A Tribute to the Mustangs
John Hoh
Friday January 25, 2002
The Milwaukee Mustangs are no more!
Not that there was much history in the league with the Mustangs. OK, at some point the Mustangs carried the all-time leading passer (Todd Hammel), all-time leading rusher (Les Barley), and a coach known for coaching O.J.`s Bills in Buffalo on its roster. But the `Stangs never won a championship; in fact they never won a playoff game. Nor did they win a division title.
And while the announcement came as a surprise, it really didn`t. The ownership sparred with the Arena management over renovations to satisfy the NBA Bucks. The owners refused to play in the smaller U. S. Cellular Arena across the street from the Bradley Center temporarily. Likely renovation plans for THAT arena may have been a factor as well.
There were rumors of mismanagement by the Mustang ownership. At the end, the team message boards remained vitriolic in condemning the Valozzis, and eager for new ownership.
What stunned me about the announcement of contraction came from anticipations of stable ownership for three of the teams. Wayne Huizenga, already owning the Miami Dolphins (NFL) and Florida Panthers (NHL), once expressed interest in the Bobcat team. His interest bumped another interested group from contention, until Wayne backed out. Possibly the other group also had second thoughts. I doubt the league wants to desert the Miami market. A rumor from the Twin Cities early on had the Bobcats relocate to Minnesota as the Mosquitoes. I guess that was all it was -- a rumor.
Another rumor had the orphaned ThunderBears relocating from Houston to Kansas City. Again, another rumor. My guess is, Lamar Hunt may have been involved. And he may have considered starting an expansion AFL franchise cheaper than taking on a debt-laden team (same as Huizenga`s plan, I`m thinking -- of course, this is only my personal opinion).
The Wranglers came as a surprise because, quite frankly, I didn`t realize the owner would abandoned his team! So, the owner was actually trying to run away from his team when he moved from Memphis and Portland and it followed him wherever he went? With Houston and Oklahoma gone, there go hopes for any serious rivalry with the Desperadoes in Dallas.
What makes the Mustang situation painful is that Milwaukee actually drew crowds (before this season`s travesty). There is an audience in Milwaukee for arena football! And with the new Chicago Rush, we were hoping for a good, long rivalry. Having the Detroit Fury nearby doesn`t hurt, either.
Last year Milwaukeeans saw some young talent come through. Kahlil Carter will now provide a spark for Toronto Phantoms fans. Lawrence Lewis proved he could carry the ball beyond the line of scrimmage on the ground.
Will Milwaukee get another team? We can only hope one comes along after the BC is renovated. The league has stated they see Milwaukee as a viable market. Who knows? Maybe someday soon a team will relocate to Milwaukee. Or new ownership will apply for an expansion franchise.
To any potential owners, I have a name you can use. The Wisconsin Mosquitoes!
Until then, I have no team to cover. Hopefully Kevin will let me write and comment on the league as a whole. There isn`t even an af2 team in Wisconsin!
Watching Arena football in Milwaukee has been fun and I`ll miss it.
Final details of the Mustangs:
Lifetime Records:
Overall 46-66
Home 24-30
Away 22-35
Neutral Site 0-1
Reg. Season 46-62
Playoffs 0-4
Attendance: 739,879
Average 13,701
Coaches:
Lou Saban (1994): 0-4 regular season, 0-0 in playoffs
Art Haege (1994): 0-8 regular season, 0-0 playoffs
Michael Trigg (1995-1997): 22-18 regular season, 0-2 in playoffs
Rick Frazier (1998-2001): 24-32 regular season, 0-2 in playoffs
John L. Hoh, Jr., is a free-lance writer from Milwaukee who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, as an avid Dolphins fan. He followed Arena Football since its inception, at one point watching tape-delayed games on low-powered WAV-TV in Waukesha. His happiest day was when Milwaukee was awarded the Mustangs franchise; his saddest when the Mustangs were contracted out of the league. John is married to his wife Maija (13+ years) and has a young son, Matthew. John pines for the return of the Arena Football League to Milwaukee.
