Former NFL QB Fourcade to lead newly-named Magic

McALLEN — John Fourcade didn’t need notes.

Minutes after the team name “Magic” was unveiled, Fourcade, a former NFL quarterback, was introduced as the Rio Grande Valley Southern Indoor Football League franchise’s first head coach. Instead of looking at carefully-prepared notes, Fourcade just spoke freely for about 15 minutes. He spoke about his football philosophy, his lengthy playing and coaching résumé, and even took a question or two about the SIFL’s structure, directing the news conference like an experienced media relations director.

Of course, it figures that a guy who works as a Saints analyst for New Orleans TV station WDSU would be able to talk. And that personality is something he and team owner Chad Dittman are banking on to help sell the Magic to the Valley.

Fourcade, who lives in New Orleans, will split time between there and the Valley before the season opens in March.

“I told Chad, ‘I’ve got to be here. I’ve got to be out in the community.’ That’s the only way we’re going to get people to come in and know we’re here,” Fourcade said. “If you’re just out of sight, out of mind, nobody’s going to know. You can’t pick up in January and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a team.’ Promote it, advertise it, get some TV, some radio, some newspaper. Anything we can do between now and the season, I’ll do it.”

Fourcade played collegiately at Ole Miss from 1977 to 1981, where he passed for 6,713 yards, breaking Archie Manning’s school record. Following his time at Ole Miss, Fourcade played in the CFL, USFL, AFL and had a stint with the New York Giants in 1986 before signing as a replacement player with the Saints in 1987.

After the players strike ended that fall, Fourcade stayed with the Saints until getting waived in 1991. He then played with two AFL teams before coaching in the AFL, IPFL, NIFL, af2, UIF and IFL. His most recent coaching stint was with the Lafayette (La.) Wildcatters of the SIFL, which ended when he was fired after the first game of the 2010 season.

Considering that résumé, it’s obvious why Fourcade looked at ease Friday.

“He’s never met a camera he didn’t like. He’ll always stand in front of it,” Dittman said. “It’s a big deal to have a former NFL player, someone who’s been in arena ball for 13 years. It’s just a big deal to have someone with his capabilities and his recruiting abilities and just his passion for the game.”

The name “Magic” was submitted to the franchise’s name-the-team contest by 20-year-old Hidalgo native Tomas Rios. The team said Rios researched the area’s history and came up with Magic, a name related to the Valley once being called the “Magic Valley” because of the sight of seeing crops grow despite the climate.

The franchise’s logo and colors will be unveiled at a later date.

Brian Sandalow covers sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.