The time has finally arrived for St. Louis Battlehawks fans as they are one day away from seeing their team take the field to take on their arch rivals DC Defenders.
There is some anticipation in the air with the Battlehawks faithful as they are a new head coach for the first time in three years as it is Ricky Proehl replacing Anthony Becht, who has since gone to Orlando to be the head coach of the Storm. Proehl is a St. Louis icon for being part of the St. Louis Rams' only Super Bowl victory and was an assistant coach for the Battlehawks in 2023 coaching the wide receivers.
Now leading the franchise, Proehl is looking to keep up the success of the franchise that has never finished a season with a losing record since they first became a team in 2020. The new coach talked to the media one final time before their Week 1 matchup.
Ricky Proehl speaks before Battlehawks' Week 1 matchup against the Defenders
UFL News Hub asked Proehl his feelings going into the game and where there were some nerves as a first time head coach. He didn't seemed to be fazed about the moment at all.
"You know, it's interesting because as a player, I never— I got nervous the night before the game. People were like, hey, were you nervous during the Super Bowl? Were you nervous during the playoff games? Or, you know, and I didn't. I got nervous the night before. Just because the anticipation, the playing, the visualizing in my mind of plays I could make, you know, when there was opportunities, you know, were going to happen and what defenses they were playing and how I'd run my route, different things that would come up. I would get nervous. And then when it was game time, I just played. And that's going to be my message to the team. That's, you know, that's probably how I feel. I'm starting to get a little, you know, like This is awesome. I'm getting excited, getting a little nervous, you know, because like I said, I'd be lying if I didn't say I want to get off to a good start. You know, you, you just— St. Louis is just such a great city and they deserve to win, and I want to win for them. And, and so yeah, that does make me, um, a little anxious, a little nervous, because I want it as bad for them as I do for us and our football team."
Since 2020, the Battlehawks and Defenders have for the most part been two of the most successful teams in spring football, causing there to be a bit of a rivalry since the two have faced off multiple times with some chippy moments between them. When UFL News Hub asked Proehl about what he told players about keeping their composure in the game, the message has been clear from him since the beginning.
"We talk about all the time, poise under pressure, just being smart. They're going to, you know, they get chippy, and they're a physical football team as well as we are too. And we just got to let the pads do the talking. And we can't afford to be penalized for stupid mistakes, whether it's taunting, whether it's, you know, retaliating. And that's what I pride myself on when I was a player, just being a smart football player and not having costly mistakes. And hopefully, our football team will take on that personality that I had as a player, because that's what I stress in our meetings on the football field, just playing smart football."
There have not been many reports about players' health and whether guys are hurt, leaving many fans to wonder if the Battlehawks are 100% going into the game. Proehl seemed confident that despite a few players being banged up, the depth on the roster is there to pick up the slack.
"No, nothing, nothing real serious. You know, we may have a couple of guys that, that won't play that we'd love to have, but I think we're just— we've got to be smart. This is, you know, it's early in the season and you know, we got to keep these guys healthy for the long haul. So, yeah, there's going to be a couple of guys that may surprise some people, but I'm confident in their backups that they can come through and have a big game."
Battlehawks fans will be able to see how the Proehl era starts when they play the Defenders in Week 1 of the 2026 season.