Avengers Fire Hodgkiss

After seven seasons as head coach of the Los Angeles Avengers, Ed Hodgkiss has finally been relieved of his head coaching duties. During his tenure as coach of the Avengers (2002-08), Hodgkiss compiled an overall record of 58-58, which included a disappointing 1-5 mark in postseason play.

Avengers owner and chief executive officer Casey Wasserman announced the decision earlier today: “The coaching staff worked tirelessly and was extremely dedicated to the goal of winning an ArenaBowl championship, but the production simply wasn’t there in recent seasons. We recognize and appreciate the significant contributions that Ed Hodgkiss and his assistant coaches made to our franchise, but I feel strongly that we need to go in a new direction.”

Hodgkiss arrived in Los Angeles after three seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Indiana Firebirds. During those years, he was the mastermind of one of the AFL’s most prolific offenses and helped the Firebirds win the ArenaBowl in 1999.

In his first two seasons as coach of the Avengers, Hodgkiss won nineteen games, including a franchise-best eleven victories in 2003. At that time, no head coach in AFL history had won more games in his first two years than Hodgkiss had. Hodgkiss’s success continued as he led the Avengers to the Western Division title in 2005.

However, the years following proved to be quite challenging as the Avengers won only twenty of its next fifty games.

Last Saturday, the Avengers wrapped up their 2008 season with a 72-47 loss at the hands of Tampa Bay, which dropped Los Angeles to 5-11. The 2008 season marked the second time in the past three years that the Avengers had finished 5-11 and failed to qualify for the AFL Playoffs.

While the Avengers did witness some success under Hodgkiss, the last few seasons had proved to be quite frustrating for the fans and the organization. I personally have mixed feelings toward the firing. As a fan, Hodgkiss had to be relieved due to the fact that the team did not meet the expectations set forth by management. However, as a person, I also feel a little sad because Ed and his staff worked extremely hard and were entirely dedicated to bringing an ArenaBowl championship to Los Angeles. He was known around the league and Southern California for being a class act and true competitor who sought to win the right way.

While I am a little sad to see Ed go, I also realize that its not time to reminisce about past accomplishments and instead look forward to a bright future for the Los Angeles Avengers.