Charles Lawler's 'love of the city' is the reason he keeps the Flint Fury football team going strong

Published: Tuesday, June 07, 2011, 10:45 AM

Charles Lawler

FLINT — The Flint Fury semi-pro football team finished 1-9 last season and its president/head coach said he lost money.

So why would Charles Lawler continue to run an organization that’s seemingly cooking up a recipe for disaster?

“I think we’re contributing to the crime rate (in Flint) as far as helping it out and keeping these players doing something positive,” said Lawler, a 1988 graduate of Northern High School. “We could have easily folded this team, but every year it’s one or two players who really appreciate what we do.”

Lawler recognizes the significance of having something that can really help the lives of others in the area.

He was once a semi-pro player for the Bath Cardinals, Flint Falcons, and experienced a brief stint with the Fury before settling into his current role in 2006.

In 2003, Lawler started the Fury with partner Prince Goodson after the Falcons faltered. Goodson would go on to pursue other endeavors but Lawler decided to stick with the team.

Courtesy of the Flint FuryFlint Fury head coach Charles Lawler (center) rallies his team in the midst of a battle on the football field.

“I had a chance to leave, too, but I do it for the love of the city,” Lawler said. “I’ve been in Flint all my life, and we got all this talent going around here and there’s no reason why we should leave.”

The Fury compete in the Western Conference of the Elite Mid-Continental Football League.

Nearly 80 percent of the roster consists of Flint natives who were once graduates of city schools and currently attend local colleges like Baker, Mott CC, UM-Flint, and ITT Tech.

The Fury is off to a decent start this season with a 1-1 record, losing to city rivals the Flint Rampage, 14-6, in their opener before rebounding with a 43-0 win Saturday over the Detroit Redd Doggs at Atwood Stadium.

Lawler expects nothing less than a playoff appearance this season.

“We’re a more experienced team this year; last year, everybody was like fresh out of high school and we were playing against a lot of experienced teams,” said Lawler. “Guys (in this league) have been playing Division I, II, and III ball, or are ex-pro players.

Lawler has earned respect as a head coach despite never logging significant minutes on Northern’s varsity because of grade issues.

Flint Fury

Instead, he learned the intricacies of the game by playing on the streets against top-tier college athletes and pursuing semi-pro ball after high school.

The players describe Lawler as a no-holds barred type of sideline leader.

“With Chuck, nothing’s given and you’ve got to work day in and day out. (So) if you think you have a spot, you don’t have a spot,” said Oliver Turner, a tight end for the Fury. “He’s a great coach as far as the game, and he goes that extra mile for the players — you need those little things like someone to talk to about technique, or if you’re dealing with life issues.”

Lawler also receives help from a staff unit comprised of members like Michael Carter (general manager), Dave Henderson and Dave Wilson (assistant coach), Doug Palmer (defensive coordinator) and Bill Hendley (defensive line).

“We started preparing for this season last year, and we put a lot of hard work in to make sure the guys stayed mentally focused and stayed in tune. We talked to them just about every day,” said Wilson, who says he spends 15-17 hours per week talking to players about life issues.

“It gives guys a positive outlook as far as not just being football players but also taking on responsibility and caring about themselves. They take life skills with them.”

Related topics: Charles Lawler, Eric Woodyard, Flint Fury