Bayou Bucks gave area something to cheer about

It wasn’t all that long ago that Houma and the Tri-parishes were alive with the talk of football and the play-offs. Dreams of a championship filled the hearts and minds of fans across the region.

The Bayou Bucks, the area’s first and only professional football franchise, has been gone from the community’s conscience for nearly four years, but memories of the National Indoor Football League team are still fresh in the minds of fans and members of the organization.

The franchise was awarded to local ownership just before Christmas 2001 and had to begin play in the spring. The team’s first game was scheduled at home on Saturday, March 23, 2002.

With just over three months before the kickoff of the Bayou Bucks inaugural season, ownership secured a deal with the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center (which would serve as the Bucks’ home field for the next three seasons), picked team colors, logo, mascot, front office staff, coaches and found a mixture of veteran NIFL and local football players.

Management’s thinking was to field a competitive team but also have players that potential fans could connect with.

The Bucks held open tryouts at Nicholls State University to attract players from all over south Louisiana.

Former New Orleans Saint tight end Nick Savoie, Vandebilt wide-receiver Clint Schexnayder and fellow Vandy grad defensive-back Drew Himel were some of the local talent that tried out and made the team.

The Bucks also had the benefit of hiring experienced NIFL coaches that were well connected with players in the league. They were able to bring in players from other parts of the country to fill needs on the field.

“The hardest position to fill was quarterback,” said former Bayou Bucks head coach Jack Phillips Jr. “We were lucky to get former LSU star quarterback Herb Tyler and back-up quarterback Aubry Jones.”

Phillips believed that solid quarterbacks led to the signing of talented receivers like Kevin Heard to the team.

Tyler’s season was cut short after suffering an Achilles tendon tear in the second game of the season against the Oklahoma Crude.

When the first game finally started, it was a relief to the coaches, players and front office. “It was great to see all the fans in the stands and you felt like a part of a large family,” said Phillips. “It was like this is why we worked so hard in such a short period of time.”

Phillips added that after the start of the season, the community caught “Buck Fever” and embraced the team, not only on the field, but off it as well. “It was a common site to see people come up to players and shake their hands and talk about the game.”

Another factor in building fan support was that the players and coaches were so easily accessible. Fans were able to ask for their favorite players’ autographs before and after the games. Plus, it added a whole new dimension when a star player would come crashing across the boards that separated the field from the spectators.

People could even walk out onto the field and celebrate after the game, allowing fans to feel more like part of the team than just spectators.

Even players from as far away as New Mexico found their way into Tri-parish fans’ hearts. Phillips remembers Mick Rodomierer as a colorful offensive lineman that had a way with the crowd and his teammates. “He had the ability to use his emotions to lead others and he also did a lot of work off the field, visiting schools, hospitals and the juvenile detention center.”

Rodomierer was known for going over to the sponsors boxes that surrounded the field and having a drink or sandwich between plays. “He was a great guy and a great player. He loved being a part of the team.”

“All the players did everything the coaches and the front office personnel asked them to do to promote the team in the community,” added Philips. “And I think we did a heck of a job playing hard and getting involved with the people of the area.”

Players also held jobs with area businesses to make ends meet while playing for the Bucks on the weekends. “It really gave the team a blue collar swagger,” said Phillips. “It showed the fans we were one of them.”

Another contributing factor to the Bucks players working and playing hard was the close proximity of the Arena Football League franchise, the New Orleans Voodoo.

Phillips remembers Voodoo scouts attending Bucks games to check out individual players. “When you know there’s a chance for you to move up to the AFL, believe me, you bring your best game that night.”

The Bayou Bucks finished the 2002 season with a 5-9 record mainly due to a rash of injuries to the offensive side of the ball. The team rebounded in 2003 with a 10-5 record and lost in the first round of the play-offs. The Bucks continued their winning ways in 2004 with a record of 11-3, but once again lost in the first round of the play-offs.

The Bayou Bucks never took the field again.

The franchise officially called it quits in 2006.

Still for Phillips, now the defensive backs coach and a recent graduate of Alcorn State University, the memories are sweet. “I think my years as head coach of the Bayou Bucks are some of the best times in my life. It was a privilege to be a part of something that meant so much to so many people.”

The Bayou Bucks thrilled Tri-parish football fans hungry for a professional team, even making it to the National Indoor Football League playoffs in 2003 and 2004. The franchise officially called it quits in 2006. * Photo courtesy of JED LEVRON