Topeka Tropics look to improve from first year with new GM Russell Norton

Topeka’s professional arena football team turns 1 year old on Aug. 9, having yet to win a game.

But the Topeka Tropics General Manager Russell Norton is working around the clock to turn a couple of Topeka teams into winners.

Recently named the new head football coach at Topeka West High School, Norton wears several hats.

As football season approaches, he is busy running preseason workouts for the Chargers, while also guiding the front office of the professional team.

More: Russell Norton settling in with Topeka West football: 'It's bigger than the wins and losses'

Topeka Tropics were winless in year one

The Tropics went winless in their inaugural season as a member of the Champions Indoor Football League. Near the end of its first campaign, the Tropics announced Norton would replace the team’s general manager.

“Our team is not satisfied (with the 0-10 record). They want to win,” Norton said. “I think Topeka deserves a winner. So that is our goal. I would say that last year was sort of like a soft open, trying to figure out the ropes of being a brand new expansion team.”

The arena team plays its games in the spring, but there is no off-season for the Tropics’ front office. Norton has worked all summer to put the pieces in place for a successful second season on the field, and to build support for the team in the community.

“I think the attitude was great, and that’s not just speaking of the organization. I think that’s true of the community as well,” Norton said. “We did not win like we would like to, but my most important aspect was to make sure that the fan experience and the product of the entire game was good.

“You would think that we’re in our off time, but this is really our ‘in-season’ as a front office. We are in full gear right now. We have to get everything in line now in order to have a successful season in 2023. We are working on developing corporate partnerships, getting season tickets rolled out and making sure we promote ourselves in the right light.”

Russell Norton named Topeka Tropics GM on April 22

A former college football player and coach, Norton was focused on his job as head football coach at Oskaloosa High School when the opportunity came knocking last spring.

“It was a funny story. The Tropics needed somebody to run the clock, so I thought ‘I’ll take my kids. They’ll have a good time,’” Norton recalled. “They saw my resume, they said, ‘You need to be doing more than just running the clock.’

“Then it just so happened that there was some turnover and they needed some help. They came to me and presented the idea. It was very intriguing. I definitely was not looking for it. I talked to my wife about it. We prayed about it, and at the end of the day, I thought: ‘What a great opportunity, one, to be a part of the Topeka community. And two, to grow myself as a professional.”

With the Tropics’ season nearing completion, there wasn’t a lot of time to change the team’s fortunes on the field. Norton focused on building its reputation with the community. He was pleasantly surprised by Topeka’s enthusiasm for a winless first-year team.

“Attendance was better than we deserved. It was amazing for an expansion team,” Norton said. “We probably averaged between 1,200 to 1,500 fans per game. You can’t hide from the fact that we didn’t win a game. For the fans to continue to come out speaks a lot about what we did as an organization. Yes, we want to win, and there’s no better feeling than to win. But we created such a fan-friendly environment, our attendance stayed up.

“If you ask 10 people at the game, nine of them might not be able to tell you who won. But they’ll tell you whether they had fun or not. They’re going to tell you if their kids enjoyed it or not.”

Russell Norton leads Topeka Tropics and Topeka West football teams

Shortly after closing out the arena league season, Norton committed to becoming head football coach and strength and conditioning coordinator at Topeka West. His involvement with the arena league made the decision an easy one.

“Being the GM of the Tropics made the transition from Oskaloosa to Topeka West a little more appealing,” Norton said. “We thought again ‘What a great opportunity to cement ourselves in this community.’”

As a former player, Norton understands the motivation of the Tropics players, many of whom come from around the country for an opportunity to play in the Champions Indoor Football League.

“Most everybody knows the Kurt Warner story, the underdog story where he was bagging groceries and sleeping on the floor of an apartment while he was playing for the Iowa Barnstormers,” Norton said. “A lot of these guys are not getting paid a lot, but they are chasing that dream, and they do what it takes.

“We’ve had some guys who play in other arena leagues after our season ends. Some of these guys are playing almost year-round. We reach out and try to set the guys up with jobs, try to take care of some housing, stuff like that. We try to put them in the best situation possible.”

Topeka Tropics will look for local talent

While the Tropics’ roster for the 2023 season won't be set for several months, Norton said he and head coach Tyus Jackson have their eyes open for potential additions to the team.

"We are always recruiting, always making connections,” Norton said. “You’re always evaluating talent and looking to make your team better. That’s a never-ending process for us.”

Norton said that while the Tropics will always search nationwide for talent, it makes sense from a business perspective to try to attract local players.

As the new coach at Topeka West, Norton replaces Ryan Kelly, who recently accepted a position on the Washburn University football coaching staff.

Norton said he hopes to forge a connection between the Tropics and Washburn, as well as other Kansas colleges.

“You look around about a 90-mile radius from Topeka, and you’re hitting a lot of good schools,” Norton said. “I want to make sure that we look close to home to recruit. We want to get the best talent that we can, but there is some good ball here in Kansas. There are some good players.

"I would much rather put our investment into local guys, building a community relationship and bringing more fans in when they know who’s in that jersey.”

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka Tropics look to improve on year one in the CIFL