PEORIA – Nearly 2 1/2 years have passed since the Peoria Pirates disappeared from the River City’s sports teams’ roster.
It has also been that long since the man who coached that last appearance, Pirates head coach Bruce Cowdrey, worked in town, as he took part in winning a championship, as an assistant, with the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League two seasons ago, in the meantime.
Last season, he was an assistant with the Austin Wranglers, who belonged to Arena Football League last year, but that team downsized in the off-season to join af2 this year.
It is that Austin connection that die-hard Pirates fans have to thank for their team’s return. The new owner of the Pirates is Doug MacGregor, President of af2’s Wranglers franchise. The Wranglers were part of AFL from 2004-07.
Last season, under head coach Brian Partlow, the Wranglers finished the 2007 season 4-10. Because of decreasing attendance, MacGregor opted to downsize his club and compete in af2.
Peoria is one of a number of af2 teams MacGregor owns. In addition to Austin and Peoria, he also owns the Amarillo (Texas) Dusters.
Although af2 opens its ninth season of play tonight, the Pirates have a bye week this week in preparation for their rebirth on the road against the former United Indoor Football League member Lexington Horsemen on Saturday, April 5.
The Pirates will have another away game against the Albany Conquest on April 13 before their first home game at Carver Arena on April 19 hosting the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Pioneers.
Battling Familiar Foes: Cowdrey and his team return to af2’s as part of the league’s American Conference Midwest Division. Their opponents almost don’t need any introduction to those who followed every Pirates game previously during their previous af2 lifetime from 2001-2004. Joining Peoria in the division are: The Louisville Fire, Green Bay Blizzard, Iowa Barnstormers, Lexington (Ky.) Horsemen, and in-state archrival Quad City Steamwheelers.
Af2 is Lexington’s third league in five seasons. They began as members of the National Indoor Football League in 2003, and, like the storied Pirates, played in and won championships in different leagues. The return of the Iowa Barnstormers to af2 comes after being absent since finishing the 2001 season 9-7, good enough for third place in the National Conference’s Midwest Division.
50-Yard Game Refresher: Peoria had a team in the United Indoor Football League in 2005 and 2006, the Peoria Rough Riders, before team owner, local banker Pat Ward, folded the team. In their two-year history, under Cowdrey in 2005 and successor Chuck Goodwin in 2006, the Rough Riders rode out of town voluntarily having compiled a 6-24 record.
As a result, having not had af2-style football in Peoria for four years, a refresher on the game might be needed. Some things to keep in are about af2:
The game is played on an indoor padded surface 85 feet wide and 50 yards long with eight-yard end zones.
Goal posts are nine feet wide with a crossbar height of 15 feet (NFL goal posts are 18-1/2 feet wide with the crossbar at 10 feet).
The goal-side rebound nets are 30 feet wide by 32 feet high. The bottoms of the nets are eight feet above the ground.
Sideline barriers are 48 inches high and made of high-density foam rubber.
Eight players on the field; 20-man active roster; four-man inactive roster.
Players may play both offense and defense.
Substitutions can be made by coaches at will.
Kickoffs are from the goal line. Kickers may use a one-inch tee.
Punting is illegal. On fourth down, a team may go for a first down, touchdown or field goal.
The receiving team may field any kickoff or missed field goal that rebounds off the net.
Any untouched kickoff, which is out of bounds, will be placed at the 20-yard line or the place where it went out-of-bounds, whichever is more advantageous to the receiving team.
Squib Kicks: Ed Hammond and John Ventura will be at the mic for the Pirates season starting next week at Lexington. Games can be heard on WMBD AM 1470….An ownership group that includes former University of Wisconsin star Joe Panos has reached an agreement to bring an af2 franchise to Milwaukee in 2009…As of 8:45a.m. Thursday morning, a total of 1,200 season tickets have been sold for the Pirates first home game against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Pioneers on April 19, the night the Pirates are promoting as “Pack The Place Night.”