Name: Rickey Foggie

Claim to Fame, Minnesota: four-year starter at the quarterback position for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football program. Was a key factor in the only relevant Gopher victory of the 1980s, a 20-17 upset of #3 Michigan at the Big House in 1986. Also led the Maroon and Gold to two D-list bowl games. No offense meant to the Liberty Bowl and the Poulan Weed Eater Out With Gout ’88 Stan’s Lube and Filter Change Emporium PetroSun Independence Bowl. In addition, it is my personal opinion that Rickey Foggie was better at running the option than Cory Sauter. No offense meant to any of our Hutchinson readers.

Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: if your city has or had a CFL or Arena Football franchise, chances are Rickey Foggie played or coached for them. The full list:

· British Columbia Lions
· Toronto Argonauts
· Edmonton Eskimos
· Memphis Mad Dogs
· Minnesota Fighting Pike (!)
· New Jersey Red Dogs
· Florida Bobcats
· Detroit Fury
· Toronto Phantoms
· Carolina Cobras
· Amarillo Dusters
· Tangletown Insufferable Hipsters*
· Everett Hawks
· Macon Knights
· South Georgia Wildcats (photo coming soon)

Where He Is Now: the most recent information has him living in Minneapolis and coaching in Burnsville. If any locals have more up-to-date information, please feel free to leave it in the comments section.

Proprietor note: We did a story for Page 2 of the NOTC looking back at the Fighting Pike in 2006 (10 years later), and we spoke to Foggie. He was the head coach of the aforementioned Everett Hawks and working in the Twin Cities as a mortgage broker in the offseason at that point. He also was an extremely excellent and funny interview subject, having this to say about the Pike (first) and the potential return of Arena Football to this market (second):

1. “Organization-wise, it was pretty much the first year for
everybody. The front office was mostly run by
interns. Looking back on it now, that’s not a very good thing.”
2. “Honestly, if you get the right people in place and you market it, you’d be able to sell it in the Twin Cities. Somewhere like the Xcel Center would be great for Arena Football.” Foggie paused for a moment, then added: “And I wouldn’t be too bad of a head coach for that team, if you know what I mean.”

Glorious Randomness: the Fighting Pike’s placekicker? Mike Vanderjagt.

*Feel free to use this as your fantasy football team name this year.

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