Bandits look to build off 2011 championship season

On Saturday, they looked to build on that momentum, beginning the 12-game 2012 season with a new head coach, former longtime Bandits player Erv Strohbeen.

The team returns about three-fourths of the 2011 players, including long-time veterans and fan favorites such as defensive stalwart  Spetlar Tonga, quarterback and 2011 league Most Valuable Player Scott Jensen, wide receiver Damon Mothershead and cornerback Alex Ardley, who is in his eighth year and holds the Bandits career interceptions record.

Playing in the Tyson Events Center, the Bandits participate in the American Professional Football League. The APFL title trophy rests at Bandit offices, although it was brought out before the Tyson crowd Saturday night, and the championship banner was lowered as well.

In July, the Bandits scored on the first five possessions against the Iowa Blackhawks, en route to claiming a first title in the 12-year history of the franchise, 69-28, in front of 4,009 fans at Tyson Events Center.

"I didn't know it was going to be a rout like this," Jensen said after the game.

"We came out and we executed every time we had the ball. That's how we were going to win. We all did our jobs. This was a long time coming. We had to go through the two-time defending champions."

Team attendance averaged 4,100 for 2011, and the Bandits continue to be well supported by sponsorships, in spite of a sluggish economy, Bandits General Manager Mark Carley said.

For the fifth time in the last six years, Bandits have a new head coach. Bob Scott, managing partner of the Bandits, said an offseason incident led to the December 2011 firing of Butch Faulkenberry, who guided last season's squad to a 14-0 record.

"We felt it was better to change directions," said Scott at the time.

Scott said he is comfortable with Strohbeen as the team's coach, since Strohbeen has been involved in some capacity with the Bandits since the team began play in the 2001 season. He also played in the 2000 season with the Sioux City Attack.

Strohbeen retired as a Bandits player in 2009 as the leader in games played with 130. For the last three years he has been an assistant coach in charge of the offensive and defensive lines.

"I appreciate the opportunity from Bob Scott and the Bandits organization in hiring me to be their Head Coach. After playing for the Bandits for all those years I wanted to give something back by helping out so that the team would still be around," Strohbeen said.

"Coaching was a natural for me and being named head coach is a great opportunity to continue to be involved in something I really believe in, the Sioux City Bandits."

Said Scott, who is also the mayor of Sioux City, "Erv has been a loyal and popular player for our team. With his experience as an assistant coach for the last few years, I felt he was a natural choice to lead our team for the next year. He has always been a leader on the field and has gone out to promote the Bandits whenever we have asked him to. I am excited to have him as our head coach."

Five of the first eight games will be at home, so the initial outcomes at the Tyson will factor into the season's success. There are three new APFL teams in 2012.

The other six teams in the league include the Council Bluffs Express, which is the new name of the former Iowa Blackhawks, the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Express, Colorado (Aurora) Lightning, Kansas (Topeka) Koyotes, Mid-Missouri (Sedalia) Outlaws and Oklahoma (Tulsa) Defenders.