Ozarks Lunkers
Ozarks Lunkers are a professional indoor football team from Springfield, Missouri. They play in The Arena League (TAL) and host home games at Wilson Logistics Arena, built next to the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. The team was founded in 2023. Key people include owner Mark Burgess, general manager Caleb Scott, and head coach Cam Bruffett. Team colors are red, foliage green, sky blue, and darker lake blue. The mascot is Lunky the Lunker and the cheerleaders are the Lady Lures.
Springfield was announced as a TAL city on March 9, 2023, making the Lunkers the town’s second Arena Football team after the Springfield WolfPack. On October 20, 2023, CoxHealth became the team’s health-care partner. The name Ozarks Lunkers was chosen from a name-the-team contest with about 5,000 entries; the winner was Diane Buatte of Nixa. The primary logo features a leaping largemouth bass wearing a red football helmet, designed by Ryan Foose.
Open tryouts were held on October 21, 2023, with a closed scrimmage on November 19, 2023 and a second open tryout on December 9, 2023. Much of the early roster came from the Queen City Insane Asylum, a semi-pro eight-man team owned by GM Caleb Scott. On December 5, 2023, the Lunkers signed Matt Rush, the first player to join the team; Rush played at Hillcrest High School and defensive back at Missouri State. They later added quarterback Tyler Kulka, who had previously led the Nashville Kats, and his arrival helped boost the team’s on-field performance.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 20:19 (CET).