The 2012 Allen Wranglers season was the franchise's thirteenth season as a football franchise, third in the Indoor Football League, and second as the "Allen Wranglers". The team played their home games at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas. The team finished with a 9–5 regular season record. They reached the IFL playoffs but lost in the Intense Conference semi-finals to the Wichita Wild.
Off-field moves Rascal the Raccoon, an anthropomorphic raccoon wearing a Wranglers uniform, became the team's official mascot in early 2012. Rascal was designed and brought to life by Ted Ovletrea, the man who portrayed Rowdy, the official mascot of the Dallas Cowboys, from conception until 2009. Rascal replaced Hoss, a cowboy mascot designed to match the team logo.
In March 2012, Tommy Benizio joined the Wranglers' ownership group and assumed the role of team president. Benizio had served as the IFL's commissioner from the league's founding in 2008 until resigning to become a co-owner of the Allen franchise.
After back-to-back losses in April, head coach Pat Pimmell was released by the team on April 30. The team announced that offensive coordinator Dixie Wooten and defensive coordinator Quinn Cairo would split coaching responsibilities until a replacement could be found. They shared the title "co-interim head coach" through the end of the season.
Roster moves National Football League (NFL) veteran wide receiver Terrell Owens joined the team at the start of the 2012 season. Owens had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in 2011 and received no offers from NFL teams for 2012. He swelled attendance at Wranglers games and brought the national spotlight onto the team. However, several opponents, including Everett Raptors coach Sean Ponder, questioned Owens' commitment to the IFL since he skipped many of his team's road games. Owens' Wranglers contract allowed him flexibility with away dates but he contracted with some road opponents for first-class airfare and accommodations to play in their arenas. With three games left in the season, citing his "lack of effort both on and off the field", failure to show up for a scheduled appearance at a children's hospital, and refusal to play in two upcoming road games, Owens was released by the Wranglers on May 29, 2012. Along with his release, Owens also relinquished his ownership stake in the team.
Bryan Randall, a celebrated college athlete with stints in the NFL and Canadian Football League, was the opening day quarterback for the Wranglers. In early March, The team traded him to the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks in return for future considerations. Randall was named the IFL's Most Valuable Player in 2010. Randall's backup, former Kansas City Chiefs player Casey Printers, took over the starting quarterback role.
Schedule Key:
Regular season Week Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Score Record 1 Bye 2 Saturday February 25 7:05pm Wichita Wild W 50–30 1–0 Allen Event Center 3 Thursday March 1 7:05pm (PST) at Everett Raptors W 48–27 2–0 Comcast Arena at Everett 4 Sunday March 11 3:05pm (MDT) at New Mexico Stars W 45–28 3–0 Santa Ana Star Center 5 Sunday March 18 3:00pm (MDT) at Colorado Ice L 54–61 3–1 Budweiser Events Center 6 Saturday March 24 7:05pm at Wichita Wild W 61–48 4–1 Hartman Arena 7 Saturday March 31 7:05pm Nebraska Danger W 86–57 5–1 Allen Event Center 8 Bye 9 Saturday April 14 7:05pm Sioux Falls Storm L 45–52 5–2 Allen Event Center 10 Bye 11 Saturday April 28 7:05pm at Wichita Wild L 54–55 5–3 Hartman Arena 12 Saturday May 5 7:05pm New Mexico Stars W 73–9 6–3 Allen Event Center 13 Bye 14 Saturday May 19 7:05pm Everett Raptors L 73–74 6–4 Allen Events Center 15 Saturday May 26 7:05pm Wichita Wild L 59–41 6–5 Allen Event Center 16 Saturday June 2 7:05pm at Nebraska Danger W 71–62 7–5 Eihusen Arena 17 Thursday June 7 7:05pm (PDT) at Everett Raptors W 56–38 8–5 Comcast Arena at Everett 18 Saturday June 16 7:05pm New Mexico Stars W 85–70 9–5 Allen Event Center
Playoffs Round Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Score Record 1 Monday June 25 7:00pm Wichita Wild L 40–43 0–1 Allen Event Center
Standings
Roster 2012 Allen Wranglers roster Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen Linebackers
Defensive backs
Kickers Injured Reserve currently vacant
Exempt List currently vacant
rookies in italics Roster updated June 5, 2012 19 Active, 0 Inactive
→ More rosters
References
External links Allen Wranglers official website