Ex-Tucson Sugar Skulls coach, GM Dixie Wooten 'excited to come back' to face former team

When the Tucson Sugar Skulls (1-1) kick off their home schedule against the defending IFL champion Bay Area Panthers (2-0) Sunday afternoon at 3:05 p.m., a familiar face will be on the opposing sideline.

Dixie Wooten, Bay Area associate head coach and offensive coordinator, will return to Tucson for the second time since he was fired following the 2022 season.

In three seasons (one was cut short due to the pandemic) with the Sugar Skulls, Wooten posted a 15-16 record and a first-round exit in the playoffs in ’22. After Wooten, who originally came over to Tucson from his successful stint with the Iowa Barnstormers, was fired and accepted the offensive coordinator position with Bay Area, he was replaced by offensive coordinator Hurtis Chinn; the Sugar Skulls are now led by first-year head coach Billy Back, who won his first game last week against the Duke City Gladiators.

A year after Wooten was fired, he helped the Panthers win the IFL championship — his second title as a coach.

“It was huge, man, just starting with the Tucson situation. I had a chance to reflect and understand that the decision (co-owners Cathy and Kevin Guy) made a good decisions because I didn’t bring everything I wanted to bring to Tucson,” Wooten said. “So it made me reflect on some things and everything I reflected on, I brought to the Bay Area with me. It made me do some things differently. It made me hold people accountable but it also made me let people do their jobs. It made last year a great situation for us. We had a lot more fun, we were a lot more loose, so we were able to go out there and win a championship.”

Wooten joined “Spears and Ali” on ESPN Tucson this week to talk about his learning experience in Tucson, his assessment of the Sugar Skulls and experiences coaching at Tucson Arena as a coach of Tucson and opponent.

After the time of reflection, what did you learn, whether it’s professionally or personally?

A: “I did something I’ve never done before: I was a micromanager and micromanaging never works for me. When you micromanage, you watch everybody and every minute of work. When you do that, sometimes it gives you too long of a night. I was missing sleep, because I was checking on everyone’s work.

“I had some great coaches but at the end of the day, I felt like I had to do everything because I wanted to take Tucson from a first-round team to the championship, and Rome wasn’t built in one day. That was my biggest thing. ... If I would’ve let those guys do their job more, we would’ve brought a championship to Tucson.”

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

What’s your scouting report of the Sugar Skulls heading into Sunday?

A: “Man, they are a really fast team. They were put together well and Billy has done a great job bringing in a lot of young guys. They’re probably the youngest team in the league, and Billy got some guys that are flying around on that defense. That defensive line makes a lot of plays. (Trae’varis Ferrell), that linebacker in the middle, is one of the best, and his secondary is very physical as well.

“Their quarterback, (Mylik Mitchell), he’s an NFL-caliber quarterback. He’s tall, he’s big, can run and throw and do everything. He puts a lot of fear in defenses. Their (offensive) line is pretty good. At running back, they have Mike Jones and that speaks for itself. We’re looking forward to a great game this week. Tucson is going to make a lot of noise. They made a great hire in Billy and he did a great job bringing the team together. They’re a solid team.”

Tucson running back Mike Jones is the longest-tenured Sugar Skull and has been with the franchise since 2019. How do you assess his IFL career and dedication to the Sugar Skulls?

A: “He’s a Hall of Famer, there’s no doubt about it. He’s had four coaches and through all four coaches, he’s been successful. That’s a lot to say about him. And people will bring their own guys in, but they never bring a running back in because everybody wants Mike Jones. That lets you know what type of guy he is, off the field as a person and also a football player. Mike Jones is the best, man. When he retires, he’s going to be a Hall of Famer in the IFL.”

Considering you’ve coached at Tucson Arena as the coach of the Sugar Skulls and as an opponent with the Iowa Barnstormers and Bay Area Panthers, how are the two experiences?

A: “It’s great for me, because I built a great rapport with the fans. When I go back, we still have fun, we still laugh and take pictures at the beginning of the game. I know they wanna boo me but at the end of the day, they shake my hand and give me some love. It’s been a great experience both ways. That’s one of the fanbases I love the most. ... In Tucson, it’s all love. It’s a great experience. I’m excited to come back.”