When Avalon hosts the Pacific West Football League champion SoCal Coyotes on Saturday, the event’s promoters hope to connect with some of Catalina’s golden past.
Specifically, the husband and wife team of Head Coach J. David Miller and SoCal Coyotes Senior Vice President Laurie Miller want to bring back the flavor of the days when William Wrigley’s Chicago Cubs used Catalina as Spring Training Camp.
When Avalon hosts the Pacific West Football League champion SoCal Coyotes on Saturday, the event’s promoters hope to connect with some of Catalina’s golden past.
Specifically, the husband and wife team of Head Coach J. David Miller and SoCal Coyotes Senior Vice President Laurie Miller want to bring back the flavor of the days when William Wrigley’s Chicago Cubs used Catalina as Spring Training Camp.
“Catalina is literally our favorite place on earth,” Laurie Miller said. “It’s our home away from home. With this being our first annual seasonal kickoff, we will be the first professional sports team on the Island since the Chicago Cubs were here in 1951.”
It was during a recent visit to the Island that the Millers were inspired to bring the football team to Avalon for an exhibition game.
“We were at an Avalon High School football game and we met Earl Schrader (head coach of the Avalon Lancers Football team),” she said. “We asked him about the idea and he said he thought it could be something really great for the community.”
The First Annual Catalina Kickoff Classic will feature the Miller’s SoCal Coyotes against the Arizona Flying Dutchmen at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, at Joe Machado Field. Tickets to the event are $10 each and children 12 and under may attend free of charge. Members of the VFW in Avalon will hold a beer garden as a fundraiser and part of the festivities. There will also be fresh cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, refreshments and more for guests to purchase and enjoy.
The SoCal Coyotes, who have earned the title of champions of the Pacific West Football League, are a AAA Professional Franchise located in Southern California. The players are dedicated to the game and pay for the honor to perform as modern day gladiators on the gridiron.
“These guys are so dedicated,” Miller said. “They all have fulltime jobs, but they love the game and we are trying to build this league into something where they can earn more from it.”
With David Miller as coach since the Miller’s purchased the franchise in 2011, The Coyotes were the first Pacific West Football League expansion team to win a championship, outscoring opponents 251-90.
In 2012, the team beat the defending national champions, the defending league champions and a conference champion.
Miller said she can hardly maintain her excitement as the event approaches.
“It’s been some time that our Island has seen athletes of this caliber on exhibition,” she said.
Miller said the city of Avalon is embracing the event. The Mayor and City Council will greet the team and its leaders as they step off their boat at the mole.
The team has come out of the pack and surprised even the players themselves.
The hungry Coyotes broke every first-year record for any expansion franchise in history before losing the FWFA national title 23-20 to the proud New Mexico Titans in Las Vegas, NV.
Laurie Miller explained the Coyotes team members and the organization as a whole serves the community with pride and passion, and set quality examples on the field, in the office and within the community.
When not playing football games, they fill in their free time with charity work, such as projects that serve to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged people.
Miller said bringing the team to Catalina is a fulfillment of the couple’s dream to share their blessings with the Island and its residents.
“David and I had one of our first dates here nine years ago,” she said. “The Island brought us together and we want to give something back.”
