Michigan Arrows Return: The CoFL Brings Historic Pro Football Back to Michigan
- CoFL Staff
- Feb 20
- 7 min read
At 9:00 AM ET on Friday, February 20, 2026, the Continental Football League (CoFL) officially welcomes the Michigan Arrows as the league’s third franchise in the Northern Division. A major step forward in expanding the CoFL’s national reach and reviving one of the most recognizable names from the league’s original era.
For football fans across Michigan, this isn’t just another team announcement.
It’s a statement.
Michigan has always been a football stronghold, Friday night lights, Saturdays that feel like state holidays, and generations raised with the sport as part of family tradition. Now, as professional football continues to evolve, the CoFL is planting its flag in Michigan with a franchise identity that is both deeply rooted in history and built for today’s modern sports world.
The Michigan Arrows represent something rare in sports:
A launch that feels like a revival… and a revival that feels like a fresh start.
And fans can follow the team right now from Day One:
A New Era Begins With a Legendary Name
The Continental Football League was originally built on grit, ambition, and opportunity, bringing professional football to regions hungry for their own team and their own identity. That spirit is alive again in 2026, and the Michigan Arrows embody it perfectly: a proud football brand returning at the exact moment Michigan is ready for its next chapter.
In today’s sports world, markets shift quickly. Teams relocate. Leagues fold or rebrand. Fans are often left waiting for something new to believe in.
The CoFL sees those gaps not as setbacks, but as openings, opportunities to build something better: a community-first league with professional standards, modern media strategy, and franchises designed to become hometown pillars.
That’s why the Michigan Arrows matter.
This isn’t a franchise built for a quick headline. It’s built to bring together football families, blue-collar fans, youth athletes, local businesses, and an entire state that has never stopped loving the game.
Ownership Spotlight: Meet Mike Jones
The Michigan Arrows are owned by Mike Jones, a lifelong Michigan football leader whose story blends passion, experience, and the operational mindset needed to build a franchise the right way.
Jones, 42, is married to Tracy Jones, and the couple recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary on February 12. Together they’ve built a powerhouse family, seven kids strong, with three graduates, one in college, and the rest climbing through the high school and youth years.
Mike’s football roots run deep.
Born in Port Huron, he attended Port Huron Northern High School, where his football potential was clear early. He drew college interest from programs like Toledo and Minnesota, opportunities he now openly describes as his biggest regret for not pursuing more seriously.
That honesty matters because it reveals what drives him now: urgency, purpose, and a commitment to making sure today’s players don’t miss their shot.
Jones later played semi-pro football with teams including:
Jackson Bombers
Belleville Giants
Saline Demons
Those experiences shaped him in the trenches of the game, where toughness and leadership aren’t slogans, they’re survival tools.
Off the field, Jones earned an associate’s degree in business administration from Jackson College and is currently completing his degree at Siena Heights University. On the sideline, he coached four seasons (2021–2024) as the defensive line coach at Jackson Northwest High School varsity football, developing athletes and helping build a program from the inside out.
And in media, he’s already connected to Michigan football fans as the co-host of the Boss Up Ball Out podcast, a Detroit Lions news and rumors show with a loyal audience.
This isn’t just a “cool backstory.”
It’s the kind of foundation that builds sustainable football: credibility, leadership, structure, and community trust.
Mike Jones isn’t here to rent attention.
He’s here to build.
The Arrows’ CoFL History: A Name That Never Truly Died
The “Arrows” name holds a special place in Michigan football history and in the legacy of the Continental Football League.
A previous team known as the Macomb Arrows began in 1962, playing in Pontiac as part of the Midwest Football League. After winning four championships, the franchise changed its name to the Pontiac Arrows, and later relocated in 1968 to Fort Wayne, Indiana to become the Fort Wayne Tigers.
With the market open again, a new franchise emerged: the Michigan Arrows, joining the Continental Football League.
Rather than play near Pontiac, the team made a bold decision: hosting home games at the University of Detroit Stadium, competing directly in the same market as the NFL’s Detroit Lions.
It was daring. It was ambitious.And it was pure CoFL.
The original 1968 season faced struggles both on the scoreboard and at the gate, but the franchise still produced a historic note: the Arrows featured Garo Yepremian, who would later become a Super Bowl-winning kicker with the Miami Dolphins.
That’s not trivia.
That’s legacy.
And today’s Michigan Arrows are honoring that legacy while understanding a critical truth:
2026 is not 1968.
This time, the CoFL is stronger, more organized, and built with modern infrastructure designed to support franchise growth.
This time, Michigan isn’t stepping into the spotlight alone.
