orange machine
01-30-2010, 11:33 PM
Ok i think i want to try out next year. Get in the weight room and lift and start running.
New semi-pro football team offers second chances
By STEPHEN MONAHAN
Sports Editor
On a cool, calm Thursday evening, a group of guys begin their journey back to glory.
They range from 18 to 45 years old, some have lost a step or two with age, yet some have not reached their prime.
Whether it be age, a bum knee or past off-the-field troubles, this group of 48 men have pride and determination on their side.
They are practicing for the love of a game that is king the State of Texas all in hopes of winning a championship and maybe even clearing a new path for themselves.
Meet the Cooke County Outlaws, a semi-pro football team gearing up for its inaugural 2010 season.
They are a mix of former high school athletes from Gainesville, Callisburg, Celina, Valley View, Ardmore, Okla., and even Sherman and Denison, all with one goal in mind — to win.
After moving to the area from Houston and becoming acclamated with the community, a switch flipped for Marcus Lundy, owner and head coach of the Outlaws, to start a semi-pro football team.
A year and a half later, his idea is now a reality.
““It was basically my ideas, putting them together, saving up money to start a program like this,” Lundy said. “I was just asleep one night and woke up the next day, put flyers together and said ‘I’m going to start a team.’
“What I wanted to do was create a semi-pro football team to cut out a lot of crime out here,” Lundy added, “and get the people that were overlooked in high school or might have had to come back home from college because of injuries, second chances at life.”
The Outlaws are new members to the Southern Conference of the Elite Football League.
Their season comprises of 13 games plus playoffs, a Pro Bowl and a Super Bowl.
The Southern Conference is made up five teams — the Outlaws, Dallas Spartans, Dallas Bulldogs, Terrell Sharks and the East Texas Storm.
The season is 13 games long and each team in the Southern Conference plays each other twice and then also three games against teams from the Northern Conference, which is made up of the Arkansas Silverbacks, Arkansas Golden Wildcats, Arkansas Xtras, Arkansas Red Hawks, Oklahoma Eagles and the Oklahoma Storm.
Leeper Stadium will be where the Outlaws play their home games, the first of which is slated to be held on Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
“I’m doing this to give back the community what it deserves,” Lundy said, “(and) for cheap family entertainment and to get the guys on the team to places where they need to be.”
The hope is that this opportunity will allow some members of the team move on to college or maybe even an arena or a Canadian football league.
“It’s not about money, it’s for the love of the game,” Assistant Coach Joe Adams said. “It’s to try to help them get to bigger and better. It’s not just football, we want to help them in life in general.”
Currently, the team is short of its allotted 53-man roster, which is to be finalized by Feb. 23, Adams said.
So auditions for the team are still open and practice is held at least every Tuesday and Thursday nights in Gainesville at the football field in front of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cooke County.
EFL rules comply with those of the National Football League, including a 60-minute game clock, a 40-second play clock and sudden-death overtime.
The Outlaws are also coached by Dante Williams, a former standout at the University of Oklahoma, defensive coordinator Pat Conway and then Adams. Lundy will run the team’s offense.
“I’ve been working with the (Gainesville) high school doing stats for 12 years,” Conway said. “Football’s a part of my life, I just enjoy it, can’t get rid of it. It’s in my blood. “It gets me out of the house. It’s fun, I love it. I’ve got four daughters and a wife, so I need a little testosterone.”
Lundy is a former center for Madison High School out of Houston and said he played alongside Texas Longhorn now Tennessee Titan quarterback Vince Young.
At 27 years old, Lundy has experience playing at the collegiate level, but mostly his experience lies with semi-pro teams, as he too once played a few years with the Cleveland Outlaws near Houston before relocating to Gainesville.
While the Outlaws are a semi-pro team, the players do not get paid. In fact, the players actually pay yearly dues with the scale based on the amount of sponsorships a team can acquire.
Equipment is provided to the players, Lundy said, which is part of the cost of the fee. It also includes travel expenses and the cost the team must pay to be a part of the EFL.
Lundy said he knew going in that making an individual profit was not his goal, rather the endeavor is to allow former football players make a name for themselves in the community once again and hopefully better their lives.
All proceeds from the football games and its concessions will go to non-profit organizations, the Gainesville Independent School District, and the Gainesville Athletic Booster Club, Lundy said.
Tickets will be $6 for adults, but only $5 if fans bring at least three canned goods with them to the games. Prices for 12 to 18-year-olds will be $3 and children 12 and under will be $1 per person.
The first home game will feature a special public address announcer, but Lundy will not reveal that person’s name.
“He’s (one of) the best of the business,” he said. “It’s going to be a surprise.”
The season starts on Feb. 6 with a road game against the Terrell Sharks before the Outlaws open their inaugural run in the EFL the following weekend.
Lundy said to make his team successful, it will need support from the community.
