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The Duke City Gladiators, the second-year pro indoor football franchise that plays its home games in Tingley Coliseum, is off to a running start well ahead of the beginning of their 2016 Champions Indoor Football season.
In a news conference Wednesday at The Library Bar & Grill on San Mateo NE, club GM/co-owner Matt Caward revealed the addition of an expanded ownership group, a title sponsor, the team’s home schedule and showed off the new home and away uniforms the squad will don during the 12-game season that opens in March.
In addition, five players signed contracts — Landrick Brody and Emmanuel McPhearson, both formerly of UNM, along with Dwayne Davis, Dexter Manley and Jason Serda, a Manzano and ENMU alum.
Joining the ownership group is John Lopez, an associate broker for Coldwell Banker Legacy; Rudy Guzman, owner of Guzman Construction Solutions; and dentist William Gardner. All are from Albuquerque. The Library Bar & Grill is aboard as a title sponsor.
At this time last year, the Gladiators didn’t exist. In fact, it wasn’t until just before the Champions league opened play in late February that the franchise was born.
The team was then quickly invited into the CIF to fill the void left by the New Mexico Stars, who opted to sit out 2015 to reorganize.
Caward enjoyed having more time to plan this season.
“The difference is incredible,” he said. “The amount of time that it takes to run an organization like this at this level is immense. It can be overwhelming. … We didn’t have a chance to do a lot of marketing last year.
“So this year it was great because we got to do a lot of marketing, and we feel the buzz everywhere we’d go. So having months to prepare, it’s a night-and-day difference.”
The home schedule includes one of three new CIF teams, the Mesquite (Texas) Marshals, who join the Bloomington (Ill.) Edge and Chicago-based Illiana Eagles to make it a 12-team venture.
Coach Dominic Bramante said he can’t wait to get going.
“We knew going forward we had to get through our first year, get through the obstacles, the bumps in the road, and we’ve done that,” he said.
“I am more than happy with how recruiting is going, to the point I have to calm myself down and say it’s only October.”
TRYOUT: The team will hold a tryout at noon Saturday at UNM’s indoor football field, just south of University Stadium. The fee is $60; $50 online.
