Arena football's Rush ready to lead the way

When the financially challenged Arena Football League took a self-imposed sabbatical to restructure at the end of the 2008 season, it left the Chicago Rush in limbo and quarterback Russ Michna looking for a place to play.

Michna hooked up with the Chicago Slaughter of the Continental Indoor Football League and helped lead them to a 14-0 season and the league championship en route to being named league MVP.

For Michna it meant moving his place of work from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

Now, with Arena Football back in business, Mike Hohensee back as head coach and Mike Ditka back as a part-owner of the Rush, Michna is back, too.

The 6-foot-1 left-hander is looking to help rebuild the league and build on a 2008 AFL performance in which he threw 57 touchdown passes and just 7 interceptions.

"I had a great experience with both teams, no doubt about it, but the Rush is where I belong," said Michna, a product of Conant High School in Hoffman Estates and Western Illinois University.

"I have a great relationship with Coach Hohensee. I can't speak for what the new Arena Football will be like, but if we can get it close to what it was it'll be a great game."

In 2008 the Rush averaged more than 15,000 fans at the Allstate Arena but, like most of the league, the team hemorrhaged too much red ink after some player salaries outgrew the business model.

"Some players were making as little as $40,000, but some were making $200,000-plus," said new Rush president Ken Valdiserri. "(The old) Arena was a lifestyle for the players. It won't be the same lifestyle anymore."

The new pay scale for most players will be more of a supplemental income rather than a sole source of income.

"But it remains an opportunity to continue playing football," Valdiserri said. "Now it's recreational, but it has to be supported by other careers. But that will enable the league to sustain itself."

Michna doesn't expect the drop in pay to produce a falloff in passion, competition or effort.

"You have to show up and compete," said the 29-year-old Michna. "If you don't, there's somebody out there who will take your job.

"I have a full-time job, but you only get so many opportunities to play football. Whether it's for a ton of money or a little money, you still get a chance to compete."

Michna's regular job - bookkeeping and accounting operations at a small, private firm - affords him the flexibility to practice early in the morning with the Rush during training camp, which started March 9, and still get in a full day at the office.

But it doesn't leave much free time.

"I was at practice before 7 this morning," he said during a recent interview at 8:30 p.m., "and I just left work a few minutes ago."

The 16-game regular season begins April 2 with the Rush on the road against the Iowa Barnstormers. The home opener is the following week against the Cleveland Gladiators.

Both games will be on national TV (NFL Network), which Valdiserri hopes will help get the Rush and the league back to where it was in terms of fan popularity.

The AFL didn't have a full off-season for promotions and publicity because the final decision to resume play wasn't made until December.

The AFL Game of the Week (Fridays at 7 p.m.) can help get the league back in the consciousness of fans.

"First of all it's credibility for the league," Valdiserri said, "and for us, selfishly, we're on five times, including our first two games right out of the box."

For the Rush, in particular, it's a long way back to the level of fan interest it built over eight years, starting with its inaugural season of 2001.

The team never has failed to make the playoffs, and it built a loyal fan base over the years. But it has been almost two years since the Rush last played in July 2008.

"We've had good response," Valdiserri said. "We've sold close to 3,000 season tickets, but it'll take time to get back to where we were.

"The Rush had 5,300 season- ticket holders in December of 2008. We've made it halfway back, but we still have a long way to go."

Even though the Rush lost several players who were integral to their success in 2008, Michna is confident the team and the league haven't missed a beat despite the hiatus.

"The team we have now could compete with the '08 team," he said. "Of our top three receivers, none of them are back, but we'll have three new guys that I think will be just as talented.

"Time will tell, but I don't think fans will be able to tell the difference in the level of play. If you were a Rush fan before, I think you'll be back as a Rush fan."

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<li><a href="/story/?id=367097">Michna recalls days with Bears' new coordinator<span class="date"> [3/19/10]</span></a></li>

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