The hot new Utah Arena Football team announced its name as The Blaze and put its season tickets on sale Thursday with a promise that it will be "the hottest ticket in town."
The announcement ended weeks of speculation of what the team's name and logo would be.
"We were beginning to wonder if this day would ever come," Utah Blaze president Jason Jones said. "Ironically, on the hottest day of the year, we announce the hottest ticket in town."
Blaze head coach Danny White said he is pleased the team is no longer known simply as Utah AFL.
"It's great to have an identity," he said. "What's important to me is the second part of the name — world champions."
Jones said the Blaze is an appropriate name for Utah's newest professional sports team.
"We wanted a name that symbolizes arena football," he said. "A blaze is a ferocious brand of fire that spreads quickly and is hard to contain."
The team also announced the hiring of AFL great Hunkie Cooper as an assistant coach.
"Hunkie is the all-time all-purpose yardage gainer in the history of professional football," White said. "Unfortunately, he is not going to play for us. Hunkie is going to begin his coaching career in Utah."
Cooper said he is committed to building the Blaze into a winning program.
"I retired my jersey, but not from football," he said. "I only know how to do it one way and that's the right way."
Jones said season tickets will sell for an average of $25.
"That is actually $3 cheaper than other AFL teams in similar markets," he said. "We feel this is the right price range for this community."
White said arena football is not an inferior version of football.
"No one needs to sell me on the product of the AFL," he said. "If you were to create a sport that had all the characteristics of what sports fans want, this is it."
White said the AFL is a better league than the National Indoor Football League, which the Utah Warriors belonged too.
"The AFL is the highest level of indoor football," he said. "The AFL is unique and is the best of its kind. A lot of aspects of the game are patented."
Cooper said he wanted to assure fans that the new team would be a class act.
"The players will always be accessible," he said. "They will always sign autographs whether we win or lose. I'd rather lose with class than win and be considered a butt-hole."
Cooper said he is very excited for the Blaze's inaugural season to start.
"This is going to be hotter than the fires you have burning up the road," he said. "Put your seatbelts on. It's going to be a great ride."
E-mail: bhinton@desnews.com