Oliver Luck stood at the podium and flashed his huge smile that most Houstonians remember from his time as a quarterback for the Houston Oilers, CEO of Houston Sports Authority, and President/GM of the Houston Dynamo. Luck was in town to announce the new coach and general manager of the XFL team that will begin play in Houston at TDEC Stadium at the beginning of 2020.

Former coach of the Houston Oilers, USFL’s Houston Gamblers, CFL’s Hamilton Tigers, Southern Methodist and University of Hawaii June Jones was introduced to the media as the inaugural coach of the Houston franchise to be named later.

“We’re extremely proud to add Coach Jones, a man with four decades in football as an XFL head coach,” said XFL Commissioner & CEO Oliver Luck. “June has coached the game in three different pro leagues, including the NFL, as well as major college and high school football.”

Jones, who was the eighth and final coach in the XFL will join the likes of Kevin Gilbride (New York), Pep Hamilton (Washington, D.C.), Jonathan Hayes (St. Louis), Winston Moss (Los Angeles), Bob Stoops (Dallas), Marc Trestman (Tampa Bay) and Jim Zorn (Seattle) once the league kicks-off in February 2020.

“I’ve spent a few years coaching in Houston and having a chance to return to be a head coach in the XFL is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” said Jones who looks to bring back some of that old run and shoot style from the Houston Gamblers offense.

Former Senior Associate A.D. at Rice University and President of the 2019 NBA G-League champions Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets affiliate), Brian Michael Cooper was also in attendance for the announcement. Cooper was named President of the XFL football team in Houston on last week.

“June Jones is one of the most accomplished and well-known football coaches, and it will be an honor to work side-by-side with him, said Cooper.

The revamped XFL has learned from the mistakes made from the now defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF) who had to shut down operations after just two months of play due to financial troubles. They will look to bring some excitement by having an up-tempo, fast paced game. The league has found a way to bring new safety measures to the game when it comes to kickoffs and punt returns. Those two special- teams’ components have been a very hot topic in the NFL as they try to take preventative measures on collisions that could potentially lead to CTE.

If it’s one thing Commissioner Luck knows about the state of Texas and especially the city of Houston is that football is “King” around these parts. Having played for the aforementioned Houston Oilers and raising a son (Andrew) who played locally at Stratford high school before becoming the overall first pick in the 2012 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Luck understands the dynamics of putting a great product on the field for Houstonians to enjoy.

“There are a lot of die-hard football fans in this great state. People have a real appreciation for football in this state. I think about 7-on-7 and what that means to thousand and thousands of high school kids in this state and how that has revolutionized the passing game. I’m excited to offer that brand of football to our Texas fans,” said Luck to the media after the press conference.