By CHIP MINEMYER
cminemyer@tribdem.com
JOHNSTOWN —
New Florence siblings Morgan and Patrick Waugh were the winners in the name-the-team contest sponsored by The Tribune-Democrat and the Ultimate Indoor Football League.
The contest was run through the newspaper’s Web site – www.tribdem.com – and attracted more than 400 entries.
Their suggestion of “Generals” for the upstart Johnstown team was eventually selected by management. The Waughs received season tickets for the 2011 season, which will kick off in February.
The brother and sister were introduced Thursday during a news conference at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena, where the team’s colors, logo and head coach were announced.
Morgan Waugh, 19, will be a sophomore this fall at Penn State-Fayette in Uniontown.
Patrick Waugh, 15, will attend Ligonier Valley High School.
Morgan said their parents had worked with past Johnstown indoor football teams, which cultivated an interest for the teenagers.
“Our whole family got together and thought up names,” she said. “Then we thought that since they’ll be playing at the War Memorial, why not ‘Generals’? It’s the War Memorial, it’s a place for veterans and also to honor people who are serving the country now.”
Patrick said he also liked some of the other suggested names.
“One was ‘Thunder,’ and I thought that was kind of cool because of Thunder in the Valley,” he said.
Many of the other frequently suggested names drew upon Johnstown’s weather-related history or the region’s steel-making legacy.
They included: Flood, Torrent, 89ers (a direct tie to the legendary 1889 flood), Blast (as in a steel-mill furnace), Morleys or Iron Dogs (references to flood icon Morley's Dog), River Dogs, River Rats, Steel/Steel Men/Iron Men and Jays.
“We were blown away by how many names we received,” Generals co-owner and General Manager Ahmad Pruitt said.
After seeing his suggested name paired with team colors and a logo, Patrick Waugh said:
“I like it.”
