O'Hara out, Shackleford takes over as coach

The recent coast-to-coast journey for Pat O'Hara made an unexpected stop.

O'Hara, who helped revive the Tri-Cities Fever late last season, turned in his resignation Monday to stay closer to home.

The Orlando, Fla., native has agreed to be the head coach of his hometown Predators in the Arena Football One league. The team is expected to make a formal announcement of O'Hara's signing soon.

"I really still can't believe it, "O'Hara said. "Everything has kind of come full-circle."

Co-owner and general manager Teri Carr wasted less than 24 hours in finding his replacement, hiring former Spokane Shock coach Adam Shackleford on Tuesday to guide the Fever in its first season in the Indoor Football League.

Shackleford, who led the Shock to a 19-1 record and the arenafootball2 ArenaCup championship last season, was fired unexpectedly in September. He was considering being an assistant for O'Hara this season; instead, he got an unexpected jolt and is now the head coach.

"What happened here is kind of crazy," Shackleford said. "I am extremely grateful to have an opportunity to coach again."

The decision did not come as a complete surprise to Carr, who was contacted by the Predators last week, asking for permission to talk to O'Hara.

After a week of talks and consternation, O'Hara finally decided to take the Predators job Sunday.

"It was a harder decision than you think," O'Hara said. "There is a sense of loss.

"I really was excited to come back there and coach. It was a great experience."

O'Hara will take over the team where he started his Arena Football League career in 1995. He played six seasons at quarterback for the Predators, helping them to two Arena Bowl titles.

He returns to the Predators after a whirlwind 2009 brought him to Tri-Cities for the final 11 games last season. In that stint, O'Hara went 3-8 after taking over for Richard Davis -- who was fired after an 0-5 start -- and help create excitement in the once-proud organization.

In his short time in the Tri-Cities, O'Hara showed his loyalty to Carr, re-signing with the team in October when the Fever was a member of the upstart AF1. He stuck with Carr after she moved the team to the IFL last month and had 11 players signed for the 2010 season.

But the opportunity to coach a team he played for, in a big market next to his family, was too good of an opportunity.

"I am still kind of in shock right now," O'Hara said. "I am literally working 10 minutes from my house."

O'Hara leaves the franchise in the hands of Shackleford, one of the most successful coaches in af2 history.

Shackleford was 49-8 in three seasons with the Shock, leading them to the playoffs every season and the title game the past two seasons.

"We are going to miss Pat, but he's doing what's best for his family," Carr said. "At the same time, we are extremely happy to have Adam, and from the football standpoint, we are completely fine."

For Shackleford, who coached against the Fever the past three seasons, the move keeps him close to his family in Spokane and provides him the opportunity to pick up a franchise that has fallen on hard times the past three seasons.

Shackleford witnessed the Fever's erosion over that time, winning the last seven games against it -- and the last three by an average of 37 points.

Shackleford thinks a lot has to do with the coaching merry-go-round that has left instability with the organization. Shackleford is the Fever's fifth coach in the last four seasons.

"We need to improve on that stability and I think it starts with a coach," Shackleford said. "I hope I can provide that."