Dixie Wooten had two options for his career path in the Indoor Football League: remain the head coach of the Iowa Barnstormers or become the head coach and general manager for the Tucson Sugar Skulls, an expansion franchise.
Wooten accepted the latter, leaving a franchise he coached from 2017-19, posting a 36-8 record and winning the IFL championship in 2018 during his second season. The opportunity to make his own stamp on the IFL was too good to pass up.
βThatβs what got me here. Also, being head of the organization and having room to grow was great as well, so thatβs the reason I came here to Tucson,β Wooten said. βIt was a step-up for me as a coach and it was also a step-up for me as a businessman as well.β
Wooten and the Sugar Skulls (8-6) host the Barnstormers (8-6) Saturday night at Tucson Arena for the home finale. A win over Wootenβs former club would lock up a No. 3 seed for Tucson, most likely setting up a first-round playoff matchup with the Northern Arizona Wranglers in Prescott Valley. Tucson clinched a playoff bid with a 53-47 win at San Diego last weekend.
A victory over Iowa would also mark the first triumph over the Barnstormers in franchise history. The Sugar Skulls fell to Iowa last season, 33-13, when then-Barnstormers quarterback Daquan Neal rushed for two touchdowns in the outing. Now the quarterback for Tucson, Neal, who earned IFL Offensive MVP honors with the Barnstormers in 2019, reunited with Wooten in the Old Pueblo to lead the franchise.
Neal isnβt the only Barnstormer to join Wooten in Tucson. Offensive lineman Isame Faciane, wide receivers Jazeric Peterson and Raheem Harvey, new defensive back David Haney, defensive lineman Tony Winslow Jr. and offensive coordinator Hurtis Chinn have all followed Wooten to Tucson.
Wooten spoke to the Star this week to preview a personal game for the Sugar Skulls, along with the differences between Iowa and Tucson:
How do you approach this week?
A: βIβm excited, because we can go in, win this football game and get the No. 3 seed. Those guys in Iowa are going to be in the playoffs. Me being a former coach, I look at like this: When I see those guys on the field, Iβm going to remember all of the good things, because we won a championship there. But at the end of the day, we want to beat them, because itβs a team I coached.β
How do you reflect on your time with the Barnstormers?
A: βIt was an amazing feeling, man. The people in the organization just made me come in and do what I had to do to be successful. It was amazing. The three years I was there, we won a lot of football games, but we touched a lot of people and I will always love Iowa. I will always appreciate Iowa to the end.β
Dixie Wooten and the Sugar Skulls have a postseason bid clinched. Now, theyβre eyeing the No. 3 seed.
Youβve also met a plethora of talented players in your time in Iowa, including quarterback Daquan Neal, who won IFL Offensive MVP his rookie year. Whatβs been noticeable about Nealβs growth since then?
A: βI remember when I first recruited him, he came from Elizabeth City State and during our first conversation, he had no idea about indoor football. He started from scratch, but his potential was unreal. We got him to the point of getting his feet together, getting him to understand how the game is played. Next thing you know heβs the MVP his first year in the league.β
Why do you think Neal was able to adapt so quickly?
A: βHis work ethic. His work ethic is unreal. Iβm tough on my guys, but I also hold my guys accountable, and he loves that. He loves when I hold him accountable and ask him to stay longer to work on drills and things like that. He put in the work, he had to be successful.β
How would you compare both franchises in Tucson and Iowa?
A: βItβs kind of a big deal, because in Iowa, that organization has been around for like 20-something years, so they understood what they had to do and they have a decent fanbase. But Tucson? Tucson is a young organization with a lot of potential. We have great ownership here. We had great ownership in Iowa as well, but we all get to grow here. We get to make mistakes, get better and I think in the next two or three years β in fact this year, we can bring a championship here. We want to reach out to the community so we can grow and build our fanbase.
βDes Moines has a huge fanbase. Thereβs no basketball or anything else around it, so they treat their indoor football team like itβs the NFL. When anything happens like a radio show or an event, we have like 3,500 people strong show up β and thatβs just the fanbase. They love the organization, but the organization has been around for so long. Heck, even Kurt Warner was their quarterback, so itβs a different situation in Iowa.
βHere, the organization hasnβt been around for 2Β½ years. Itβs more like a year-and-a-half for me. I donβt think people around here understand how important it is to the community and how important it is for Tucson to have this indoor football team. The more people figure it out, the more people are willing to come out.β
Some coaches would prefer to stick with the on-field production and Xβs and Oβs of football rather than hold the general manager title; why did you also want to be the GM of the Sugar Skulls?
A: βWhen youβre the general manager, the bus stops with you. It starts with you and stops with you. So, if you lose games or something happens, itβs on you. If you win games, great, thatβs on you. I felt like I put in a lot of work to get that title and be at the top of the food chain with an organization. A lot of coaches just want to be coaches, and I can understand that, but the most successful coaches around like a Bill Belichick, like a Kevin Guy or (Kurtiss) Riggs in Sioux Falls, those guys are general managers and head coaches β and are successful β because everything starts and ends with those guys.β
What would it mean to beat Iowa?
A: βItβs great, because those guys are a playoff team, so itβs always good to go against a playoff team at this point of the season and come out with a victory. Thatβs the best part about it.β
Extra points
Tucson wide receiver Arthur Jackson IV, who is among the teamβs top pass-catchers, has been removed from the IR this week. Jackson suffered a leg injury against the Bay Area Panthers last month.
The Sugar Skulls officially released offensive lineman Antonio Rosales, who had been suspended for his ejection against the Frisco Fighters in April. The Tucson High native was initially suspended six games for his altercation with a Frisco player, but wasnβt officially released by the team until Tuesday. Rosales was also dismissed from the team last season for punching a ref during the Sugar Skulls-Barnstormers contest.
If the Sugar Skulls lose on Saturday, a Duke City Gladiators loss to San Diego would still ensure the No. 3 seed for Tucson.
