Little by little, the brand-new Utah Pioneers professional football franchise is coming together.
On Wednesday, John D'Ottavio, who had been mentioned as a top candidate by team owner Jerold Cohn several weeks ago, was presented as the Pioneers' first head coach at a press conference at the University Park Hotel.The Pioneers are one of 10 franchises in the new Professional Spring Football League, which begins play Feb. 29 and runs through June.
The 44-year-old D'Ottavio (DEE-uh-TAVE-e-o) has extensive football coaching experience although little as a head coach. But he feels he has what it takes to produce a winner in Utah.
"This is a do-it league," said D'Ottavio. "I characterize myself as a field coach and I'm going to get out and do it. I can't wait to get started."
D'Ottavio was a head coach in high school in New Jersey for three years in the mid-1970s before moving to the college level, where he was an assistant at Edinboro (Pa.) State, Gettysburg (Pa.) College, Tufts (Ma.) University and the University of Delaware.
Then he went on to the pros where he worked as offensive coordinator for the New Jersey Generals of the old United States Football League and with the New York Jets in scouting and player personnel.
When asked about his football philosophy, D'Ottavio talked in generalities. "I don't think the system is all that important. It's the quality of the players you have."
He said he follows a system used by Paul Brown with the Cleveland Browns and Weeb Ewbank with the Baltimore Colts and New York Jets. For all you pass-happy fans, he didn't promise a lot of passing, but did drop the names Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath, who were the quarterbacks under Ewbank.
"You have to be able to run the ball and you have to be able to pass," he said. "The key is to mix the two.
"Consistency is what I'm after," he continued. "If you put too much emphasis on one position or one player, you can win with this system. Very simply, it's a matter of blocking and tackling."
In evaluating personnel, D'Ottavio said he will look for players with character, intelligence and ability, in that order.
"The key word is character," he said. "In order to be successful, you need players that play together."
Two players that have already signed with the Pioneers, former BYU tight end Chris Smith and ex-University of Utah running back Eddie Johnson, were on hand for the press conference. The rest of the roster will be come together during the rest of the month, beginning with the league draft next week.
The PSFL draft will begin Monday in Las Vegas and run for three days, concluding Wednesday. On Sunday each team will submit a list of 25 protected territorial players, such as Smith and Johnson. Utah's territory includes Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Then beginning at 9 a.m. (MST) Monday, the draft for non-protected players will begin with rounds 1 through 20, followed by rounds 21 through 40 on Tuesday and 41 through 50 on Wednesday. The proceedings will take place at Bally's Hotel.
The Pioneers will go to camp with approximately 75 to 85 players. Training camp opens Jan. 27 in the Phoenix area. The roster will be cut to 43 for the season with five reserve players and a five-man developmental roster.
The average salary for Pioneer players will be $45,000, although the better players will be paid more. Each team in the league has a salary cap of $2 million for its players, which should help the league avoid the problems that plagued the ill-fated USFL, which paid out exorbitant salaries to top players.
The league includes teams in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, Arkansas, Miami, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Tampa Bay.
The PSFL will have similar rules to the NFL, but a couple of different rules designed for more excitement. For example, a two-point conversion will be an option after touchdowns. Also in an overtime period, a team must score a touchdown if it gets the ball first, but the opposing team will have a series with a chance to score.
The Pioneers' first game will be Feb. 29 at Tampa Bay with their home opener at Rice Stadium the following week against Washington. Utah's colors, perhaps not to conflict with any of the collegiate teams, will be brown and orange.
According to Pioneer general manager Roy Henline, season tickets are on sale and already doing well.
"This is the first opportunity some people in Utah have had a chance to get choice seats. But they have to get them soon, because a month from now they'll be picked over."
Tickets can be purchased by calling the Pioneers offices at 582-2100.