| Ozarks Lunkers | |
| Current: | 2024 The Arena League season |
| Founded: | 2023 |
| City: | Springfield, Missouri |
| Website: | https://www.ozarkslunkers.com/ |
| Colors: | Red, Foliage Green, Sky Blue, Darker Lake Blue |
| Owner: | Mark Burgess |
| General Manager: | Caleb Scott[1] |
| Coach: | Cam Bruffett |
| Mascot: | Lunky the Lunker |
| Cheerleaders: | Lady Lures |
| League: |
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| Team History: |
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| No League Champs: | 0 |
| No Conf Champs: | 0 |
| No Div Champs: | 0 |
| No Playoff Appearances: | 0 |
| Arena Years: |
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The Ozarks Lunkers are a professional indoor football team based in Springfield, Missouri. They are currently members of The Arena League (TAL). They will play their home games at Wilson Logistics Arena, a multipurpose arena built next to the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.
On March 9, 2023, League Commissioner Tim Brown announced Springfield, Missouri as one of four cities that would be receiving an Arena League team.[2] The Lunkers are the second Arena Football team in Springfield, Missouri, after the short-lived Springfield WolfPack of the APFL.
On October 20, 2023 CoxHealth signed into a partnership with the Lunkers as the team's health care provider.[3] [4]
After receiving nearly five thousand entries for the name-the-team contest, Ozarks Lunkers was selected; submitted by Nixa resident, Diane Buatte. Lunker is an exceptionally large specimen, particularly a fish. The team's primary logo depicts a leaping largemouth bass wearing a red football helmet. The logos were designed by Ryan Foose.
Many submissions were related to fishing, Route 66, soda jerks, or the Great Cobra Scare of 1953.
The first of two open tryouts for the Lunkers was held on October 21, 2023.[5] The Lunkers held a closed scrimmage of 19 players on November 19, 2023.[6] The second open tryout was held on December 9, 2023.[7] Most of the roster was populated by members of the Queen City Insane Asylum, a semi-professional eight-man football team that general manager Caleb Scott owned.[8]
On December 5, 2023, the Lunkers signed Matt Rush, the first player to sign with a TAL team.[9] Rush went to Springfield's Hillcrest High School and played defensive back at Missouri State.
On June 14, 2023, the league announced Mark A. Burgess, a local airline owner, would be the principal owner of the team and that the team would be called the Ozarks Lunkers for their inaugural season. [10]
On October 4, 2023 the team announced Cam Bruffett as the head coach.[11]