GDFL Add Two More East Coast Teams

MEMPHIS- The Pittsburgh area is notorious for having a rich tradition in football. The Gridiron Developmental Football League announced today that two teams right outside of Pittsburgh have made their jump to the league. The Blairsville (Pennsylvania) Seahawks and the Ohio Phoenix add more competition to an already powerful Eastern Conference, that for the past two years, has been dominated by the Erie Express. National powers the Columbus Fire, the Metro Detroit Raiders and the Western Pennsylvania Wildcatz have already announced their entrance into the league giving the GDFL arguably the toughest competition in the nation.

“The Phoenix and Seahawks are two franchises that know how to do business,” said GDFL chief executive officer Charles Thompson. “We look for quality above quantity and both teams have that. With the expansion that we have out west, this is a great compliment. Two teams that are hungry and up and coming. We are excited to have them onboard.”

The Seahawks is a brand-new organization. Owner Montez Miller has been in developmental football for the past 10 years. His team will be led by head coach Tristan Booker. Blairsville is located about an hour east of Pittsburgh. The area is known as “The Christmas Tree Capital of the World”. They hope to give some of the established teams some losses as gifts next season.

“We all feel tremendously blessed to be accepted by such a powerful league,” said Miller. We look forward to go against the best in the country and eventually making our mark in the league by showing what Blairsville has to offer.”

The Phoenix, also about an hour away from Pittsburgh, is located in Youngstown, Ohio.  Owner Isaac Griffin has been around the game in a various capacity since 2005. The city of Youngstown boasts a rich football tradition. Former San Francisco 49er owner Edward DeBartolo is from there along with Stoops (Bob, Mark and Mike) brothers. Former Ohio State University football coach Jim Tressel led Youngstown State University to four national titles in the 1990’s. Former Philadelphia Eagle Superbowl quarterback Ron Jaworski is an alumnus of Youngstown State. Griffin along with his head coach Todd Glover hope to obtain the rich tradition that the area has enjoyed.

“We are excited and anxious to be in the GDFL,” said Griffin. “I played in this league before, so I know how great it is. We are blessed and thankful to be here. We are here to stay.”

ABOUT THE GDFL

The Gridiron Developmental Football League is a Professional Developmental Football League based in Memphis, Tennessee. This League was established to provide the community with high quality sports entertainment and to provide athletes the opportunity to participate in professional sports. 

We are looking at partnering with national and local area businesses in our pursuit of excellence and commitment to our community. Our commitment, dedication, and vision are set on building a firm foundation for professionalism and quality. 

The Gridiron Developmental Football League continues to strive to provide a quality minor professional level of football throughout the United States and beyond giving area athletes and fans the opportunity be a part of history. Our organization would like to thank you for your support. 

We are excited about the upcoming season and look forward to “Making AN IMPACT” in our Community.Fans can visit our website at www.gdfl.org for upcoming announcements, ticketing info, and player tryouts.

The GDFL Communications Office contributed to this article