Fairview High's Chris Hughes will coach Nashville's new pro flag football team
Chris Hughes has made some big plays on the flag football field but none as big as the one he made Monday.
The longtime Fairview High coach, who doubled for much of his career as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks on the flag football field, is playing a role in bringing professional flag football to Nashville.
The establishment of the American Flag Football League was announced Monday and Nashville was awarded a franchise along with Boston, Dallas and Las Vegas. Hughes, 55, announced at the same time his retirement as a flag football player so that he can serve as Nashville's coach.
"We've paid money to play this sport all these years so the fact that some of these guys are going to play and get paid − wow, what a blessing," Hughes said. "Where was this 20 years ago when I was still in my prime?"
The AFFL will play in the spring beginning in 2024, which will allow Hughes to continue to coach at Fairview in the fall. He said he would likely turn over the coaching duties of Fairview's girls flag football team in the spring to his wife, Stephanie Culpepper Hughes.
Chris Hughes and the Mean Machine, the amateur team he put together, had to pay entry fees plus expenses to play flag football in showcases and tournaments across the country.
The AFFL will pay 12-15 players per team to play 16 games (weekend doubleheaders) in a 7-on-7 format over an eight-week period leading up to a championship weekend.
Open tryouts are coming up. The first is in Dallas on July 21-22 followed by a tryout in Nashville then Boston and Las Vegas. Dates for the last three tryouts will be announced soon.
Hughes and the coaches from the other franchises will attend the tryouts and have input in which players are selected overall and to their teams.
"We're looking at college football players that didn't make it to the NFL," Hughes said. "There are people in Nashville I know of that played in NFL Europe or in Germany and other regular football leagues that will have a chance to compete. But there's also guys locally that played in college that are special. They are 4.4 (in the 40-yard dash), have fast muscle-twitch fibers and are all over the field. In flag, speed and quickness is the name of the game."
There might even be a touch of pro wrestling with plenty of hype and some trash-talking mixed in to increase the entertainment value in the league.
"These flag games are competitive," Hughes said. "There is as much talking and banter as there is on any level. Every guy I played against thought he should have been in the NFL. I would always tell them, 'Listen, you really were not supposed to be in the NFL if I can throw a touchdown on you.' But they have that moxie, that skill and that desire, and I think you're going to see some top, elite athletes on these four teams."
The AFFL, founded by former Wall Street hedge fund and portfolio manager Jeff Lewis, has been around since 2016 primarily sponsoring men's and women's amateur tournaments. Discussion of starting a pro league began two years ago, and AFFL president and chief operating officer Michael Cooper said Nashville was always considered a good fit for the league.
"I love Nashville. Jeff Lewis loves Nashville. I think it's a fantastic market," said Cooper, who worked earlier in his career as an attorney in Nashville. "There's already a great flag football presence in Middle Tennessee, and I'm really excited for us to be there."
Along with identifying the league's players, Cooper said a venue for Nashville to call home will be announced soon. It will be a moderate-sized stadium.
"We are still evaluating some of the venues we are looking at," Cooper said. "We want something that is fan accessible, fan friendly. We're very concerned about making sure we offer a great fan experience both on the field and off the field."
For more information or to try out visit affl.com.
Al Dorsey gets first hole-in-one
Former Tennessee All-American defensive back Al Dorsey, who also served on the Vols' athletics advisory board, made a hole-in-one last week at Towhee Golf Course in Spring Hill.
Dorsey aced the 109-yard, No. 4 hole using a sand wedge. It was his first hole-in-one.
Gallatin court named in honor of Bobby Luna
Part of the redesign of Gallatin High's new gym floor included naming it in honor of longtime Green Wave coach Bobby Luna.
The court will officially be dedicated during a Dec. 8 ceremony in Jerry Vradenburg Gymnasium.
Luna, who started his coaching career in 1989, has been Gallatin's boys basketball coach the past 28 years, during which he has won 495 games. He became the program's winningest coach in 2017 when he broke Vradenburg's record at 390.
Luna’s former players, managers and coaches will be special guests during the ceremony, which will take place during halftime of the girls basketball game against Stewarts Creek.
Vanderbilt picks up tab for Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
Admission to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame will be free through September thanks to a contribution made by the Vanderbilt athletics department.
Admission for the Hall, located inside Bridgestone Arena, is normally $3 for adults and $2 for children. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Vanderbilt inductees include Perry Wallace (basketball), Tim Corbin (baseball coach), Roy Kramer (athletics director), Chantelle Anderson (basketball), Watson Brown (football coach), Charles Davis (basketball), Dennis Harrison (football), Clyde Lee (basketball), Ashley McElhiney (basketball) and Fred Pancoast (football).
Cumberland's Ron Pavan is Mid-South AD of the year
Cumberland athletics director Ron Pavan was named the 2022-23 Mid-South Conference Athletic Director of the Year on Tuesday. It was the third time Pavan has received the honor.
Pavan, in his 15th year at Cumberland, will represent the Mid-South Conference in the selection of the NAIA Athletic Director of the Year, which will be announced in the Fall.
Cumberland finished 25th in the NAIA Learfield Directors' Cup and second in the Mid-South Conference Presidents' Cup.
If you have an item for Midstate Chatter contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Fairview's Chris Hughes to coach Nashville pro flag football team
