparation in order to be ready for the 2008 season.
The Stingrays, who will play their home games at the Lee Civic Center, have named Bryan Jernigen head coach and former Fort Myers Tarpons head coach Bernard Edwards assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.
“They fit together like a hand and a glove,” Stingray general manager Gary Vaughn said of Jernigen and Edwards. “They think so much alike that it is kind of scary. It’s a good thing.”
The team also announced that they will hold their first tryout Saturday, Oct. 6 and continuing through Sunday, Oct. 7. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Oct. 6 and tryouts will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday’s tryouts will be from 2-4 p.m.
The tryouts are open to the public and former Houston Oiler player Henry Ford will be there and signing autographs.
Jernigen played for the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm. He coached the AIFA’s Gulf Coast Raiders last season.
“He is very outspoken and he is a leader,” Vaughn said. “I chose someone I knew who would demand the respect of the players.”
Jernigen also worked for the league last year, helping with football operations.
He has stepped down from that position to focus full attention on the Stingrays.
“I think we are going to have a very good team this year,” Jernigen said. “I have heard there is a lot of talent down there.
“I am looking for talent, but my main concern is conditioning. I want to finish the game the way we started it.”
Edwards, a Fort Myers High graduate who played football at Ohio State and for the Storm, coached the Fort Myers Tarpons in the only two games the NIFL team played last season. He will use the same defensive principles he did when he coached the Tarpons, pressure the quarterback and make plays on the ball.
Edwards expects many former Tarpons to come out to the tryout.
“We want a lot of the guys on this team to be local,” Edwards said. “I think that really makes a difference with the fan base. The talent is here, it’s a no-brainer.”