“I just want everybody to come out and support our team and come to the games,” he said, “and if we can get that we’ll be in real good shape.”
New semi-pro football team offers second chances
By STEPHEN MONAHAN
Sports Editor
On a cool, calm Thursday evening, a group of guys begin their journey back to glory.
They range from 18 to 45 years old, some have lost a step or two with age, yet some have not reached their prime.
Whether it be age, a bum knee or past off-the-field troubles, this group of 48 men have pride and determination on their side.
They are practicing for the love of a game that is king the State of Texas all in hopes of winning a championship and maybe even clearing a new path for themselves.
Meet the Cooke County Outlaws, a semi-pro football team gearing up for its inaugural 2010 season.
They are a mix of former high school athletes from Gainesville, Callisburg, Celina, Valley View, Ardmore, Okla., and even Sherman and Denison, all with one goal in mind — to win.
After moving to the area from Houston and becoming acclamated with the community, a switch flipped for Marcus Lundy, owner and head coach of the Outlaws, to start a semi-pro football team.
A year and a half later, his idea is now a reality.
““It was basically my ideas, putting them together, saving up money to start a program like this,” Lundy said. “I was just asleep one night and woke up the next day, put flyers together and said ‘I’m going to start a team.’
“What I wanted to do was create a semi-pro football team to cut out a lot of crime out here,” Lundy added, “and get the people that were overlooked in high school or might have had to come back home from college because of injuries, second chances at life.”
The Outlaws are new members to the Southern Conference of the Elite Football League.
Their season comprises of 13 games plus playoffs, a Pro Bowl and a Super Bowl.
The Southern Conference is made up five teams — the Outlaws, Dallas Spartans, Dallas Bulldogs, Terrell Sharks and the East Texas Storm.
The season is 13 games long and each team in the Southern Conference plays each other twice and then also three games against teams from the Northern Conference, which is made up of the Arkansas Silverbacks, Arkansas Golden Wildcats, Arkansas Xtras, Arkansas Red Hawks, Oklahoma Eagles and the Oklahoma Storm.
Leeper Stadium will be where the Outlaws play their home games, the first of which is slated to be held on Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
“I’m doing this to give back the community what it deserves,” Lundy said, “(and) for cheap family entertainment and to get the guys on the team to places where they need to be.”
The hope is that this opportunity will allow some members of the team move on to college or maybe even an arena or a Canadian football league.
“It’s not about money, it’s for the love of the game,” Assistant Coach Joe Adams said. “It’s to try to help them get to bigger and better. It’s not just football, we want to help them in life in general.”
Currently, the team is short of its allotted 53-man roster, which is to be finalized by Feb. 23, Adams said.
So auditions for the team are still open and practice is held at least every Tuesday and Thursday nights in Gainesville at the football field in front of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cooke County.
EFL rules comply with those of the National Football League, including a 60-minute game clock, a 40-second play clock and sudden-death overtime.
The Outlaws are also coached by Dante Williams, a former standout at the University of Oklahoma, defensive coordinator Pat Conway and then Adams. Lundy will run the team’s offense.
“I’ve been working with the (Gainesville) high school doing stats for 12 years,” Conway said. “Football’s a part of my life, I just enjoy it, can’t get rid of it. It’s in my blood. “It gets me out of the house. It’s fun, I love it. I’ve got four daughters and a wife, so I need a little testosterone.”
Lundy is a former center for Madison High School out of Houston and said he played alongside Texas Longhorn now Tennessee Titan quarterback Vince Young.
At 27 years old, Lundy has experience playing at the collegiate level, but mostly his experience lies with semi-pro teams, as he too once played a few years with the Cleveland Outlaws near Houston before relocating to Gainesville.
While the Outlaws are a semi-pro team, the players do not get paid. In fact, the players actually pay yearly dues with the scale based on the amount of sponsorships a team can acquire.
Equipment is provided to the players, Lundy said, which is part of the cost of the fee. It also includes travel expenses and the cost the team must pay to be a part of the EFL.
Lundy said he knew going in that making an individual profit was not his goal, rather the endeavor is to allow former football players make a name for themselves in the community once again and hopefully better their lives.
All proceeds from the football games and its concessions will go to non-profit organizations, the Gainesville Independent School District, and the Gainesville Athletic Booster Club, Lundy said.
Tickets will be $6 for adults, but only $5 if fans bring at least three canned goods with them to the games. Prices for 12 to 18-year-olds will be $3 and children 12 and under will be $1 per person.
The first home game will feature a special public address announcer, but Lundy will not reveal that person’s name.
“He’s (one of) the best of the business,” he said. “It’s going to be a surprise.”
The season starts on Feb. 6 with a road game against the Terrell Sharks before the Outlaws open their inaugural run in the EFL the following weekend.
Lundy said to make his team successful, it will need support from the community.
“I just want everybody to come out and support our team and come to the games,” he said, “and if we can get that we’ll be in real good shape.”