Q-C gets its man
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
By Eric Page | Wednesday, September 27, 2006 |
Larry Fisher/QUAD-CITY TIMES New Steamwheelers head coach Sean Ponder hopes former Q-C defensive coordinator Troy Biladeau will join his staff.
Quad-City Steamwheelers majority owner Larry Bush stood with a smile stretching from ear to ear while watching his new head coach greet the media Tuesday afternoon at Third and 22 Sports Club in Rock Island.
He got exactly the man he wanted for the job.
Sean Ponder officially was introduced as the fourth head coach in Steamwheelers history Tuesday, taking the reins of an organization that struggled on the field and at the ticket gate in 2006.
Bush said Ponder’s offensive expertise — with Ponder as offensive coordinator, Q-C had af2’s top-rated offense last season — and the ability to recruit set him apart from five other candidates.
“Sean was very interested and wanted to be here in the worst way, but we needed to go out and go through the process and make sure this guy was the right guy,” Bush said. “We need someone who is going to help us bring a winning team back to the Quad-Cities, and we need someone who is going to help us sell tickets.”
Ponder’s offense averaged 315.2 yards per game — 298.4 passing — in 2006, but the defense ranked dead last in the league, and the Steamwheelers finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs.
One of Ponder’s key selling points in the interview process was bringing back Troy Biladeau as defensive coordinator. Biladeau was on the Q-C staff when the team won the Arena Cup in 2001. He also won a league title with the Spokane Shock last season.
“If we can get Troy to come in and run the defense, which I’m pretty sure we’re going to, that’s going to be a hell of a 1-2 punch,” Bush said of the combination of Ponder’s offense and Biladeau’s defense.
Ponder, who coached the Wichita Stealth from 2003 to 2004 and was the general manager and head coach of the San Diego Riptide in 2005, also has been talking to offensive line coach Ed Flanagan. Flanagan, a four-time Pro Bowler in the NFL, was on Ponder’s staff in San Diego.
The 36-year-old Ponder is planning to move his family from Huntington Beach, Calif., to the Quad-Cities as soon as possible.
Boosting attendance, which dipped to an all-time low last season, will be a top priority. The team is planning to make more of an effort to reach out to the community.
“We want to get our players out in the public, making appearances, talking to kids and being associated with things going on around the Quad-Cities,” Ponder said. “I’ve said it before — our No. 1 objective is to get 7,000 screaming fans back in The Mark and to bring a winning program back like we used to be. That’s why I’m here, and I’m hoping I can bring that back.”
Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
reddit» More Local Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Technology News Articles
- Computers, MP3, Phones & More. See Product Pics, Specs & Reviews.
- www.NexTag.com
- Cheap Airfare
- Compare multiple travel sites. Discount web fares made easy.
- www.LowFares.com
- Promoter's Arsenal - Article Equalizer
- Content Generator For Your Website. Download fee, today only $97.00.
- promotearsenal.com/article
- Ads by Yahoo!
