The Fort Wayne Fusion kicked off their inaugural season by defeating the Green Bay Blizzard 36-28. The Blizzard was last season’s runner up in the Arena Cup championship game. 

It was all Fusion in the first half as Fort Wayne built a19-0 lead going into halftime. A crowd of 5,133 enthusiastic fans were on hand to witness the dawn of Arena football in Fort Wayne. At halftime, one lucky season ticket holder was given a brand new Ford Fusion automobile as part of a team promotion. 

The Fusion continued to dominate the game and had a 29-7 lead in the early part of the fourth quarter, but Green Bay mounted a comeback, scoring 21 fourth quarter points. However, they were 0-3 on onside kicks. Two of those onside kicks were recovered by Fort Wayne wide receiver Tyrone Walker, which helped to insure the win.

Newly acquired Fusion quarterback Cory Hodges completed 16 of 30 passes for 127 yards, he threw for four touchdowns and ran for another. He was named Offensive Player of the Game. Fort Wayne WR/DB Jermaine Jackson had two touchdown catches in the game including the first touchdown in team history.  

“I’ve been waiting eight years for this and I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” said Fusion General Manager Mike McCaffrey. “This was everything we could have asked for. Great field, great setup, great crowd, great coach and a great win.”

Fusion head coach Eddie Brown liked the intensity that his team showed and was appreciative of the fan support during the game. “The kids played hard and we had great support from the fans,” said Brown. “When our guys were on defense (the fans) screamed and yelled and got after them. We really needed that. That was huge for us.”

After the game, Brown surprised GM McCaffrey by giving him a game ball.

Team owner Jeremy Golden was also pleased with his team’s first game. “You would be hard pressed to look at them as an expansion team,” Golden said. “I’ve been traveling around to a lot of different teams and watching games since 2001. I’m not saying this just because it’s my team, but these guys were phenomenal. There was a lot of fight, I think they learned a lot, they jelled a lot better and I’m just looking forward to 15 more (games).”

Field Coach

The af2 is designed to be played by the same rules as the AFL, but there is one exception this year. While coaches at the AFL level are no longer allowed on the field during the game, in the af2, one offensive coach is still allowed to be on the field while the game is in progress. 

Short Kicks

One of the most exciting plays in all of Arena football, the kickoff, was rendered somewhat boring during the game as the kickers for both teams consistently kicked the ball short of the nets. The beauty of Arena football is the unknown element of just how the ball will bounce off the nets or the iron. An odd bounce can change the momentum of a game in a heartbeat, but that element of the game is taken away if the ball never even makes contact with the nets. 

Disappointed Green Bay Fan

Mitch Nolan, president of the Blizzard Cold Front Fan Club, made the seven hour drive from his home in Green Bay to attend his team’s season opener in Fort Wayne. “It’s hard to say how this team is going to be,” Nolan said after the game. “We’ve got a lot of young guys on the team and it’s going to take some time for them to come together.”

Nolan said he attends most of the Blizzard’s away games that he can drive to and was impressed with the fan support of the Fusion. “There was a group of (Fusion) fans behind the Blizzard bench who were awesome, in my opinion. They were all over us.” Even though his team lost, he was still glad he made the trip. “All in all, it was a lot of fun,” Nolan said.

Next Game

Fort Wayne travels to Louisiana for a game against the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings on Saturday night, April 7. The Battle Wings had a bye in the first week of the season. Bossier-Shreveport is also the site of this year’s Arena Cup game. 

Next Home Game

The Fusion return home on Sunday, April 15 to take on the defending Arena Cup champion Spokane Shock. Kickoff is set for 4:00.