One-On-One with Fighters Owner Drew Pearson

Twitter: @88DrewPearson

​






​As the Frisco Fighters start to take flight in the Indoor Football League, I was grateful for the opportunity to interview not only a Dallas Cowboys legend but also a legend in the indoor football circuit... number 88 Drew Pearson. 

Here is our conversation he other yesterday. 

Christopher: you were a football football head coach for the Dallas Texans how did you get the job for that team 

Drew: Well I went off after it I kind of was watching the indoor game especially since it had been in Dallas and had some success with Ernie stoutner the head coach and so I had been watching it and said I like what I see so maybe I'd like to be a part of that. so I… after Ernie stautner decided to retire the position was open I decided to apply for it and go after it and before you know it I was able to secure the head coaching job and in the process of doing that beat out. I was told I could say beat out cuz I have too much respect for them I was chosen the head of dick Nolan former NFL coach who had known because he was wide receiver coach took a while with the Dallas Cowboys and I worked with him when I was a receiver coach with the Cowboys so you know I was surprised I got the position over him cuz I have so much respect for him and once I got the position the first thing I wanted to do is hire get knowing that it's my assistant head coach and I told his job was to teach me how to be a head coach cuz that was my first head coaching job. 

Christopher: how did you enjoy being a head coach

Drew: I enjoyed it a lot you know dealing with the players are saying everything else surrounding the game the head coach of course have to deal with more things than just coached football team and with the Arena Football League head coach you know is there pretty much the promoter big as much as we can in any way that it came with my name recognition you know we try to use that as much as possible to promote the game around Dallas and it worked because we had some great crowds there my first year of four and six disappointed with that I believe 4 and 6 but disappointed wasn't a winning season I know that disappointed with that but I enjoy the experience that's for sure

Christopher: would you ever be in a head coach in the indoor game again?

Drew: oh no no I'm done with that tremendous responsibility to be a coach at any level and you have to be totally committed to to want to do that and even in the indoor game you know I'm not as familiar with that game as the people that have been in that gate most of their adult life so I respect that and I'm not coming into this situation with the IFL even though I get involved with the entire game I'm not coming into this situation like I know it off I'm coming into it with my eyes open and wanting to learn as much about this game as much as possible on this level and try to promote it as much as possible in Frisco cuz this is a football minded area from high schools or right on through the Cowboys and we want to be part of that. We want to be part of that and the fans should come out for XFL Games, they certainly can come out for I IFL games right. 

Christopher: You did mention you're a general manager or not a manager but you were in the IFL as a general manager that was that experience?

Drew: well that was a good experience that was different you know most of my time in that position was spent promoting the team trying to sell tickets trying to gain a sponsor ships and things like that and trying to make a mark in the community we were in Allen at the time Alan Wranglers and we were trying to make a mark in that community and Thursday we felt the way to do that was to get out and to the community so we would go into schools and build deal with Charity I get the players to show up or events and things like that and even though these at these events and charity events or whatever it might be you know these players aren't well-known if you tell them their football players in the National Football players and people just seem to go crazy they don't never heard of them or whatever but they still want their autographs and things like that they still want to take pictures with them so we still have that connection even on this level of the IFL we still have that kind of impact on the community and we need to take advantage of that. 
Christopher: How do you think the IFL or any indoor league can grow and expand? 
Drew: well you know you got a first of all they got a recognize who they are you know and here's what we can do here is a limitations of what we can do and so everything under that we got to make it as great as possible we're going to make it entertaining we going to make it exciting we got a we can't pull people again especially in this area you know football and so we gotta get quality product out there on the field and I think he do it that way and you know, football is an expanding game it's a game that people never get tired of so if we do it the right way and take care of the responsibilities that you bring to the community trying to be part of the community I think of each franchise grows within the community then they'll become solid in that Community off and it'll be a fixture in that community and then you'll be able to have the success that say the NFL has had over the years that's to say the least 
Christopher: Who on the current Frisco fighters roster do you think has a good shot at making a NFL roster?
Drew: You know I really can't get into that because I don't know these guys that well I've been only been out to a couple of practices and from what I see you know we're are very experienced with all beings but I don't know what level of these guys are as far as we're thinking you know the age the age they might be and if that long time to get into the NFL has passed them by and they have to accept that reality if it has but if you know the point is that they don't they're not accepting the reality that they have to give up football just because they can't go into the NFL and so they want to continue their careers as long as they can and at the opportunity of the NFL presents itself month in advance you know these they have some current video current Cape current game times experiences and things of that nature to show both teams if they're interested in them but from what I find in my experience is at this level like these guys play mainly For the Love of the Game. Yeah they see that carried out there maybe one day play in the NFL because that's their dream but they know to reach that dream they're still got to play the game and play the game the right way and you know that's just that to me that for me gives them a lot of respect for what they do when I spoke to the team I totally admire them I appreciate them not just because they play football but cuz they play it in an environment of the 50-yard football field where it's off the little different in plain on a hundred yards. So you got to be a special person you got to really love the game of football to play it at that level because ain't nowhere to hide dead now okay. 
Christopher: for those that are new to the game watching it or or going to a game what can fans experience or get out of the indoor game? 
Drew: Well they're going to get a lot of scoring it's usually a lot of scoring it's an offensive-minded football games a lot of defense that has been you know over the years has been team coaches have been coming up with all kinds of schemes that slow day off and down but there's no way to run to come up with schemes to stop the offense so that's the number one thing it'll be excitement out there on the on Palm yeah football field and then you know the promotion of the game everything surrounding the game you know whether it's autograph sessions with taking advantage of it the pro athletes that are in this area again writing into the games and doing autograph sessions with them having VIP pregame parties with some the sponsors making myself through. It's very acceptable to the band and stuff like that I'm not going to be sitting in the in the Box the whole game I'm going to be getting out in the stands and hanging out and doing a job. pregame tailgate stuff that so we want to make an experience for for the band it's much like the Cowboys if we learn anything we got the Cowboys right there to learn from home and you go to a Cowboy game it's like a Super Bowl everything going on the excitement around the stadium the tailgating the bands going on and playing and you know the bulb just the excitement the bugs well that's what we want to try to create that excitement that bugs and if you can create that and that's something that people want to be a part of you know just like Dallas Cowboys so hopefully we can create that in Frisco you know we got we're digging ourselves out of a hole a little bit from what happened last year with the frisco team but I think we got the right ownership is no question about that but her main family definitely the right ownership and we got the right management the team managing and we got the right personnel as administrative staff and the coaching staff and the players so this team is in a great position to be around this community for a long time and just like anything else Chris we got to win you know we win people will show up and want to be associated with that so hopefully we'll come out to shoot on Thursday and beat the Gladiators
Christopher:  I heard that you're doing some of the TV broadcasts where can fans see the game at
Drew: I don't even know we haven't we haven't had a production meeting or anything yet cuz the first games not going to be on the radio or TV off so um uh we don't know where we're going to land at this point as far as I know and as soon as we do we'll let that be known for sure

The Frisco Fighters kick off their 2020 season This Thursday, March 12 at 7:05 pm when. they host the Duke City Gladiators who are 2-time champions of the Champions Indoor Football league. You can watch that game on YouTube. 

---