Owner Spotlight: Colin Pierce - West Virginia Wild
Written by Daniel Devito
Hello and welcome to our second Owner Spotlight. This time we are speaking with Colin Pierce, Owner of the West Virginia Wild. Thank you Colin for your time and your great interview.
Q: Why did you bring your WFL franchise to this market? What was the inspiration for your team branding?
I branded with the WV Wild because this was the first simulated sports branding I ever came up with but was never brought to fruition. I am from the state of West Virginia and I wanted to use this team as a reminder to get back to the way things felt when I first started simulated football.
Q: Going into the draft, what kind of team are you trying to build?
For season 1 the Wild is looking for an edge and I think we’ve found it. Without giving too much information away about our draft strategy, I will say that we plan to be even on both sides of the ball but to lean into the strengths of our personnel. This first season will be a lot of learning Maximum and their playbooks. We will be taking some gambles but I’ve been known to throw down in a casino.
Q: What team are you most excited to face off against?
As far as teams I’m most excited to play, I would say the Dakota Bucks are at the top of my list. I have a long respective history with owner Chad and look to him to be one of the more competitive opponents.
Q: What's your process for evaluating team chemistry when making personnel decisions? How do you weigh talent versus cultural fit?
My process for evaluating team chemistry is directly correlated to the activity in the locker room and in the live chat during games. If both of those are up then I’m confident team chemistry is up. I believe that it’s easier to develop a good culture if you are winning games. It’s harder to keep culture if you are losing games. So I always weigh talent more than culture when selecting players.
Q: How do you approach developing young quarterbacks? What do you look for when evaluating QB prospects?
The biggest trait I look for in QB is resilience. Someone who is not bothered by the interception they may have thrown the drive prior. Someone who will keep getting back up on the horse.
Q: Do you build a team based on your scheme or do you get the best players and build a scheme around them?
I build the scheme around the players. 100%.
Q: What is the most important position to you (other than QB)
A good WR is key. If you aren’t able to threaten through the air then you are dead in the water.
Q: Who is your favorite musical artist of all time?
Oh man. I can’t pick a favorite artist. Right now I switch between some Post Malone, 80s classic rock, and Johnny Cash. It’s quite eclectic lol.
Thank you Colin for your time and this high-quality interview. Coming up soon are interviews from the Legends, Aviators and the Maroons. See you all then.