The Amarillo Venom have removed the interim tag and named former Quarterback Julian Reese as their head coach for the 2012 season. Reese took over as interim head coach following the Venom’s April 30AMARILLO, TEXAS -- th game against the Allen Wranglers and led the team to four straight victories.
“We are excited that Julian will be back and leading our team next season,” said Joe Morgado, the Venom’s general manager. “He’s a young guy with a lot of energy that we can build our franchise around.”
Reese moved to Amarillo in 2004 and joined the Amarillo team formerly known as the Dusters. He led them to the Intense Football League Championship and won in his first year. After leaving for a couple of seasons, Reese rejoined the team in Amarillo in 2008 and won the Lonestar Division in 2010. Reese still holds several Amarillo passing and rushing records, but chose to end his playing career after shoulder surgery late in 2010.
“Originally I thought that I wanted to come back and try to play next season, but once I started coaching I really enjoyed it,” said Coach Reese. “I get that same competitive feeling without waking up with all the aches and pains the following day.”
The Venom went 4-1 once Reese was named the interim head coach after a disappointing 0-9 start. The only game the Venom lost was against the West Texas Roughnecks, a game that Coach Reese had to miss to attend his father’s funeral.
The Venom didn’t just win games once Coach Reese took over, they won handily. They beat the Bricktown Brawlers 55-30 in Reese’s first game as head coach, overcame a 27-point second quarter deficit to beat the Allen Wranglers 36-33 on the road, defeated the Arizona Adrenaline 79-32 in Arizona, and won 77-0 in their home finale again against the Brawlers. Reese said the biggest change he made once taking over was the way the team practiced.
“When I took over I told the guys we are going to practice hard and we are going to play hard,” said Coach Reese. “We added a little more structure to the way we practiced and that made a huge difference.”
The Venom front office said the way the team closed out the season is something they can build on heading into next year.
“Julian came in here and really turned things around at the end of the season,” said Morgado. “He’s a proven winner on the field and has shown what he is capable of as a coach. There are a lot of things to look forward to in 2012.”
The AMARILLO VENOM is a proud member of the Indoor Football League.
