Saints Coach Shows His Colors In "Legends Of The Dome" Game

It might seem a bit unusual for National Football League greats like quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Isaac Bruce to inquire about fall football practice at a small NCAA Division II program in the South.

But that’s what happens when the school is Limestone College and the head coach is former NFL player Mike Furrey who got together with his former teammates recently for a charity flag football game. 

On Saturday, July 23, Furrey joined many past St. Louis Rams for the “Legends of the Dome” game at The Dome at America’s Center in Missouri. Along with his white No. 87 jersey, Furrey also donned the same Limestone gloves his Saints players wear, along with the official Limestone white and blue cleats.

Although Furrey played professionally for the Rams, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and Washington Redskins, during his return to St. Louis he seemed most proud of the fact he’s now at the helm of the Limestone program.

“What was really neat was the fact that all my former teammates were calling me ‘Coach’ and not Mike,” he said. “They all knew what I was doing and they are following what’s going on with Limestone. When I first saw Kurt, the first thing he said to me was ‘How’s things with the Saints?’ Same thing happened when I saw Isaac. He wanted to know how things were looking for fall practice at Limestone. That was pretty special.”

A member of the St. Louis Rams from 2003-05, Furrey was reunited with the likes of Warner, Bruce, Torry Holt, Orlando Pace, and Ricky Proehl, and former coaches Dick Vermeil and Mike Martz, along with other Rams legends, to give the St. Louis community a chance to say farewell to professional football while also serving a good cause.

Proceeds benefitted the Isaac Bruce Foundation, which focuses on reaching out to youth and teaching them at an early age the importance of health, wellness, nutrition, fitness, and education.

With the Rams organization moving to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, the game also gave former players a chance to thank fans for their many years of support while the team was in St. Louis from 1995 through 2015.

“It was a bitter-sweet day,” Fury noted. “It felt great to lace up and play with all of those guys again, but at the same time it was weird knowing the Rams were leaving. Even when I was playing there over a decade ago, there was talk of the team moving to Los Angeles. So it didn’t surprise me when that happened.”

Furrey admitted that wearing his Limestone colors was a way to bring some notoriety to his program.

“It was important for me to put our name out there in front of so many people,” he said. “It was good to catch up with so many former teammates, coaches, and friends. And to be able to promote Limestone at the same time just made it a really great experience.”

Martz coached the Blue Team quarterbacked by Warner. The White Team, coached by Dick Vermeil, was led by quarterback Marc Bulger.

Throughout the game, Furrey played wide receiver on offense and safety on defense, and his highlight reel moment came when he pulled in a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

“I not only scored a touchdown, but I got to knock down some of Kurt’s passes,” Furrey said with a laugh.

A total of 78 Saints players are already on campus for voluntary workouts, and fall camp officially opens on Wednesday, Aug. 10. Limestone opens the season Saturday, Sept. 3, against Shaw University in Durham, NC.

Accompanying photo: Furrey with former head coach Mike Martz.