Where`s the Fury?
Joseph Lenard
Wednesday November 1, 2000
The buzz about the streets of the Tri-county area surrounding Detroit Michigan can be summed up with the question: Where`s the Fury? The uncertainty does not revolve around where the Detroit franchise will be playing, as since mid-1999, even before the franchise received it`s official `Detroit Fury` name, has been set to take to the carpet on the floor of the Palace of Auburn Hills, a Detroit suburb. Nor is the confusion over when the franchise will light up the board with it`s first touchdown, as Detroit decided it best to sit out the 2000 season and begin play in 2001. The question now is who will be making that first touchdown for the Fury, and literally `Where is the Fury?`
In preparation for the 2000 season, that was never to be for the Detroit team, the Fury front office hired a coach (former Lions coordinator) Mouse Davis, and made several player transactions in starting to build a core of players. The most notable being a "Trade" with the Tampa Bay Storm to acquire George LaFrance, as well as others. For the 2001 season, Detroit Arena Football fans are anxious to hear, in this preceding off-season, just what the likelihood of any of these players showing up in the previously anticipated line-up is?
So, Where is the Fury??
Let`s take a look at the Detroit Fury acquisitions, where they came from, individuals involved, and just where they`ve gone.
TO DETROIT IN TRADE FROM BUFFALO FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION:
WR/DB Wayne Williams (LSU), in Oklahoma with the Wranglers for the 2000 season
DS Antoine Worthman (Illinois State), with the Tampa Bay Storm in 2000
TO DETROIT IN TRADE FROM IOWA FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION:
OL/DL Skip McClendon (Arizona); returned to Iowa Barnstormers (now the New York Dragons)
TO DETROIT IN TRADE FROM TAMPA BAY FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION:
OS George LaFrance (Baker) Free Agent signing with New Jersey Red Dogs for 2000 season
Other players formerly listed on the non-realized 2000 roster:
QB Tony Kimbrough (Western Michigan),
K Billy Stoyanovich (Michigan),
QB Marvin Graves (Syracuse)
Long term Arena Football fans in Detroit are hoping for, and possibly expecting, the return of George LaFrance to a Detroit uniform. Fans, new and old alike, look forward to the potential of seeing their favorite local College heroes on the Fury roster. Regardless of those two things, one thing is certain in Detroit this off-season, there will be a fury-ious (ferocious/passionate) search for talent to fill the Detroit Fury roster in anticipation of a successful first season of play on the floor at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Joseph Lenard was a writer for ArenaFan Online from 2000 to 2001.
