Dallas Diesel

The Dallas Diesel is an American football team, founded in 1897, which plays in the Midwest Division of the Impact Conference in the Gridiron Developmental Football League. The team is also known as the DTF Diesel. The team is the 2006 NAFL champion.[1] The Diesel defeated the Nashville Storm 24-19 in the championship game played at the Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World in October 2006. Kicker Sean Riley was the leading scorer for 2006.[2]

History

Jewell Portwood was the owner and coached the team from 1997 to 2008.[3] Coach Portwood was inducted into the Minor League Football News Hall of Fame in 2004 and has a record of 163 wins against 39 losses. He was named "Coach of the Year" in 2006 by National Football Events and is considered a pioneer and innovator in minor league football. Portwood retired and, as owner, named Jackie Bridges as his successor.[3] Jackie Bridges took over as coach for the 2009 season. They played the Oklahoma Thunder of the World Football League for the World Bowl title in 2009 but were defeated.

In 2009, Portwood added Terri Manning as the team's General Manager.[3] Manning was one of the only female GM's in the world of sports. She was demanding of the players and staff and set a high level of expectation for behavior for everyone involved with the team. Manning, a Dallas native, ran her own business that trains select athletes preparing for college sports. After Manning left, the franchise struggled to maintain public or private financial support and went dormant for the 2010 season. The team returned to action in 2011 as part of the Gridiron Developmental Football League.

Stadium

Home games are played at the newly renovated Clark Stadium in Plano, Texas. This is an 14,442 capacity stadium, built in 1977.[4] The playing surface is "state of the art" field turf.

Season summaries

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Schedule

Pre-Season

Regular Season

Playoffs

2008 schedule

2011 season

Team moved to the Gridiron Developmental Football League. Defeated by the Oklahoma Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.

External links

References

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