A man that Philadelphia Soul fans once booed is now an essential component to the Soul's 2012 title aspirations. Clint Dolezel played in the AFL from 1995-2008 for 5 different teams while amassing 44,594 yards, 955 touchdowns and a 117.75 QB rating. Dolezel went right into coaching in 2009 after retiring from the Dallas Desperados which has led him to his current position with the Soul.
Dolezel debuted in the AFL in 1995 with the Milwaukee Mustangs where he played sparingly in his two seasons with the club. In 1997 Dolezel signed with the Texas Terror (renamed the Houston Thunder Bears in 1998) where he saw action as the team's starting quarterback. After two more good seasons with the Thunder Bears, Dolezel joined the Grand Rapids Rampage in 2001 where he led the squad to the ArenaBowl XV championship. Dolezel was awarded an All-Arena Second Team nod for his performance during the Rampage's 2001 championship season. Dolezel then joined the Las Vegas Gladiators in 2004 after two more less successful seasons with Grand Rapids. Dolezel continued to succeed at the quarterback position, but his Gladiators' teams only could muster back-to-back .500 seasons despite Dolezel's efforts.
In 2006 Dolezel signed on with the Dallas Desperados and instantly became a villain in the eyes of Soul fans everywhere. His three years with the Desperados were by far Dolzel's best seasons as an AFL professional quarterback. Dolezel racked up a combined 40-8 record in those three seasons leading the Desperados to the playoffs every season. In 2007 Dolezel became the first quarterback to lead his team to a 15-1 record in the history of the AFL. But Dolezel couldn't extend his regular season success into the playoffs as the Desperados were only able to win 1 game (in 2006) out of the 4 games they played from 2006-2008. Dolezel did however become the first quarterback in league history to surpass the 900 touchdown plateau in 2008.
Dolezel had a 4-4 career record against the Philadelphia Soul, 2-0 with the Gladiators and 2-4 with the Desperados. The Soul joined the league in 2004, so Dolezel only had the pleasure of facing off against the Soul for five seasons. With the Gladiators, Dolezel led his team to back-to-back victories over the Soul in 2004 and 2005 at the Wachovia Center (now the Wells-Fargo Center). In his six games against the Soul as a member of the Desperados, five out of the six contests were decided by 10 points or less.
In 2006 the Soul beat the Desperados twice by a combined 7 points between the two contests. In 2007 the Desperados defeated the Soul twice during their record breaking season by a combined 13 points between the two contests. In the Soul's 2008 championship season, the Soul routed the Desperados by 29 points in their first match up (a 57-28 home victory) and later slipped by that very same Desperados team 71-64 later that season at Dallas.
After the AFL folded in 2009, Dolezel joined the AF2's Florida Firecats as the team's offensive coordinator after 13 seasons as an AFL quarterback. Dolezel's offense wasn't good enough as the Firecats failed to qualify for postseason play for the first time since the Firecats' inaugural season in 2001. After a 7-9 season with the Firecats, Dolezel didn't resurface with the newly reformed AFL until 2011. In 2010 Dolezel was named the San Angelo Stampede Express' head coach of the IFL. Dolezel took a 5-9 Stampede Express team and turned them into a 10-4 playoff team in 2010.
Dolezel then rejoined his Dallas roots and coached the Dallas Vigilantes of the AFL in 2011. Dolezel again transformed a bottom-dweller into a playoff caliber team as he led the Vigilantes to an 11-7 record and a playoff appearance. The Vigilantes had finished at 3-13 in 2010 which marked the best turnaround for any team in the AFL for the 2011 season. When the Vigilantes folded and no coaching offers were presented to the second year coach, Dolezel joined the Philadelphia Soul along with many of his former players.
It's this familiarity with the many former Vigilantes that joined the Soul this off-season that coach Dolezel will be counted on the most in 2012. He possess a great offensive mind and will have no trouble running the Soul's offense for his former starting quarterback, full back, and wide receiver. The expectations for this Soul team doesn't stop at the players, but the coaches as well. The pieces are here to win it all, so hopefully the Soul are able to put everything together for another chance at an ArenaBowl championship.
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