Interview with a Legend
Michael Wright
Friday May 19, 2000
I had hoped this story would start out with a headline something like "Art Schlichter Nominated to Arena Hall of Fame". I guess deep down I really knew it would be "Art Schlichter Arrested" and that is what it is…
My interest in Art Schlichter started with an article on Arenafan in December of 1998. The story, by Richard D. Walton, appeared in the Indianapolis Star/News, "Former Wife of Football Star Overcomes
Ex-husband`s Addiction." Everyone knows the story about the guy who had it all, and lost it all gambling. I wanted to know more about Art because of his playing days in the Arena football league. The Detroit Drive hired Art at a time when the league was struggling. He was a big name and a big talent, and the hope was to help put people in the seats. He was hired knowing that he was a habitual gambler. The story was about Schlichter`s ex-wife, Mitzi, and her life with Art; it was not an easy story to read.
From the story about his wife, I knew he was in prison in Pendelton, Indiana. I contacted the facility and got his inmate number. I wrote a letter to Schlichter in March of `99, asking him if he would be interested in talking about his playing days in the AFL. Two months went by without a reply. That June, I wrote another letter asking the same question. This time I received a reply: yes, he would like to talk about his playing days. Through a family member, I was able to talk with Art in prison. We could talk for only fifteen minutes and every minute a recording came on to inform me that I was speaking with an inmate in a Federal Correction facility. In those fifteen minutes, Art was very animated and excited, talking about all the great players and coaches he knew in the league. He truly enjoyed playing Arena football. Art agreed to an interview as long as it was about football, no questions on his gambling problems. That was fine with me. I had to request permission from the State of Indiana Department of Corrections for the interview, and Art had to put me on his list of visitors. I singed an Interview Request Form and a Media Release Form. The date set for the interview was July 14, 1999.
I flew to Indianapolis the day before; the town of Pendleton is about twenty-five miles northeast of Indianapolis. It is farm country, a very pretty place except for the two prisons, one maximum, and one minimum security. Art was in the minimum-security facility. On the morning of July 14, I met with Jayne Brown with the DOC. She spoke well of Art, and hoped that things would get better with his pending release. Before passing through the security gate, I was searched, patted down, and x-rayed (no cavity searches, fortunately). I was introduced to Art in a hallway that was on the outer edges of the inmate area. We were lead to a room with a long table and told to stay near the door so the guards could keep us in sight. We started talking about the current AFL season, tentatively at first. It was not long before we both relaxed and just talked about his days in the league. We talked for about three hours; I have tried to bring a view of history of the league as seen through the eyes of Art Schlichter.
He played Arena Football for just three years, 1990, 1991 and 1992. He is currently in the top twenty of most passing records for the League. He is the highest rated NFL draft pick to have played in the Arena Football League. And he is the most infamous player to have played, too.
"As a Quarterback, Your Gonna` Take a Beating"
Art Schlichter remembers it started with a phone call on his birthday, April 25, 1990. "Gary Vitto, General Manager of the Detroit Drive called to see if I would be interested in playing for the Drive. I went to Detroit to talk to them. I loved Gary, the Drive organization and the people involved in it, they treated me like a NFL player. They made me an offer I couldn`t refuse, we negotiated the contract, and I went to play for them. I had no knowledge of Arena Football; I may have seen a highlight of a game. It was an adjustment, it`s a smaller field, you have to be a quick thinker, as a quarterback your gonna` take a beating most of the time."
What followed was three years of football that would become some of the best times of his life.
He has played for, with, and against, the "Who`s Who" of the Arena Football League. The Drive player roster for 1990 included future Hall of Famers Gary Mullen, Tate Randle, Alvin Rettig, Jon Roehik, Dwayne Dixon and General Manager Gary Vitto. Detroit`s other quarterback, Mike Trigg, is now the Head Coach for the Grand Rapids Rampage. William McClay (RB/LB), is Defensive Coordinator for the Rampage. Flint Fleming (OL/DL) is now playing for the Buffalo Destroyers. The head coach was legendary Perry Moss. The Buffalo Destroyers` former head coach, Dave Whinham, was also a member of the Drive organization in 1990.
The first game in `90 was Friday, June 8th, against the Pittsburgh Gladiators. "I didn`t even know the rules; I was just learning. The Gladiators kept rushing the Jill Linebacker instead of the Mack Linebacker. I didn`t know the difference and they`re throwing the penalty flag, and I was getting drilled about every play. It was a baptism that day. I remember I was worn out; I took a whooping; we ended up winning; and I didn`t play particularly well. It was a wild game."
