AFL to Rename Coach of the Year Award

Wednesday January 15, 2014

 Award to honor legacies of Tim Marcum, Perry Moss

TAMPA – The Arena Football League’s Coach of the Year Award will be rechristened to honor Hall of Fame coaches Tim Marcum and Perry Moss, AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz announced on Tuesday.

First adversaries in ArenaBowl II, Marcum and Moss went on to define Arena Football’s greatest rivalry, the “War on I-4”, as head coaches for the Tampa Bay Storm and Orlando Predators, respectively. During their tenure in the League, the pair accounted for 14 championship game appearances and five AFL Coach of the Year awards. Each of the first 10 ArenaBowls featured at least one Marcum- or Moss-led team.

The announcement of the award change came during Marcum’s Celebration of Life ceremony in Tampa.

“We do what’s right,” Kurz said at the ceremony. “Our Coach’s Award will be named after Tim and Perry from now on.”

Marcum, who passed away in December, was affectionately known as the “Godfather of Arena Football”, finishing his career in 2010 as the winningest coach in Arena Football history with a record of 211-99, 27 postseason wins and an unprecedented seven ArenaBowl championships. He was also a two-time recipient of the Coach of the Year Award and a member of the inaugural Arena Football Hall of Fame Class in 1998.

Moss was a three-time Coach of the Year recipient, totaling 86 career wins while leading five different teams to ArenaBowl appearances. After winning the championship with the Detroit Drive in 1990, Moss became the first head coach in Orlando Predators history, guiding the team to six winning seasons in seven years. He was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

About the AFL
Since its inception in 1987, the Arena Football League has showcased a fast-paced and exciting game to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. The ESPN family of networks and CBS Sports Network will nationally broadcast AFL games each week for the entire season. The AFL schedule then culminates with the ArenaBowl Championship game live on ESPN.