Owner Spotlight: Dave Barr - Pottsville Maroons
Next up, Lets hear about the man who has been circling the globe longer than most of us, history buff Dave Barr.
Q: Give some of the background of who you are and why your history with football/sim sports will make you best owner in the WFL
I have 37 years of experience coaching football in real life. My experience ranges from junior high to college football to the arena league. As a sim owner, I built my WFA franchise into a perennial playoff contender. I think this experience makes me ahead of the curve as an owner in our league.
Q: Why did you bring your WFL franchise to this market? What was the inspiration for your team branding?
I have always been interested in the history of pro football. During the pandemic, I discovered the story of the stolen championship of the 1925 Pottsville Maroons. When I was given the opportunity to have a franchise in other leagues, I thought it would be cool to represent the town. I emailed the mayor to ask if it was ok to use the name and he gave me permission. I visited the town this summer, there is still quite a bit of interest in the team and an effort is being made to get the Arizona Cardinals to agree to give the title back to Pottsville.
Q: Going into the draft, what kind of team are you trying to build?
In keeping with the style of play used by the team back in the day, I want to feature a power running game on offense and be very strong on defense.
Q: What team are you most excited to face off against?
As it turns out, in 1925 Pottsville opened the season against the Buffalo Bison. So I feel a rivalry with our Buffalo franchise could be a natural rivalry. Of course, my rivalry with Colin is heated but friendly so I expect that to be fun as well.
Q: What's your process for evaluating team chemistry when making personnel decisions? How do you weigh talent versus cultural fit?
When building a locker room, I look for people who have a solid presence in the community and I look for people who treat others respectfully. These things are more important than the talent of the build the user has.
Q: Do you build a team based on your scheme or do you get the best players and build a scheme around them?
In fairness, I do look for a specific player type that will fit our scheme. The real life Pottsville Maroons were a power running team that played great defense. I feel compelled to mirror that style of play in our sim games.
Q: How do you approach developing young quarterbacks? What do you look for when evaluating QB prospects?
At the quarterback position, I believe in big bodied athletes who are mobile. We prioritize accuracy over any other trait. We also don’t wait. We let our guy play and let the team grow with him.
Q: What is the most important position to you (other than QB) and why?
Obviously the style of play we want dictates that we have a great running back. We will also be looking for a great fullback. So if one of our running back prospects would be happy playing there I would love to hear from them.
Q: Who is your favorite musical artist of all time?
If I were to pick a walk up song it would be Stranglehold by Ted Nugent.
Thank you to Dave for your time and to you for reading this far. Plenty more to come in the WFL.