New Midwest minor league football organization launches with Michigan tryouts, draft
4/2/2014GIBRALTAR, Mich. — A new Midwest minor league football organization is kicking off with tryouts starting next week and a draft later this month.
Organizers of the Rivals Professional Football League say tryouts will be held April 12-13 at Mount Clemens and Gibraltar’s Carlson high schools in suburban Detroit. The league’s first draft is scheduled for April 26.
The league will start its regular season in May. The league has two Michigan teams, the Detroit Cougars and the Southern Michigan Mustangs. It also has an Ohio team called the Akron Blaze and Illinois’ Chicago Kings.
WADL-TV will air games.
Rivals’ chief executive is Quentin Hines, ex-New England Patriots running back and grandson of Detroit Tigers great Willie Horton. Hines says the league’s goal is “to give guys a chance that the NFL overlooked.”