How Jeff Fisher is helping bring back the Nashville Kats and Arena Football League
The Nashville Kats are returning and bringing former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher with them.
Fisher will serve as a senior adviser for the franchise when the league relaunches in 2024.
The original Arena Football League was founded in 1986, played its first season in 1987 and lasted 22 years before going bankrupt in 2008. The league returned in 2010 and lasted through the 2019 season. The Nashville Kats were in the league from 1997 to 2001 and 2005 to 2007.
The late-Titans owner Bud Adams owned the Kats in their second stint. Fisher, 65, was coach of the Titans from 1995 to 2010 and the St. Louis/L.A. Rams from 2012-16.
“I have always been a big fan of Arena Football, especially the Nashville Kats when they played here," Fisher said. "It is so entertaining with so many talented players and coaches. And in that setting, the fans become so much a part of not only the game, but the overall experience.”
Fisher, who led the Titans to the Super Bowl in the 1999 season, also served as an adviser at Tennessee State when former Titans running back Eddie George was hired as the Tigers coach in 2021. Fisher left TSU in 2022 to become coach and general manager of the Michigan Panthers of the USFL.
The Nashville Kats in their first stint were the AFL's Organization of the Year in their inaugural season in 1997, made the playoffs every season and played in the Arena Bowl in 2000 and 2001.
When the Kats returned, they went 6-9-1 in 2005, and then 8-8 in 2006 and returned to the playoffs. The Kats were 7-9 in their final season and just missed the playoffs.
The Kats played at Bridgestone Arena, formerly Nashville Arena, in their previous stints. The average attendance for home games in their eight seasons was 12,302.
The new franchise is owned by Nashville Arena Sports, LLC and will play its home games at Municipal Auditorium, with the season opener set for April 27, 2024. The team will play one regular-season game at the new F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. The teams will play 10 regular-season games.
The team’s ownership group is led by sports and entertainment attorneys Tamara Dadd Alan, CEO, and Nancy D. Eckert, COO/general counsel and former Brentwood Academy and Penn State football player Gregg Johnson, who is also the team’s general manager.
Greg Pogue, owner of Pogue Media Inc., host of the "The Greg Pogue & Jon Burton" sports talk show on WNSR 560 AM/ 95.9 FM, and play-by-play broadcaster for TSU, also will serve as an adviser.
"The Nashville Kats were and will be again such a viable part of the Nashville and Middle Tennessee sports and entertainment landscape,” Alan said. “We have a wonderful opportunity to build on that. Most of all, we just want to have some fun.”
Johnson has already begun his search for a coach.
"I’m extremely honored to be an integral part of building an Arena Football team this city will be proud of with the goal of bringing AFL championships to my hometown of Nashville,” Johnson said. “Our ownership group is aware of the past successes of the AFL in Nashville, and we are eager to expand on that brand and become yet another viable offering in the Music City entertainment and sports landscape.”
The other teams in the league include the Oregon Blackbears, Iowa Rampage, Wichita Regulators, Salina Liberty, Southwest Kansas Storm, Rapid City Marshals, Albany Firebirds, Washington Wolfpack, Orlando Predators, Billings Outlaws and West Texas Desert Hawks.
“We are thrilled to be bringing back the AFL,” AFL Commissioner Lee Hutton said. “Nashville fans are incredibly passionate about football so we’re excited for fans in that market to have the opportunity to engage with their team in a special way.”
Season and individual game tickets are expected to go on sale in December. Contact info@katsfootball.com or visit arenafootballleague.com for more details.
Austin Peay Hall of Fame class includes basketball great Chris Horton
The 2024 Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame class includes Chris Horton (basketball, 2012-16), Ashley Slay (volleyball, 2014-18), Tyler Rogers (baseball, 2012-14), Alex Robles (baseball, 2014-18), Philip Farinella (football, 1964-67) and Joni Johnson (trainer, 1991-2021).
Horton was a 6-foot-8 post player who led the eighth-seeded Governors in the 2015-16 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to four wins in four days and the championship at Municipal Auditorium. Austin Peay earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament by winning the tournament.
The 46th annual class will be inducted Feb. 24, 2024.
Bonnie Sloan Day is Nov. 18
Bonnie Sloan Day is set for Nov. 18 at the Isaac Litton Alumni Center.
Sloan, who played at Isaac Litton, was the first deaf player in the NFL.
The Tennessean All-Nashville Interscholastic League defensive lineman was a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference performer.
He was selected in the 10th round of the NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973. Sloan is one of only three deaf players ever to play in the NFL.
Sloan will sign autographs at the event, which will include a meet-and-greet from 1 to 3 p.m.
The Game's Caroline Fenton joins Belmont basketball broadcast
The Game 102.5-FM sports talks radio show host Caroline Fenton has joined the Belmont basketball broadcast team.
Fenton, a St. Louis native who serves as host of the “Caroline, Willy and DMase,” midday show, will be a sideline reporter for the Bruins.
Will Boling will be the lead sideline reporter for his second season. Boling is host of the “RKW” sports talk show on The Zone 104.5-FM and radio play-by-play broadcaster for Nashville Soccer Club.
Emily Proud, a former Belmont soccer player in her second year with CBS Sports and 247Sports as a studio host and anchor, is also back for her second year as sideline reporter for select games
Steve Layman, NewsChannel 5 sports anchor, returns for his third season as the play-by-play voice and Greg Sage returns for his 19th season as analyst.
Rich Tiner is back as the women’s basketball play-by-play voice and Jenny Roy Bream will again be the women’s analyst sharing duties with with Ellie Harmeyer Strutz and Conley Chinn.
Landen Secrest is the women's new sideline reporter.
Austin Peay ranked 19th, TSU receiving votes in FCS top 25
Austin Peay is ranked 19th and Tennessee State is among other teams receiving votes in the FCS Stats Perform Top 25 poll this week.
Austin Peay (6-2) extended its winning streak to six games by defeating North Alabama 49-39 on Saturday.
TSU (6-2), which received 48 points and is tied at 29th with Holy Cross, extended its winning streak to four games by beating Lindenwood 43-20.
Other teams from Tennessee in the top 25 include Chattanooga at No. 14 and UT Martin at No. 21.
TSU is No. 3 in the Boxtorow HBCU FCS coaches poll behind No. 1 North Carolina Central and No. 2 Florida A&M.
Alysha Clark Day in Mt. Juliet is Nov. 11
Alysha Clark Day is Nov. 11 at the Fellowship in Mt. Juliet beginning at noon.
Mt. Juliet Mayor James Maness and Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto will be on hand to honor Clark, a former Mt. Juliet basketball star who helped lead the Las Vegas Aces to the 2023 WNBA championship.
It was third championship Clark has won in her nine-year WNBA career.
Clark also played at Belmont and Middle Tennessee State. She led the NCAA in scoring in her two years at MTSU and was inducted into the Blue Raiders Hall of Fame in 2020.
Music City Bowl tickets on sale
Ticket are now on sale for the 2023 TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
Tickets are available at musiccitybowl.com/tickets or the bowl’s ticket portal on SeatGeek.
The 26th annual bowl is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium featuring teams from the SEC and Big Ten. The game will be broadcast on ABC for the second straight year.
If you have an item for Midstate Chatter contact Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jeff Fisher helping bring back Nashville Kats and Arena Football League
