Post by DiamondThief on Jan 30, 2016 16:21:21 GMT -8
BREAKING:
Jan. 30 -- The entire coaching staff of the Portland Thunder have been fired by the Arena Football League, and sources are indicating that Cleveland Gladiators assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Ron James has been named head coach and general manager of the team.
The move is a cost cutting measure, by the league, which is expected to run -- or possibly fold -- the team for the 2016 season. The AFL took over the operations of the Thunder on Jan. 6.
Under the AFL's single-entity model, each team owner and investors' financial contributions are pooled to contribute to the league's overall operations. This means financially unstable teams are aided by contributions from teams which are on more stable footing.
The league's other seven owners will be paying the bills for the Thunder, should the league move forward with the team in 2016.
On the AFL's chopping block with the move include head coach Andy Olson, line coach Clay Harrell.
James played college football at the Siena College. After being the head coach of the AFL's Utah Blaze from 2010-2013, he became the Power head coach in 2014, and assistant head coach and defensive coordinator of the Gladiators when the Power folded after the 2014 season.
James grew up in Albany, New York where he played football at Christian Brothers Academy. Ron then enrolled at Siena College, and played offensive line on the Siena Saints football team from 1982-1985.
Olson, who was hired in September, was the third head coach in three seasons for the Thunder. He replaced Mike Hohensee who "agreed to part ways" with the team back on August 24th after one season.
At only 32 years of age, Olson was the youngest head coach in the AFL. A native of Chehalis, Washington, Olson played wide receiver at Western Washington University, finishing his four-year career as the Vikings' all-time leader with 31 touchdown receptions and 183 total receptions and finished second in school history with 2,990 receiving yards. He set the school and Great Northwest Athletic Conference record for touchdown catches in 11 straight games from 2004-2005 and earned numerous GNAC honors, including three first-team honors.
Olson went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. His first taste of Arena Football came in 2007 as a member of the Georgia Force, spending six weeks on the team's practice squad before he was eventually released. In January 2008, he signed with the Spokane Shock of the af2. In his two seasons as a member of the Shock, he recorded 230 receptions, 2,201 receiving yards and 36 total touchdowns. He was a member of two ArenaCup squads, including 2009 championship team.
Harrell was originally hired in 2013 by then head coach Matthew Sauk and was retained for the 2015 season by Hohensee. Also a former player, Harrell had been with the Thunder for the entirety of its first two seasons in the AFL.
The AFL has eight teams lined up for the 2016 season, including the Thunder. Last season there were 12 and in 2014 there were 14.
The league's board of directors made the move to take over the team from Clackamas businessman Terry Emmert in an effort to "solidify its membership foundation."
"After many months of attempting to work out an arrangement for the AFL to provide financial and operational support to current ownership, we were unable to successfully work something out and thus assuming ownership and operational control of the Thunder," said AFL commissioner Scott C. Butera in a statement on the league's website. "We highly value the Thunder fans and this step was needed to stabilize the team in the Portland market," said AFL commissioner Scott C. Butera in a statement on the league's website at the time of the takeover.
Emmert had not signed a commitment to the league for 2016, citing league's medical insurance policies on its players, as well as attempts to attract investors to help continue the team's operations.
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Read: AFL's intentions with Thunder are unclearly clear
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The AFL took over two teams near the end of last season -- the New Orleans VooDoo and Las Vegas Outlaws. In the fall, the San Jose Sabercats announced they would cease operations, and prior to that, the Spokane Shock moved to the Indoor Football League. The league went from 12 teams to eight. If the Thunder fold, the league would be at seven.
Last month the league announced a two-conference alignment which kept the Thunder in the National Conference, along with the Arizona Rattlers, Los Angeles KISS and Cleveland Gladiators. the Philadelphia Soul, Jacksonville Sharks, Orlando Predators and Tampa Bay Storm make up the American Conference.
The Thunder finished their first season in 2014 with a 5-13 record and a loss to the eventual champion Rattlers. An identical 5-13 mark in 2015 lead to a second playoff berth, where they lost to the Sabercats, who also would go on to win the Arena Bowl.
James can be found on twitter at @coachjames1.
- ANM/DKH
Photo Credit: Ron James' twitter profile
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