Commissioner Michael Huyghue: Reason Enough to Be Excited for the UFL

As a frequent writer on the UFL, I'm often asked why I believe that this league will thrive where others have withered, and I go through the motions, the shared opinions of many about the media markets, some mid-week football, a place where fringe players get a place to perform.

All of these things I believe are valid arguments, however there is one area that I don't cover that I perhaps should.

That being the commissioner of the new UFL, Michael Huyghue.

To many people his name will not be familiar, I'm sure to a lot of football fans who take a more involved role in knowing what happens off the field as well as on, his name would be ones you perhaps heard in the background as a passing comment.

When I heard who the new commissioner would be, I barely recognized his name, I had heard him mentioned in conversations with the Lions and Jaguars franchises, but I really didn't know who Michael Huyghue was.

After reading several things about him and his past, I was convinced that this was the right man to lead the UFL into the future. If any football organization was going to brake the strange hold that the NFL has on professional football then this was the man that was going to do it.

So firstly, let's just say that he has playing experience at Cornell University, although not a renowned football program, I believe that anyone that has played football within a professional environment has a better understandings of what players go through.

He has experience as a General Manager, of the Birmingham Fire of the World League Of American Football, the predecessor to NFL Europe. He moved to the vice president position of the Detroit Lions and then the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He has personal experience of the inner workings of a NFL franchise, he understands what it takes to run a expansion team, like he saw with the Jaguars, a position he held from 1994-2001.

He has worked as a sports agent, and at one time represented Adam 'Pac Man' Jones, he understands that area of the business. Like it or not agents are a integral part of the workings of any professional sport.

He has worked within the players association in the legal department, perhaps his dealings with Jones gave him experience which led to him progressing in the legal field.

Then if that were not enough, he worked with the NFL management council which represents NFL teams in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations.

Now he has been given a chance to run his own show, and so far he is doing a stand up job, he represents the league with a vibrant enthusiasm that is vital in promoting a league that will be competing for fan attention.

Today I listened to a interview with him on Sirius radio, a interview that prompted me to write this article

He writes all the right words and speaks them as well. He listens to the fans and has built excitement where there was none.

He has a very clear goal, and he is executing it to perfection. He has spoken openly on the Michael Vick situation, he has spoken clearly about the UFL not just being a developmental league. He has spoken about the UFL being a serious league, miles apart from the XFL mold.

What is not to like about this man? he has experience in several departments, he loves football and it comes through.

Stand up and appreciate Michael Huyghune. I'm not saying that this league will definitely be a huge success, but if it is going to be and i believe that it will, in large part it will be down to this man.