In 1990, the Drive was 6-2 for the regular season and won their third straight Arena Bowl defeating the Dallas Texans in front of 19,875 fans at Detroit`s Joe Louis Arena. "I remember Arena Bowl; we had a packed house. We played Dallas. Ben Bennett was their quarterback. We beat the snot out of `em, 51-27. It was a night to remember; it was a lot of fun. They were turning people away at the door; you couldn`t get in there; the Fire Marshall`s were worried."
Art was league MVP in 1990, not bad for a guy that knew nothing of the Arena Football game and hadn`t touched a ball in two years.
"I Don`t Know How We Made It Out Of There"
In 1991, the Drive looked to make it a "Four-Peat." Head coach Tim Marcum made his return to the Arena league after a year off. Assistant coach Jerry Trice rejoined Marcum`s staff. Mr. Trice is currently Vice President of Football Operations for the league. Another guy came back that year, George LaFrance; he missed `90 due to a knee injury. Detroit`s other quarterback in `91 was rookie Ron Adams, now with the Tampa Bay Storm. Detroit was 9-1 in the regular season; their only loss came at the hands of the relocated Pittsburgh Gladiators, also known as the Tampa Bay Storm.
In the third game of the season, the Drive played in Albany. "I don`t know how we made it out of there. We were behind almost the whole game. I remember dropping back to pass with about eight seconds left, and we were inside their fifteen. I saw the clock; it was running down, running down and I just threw the ball through the end zone to stop the clock. The clock had three seconds left; I heard the referees whistle to stop the clock. They went ahead and ran the time off the clock and the fans rushed the field. They thought they had beaten us. I remember looking up, and they had an Albany player being interviewed at mid-field. He had his helmet off and the fans were on the field. It took `em ten minutes to clear the field. We got one more play. I ran around the end and scored a touchdown to win the game. I`m telling you what, we were lucky to get out of that arena, and they pelted us with everything. I remember as I scored, I got up and ran straight for the locker room to get out of there. Those people were hot".
There would be no "Four-Peat", Tampa Bay defeated Detroit 48- 42 in front of 20,357 fans at Joe Louis Arena. Rookie quarterback, Jay Gruden, led Tampa Bay. "In `91 we played against Tampa Bay, and Fran Curci was the Head Coach. "They beat us on a long touchdown with about thirty seconds left. Gruden threw about a forty yarder, and the guy made a great catch. We had a good team that year, and there`s no reason we should have lost those games."
"I Took as Big a Beating That Year, That I Had Ever Taken in My Life"
In 1992, Art played for the Cincinnati Rockers. The Rockers were one of five new franchises that year. "We had great owners, Ted Gregory and Tommy Gregory. They were Ohio State Buckeye people. It was a chance to go back closer to home and play. Cincinnati is about sixty minutes from my hometown.
I loved it in Cincinnati. We drew well, had a good team our first year, for a franchise that was starting from scratch. We looked for players left and right; boy it was tough. I probably took as big a beating that year that I had ever taken in my life. We opened up our franchise by playing Detroit. It was one of the wildest Arena games you`ll ever see. The fans really loved the game; we won 37-34. Second game we played Dallas; we beat the liven snot out of them, 64-13. Then we went to Detroit; I got beat up that game. I got knocked out so bad they packed me in ice on the way home. I couldn`t remember where I was at for three hours." That game on June 12th set two league records that Art would just as soon forget. Most Times Sacked, 7 and Most Yards Lost to Sacks, 45.
Instead, he talks about the positive."We had a great receiver in Cincinnati, Ira Hillary." Hillary, the former Cincinnati Bengal, set a record that year for receiving yardage, 1,289. Ira Hillary and Todd Smith were the best receiving combination for the league in 1992.
"In Hindsight, I Should Have Stayed and Played a Few More Years"
In 1993 Art almost played for the Albany FireBirds. " I had committed to play in Albany. I had worked out a deal with Glenn Mazula to play there. It fell through; I had wanted to go back and play for Mike Hohensee. Mike`s a good guy.
"The league used me to help promote Arena Football. I did a lot interviews for print and TV. I was an ex-NFL player; I was a number one draft choice; and now I was playing in the Arena league. I think at that point it helped get the Arena League a lot of exposure. They worked hard to promote the League. I felt good about that. I felt like I was some part of Arena history. I had helped the Arena League stay alive. And, in hindsight, I should have stayed and played a few more years. [Instead],I decided to get into radio sports broadcasting; I worked for the station that covered the Rockers in Cincinnati. So I stopped. I missed it, but I stopped."
I would like to thank Art Schlichter, his family, and Jayne Brown with the State of Indiana Department of Correction.
Michael Wright was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2001.
