Getting to Know….LSFL Championship

With the LSFL Shootout coming up this weekend, it is the perfect time to get to know a little bit about the cities involved in the inaugural Lone Star Football League Championship.

Bonus LSFL Link: The Abilene Ruff Riders are holding an online naming contest as they rename and rebrand the team for the 2013 season. The story is here, while you can go directly to their website and give them your suggestions. In case you needed more reason to join in the fun, there is this from the story – “The final selection will be unveiled at a press conference in August. The winning submission will receive 4 complimentary season VIP tickets for the 2013 season, 4 t-shirts and other goodies.” Put your thinking caps on and perhaps you can come up with the next name of the Abilene squad!

#1 Seed – Amarillo Venom

Location: Amarillo, TX (population: 190,695 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1887

Unofficial Nicknames: (self-proclaimed) Helium Capital of the World; The Yellow Rose of Texas, as its name comes from the Spanish word for yellow; Rotor City, USA for its V-22 Osprey hybrid aircraft assembly plant

Fun Fact #1: The Amarillo Helium plant was the sole producer of commercial helium in the world for several years in the 20th century

Fun Fact #2: Amarillo is considered the regional economic center for the Texas Panhandle, the Oklahoma Panhandle, and Eastern New Mexico. About 1/4 of the United States’ beef supply is processed in the area

Fun Fact #3:The Palo Duro Canyon State Park is the second largest canyon system in the U.S. after the Grand Canyon

Fun Fact #4: From 1968 to 1996 Amarillo hosted the Women’s NIT

Fun Fact #5: A group of local cattlemen sued Oprah Winfrey in 1998 for her comments tying American beef to mad cow disease. Winfrey relocated her show to Amarillo for nearly a year so she could attend the trial. During the trial she hired Dallas-based jury consultant Phil McGraw to aid her attorneys in selecting and analyzing the jury. He became a regular on her show (and the complete blowhard) known as Dr. Phil. Thanks, Amarillo.

Players I Recognize: Former Ball State QB Nate Davis

Notable Amarilloans: early professional wrestler Dory Funk, father of Terry Funk; professional golfer Ryan Palmer; singer-songwriter J.D. Souther; businessman T. Boone Pickens; actress Carolyn Jones, Moritcia from the Addams Family TV show; and professional gambler Thomas Preston, known as Amarillo Slim

#3 Seed – Rio Grande Valley Magic

Location: McAllen, TX (population: 129,877 as of 2010 census)

Established: 1904

Nicknames: City of Palms; The Texas Tropics

Not So Fun Fact #1: In 2011, census.gov listed McAllen as the poorest metro area in the United States

Fun Fact #2: Commissioned in 1973, the McAllen foreign trade zone was the first inland FTZ in the U.S. The designation offers specific cost-saving opportunities to manufacturers as products can be brought into the FTZ duty-free.

Fun Fact #3: McAllen sits across the U.S.-Mexico border from Reynosa, Mexico, a large manufacturing center, via the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge

Fun Fact #4: McAllen is positioned on the migratory path between North and South America, making it a hotspot for bird and butterfly-watching expeditions

Players I Recognize: former NFL punter Leo Araguz, a kicker for the Magic

Notables Residents of the Rio Grande Valley area (none listed for McAllen specifically): actor Thomas Haden Church (Lowell from Wings); Chicago Bears offensive lineman Roberto Garza; musician Bill Haley (“Rock Around the Clock”); singer, songwriter, and actor Kris Kristofferson (his songwriting and acting histories are pretty solid); former Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry; professional wrestler Tito Santana

Bonus Tito Santana/Professional Wrestling Info: He played football at West Texas A&M with future fellow professional wrestling hall of famer Tully Blanchard, a member of the Four Horsemen. The original Four Horseman were Blanchard, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson, and Ric Flair. Another teammate of Blanchard’s at West Texas A&M was “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.