Indoor football in Augusta has highs and lows

By Billy Byler| Staff Writer
Sunday, March 09, 2008
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Indoor football has had a rough love affair with the city of Augusta. The Stallions, Spartans and now the Colts mark three parts of a checkered indoor football history of everything from folding teams to league championships.

The sport has seen faces come and go since the Stallions first set up camp in 1999.

But one man, Bubba Diggs, has been here through everything.

"Yes, this is my third team, but to tell you the truth, I'm just happy to be home," Diggs said. "This is where I belong."

Diggs is now the director of football operations and head coach of the Augusta Colts.

It's the third team to take a stab at indoor football in Augusta in less than a decade since the Stallions led the way.

The Stallions

It didn't take long for Diggs to jump on board in 1999 when rumors popped up about the creation of an indoor football team.

Diggs' indoor football career began when the Stallions' first head coach, Mike Neu, decided to give him a shot as a line coach.

"That really set me up," Diggs said. "To get started with such an individual like Mike set the tone for me to have a newfound love with the indoor game."

Diggs knew football but not indoor football. He played at Butler High School and went on to win an NCAA Division I Championship at Clemson in 1981 before pursuing a professional career in the United States Football League. He also spent time in NFL training camps before calling it quits.

Diggs eventually was promoted to defensive coordinator after one year, but the Stallions shut down in 2002. It was the end of indoor football in Augusta at the time, but not the end of it for Diggs. He left town to take jobs on other indoor football teams in Columbus and Macon. He said his heart was always in Augusta, but a football team wasn't.

"After the (Columbus) Wardogs I said I wasn't going back (to coaching outside of Augusta)," Diggs said. "But I went to Macon as a defensive coordinator anyway. I had to go. It was the love of the game and a job opportunity."

Finally, in 2006, Diggs didn't have to make the choice between coaching indoor football and living in Augusta. The formation of the Augusta Spartans solved that problem.

The Spartans

After a five-year break, indoor football returned to the city.

"I got a call, and it was like, 'Here we go again,' " Diggs said. "After the first meeting, they hired me on the spot. I got to come home."

It wasn't a smooth ride. The team opened up training camp without pads, had trouble securing a playing field, and didn't get helmets until the day of its first game.

John Cratic, one of the few local indoor football players who has been a part of the Stallions, Spartans and Colts, said it was a time when Diggs' leadership was needed the most.

"Those teams from the past three or four years wouldn't have reached the accomplishments they did if it wasn't for him," Cratic said. "He's been more like a father figure and mentor to me. It's like that with a lot of guys."

Diggs led the Spartans from a barely surviving team to a title squad when they won the four-team World Indoor Football League championship in 2006.

He said it was a blow to him when, only a few months later, that same Augusta indoor football team folded.

The Colts

The Spartans, who officially have suspended operations, sold their American Indoor Football Association franchise rights to the Colts after last season.

It's a new team, but Diggs immediately was signed as coach, and one of his first acts was to sign several former Spartans from last year's championship squad. He strengthened that roster with new additions such as former Laney standouts J.K. Sabb and Courtney Safford.

Sabb, in his first year of football under Diggs, said he's not surprised at his coach's past successes.

"Every coach has their own thing they do," he said. "He's high intensity. He wants a good tempo all practice, and he wants you to take care of your business."

On Thursday, the Colts will play their first game in franchise history. It's already been a rocky start. The team most likely won't practice in James Brown Arena before its first game there.

"I'm not going to lie, it's probably going to be tough," quarterback Brandon Satcher said. "But (Diggs) is a good coach. He's a motivator, and he'll have us ready."