Kevin Guy: Newest IFL team ‘a perfect fit’ for Tucson

With the decision to purchase a new Indoor Football League team to play in Tucson, Rattlers head coach Kevin Guy has added another title to his name: owner.

On Thursday, Guy and his wife Cathy announced they purchased the newest team to join the ranks of the IFL.

But unlike a typical owner, Guy isn’t calling all the shots.

“The only coaching decision I’m going to make is hire the head coach and then I’m out of it, but my wife Cathy is going to be overseeing the team — she needs something to do anyway — and I think it’s going to be a great fit for us,” Guy told Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station on Friday.

And although he’s double dipping, his loyalty will still remain north of Tucson.

“I know how I’m wired, I know what my integrity is, I know where I’m going to be at with the Rattlers,” Guy added when asked about being a part of two teams in the same league.

“Anybody that knows me, I’ll work my tail off for the Rattlers everyday and at the end of the day if my wife has some questions and she wants my advice on some things she can ask me but we’ve hired experienced people down there that’s going to be running the team.”

With the Rattlers, Guy has put together a stellar resume.

In his first season in the IFL, the Ratters took home top honors, winning the national championship.

Prior to the IFL, Guy spent 16 seasons in the Arena Football League. There, he led the Rattlers to an AFL-record 10 Arena Bowl appearances and became the first coach in AFL history to reach the championship game four consecutive years.

Guy said he first met with the mayor of Tucson about bringing a team to the city about a year ago.

After spending multiple staycations in the area, Guy felt the desire to add another team in the desert.

“We fell in love with Tucson,” Guy said. “[We] love the people down there and just started looking around one day and started saying ‘why doesn’t this town have a team?'”

Pair that and the idea of growing the league and it seems like a win-win for Guy.

“We were looking to expand in our league and we wanted to start a western conference,” Guy said of adding another city to the six-team league. “[The Rattler’s are] the only team in the West and we’re trying to develop a western conference right now.

“When I looked at it I felt like the city could support it, I thought it’d be great for Tucson. It does look like a weird situation, but it’s really not.”

The team does not yet have a name or a coach, but will play at the Tucson Convention Center Arena when the 2019 IFL season opens up.

Fans are encouraged to help with the naming of the team by going to the team’s website and writing down the name of their choice. Fans will also be able to choose the team colors.

“I think it’s a perfect fit for Tucson and it’s going to be Tucson’s team,” Guy said.

“I feel good about it, I think it’s going to be great for the league and I think we got a natural rivalry already set up and I’ve never seen a bad sports town.”

Season tickets for the upcoming season are also available.

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