The Tucson Sugar Skulls didn’t have to look far to find their next head coach.
Tucson promoted offensive coordinator Hurtis Chinn, who was recently named the Indoor Football League’s Assistant Coach of the Year, as the franchise’s next head coach. Chinn is the team’s third head coach in five seasons.
“It’s an exciting day for Sugar Skulls fans and the Tucson community as a whole. Coach Chinn brings a wealth of football experience combined with leadership qualities that exhibit everything we take pride in building here in Tucson,” co-owner Cathy Guy said Tuesday in a press release.
“We did our due diligence and had a thorough search, interviewing many qualified candidates. We feel that Coach Chinn is ultimately the right fit for us both on and off the field to continue building the championship culture we are striving for.”
Chinn replaces Dixie Wooten, who was fired as coach and general manager last week after going 15-16 with one postseason appearance over the last two seasons. Chinn was first an assistant under Wooten in 2018, when the two coached the Iowa Barnstormers to an IFL championship. He moved to Tucson in 2019, installing his “Everybody Eats” offense under head coach Marcus Coleman. In 2021, Chinn moved to the Arizona Rattlers. There, he working under head coach Kevin Guy, who is also the Sugar Skulls’ co-owner.
Hurtis Chinn spent the 2021 season with the IFL’s Arizona Rattlers.
Chinn returned to Tucson last season. Under Chinn, the Sugar Skulls averaged 47.8 points per game, the third-best mark in the league. Tucson was also sixth with 212.4 yards per game. Tucson quarterback Daquan Neal was second in the IFL with 2,342 yards and 50 touchdowns under Chinn’s tutelage.
Hurtis Chinn
“To start I’d like to thank Cathy Guy and the wonderful ownership at the Sugar Skulls for allowing me this opportunity to build something special here in Tucson,” Chinn said. “My No. 1 goal is to give the people of Tucson something to be proud of and enjoy.
“Through relentless work in the community, building healthy relationships, and togetherness we will produce a product that fans can smile about.”
