The OSC Interview: Nashville Venom Head Coach Billy Back
by Fran Stuchbury
August 20, 2014 - Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL)
Nashville Venom
OSC contributor recently interviewed Nashville Venom Head Coach Billy Back. Back led Nashville to a championship in its first season in the Professional Indoor Football League when they defeated the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, 64-43. During the regular season the Venom finished with the best record in the PIFL at 10-2 which helped him be named PIFL Coach of the Year. Back was also a head coach for the Cincinnati Commandos of the CIFL/UIFL and the Texas Revolution of the IFL.
Fran Stuchbury: What interested you in being head coach of the Nashville Venom? How did you like dealing with owners Jeff Knight and Terry Burns?
Billy Back: It was a new start in one of the top three cities for entertainment in the USA; Nashville has a strong line of talent year in and year out in the heart of SEC country. Players want to go to teams that can give a good quality of living on and off the field with housing, food, facilities and life outside of football. I also felt it was a great place for Arena Football back in the Nashville Kats days (1997-2001 and 2005-2007) and knew we could have a good chance to assemble a winner in the first year.
The ownership in Nashville knows exactly what needs to be done and can get it done! I've been around some owners who can talk a good game but not able to back it up. Here in Nashville, Mr. Knight and Mr. Burns can back it up and put the players first.
FS: How was your experience being head coach of the Cincinnati Commandos of the CIFL/UIFL where you won three championships in three-years? Also how was the time you spent as head coach of Texas Revolution of the IFL last season?
BB: Getting my start in Cincinnati was a great experience, I was in my home town, around friends and family supporting me. Our owners Dennis Whitman and Paul Napier along with our GM Jason Buckley did a great job with what we had to make those 3 years in Cincinnati fun and enjoyable for not just me but the great group of guys I got the pleasure of coaching. If it wasn't for the Cincinnati Commandos I wouldn't be where I am today.
With the Texas Revolution, I really don't have much positive to say about that organization besides I got to meet a lot of great people in the city and from other teams; players and coaches through the team. I know the players and some sponsors who were there with me feel the same as well, it was all smoke and mirrors from the front office.
At the end of the day it's gratifying to be around great ownership again, in a city that supports the sport in Nashville, without gimmicky stunts.
To get back on the winning track from last season and win a championship just reassures me that it does take good people and everyone involved from the top (owners) to the bottom (the turf) to have a successful season and organization like I've been a part of four out of five seasons.
FS: How does the talent level in the PIFL compare to other leagues that you coached in?
BB: To me the talent level in both the IFL and PIFL are equal across the board. What separates the leagues are the rule play. The IFL is more traditional outdoor rules and the PIFL is Arena Football rules. It's all about what you prefer in a game, but both leagues have a lot of talented players that deserve a serious look for the NFL or CFL.
FS: During the season how many Venom players moved up to higher football leagues?
BB: For the entire year to seasons end we had eight move up and on. During the season we had three players move up for the fact that what we have in Nashville is a good thing: training facilities, housing, quality of living and the city. Guys who committed to Nashville felt to finish was more important than a few more dollars. We had four or five others who turned down the AFL during the season to finish what they started and win a ring, and to me shows the type of character I want on my team.
FS: What was the best rivalry the Venom had in their first season in the PIFL?
BB: I'd like to say it was the Alabama Hammers, since they were so close, but for it to be a rival the games can't be one way, so I would have to say the Columbus Lions was our biggest rival. The fans were great there, and they played us hard all three times and all three games came down to the end.
FS: How big was it for the Venom to win the PIFL Championship in their first season in the league?
BB: It was important to me that we came into year one and got back to winning; our goal from day one was nothing less than a championship. We knew it wasn't going to be easy or handed to us, but our work ethic and recruiting paid off in the end. The city wants a winner and we will do all we can year in and out to give them one.
FS: How was your experience dealing win Venom fans?
BB: Venom fans were great. Municipal Auditorium on game nights was the loudest venue in the league hands down. I'm looking for next season to be three times louder!
FS: Tim Tebow visited the Venom several times; how was that? Do you think he can be a good indoor football quarterback or is he more suited for outdoor football?
BB: It was an awesome experience; to meet and workout with a guy like Tim was a pretty neat experience. He's a good quarterback period but I do think he'd dominate the Arena/Indoor game. While we worked out we ran routes for him but also ran some of our routes. He and I talked on the quickness of getting the wide receivers the ball, and he did it well. His arm strength is great, and I honestly think he should be in an NFL uniform playing quarterback today. He's a proven winner and a great leader/person.
FS: The Venom had nine players named to the All-PIFL teams; did that show people the Venom had the best roster in the PIFL?
BB: I think we had a lot of players that people never heard of at the start of the season and I knew they would turn heads once the season started so it was kind of fun to see players and other's reactions when wide receivers Jordan Jolly and Phillip Barnett or defensive lineman Walter Thomas dominated a certain game or play. I felt our roster was full of great team players who all had the same motivation, which in the end gave us great chemistry.
FS: Venom WR Philip Barnett, a guy who you coached in Cincinnati and Texas, was named PIFL Offensive Player of the year. How talented of a wide receiver is he?
BB: Phillip has the best ball skills of any wide receiver I've seen; he's a good wide receiver who can be even better. He knows what he needs to work on to get to the next level. I've always said the sky is the limit with him and for him to be presented with that honor speaks volumes on his talent and the chemistry he had with our quarterbacks especially Charles McCullum.
FS: How much of an honor was it to be named PIFL head coach of the year?
BB: It's a enormous honor To be named Coach of the Year with coaches such as Bernie Nowotarski, Dean Cokinos, and Jason Gibson: all Coaches who have been doing this for a while ranks up there for me. I like to call it coaching staff of the year, though, because I couldn't do it without the guys around me coaching. We had a damn good staff!
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Professional Indoor Football League Stories from August 20, 2014
- The OSC Interview: Nashville Venom Head Coach Billy Back - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
- The OSC Interview: Nashville Venom Head Coach Billy Back - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
- The OSC Interview: Nashville Venom Head Coach Billy Back - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
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