Pioneers

Wbs pioneers

October 20, 2009

Ingold ready to begin new journey

Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers coach hoping to land job near home of Pittsburgh

By Dave Rosengrant drosengrant@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter

For four years, Rich Ingold was one of the most notable figures of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers team.

The animated coach led the team to more than 50 wins in his four-year tenure, including championship game berths in two of the last three seasons.

Now, with the news the team he helped build into a perennial contender was not going to play football in 2010, he is looking for a new job. The announcement the team will be suspending operations in 2010 came Monday from owner Cosmo DeNicola.

“Cos has been keeping me in the loop and I had a feeling right after the ArenaCup that this was going to be it,” said Ingold, a Pittsburgh resident.

Ingold, 46, is one of the most successful coaches in arena football. Earlier this year, he was selected as the af2 all-time head coach by a panel of his peers. He is the league’s winningest coach with 91 wins.

DeNicola was trying to sell the franchise so the team could participate in the new arena football league, AF1, for the upcoming season. But he was unable to find a suitor in time for the league’s deadline, which ended last week.

When the new league was formed last month, it was announced owners are not allowed to begin signing of players until November. Ingold, who is a coaching free agent, has not been contacted by any owners of the league. Tim Marcum, who won an AFL-record seven ArenaBowl titles with Denver, Detroit and Tampa Bay, also has not been called by any owners.

Ingold, who played under Marcum in Detroit, said with instability of the AF1, he has shifted his coaching interest to the collegiate level.

“I’ve been getting back in touch with some college coaches and unless something terrific comes across in arena football, I’m going to go back to college,” Ingold said. “Nobody has been contacted. I know owners are trying to get things in line, but I don’t like waiting.”

Ingold didn’t say what schools he was interested in, but before getting into arena football he coached his alma mater, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

The school is also close to his home in Pittsburgh and staying at home with his wife and two children is important to the longtime coach.

“I’m looking to work out of my house and live at home and even talking to people outside of football,” Ingold noted. “My objective is to live with my family. I don’t want to live out of a suitcase anymore.

“This is the first time I’ve been home and been aggressive going after jobs here. I want to get something where I can be a husband and a father. My wife needs me here.”

Ingold lived in Wilkes-Barre during the regular season and made some good friends and says he will miss the area. He reflected on his time with the organization on Monday.

“I established some friendships there that will last a lifetime,” he said. “You’re talking some loyal, solid people from there. That’s what’s going to be hard from me is not being able to see some of my closest friends. That was the most enjoyable thing for me. The people are just fantastic.”

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