New Showboats coach Ken Whisenhunt meets the Yacht Club

MEMPHIS – New Showboats coach Ken Whisenhunt getting his official welcome to Memphis Wednesday night as he was introduced to the Yacht Club during a reception for Showboats’ season ticket holders.

And that’s been the biggest divide between Memphis and the United Football League. Any spring football league for that matter.

Needing more fans in the stands.

Tough to do when all eight teams in the UFL live and train in Texas and only fly in for games.

That’s why the league’s Executive vice president of Football operations and former Dallas Cowboys’ great Daryl ‘Moose’ Johnston is trying to tap into each home market’s power brokers for help.

“We just had an opportunity to sit down with Ed Scott, the new AD at Memphis, and really see where we align and see if there’s any synergy there. We know that we have to connect with the community and show that we’re here with a purpose,” Johnston said. “You get that kind of mercenary mentality where we’re just showing up, playing, and then we’re getting out of here. How do we create, in that short amount of time, these connections into the community. Because that is the biggest thing.”

And has been for the last three years.

Something Whisenhunt, the former Titans head coach, is hoping to change by bringing winning football, fun football to Memphis as the third different Showboats head coach in the last three years.

“At first it was a little surreal to get it. What’s really gotten me excited, is coming to this town. Just for the history of football here in this town. Back years and years ago when Reggie White was here, that was kind of my era. That was when I was playing, too. I know that’s where it all started with the old original USFL,” Whisenhunt said. “So to have a chance to be a part of that and come here is really exciting to me. Really looking forward to it.”

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