Dallas Desperados - Arena Football League (AFL) - Joe Avezzano / Will McClay- On MLN Sports Zone

AFL's Dallas Desperados Name Will McClay Head Coach
Joe Avezzano resigns to join the Oakland Raiders coaching staff.

Jonathan Roybal
MinorLeagueNews.com

02.05.04 –Dallas, TX -- It's not just raining in Big D, it's pouring.

The Dallas Desperados recently learned that starting QB Jim Kubiak had suffered a herniated disk in his lower neck and would be lost for the season.

If that doesn't seem bad enough, the team now has to deal with losing their head coach just days before the start of the 2004 Arena Football League (AFL) season.

Defensive Coordinator Will McClay will become the team's new head coach, replacing Joe Avezzano who resigned from the position this morning.

Avezzano is leaving his position with the Desperados to become the Special Teams Coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders.

"Joe has been a part of the Cowboys organization for 14 years, and anytime you work with somebody for 14 years, they become family," states Desperados President/CEO/General Manager Jerry Jones, Jr. "While we are losing a family member, we are very happy for Joe and the opportunity he has ahead of him in Oakland."

"We are also excited to begin a new era in Desperados football with Will McClay," said Jones. "In three years together, we have relied heavily on his AFL experience in constructing this team from the ground up. Because of that, we know he is prepared to take over the leadership of this team."

McClay has been the club's defensive coordinator since year one and has put together a defense that consistently came up with big plays at key moments in games.

In his 14th season associated with the Arena Football League, McClay made his indoor debut as a wide receiver/defensive back with the Detroit Drive in 1989. He started his coaching career in 1993, as the Drive's secondary and special teams coach.

McClay previously served as a defensive coordinator in the AFL with the Florida Bobcats (1996), Milwaukee Mustangs (1995), Anaheim Piranhas (1997), and the Grand Rapids Rampage (1998-99).

He also served as the player personnel director of the XFL's Orlando Rage before joining the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars in 2001 as Assistant Director of Pro Scouting.

As the Desperados first and only head coach, Joe Avezzano established a solid foundation of success for the team.

As an expansion team in 2002, the Desperados finished with a 7-7 record, advanced to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, led the league in attendance and won the prestigious Commissioner's Award – which is presented to the organization(s) that displays excellence both on and off the field.

In the club's second season, the squad improved to 10-6 and won the Central Division – the first division title in franchise history – by defeating the Grand Rapids Rampage in Grand Rapids on the final weekend of the regular season. The club finished near the top of the league in attendance and had three players named to the All-Arena first- or second-team, including Lineman of the Year honoree Tom Briggs.

As special teams coach for the Dallas Cowboys, Joe Avezzano coached in three Super Bowls and was named the NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year three times during a 13-year career.

In 2002, he served in the dual role of the Desperados' head coach and the Dallas Cowboys' special teams coach.

In Oakland, Avezzano will be reunited with new Raider's Head Coach Norv Turner. The pair coached together with the Cowboys from 1991-93 where they helped Dallas win back-to-back Super Bowls following the '92 and '93 seasons.

The Desperados open the 2004 AFL season on Sunday, February 8, against the Carolina Cobras at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.