Thunder announce Mike Hohensee as head coach

[DiamondThief]

Thunder announce Hohensee as head coach

9/24/14 -- Mike Hohensee has been signed as the next head coach of the Portland Thunder, according to an anouncement by the team this afternoon. He becomes the second head coach in franchise history, succeeding Matthew Sauk, who was fired on September 23.

The potential Hohensee hire was reported on this forum last night in the "Update" portion of the thread, Thunder fire Coach Sauk.

Hohensee, who played six seasons of football from 1983-88, has previously been the head coach of eight arena football teams. Most recently, he was at the helm of the Iowa Barnstormers from 2012-2014. He was fired by the Barnstormers as they are transitioning to the Indoor Football league, technically a step down from the AFL.

As head coach of the Chicago Rush, he directed the team to the ArenaBowl XX title in 2006. As a player (quarterback, he is credited with throwing the first touchdown pass in AFL history.

The 53-year old coach possesses a 153-147 career regular season record and is 12-12 in the playoffs. In the past five seasons (one with the Philadelphia Soul and three with the Barnstormers), he compiled a 25-47 record and his teams failed to make the playoffs in each of those four years.

The following is Hohensee's total head coaching record with each of his previous teams (including two stints with the Albany Firebirds):

Washington Commandos -- 1 season; 2-6 (0-0 playoffs)
Albany Firebirds -- 3 seasons; 27-11 (3-3 playoffs)
Anaheim Piranhas -- 1 season; 2-12 (0-0 playoffs)
New England Sea Wolves -- 2 seasons; 13-15 (0-1 playoffs)
Chicago Rush -- 9 seasons; 83-57 (9-8 playoffs, 1-0 ArenaBowl)
Philadelphia Soul -- 1 season; 6-12 (0-0 playoffs)
Iowa Barnstormers -- 3 seasons; 19-35 (0-0 playoffs)
TOTAL -- 20 seasons; 153-147 (12-12 playoffs, 1-0 ArenaBowl)

Sauk was fired by the team after going 5-13 on the regular season, including 5-8 in the Thunder's last 13 games. The team made the playoffs and nearly defeated the eventual champion Arizona Rattlers in the first round.

-ANM


From the Thunder's official press release:

Clackamas, Ore. –The Portland Thunder announced today that they have come to an agreement with Mike Hohensee to be the new head coach of the team. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.

"We are proud to announce that Mike Hohensee is bringing his 28 years of Arena Football League (AFL) experience to Portland. As our head coach, Mike will add a new depth, direction and enthusiasm to our program. He has had success at all levels of the game, and that knowledge and experience will bring our young franchise to the next level," Thunder President Brian Sandy said.

Hohensee threw the Arena Football League's first touchdown pass in 1987 and hasn't left the game since. After his career as a player, Hohensee transitioned into a coaching role where his excellence is evidenced by his 20-year longevity. Hohensee is the league's third-winningest coach of all-time, posting a career 153-147 regular season record and has led teams to 13 playoff appearances, including an ArenaBowl title. He is also an inductee in the AFL's Hall of Fame.

As a player, Hohensee was an All-America quarterback at Mt. San Antonio Junior College before transferring to the University of Minnesota. As a Golden Gopher, he earned nods as the team's MVP and the University's Athlete of the Year and was inducted into the Minnesota's M Club Hall of Fame. His professional career boasted stints in the NFL (Chicago Bears), Canadian Football League (CFL), United States Football League (USFL) and the AFL.

"I'm thankful and excited for the opportunity that Terry Emmert has given me to lead the Portland Thunder" said Hohensee. "I have spoken to the coaches and many of the players and they are eager to get started. This is my 29th year in arena football. My success has come when I have been involved with a dynamic organization. We will continue to build our team with young talented athletes who possess the integrity and character the people of Portland can trust and admire."

"The Portland Thunder are proud to have signed a well-respected and talented coach in Mike Hohensee. His experience, knowledge and passion for the game are a great fit for our organization, and I'm confident he will help us lead the team to new levels of success in 2015," said Terry W. Emmert, owner of the Portland Thunder franchise.

To read the entire press release, click here.



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[DiamondThief]

One note I take from the press release is that Hohensee said he has "talked to the coaches and players ..." This tells me that Defensive Coordinator Will Mulder and Line Coach Will Harrell's jobs are safe, at least for the time being.

[Brian]

It looks like this guy had a good run with Chicago, but not so great with his other teams. In the very least this looks like a move sideways rather than an improvement.

[reff]

One thing is certain. Mike Hohensee has 20 years of experience! Other than that, who knows. We'll find out next spring!

[Kasey]

Sept 24, 2014 18:53:28 GMT -8 DiamondThief said:

One note I take from the press release is that Hohensee said he has "talked to the coaches and players ..." This tells me that Defensive Coordinator Will Mulder and Line Coach Will Harrell's jobs are safe, at least for the time being.

it seems to me lime the assistant coaches will be back. i'm really angry about Sauk getting fired. obviously they had Hohensee waiting in the wings. i'm not convinced he will be better than Sauk. this is not to mention the fact that these young players will have to learn a new offense just after learning their first one and how to play the arena style. at this point, it seems we've taken a step backward. the year Chicago won the ArenaBowl, they were just 7-9 in the regular season. it seems they had a good playoff run. i am pessimistic, but will wait and see.