"New" Rush Looking to Bring Back Old Philosophy

Jeff Sims
Thursday January 7, 2010

The Chicago Rush have once again returned to the game of Arena Football.

After an almost two year hiatus by the time the league starts play in April, the team will be back with the same name because the new Arena Football One league won an auction to obtain all of the assets from the former Arena Football League (AFL).

With a new ownership group in place, the Rush will be looking to return as one of the premiere teams in the game of Arena Football.

New owner, William Niro, one of the original founders of the old AFL, told the Chicago Daily Herald "This is tremendous. I'm really pumped. What we are doing is going back to our roots. It's a commitment to the game, to the players."

The first step in trying to make that a possibility for his new team was the hiring of Mike Hohensee to be the head coach.

Having made the playoffs in each year of the teams’ prior eight year existence and winning one ArenaBowl under the previous ownership group, Hohensee is the perfect fit for the city of Chicago and the game of Arena Football.

Not only has he been successful in his coaching career in Arena Football, but coach Hohensee has also gained the respect of many players, new and old, because he treats his players the same way, with respect.

It is that type of reputation that is going to bring quality players to the city of Chicago to play for the “new” Rush.  According to a representative from the team, since the announcement of the Rush returning to Arena Football and the signing of coach Hohensee, the phones have been ringing a lot with players looking to be a part of the team.

“I feel that I am the person that I am because of Arena Football,” said Hohensee.  “It has given me the platform to talk to so many people, both children and adults, about life and things more than just football. My role is so much more than a coach in this world. And I bring that to my players and I think they appreciate that even more than they do me as a coach.”

With this new league comes a different dynamic for Arena Football in Chicago than they last knew it; players having to hold a second job and have football be a separate part of their lives. Gone are the days of higher paid players that dedicated their lives to the game of Arena Football year-round for six figure salaries. With only having four months to create a team and get ready for the upcoming season under these new conditions, it is a challenge that Coach Hohensee is excited about and looking forward to. The plan for him has not changed.

“There will be guys that know the game,” said Hohensee. “There are already 23 players right now and ready to go.  For the successful organizations, it is about the people. It is not about what play I draw up on a board. I plan on bringing dynamic, world class people to Chicago,”

One player that the fans of Chicago will be excited to see back behind center is QB Russ Michna. He returns to the Rush after spending a season in the Continental Indoor football League and leading the Chicago Slaughter to an undefeated season and a league title and a season in the newly formed United Football League.

“I have played in six leagues in six years now and have never had a place to call home,” said Michna. “Chicago is my home. I hope to make it that way. I am excited to come back and have the opportunity to play again. I truly see the passion and the involvement of everyone as a whole, there was no way that I could say no.”

Former Rush WR Etu Molden has been rumored to be returning and Bob McMillen is expected to return as a member of the coaching staff.

Those involved understand that this new league will take some time to develop and be accepted once again as a major sport.

“You have to (understand that)”, said Hohensee. “It is not going to happen overnight.  We will need to create new heroes. This affects people’s lives. It will create new opportunities and can create a new generation of fans.”

It is not the names and faces that will make the Rush a force once again in Arena Football. The new organization understands that it is going to take a concentrated and hard effort by everyone involved to bring a winning and respected football team back to the Chicago community.

“As we did before, it is going to take the cooperation of the media, the ownership, the players and the coaches to have patience, and the commitment to work as a team,” said Hohensee. “ That is the only way that it is going to happen.”

The Chicago Rush are back and nobody is happier than their head coach.

“It feels good to be 1-0,” said coach Ho after knowing he was coming back. “It feels good to start off as a winner.  If you combine the talent and the passion, you can create a championship. You can create moments that are memorable and I think that we can do it again.”