On March 9, 2023, League Commissioner Tim Brown announced Springfield, Missouri as one of four cities that would be receiving an Arena League team.[2] The Lunkers are the second Arena Football team in Springfield, Missouri, after the short-lived Springfield WolfPack of the APFL.
On October 20, 2023, CoxHealth signed into a partnership with the Lunkers as the team's health care provider.[3][4]
Team name and logo
After receiving nearly five thousand entries for the name-the-team contest, Ozarks Lunkers was selected; submitted by Nixa resident, Diane Buatte. Lunker is an exceptionally large specimen, particularly a fish. The team's primary logo depicts a leaping largemouth bass wearing a red football helmet. The logos were designed by Ryan Foose.
Many submissions were related to fishing, Route 66, soda jerks, or the Great Cobra Scare of 1953.
Roster
The first of two open tryouts for the Lunkers was held on October 21, 2023.[5] The Lunkers held a closed scrimmage of 19 players on November 19, 2023.[6] The second open tryout was held on December 9, 2023.[7] Most of the roster was populated by members of the Queen City Insane Asylum, a semi-professionaleight-man football team that general manager Caleb Scott owned.[8]
The Lunkers signed quarterback Tyler Kulka, who had led the Nashville Kats to Arena Football One's Arena Crown appearance in 2025, partway through the 2025 season after AF1's season ended. Kulka's arrival is credited with reviving the Lunkers' on-field fortunes, bringing with him a wave of "Kulkamania."[10]
On June 14, 2023, the league announced Mark A. Burgess, a local airline owner, would be the principal owner of the team and that the team would be called the Ozarks Lunkers for their inaugural season. [11]
On October 4, 2023, the team announced Cam Bruffett as the head coach.[12]
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