Michigan Is Ready for Its Next Pro Football Team
Michigan is one of the most football-driven states in America. The passion doesn’t need to be manufactured. It’s already here.
It simply needs a franchise that shows up consistently, respects the community, and delivers a product fans can believe in. And will never leave the area... as a fan-owned team in the exciting Continental Football League.
The spring and summer football landscape has left room for new regional flagships. The CoFL is stepping into that opening with purpose, launching a team designed for long-term stability, community identity, and competitive football.
The blueprint has already been seen in San Antonio. When the pro football landscape shifted there, the CoFL’s San Antonio Toros stepped forward with energy and structure, rallying fans who still wanted a team to support.
Now Michigan has the same opportunity.
The Arrows won’t treat the state like a stopover.
They’ll treat Michigan like home.
Three Legacy Teams, One Modern Mission
With the addition of Michigan, the CoFL now features three franchises directly connected to its original era:
That matters because it creates something rare in emerging professional football: continuity.
The CoFL isn’t a generic startup league with random branding.
It’s a league with history, reborn with modern strategy, professional standards, and a clear commitment to community-rooted football.
When you blend legacy with execution, you create something powerful:
A product that feels authentic from Day One.
CoFL Infrastructure: Built for Modern Professional Football
One of the biggest advantages the Michigan Arrows enter with is the CoFL’s operational structure.
This league isn’t “every team for themselves.” It’s built on unified standards, branding consistency, media production, sponsorship strategy, and professional presentation designed to help franchises look bigger, cleaner, and more credible.
For Michigan, that means:
Professional identity rollout across platforms
A clear path from onboarding to roster-building to training camp
League-level best practices shared across ownership
Sponsorship strategy designed for real partnerships
A media engine built to create weekly storylines
A competitive format fans can follow from Week 1 to postseason
That’s how modern football earns trust: not with hype, but with systems that deliver every week.
The CoFL Now Stands at Six Teams
With the Michigan Arrows joining the fold, the Continental Football League now features six franchises across two divisions:
Northern Division
Ohio Valley Ironmen
Cincinnati Dukes
Michigan Arrows
Southern Division
San Antonio Toros
Texas Syndicate
Tall City Black Gold (Midland, Texas)
Each franchise represents a football-driven market that deserves high-quality pro football without needing NFL-level budgets to make it real.
And with every new team, the league becomes stronger, more competitive, and more attractive to sponsors, media partners, and fans.
What Fans Can Expect From the Michigan Arrows
A team is more than a logo.
It becomes a weekly rhythm. A community ritual. Something you wear, argue about, and plan weekends around.
From Day One, the Michigan Arrows are expected to focus on three major pillars:
1. A Team That Represents Michigan
This franchise will reflect Michigan’s identity, blue-collar pride, toughness, loyalty, and a fan culture that shows up even when no one else does.
The Arrows won’t chase trends.
They’ll build tradition.
2. A Real Football Product
The CoFL is committed to strong coaching, disciplined roster-building, and professional operations. Fans can expect football that feels legitimate, competitive, and worth attending.
3. A Community-First Organization
The Arrows will prioritize local partnerships, youth football involvement, and meaningful community touchpoints that make the franchise part of Michigan life not a traveling show.
The mission is simple:
Build something that lasts.
CoFL Style of Play: The Continental Shift
The CoFL isn’t trying to copy anyone.
The league is committed to fast, exciting football built for summer entertainment while still respecting the fundamentals. One of its signature innovations is the fourth-quarter rule twist known as the Continental Shift, designed to increase urgency, strategy, and late-game excitement.
As the Michigan Arrows move toward kickoff, fans can expect clear content explaining how the CoFL plays and what makes it unique so newcomers can learn quickly and football diehards can appreciate the tactical edge.
What Happens Next
The Michigan Arrows now enter the official CoFL onboarding process, including branding support, team operations setup, roster development planning, and local partnership outreach.
In the coming weeks, fans can expect:
Official branding assets and launch materials
Expanded social media rollout
Sponsorship and local partnership announcements
Tryout and roster-building updates
Schedule and season structure announcements as the 2026 format is finalized
Follow the Michigan Arrows
Want to be part of the journey from Day One? The Arrows are already live online for updates, announcements, behind-the-scenes coverage, tryouts, and the building of Michigan’s newest pro football franchise:
Join the Movement
The Continental Football League is building something real community-driven, professionally structured, and worthy of the fans who keep football alive in every town and every stadium.
The Michigan Arrows are here.
The Northern Division is stronger than ever.
And the CoFL’s Summer 2026 season just got a whole lot more exciting.
Welcome back, Arrows.