The Arena Football League (AFL) was founded in 1987 and by the early ‘90s had grown from four to 12 teams. Franchises were awarded to all manner of business people who saw the opportunity to become football owners at a relatively low cost. Among them was Ted Gregory, who owned the famous Montgomery Inn in Cincinnati.
1992, the Gregorys were awarded an expansion team which they named the Rockers. One of their first tasks was finding a starting quarterback, which turned out to be someone very recognizable to fans in Southwest Ohio: Art Schlichter. The former Ohio State University star, whose pro career was derailed by a horrific gambling problem, had seemingly gotten his life sorted out and had just spent two seasons with the AFL Detroit Drive. He’d led that team to two postseason appearances, including an Arena Bowl championship.
In hindsight, it was apparent that Schlichter was never able to conquer his demons and the Drive found an easy way to unload him on the expansion Rockers. The Gregorys, however, knew all about Art, good and bad. One of Schlichter’s teammates at OSU was a family friend of the Gregorys named Joe Lukens, a former Moeller standout. Though the star quarterback had struggled off the field, the Gregorys decided to give him a chance-- with eyes wide open.
“I’ll never forget, my brother Tom called me at the Boathouse,” Dean Gregory recalled on Episode 35 of The Cincy Shirts Podcast, “and said ‘hey we just hired Art Schlichter. Whatever you do, don't lend him any money, and don’t cash any checks for him.’”
Twenty minutes later, Art was at the Boathouse meeting with Dean. “He was probably the greatest salesman I’ve ever seen,” Gregory said. Within minutes, Schlichter managed to get a check cashed for $1000. “He came back the next day and repaid me the money. I thought, ‘this is a set-up. He’s going to cash a bigger check next time,’ but no.”
On the field, Schlichter picked up right where he’d left off in Detroit and led the Rockers to a 7 and 3 record and a playoff berth. He also started doing some radio work in town. Attendance averaged over 13,000 a game, near the top of the Arena League. “I’d been working in the restaurant since I was twelve,” Dean Gregory said. “It was the first time I was able to take Saturday nights off since the mid-sixties.”
Other notable players on the Rockers roster included former Bengal Ira Hillary, who went from obscure kick returner to Arena League wide receiver phenom. Career Arena Leaguer Bruce LaSane was also on the team and helped propel them to the playoffs.
Even though they lost in the first round to the Tampa Bay Storm, the Rockers seemed to be looking at a bright future in the Queen City. However, Schlichter could not kick his gambling habit and decided not to return the following season, hoping instead to focus on curing his addiction. He was replaced by former Notre Dame star, and NFL journeyman, Blair Keil.
“The second year wasn’t the same,” Dean Gregory lamented. “They tried to make it a sport. It was more like big-time wrestling at first, but when they tried to make it a sport, it just didn’t work.”
The team’s record dropped the following season to 2 and 10, and with its attendance. Following the 1993 campaign, the Gregorys pulled the plug. “There’s a little Rockets watch on display in the trophy case at the Boathouse,” Gregory added, “and in my dad’s handwriting it says, ‘my two million dollar watch.’”
114 comments
reynold dan
The Covid-19 pandemic struck the world and became a disaster for my family as I saw my finances crumbling and my merchandise folded. After the mind boggling choice for loans online and getting rejected for a small business loan by my bank and mortgage provider, I reached out to a friend and explained my frustration then she hinted me about Trust Advance Credit. I contacted them expecting the worst and more rejection as usual but surprisingly I was proved wrong with their exceptional customer service that was beyond professionalism. They omitted my low credit score and not only helped me secure a loan but gave me some incredibly useful tips to help keep my credit file in tip top shape in the future. My loan application was immediately accepted in principle and fully approved within 2 working days and I was able to revive my merchandise that had folded due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
I would like to personally thank Kev and Trust Advance Credit for their first class service and much needed help and advice. I would recommend Trust Advance Credit to anyone, you won’t be disappointed. Reach out to them via Email trustadvancecredit@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +15595931640
power pow
To whom it may concern,
I made an initial investment of roughly $380,000 on a binary option platform. After several transactions, I chose to withdraw my money because according to the website I had made a lot of profits, however the withdrawal was unsuccessful. I made several attempts in contacting them but it all failed. I made every effort and filed a report to recover my money by contacting the police department in charge of investigating fraudulent situations, but nothing was successful. Since my attempt with the police failed, I tried other possible means to make sure I recover my stolen crypto coin. I reached out to a hacker whose reviews I had read online; GLOBAL ACCESS RECOVERY, I contacted them through their email on: kbhacktools(AT)outlook(DOC)com and they came in handy at the right time. They rescued me from these shady investment schemes with the help of their top-notch hacking technique. I got my funds back as well as my peace of mind. If you need a reliable tech expert to help you recover all the money lost to internet scams, then I will advise you contact GLOBAL ACCESS RECOVERY with their details below;
Email: kbhacktools@outlook.com
Whatsapp: +1 (559) 593-1640
Victoria Tate
BITCOIN RECOVERY SERVICES: RESTORING LOST CRYPTO:
I am happy I read about Lost Recovery Masters and l didn’t hesitate to contact them. Lost Recovery Masters were able to recover my $94,000 worth of BTC as of then that I stupidly paid to crypto investment scammers I met on Facebook. They are now my family hacker and I’ll always recommend Lost Recovery Masters to everyone in need of help.
Website Lostrecoverymasters.com
Support team Mail Support@l ostrecoverymasters. com
WhatsApp: +44(7537)-105921
Victoria Tate
BITCOIN RECOVERY SERVICES: RESTORING LOST CRYPTO:
I am happy I read about Lost Recovery Masters and l didn’t hesitate to contact them. Lost Recovery Masters were able to recover my $94,000 worth of BTC as of then that I stupidly paid to crypto investment scammers I met on Facebook. They are now my family hacker and I’ll always recommend Lost Recovery Masters to everyone in need of help.
Website Lostrecoverymasters.com
Support team Mail Support@l ostrecoverymasters. com
WhatsApp: +44(7537)-105921
Victoria Tate
BITCOIN RECOVERY SERVICES: RESTORING LOST CRYPTO:
I am happy I read about Lost Recovery Masters and l didn’t hesitate to contact them. Lost Recovery Masters were able to recover my $94,000 worth of BTC as of then that I stupidly paid to crypto investment scammers I met on Facebook. They are now my family hacker and I’ll always recommend Lost Recovery Masters to everyone in need of help.
Website Lostrecoverymasters.com
Support team Mail Support@l ostrecoverymasters. com
WhatsApp: +44(7537)-105921
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.