Post by DiamondThief on Jul 20, 2018 21:06:48 GMT -8
7/20/18 --
The Indoor Football League is about to see a familiar face return after more than a year's absence.
Ryan Eucker announced on Facebook that he has been hired as the new general manager of the Cedar Rapids Titans. Eucker previously served in the same capacity for the Spokane Empire of the IFL, and the Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League. He had worked for the Shock/Empire organization for seven years and, as general manager, oversaw the transition and rebranding of the team when it moved from the AFL to the IFL following the 2015 season.
Eucker announced on April 13, 2017 that he was leaving Spokane to take a position with the Normal CornBelters, a minor league baseball team playing in the independent midwest Frontier League. He was the team's Vice President of Ticket Sales, concentrating on ticket sales related efforts and aiding with marketing and communications. The CornBelters play their games in the Central Illinois area of Bloomington-Normal. As of games played through July 20, the CornBelters are 28-27 in the West Conference of the league standings.
Eucker was named IFL Executive of the Year for his work overseeing the operations, media relations and community relations of the Empire through the 2016 season. He began his tenure with the Shock/Empire franchise in the ticket office and moved on to several positions within the organization prior to becoming general manager for the final three seasons. In their first year with the IFL, the Empire earned the 2016 Intense Conference Championship, advancing to the United Bowl where they fell to the Sioux Falls Storm, 55-34.
The Titans faced an uncertain future during the 2018 season; a season in which they finished with a 3-11 record and failed to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive season. On January 30, 2018, owner Chris Kokalis announced the team had been put up for sale and was seeking a local investor to keep the franchise in Cedar Raipds. On June 19, one week after the IFL regular season concluded, Kokalis and the league announced that the team had been purchased by by an ownership group led by Roy Choi and Matt Stone. The hiring of Eucker is the first move by the new owners for the 2019 season. The new owners have already signed their league affiliation agreement (LAA) for next season.
The hiring of Eucker is the second major move for the IFL and follows the announcement by the Nebraska Danger that they had elevated co-interim head coach Cornelius "Pig" Brown to the head coaching position. Brown was inducted into the IFL Hall of Fame this season for his work linebacker for the Danger for four years. Ironically, Brown's co-interim head coach for the latter part of the season was Adam Shackleford, who was the head coach of the Empire for Eucker's last two seasons with Spokane.
Former National Football league linebacker Marvin Jones was the head coach of the Titans in 2018. He exclusively told SCtoC following the season that he would welcome the opportunity to return as the head coach of the Titans. Cedar Rapids' defensive lineman Ricarlo Bell earned SCtoC's 2018 IFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, as well as Defensive Player of the Year as a part of our Golden Helmet Awards. Quarterback Jake Medlock earned the honor as Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On March 28, 2017, SCtoC's David had the opportunity to interview Eucker a quarter way into the 2017 season. Also, SCtoC's CEO and founder, Kasey wrote an Open Thank You Letter to Eucker for his work with the Shock/Empire, the Spokane community, and for his efforts which has aided this site in its progression.
- ANM
(Photo courtesy Ryan Eucker on Twitter)
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