www.greeleytrib.com
Semi-pro team blazes to Greeley
Story By T.M. Fasano
Posted on Wednesday, November 13 @ 03:33:57 EST
Another semi-professional football will give it a go in Greeley in 2003.
This time, though, Greeley Blaze owner and general manager Greg Franks said his team will be a success.
Franks, 27, a 1993 Greeley Central graduate and former heavyweight wrestling champion for the Wildcats who goes by �Foggy� or �Foghorn,� said getting accepted into the 10-team Colorado Football Conference on Sunday was a step in the right direction. Franks� girlfriend, former Platte Valley star volleyball player Beth Alles, will also serve as the team�s general manager along with Franks.
Franks said an informational meeting will be held Dec. 7 at a site and time yet to be determined. Franks can be reached at 302-2612, and he also has a Web site: geocities.com/greeleyblaze. Players must be at least 18 years of age to play. He said he�ll probably have a coach named before the first meeting.
In the past couple of years, the Tri-City Warriors and the Stampede folded in Greeley. A women�s team, the Tri-City Mustangs, also folded after trying to give semi-professional football a home in Greeley.
An all-state defensive tackle for the Wildcats in 1992 under current Valley coach Jeff Priestley, Franks is excited about the new team.
�They�ve had two teams here, but I don�t think they were run by the right person. They didn�t know how to run a football team. They fell through and didn�t get into the Colorado Football Conference,� said Franks, who is a lumberjack for Green Leaf Tree Service in Greeley.
�I believe that I can field a team that is going to be competitive in the CFC.�
Teams from Windsor, New Mexico, Wyoming, Denver and Colorado Springs also compete in the CFC.
Franks said it�ll end up costing $25,000 to start up the team, which includes $5,000 to join the CFC and $10,000 for uniforms. Players must pay $100 to play in the league, and need to supply their own pads, helmet and shoes for the 12-game season. �I�m just in it to give kids who didn�t get a chance to play college ball or NFL ball,� said Franks, who played defensive tackle the last two seasons for the defunct Fort Collins Starz but had to retire because of shoulder problems.
�I�m just trying to give people who want to play football a chance to go out there and compete with people who love the game, too,� Franks said.
The season begins June 1 and runs until the end of August.