Turnover in Titletown, QCA
Michael Vergane
Sunday December 9, 2001
If you haven’t heard the Quad Cities referred to as that, you will as the 2002 season nears. It is a part of their season ticket drive as well as their upcoming advertising campaign.
The graphics in the circular logo depicts an action shot of a 30’s era player wearing a fold-up leather helmet, with Titletown QCA written out in script across the picture.
Admittedly, it is as much a nod to the two Quad City Steamwheeler af2 Championships as it is to the success of the five-time CHL/UHL champion Quad City Mallards and the now defunct two-time CBA champion Quad City Thunder.
“This is a great sports town and we are a part of it, and we are going to try to live up to the expectations set for us no matter who the coach or players are”, said managing owner Jim Foster. “It is very difficult to win a championship every year. We’re going through a lot of player and coaching changes, but we still have a great organization in place.”
It is a standard set by Foster, GM Ed Knupp and former head coach Frank Haege. Foster and Knupp remain. Haege has moved on.
THE NEW BOSS.
It shouldn’t be too hard to find the man the Steamwheeler ownership has chosen to replace Haege. He is the one with the bullseye on his back and the weight of the two af2 Championships of his predecessor on his shoulders.
Rich Ingold realizes that as the new head coach of the Quad City Steamwheelers, every team on the schedule this season will be trying to exact their ounce of revenge on the Steamwheelers for the 37-1 record that Frank Haege achieved. It doesn’t matter that the players are different and the coaching staff isn’t the same; the uniforms are still blue, gold and red.
And if Rich Ingold’s job of winning over the fans wasn’t difficult enough, he made it so – not three weeks after he was hired.
Early on October 5th, Ingold was on his way home. He was stopped after turning left at a Davenport, Iowa intersection while the traffic light was still red. After being tested, Ingold’s blood-alcohol level was 0.224.
On October 19th, he pleaded guilty to second-offense drunken driving and agreed to pay a $1,500 fine and join an inpatient treatment program.
Jim Foster still believes he made the right choice in the hiring of Ingold.
“I believe in giving someone a second chance. Cryptically this will be his third or fourth chance, but (those incidents) were years ago. He was a much younger guy then. Rich had gone a long time without a problem with alcohol. He came out here in the fall and felt really good about things, and it caught up with him one night.”
“He made a mistake”, added Foster. “Rich is very bothered by what he did and he really wants to get the right things done. I have a great belief in him as a human being, and as a coach.”
GET YOUR PROGRAMS
On this Sunday, the Steamwheelers were having their first open tryout in Rock Island, Illinois. Sixteen players, mostly at skilled positions, were being run through the standard tests by Ingold and his assistant, and long time friend and teammate, John Roehlk.
There was one familiar face watching the tryouts from the sidelines.
Fullback/linebacker Josh Fourdyce, standing in street clothes, looked on with interest at the players who might possibly be his teammates come April. Fourdyce just recently signed on to play his third season with the Steamwheelers.
As a local resident, Josh has an advantage over many others. He plays for the love of the game. He has a fulltime job with an employer who understands his situation and making ends meet for him isn’t quite as difficult as it is for some others.
Many of Fourdyce’s teammates will not be returning. That is a way of life in minor league sports. The exceptional players move up to the next level. The one’s who aren’t go on with the rest of their lives.
The 2001 Steamwheelers may have been have been the exception to that rule. This said more about Frank Haege than about the talent on the field.
Jamaar Ward, Jeremy Wilkinson and Xavier Patterson all signed AFL contracts before the 2001 season, and were all cut early on by their respective teams. Yet, they all returned to the Quad Cities to play for Haege knowing they could win another af2 championship.
With Haege now the head coach of the AFL New Jersey Gladiators, he has signed much of the Steamwheelers best talent. Those who did not sign with Haege still remain under contract to Quad City. Time will tell how many will return.
Michael Vergane was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2002.
