Columbus native Corey Sanders is excited about his new football-playing home, even if the season doesn’t start for another two months.
Sanders is expected to be a defensive back when the Mississippi Hound Dogs kick off their inaugural season in the Ultimate Indoor Football League. Training camp will begin Feb. 15, and the season opener against the Rome Rampage will be March 3 at the BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo.
“This was definitely a great opportunity,” Sanders said. “I was excited when I found out this league had connections to the National Football League and Canadian Football League. There are a lot of talented players who have fallen by the wayside in this state. This will give them another opportunity to showcase their talents and get some exposure. I feel blessed to have this opportunity and look forward to getting started.”
After playing high school ball at New Hope High School and at Columbus High, Sanders played at Northeast Mississippi Community College. After brief stints at Mississippi Valley State University and Mississippi State, Sanders completed his college career at McPherson College, a NAIA school in McPherson, Kan.
The UIFL is his next career stop.
“I did not know there was going to be a team in Tupelo this upcoming year,” Sanders said. “When I went to Northeast, we heard about the Tupelo Mudcats all the time. Even though I never went to a game, I knew they were very popular. The last couple of years, I had heard a team was coming back to Tupelo. I found the advertisement for tryouts on the web. Me and my twin brother (Cordney Sanders) went to the tryout.
“Once I met coach (Martino Theus) there was an instant bond. The tryout went well and he called me back with a spot on the team. Coach is going to be a great coach to play for. He has his head on straight and is a great leader. I am excited about this opportunity.”
Theus understands the key to building a successful indoor football franchise. A standout Arena League player himself, Theus feels the Hound Dogs will be successful if they can find a niche in the local community and produce a roster full of local players.
“When I first took the job, I knew it was important to have a local identity,” Theus said. “As a player, I played with guys from all over the universe. We have 25 roster spots, and I will have eight players from out of town. However, the bulk of my team will be a Mississippi-based team. Fortunately, we have two Southeastern Conference schools in our backyard. We will be reaching out to players there after they finish their careers.
“But we won’t stop there. We will go south to Jackson and Jackson State. We will go east to UAB, Alabama, and North Alabama. Southern Miss has a quality program. Then there is Delta State. There are also the Mississippi junior colleges. We want a team the local community can support. Our fans will be able to know their names.”
The original Arena Football League and Arena Football 2 built popularity on a national stage by being a fan-friendly sporting event. Fans are right up against the action. The majority of the games take place in the spring and summer when there isn’t any football. Sanders and his teammates understand the public relations angle will be key for the franchise to be successful at the box office.
“This is a great chance to interact with the kids,” Sanders said. “We want to be considered role models. To coach Theus, it is just as important to be good people off the field as it is to be good players on it. From the kids to the adults, we want everyone to have a good time. We will stay after the games and sign every last autograph. We are not just here to play football.
“We are here to represent the Golden Triangle Area. We are here to represent the entire state. We want people to come out and support the Hound Dogs. This will be a fun, family friendly atmosphere for everyone involved.”
For Theus, a former standout at Lambuth College, the opportunity to return to the region made the opportunity to coach the Hound Dogs more intriguing.
“I am from Jackson, Tenn., and that is not too far away,” Theus said. “Having played Arena football for 10-plus years, I understand the importance of being at home. My indoor football-playing career has involved everything from playing with the Biloxi Fire Dogs (on the Mississippi Gulf Coast) all the way to having a 1,750-yard receiving season for a team in Rochester, N.Y.
“I know what it is like to not be able to have any of your friends or family there to see you play. You heart always beats a little faster when you have someone that cares about you there to watch you play. I had coached in the Arena League with the Bossier City Battle Wings. I had to make a decision if I wanted to stay in the Arena League or veer off and start something new.
“The opportunity to be back in this area is what makes this the right decision. Home is important to me, so I want it to be important to my players, too.”
The Hound Dogs will try to be successful where other Tupelo-based franchises haven’t. The Tupelo Fire Ants of the National Indoor Football League lasted four seasons (2001-04), while the Mudcats lasted two seasons in the American Indoor Football Association. While the Mudcats drew well in 2007 and 2008, the team’s financial affairs caused it to cease operations.
“We are going to make this work,” Theus said. “Every letter of the alphabet you can use to make a football league, I have played in that league. I have seen the things that work and the things that do not. So far, the whole state has really welcomed this team. We had a parade last weekend and the support for the team was enormous.
“If we can get that kind of support from New Albany, Starkville, Columbus and the surrounding areas then we will be all right. I think we have the elements in place to be successful when others have not.”
Sanders believes the team needs to be branded more on a regional basis and not just in Tupelo. He and Theus were scheduled to appear in the Columbus Christmas parade before rain forced the event to be canceled. Next up is participation in a “Toys for Tots” Christmas toy drive led by the Columbus Fire and Police Departments
“We want everyone to support this team,” Sanders said. “This is not just a Tupelo team. This is a Golden Triangle area team. This is a Mississippi team. We have lots of public relations events upcoming. We want to get the word out about what we are trying to do.
“There is a lot of work to be done between now and the opener. Hopefully, a lot of fans will lend us their support. We need everybody pulling together to make the Hound Dogs a huge success.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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