Introducing the Madison Blaze

A few weeks ago, I got a message from Dick Dickson, who I knew from my association with the Chicago Bliss of the Legends Football League, a 7-on-7 women's pro football league. Dickson was a coach on that team for the last three years. Dickson was excited to announce that he accepted the position as head coach of the Madison Blaze,

I admitted that I have heard of the Blaze, but knew very little about them. Dickson gave me a quick lesson.

The Madison Blaze are a full-contact, full-pads women's tackle football team that debuted in 2013. The Blaze are a part of the Women's Football Alliance (WFA), a professional league with more than 60 teams in the United States. The teams consist of 60 rostered players, who play both ways in this 11-on-11 league. Starting in April, each team plays 8 games. There are three rounds of playoffs, culminating in the championship game in July.

With the naming of Dickson as their coach, the Blaze bring in a young, eager leader, who has a lot of football experience as a player and coach, having started his football journey at the young age of 9. Working on the equipment staff at Washington State University for head coach Mike Price, the young Dickson was a ball boy during games and picked up towels, laundry and garbage in the locker room after the game.

As a tight end and defensive end at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Dickson was All-City, All-Metro, All-State, District MVP, Team MVP, a team captain, and started every game that he was eligible to play. Moving on to Tulane, he participated in the decathlon, for the Green Wave's varsity team, lettering his freshman year, while serving as team captain.

Unfortunately, after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, the Tulane Athletic Department dropped the team. Dickson began coaching at his alma mater, Newman School. He became Head Coach of the Track and Field team. Dickson's collegiate accomplishments were not forgotten though, as he was recently inducted into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame as a decathlete.

Later, Dickson worked with the University of San Francisco Athletics, as their equipment manager. He also was a defensive coach with the San Francisco Eagles, a Pop Warner team.

In 2015, Dickson met Keith Hac, head coach of the Bliss. Hac quickly added Dickson to his staff as a defense coach. The Bliss won the LFL title two times in the three years Dickson was on Hac's staff. That defense allowed a paltry 83 points last season to lead the league.

A couple months ago, Dickson accepted the job to coach the Blaze. He quickly assembled a top-notch staff, including former Bliss colleague Hac as assistant defense coach and perennial Bliss all-star DB and WR Alli Alberts as an offensive coordinator. The staff also includes Guvna Bjelopetrovich (Offensive Coordinator), Rick Dickson (Assistant Head Coach), Cameron Traeger (Assistant Offensive Coordinator) and Jonathan Santibanez (Assistant Defensive Coordinator). Already a premiere coaching staff, it will be bolstered even more by the addition of two more coaches to be named soon.

That is one impressive coaching staff. I have often said that the Bliss coaching staff was the best prepared I have ever seen in any sport. I am sure will bring that same level of preparedness to the Blaze. In an underappreciated sport like women's football, quality coaching can be a difference maker.

This wasn't the time to go deep into his coaching philosophies, but Coach Dickson stated that he is looking to focus more on specific roles, as opposed to true two-way playing. I found that interesting, but not surprising knowing his coaching style. When I pressed him further, Coach Dickson explained that elimination of two-way players isn't the main goal. He is looking for the team to be more creative and aggressive about mixing up personnel groups on both sides of the ball.

That is exactly the mindset I saw from the Bliss coaching staff. They did things their own way. They set the bar in the LFL. I expect I will be writing the same things about the Blaze staff as the season progresses.

I can't help but draw the comparisons, but they are really just a starting point for me. The Bliss led me to the Blaze and hopefully, I will lead some of my readers to the Blaze.

I have a lot to learn about Dickson, the players, the organization and the league. This was the first step in my journey and it will not be the last. I will be learning and having fun all season and I will be sharing all of the interesting stuff with the readers. I hope to get fun interviews, behind-the-scenes info and more. This is a work in progress, but I hope many of you will take the journey with me.