(Tucson, AZ) The Tucson Sugar Skulls are pleased to announce that Dixie Wooten, a two-time Indoor Football League Coach of the Year and winner of the 2018 IFL championship, has been hired as head coach and general manager of the team for the 2020 season.
“Dixie is a proven championship coach and we are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to bring him to Tucson,” said Sugar Skulls Owner Cathy Guy.
Wooten had a 36-8 regular season record in three seasons as head coach of the Iowa Barnstormers. His teams reached the playoffs all three years, winning the 2018 United Bowl championship. It was the first league championship in Barnstormers franchise history. Wooten was named IFL Coach of the Year in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
The Barnstormers finished the 2019 regular season in second place in the IFL with a 12-2 record but were defeated by the eventual league champion Sioux Falls Storm in the semifinals of the IFL playoffs. Iowa defeated the Sugar Skulls, 61-58, on a last-minute touchdown in the teams’ only meeting last season at the Tucson Arena. The Barnstormers had the league’s MVP, quarterback Daquan Neal, and put three players on the IFL first team and three on the second team.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to be the new head coach and general manager of the Tucson Sugar Skulls,” Wooten said. “After only one year, this is one of the premier organizations in the IFL with what we have in place in ownership, the front office and the football operation. We will compete for a championship this year.”
The Sugar Skulls finished the 2019 regular season with a 7-7 record and were the first expansion franchise to make the playoffs in IFL history. Tucson clinched the playoff berth with a thrilling 55-50 victory over the Quad City Steamwheelers in the last game of the regular season at Tucson Arena. The Sugar Skulls lost to Sioux Falls, 50-47, in the first round of the playoffs.
“While we were all ecstatic to make the playoffs in our first year, our goal every year is to win a championship,” Guy said. “Dixie’s experience as a head coach and his history as a winner give us a chance to compete for a championship right now. We’re excited to get started on the 2020 season.”
Press Release courtesy of the Sugar Skulls Media Department.
