Louisiana Native Returns to Present Sportexe af2 Coach of the Year Trophy
National Football Coaching Insider to Present af2’s top coaching honor at ArenaCup8
ROUND ROCK, Texas. August 23, 2007—After spending the past two years removed from his home state following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Northwest Louisiana native and national football-coaching insider Aaron S. Lee returns to both football and the Ark-La-Tex to present the Sportexe af2 Coach of the Year award during halftime of ArenaCup8, presented by Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, which will be played Saturday, Aug. 25 at 8pm ET at Bossier City’s CenturyTel Center and televised nationally on Comcast for the second year in a row.
Lee, a graduate of Minden High School 30 miles east of Shreveport now resides in Austin after joining the public relations department at Sportexe, one of the global leaders in the synthetic turf industry, in November 2006. Lee, a 12-year sports writing veteran and football-coaching insider immediately made an impact with the launch of the Sportexe Football Coach of the Year award, which has been adopted by arenafootball2 as an official league award.
“We’re very pleased to have Aaron Lee here on behalf of Sportexe to present Rich Ingold with the 2007 af2 Coach of the Year Award,” said af2 President Jerry Kurz. “Ingold has proved himself to be a cut above the rest among his peers this year and is truly deserving of this honor.”
The Sportexe Football Coach of the Year award honors the top head football coaches from high school, collegiate and professional ranks for both outdoor and indoor leagues throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.
“I am extremely proud of being named the Sportexe NCAA Division I-A Coach of the Year,” said University of Houston head coach Art Briles upon receiving the award following the 2006 season. “Aaron is one of the reasons this award is so special because I know his dedication and involvement in our industry, and I know that he keeps a close tab on who’s doing what in our profession.”
Lee, a former managing editor for American Football Monthly, the nation’s top football-coaching publication, has served as a sports writer and editor over the past decade with publications like the Palm Beach Post, Marshall News Messenger (Texas) and Torrington Telegram (Wyoming) and a past contributor for the Times Picayune, Shreveport Times, Austin American-Statesman, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, ESPN and the now-defunct Football Digest.
“Aaron did an outstanding job for American Football Monthly,” said LSU assistant coach Doug Mallory, son of legendary Indiana head coach Bill Mallory and brother to Mike and Curt, assistant coaches at Kansas and Illinois respectively. “My family and I have worked closely with Aaron on different occasions and feel he’s one of the top journalists in the sports profession.”
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (17-2), led by 2007 Sportexe af2 Coach of the Year Rich Ingold, captured the American Conference crown and advanced to ArenaCup8 after defeating the Green Bay Blizzard 46-43 in front of the Pioneers’ home crowd at Wachovia Arena. The Pioneers face the National Conference-champion Tulsa Talons (17-2), a 67-47 winner over Bossier-Shreveport.
Ingold earned the league’s top coaching honor for his efforts this season en route to seizing the top slot on the af2’s all time win list (59) and leading his team to ArenaCup8. He was selected by a vote of his fellow league head coaches and media members.
Ingold joins previous Sportexe Coach of the Year winners such as the NFL’s John Fox and Sean Payton, CFL’s Tom Higgins and Wally Buono and NFL Europa’s Doug Graber and Vince Martino and Arena Football’s Kevin Guy.
“This season is a perfect example of the fine job Coach Ingold has executed during his tenure in af2,” said Lee “It is only fitting that Coach Ingold earn the industry’s top award during a season where he has captured the league’s most career wins, a conference championship and possible league title. I am very proud to present Coach Ingold this award and to return home amongst the finest football fans anywhere.”
Sportexe, a global leader in the synthetic turf industry, has become synonymous with excellence and the Sportexe Coach of the Year award has become a respected symbol that recognizes football coaching talent from all over the world that demonstrates the same quality, integrity and performance that has become associated with the Sportexe brand.
Sportexe continues to solidify its status as the top professional indoor synthetic turf provider in North America as the official and exclusive synthetic turf supplier and game system provider for the af2 and its big brother the Arena Football League, as well as the Major Indoor Soccer League and National Lacrosse League. All four league championship games, including ArenaCup8 have featured Sportexe playing surfaces.
Other Sportexe clients include the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, along with the NCAA’s LSU, Tulane, Cal-Berkeley, Indiana, Pitt, Alabama and Southern Miss.
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