Ricky Proehl is a name that, for the majority of football fans in St. Louis, evokes memories of The Greatest Show on Turf. It also beckons memories of the last professional football championship victory by a St. Louis team, way back in 1999. This is sure to pull on the heartstrings of the fans in the Battledome. While many likely did not want to lose Anthony Becht, hiring Proehl should all but smooth things over with the fans.
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Ricky Proehl, Local Legend
Ricky Proehl played in an era where 3 and 4-wide receiver sets were becoming more and more common. The slot receiver position grew into something that was utilized early and often. This trend really took off after teams watched how Dick Vermeil and Mike Martz carved up defenses by spreading them out and gashing them with difficult-to-defend route concepts.
The Greatest Show on Turf revolutionized how offenses operated, and defenses were forced to follow suit. More nickel and dime defenses meant more running lanes, setting up a pick-your-poison situation for defenses. Integral to that success was Ricky Proehl’s ability to find the holes in zone coverage or clear out areas of the field to avoid an underneath defender jumping a route.
Ricky Proehl spent five seasons with the Rams, including the last two years of the Dick Vermeil era, winning a Super Bowl with Vermeil in 1999 before Mike Martz took over. During that stretch, he caught 207 passes, 2,590 yards, and 16 tds from the likes of Trent Green, Kurt Warner, and Marc Bulger. He played alongside Marshall Faulk, as well as Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce, two receivers who are dramatically underrated for the impact they had during their time in the league.
Career After St. Louis
After a storied 5 seasons with the Rams, Ricky Proehl moved on, playing 3 more seasons in Carolina and one more with Indianapolis. Retiring following his second Super Bowl win in 2006, Ricky Proehl, who attended Wake Forest and played three years with the Panthers, returned to the place he called home in Greensboro, North Carolina, building a business.
Proehlific Park is a facility dedicated to improving the performance of athletes. This park is built to provide youth athletes with free play options. Giving access to facilities that some may never have had a chance to visit, if not for his approach. Opening in 2008, Proehl focused on this for several seasons before returning to coaching with the Panthers.
In 2011, he was brought on as an Offensive Assistant. In 2013, he was promoted to wide receiver coach. He held this position until 2016. After this, he was back to focusing on his business. Coaching in Carolina likely afforded him much more flexibility to still be involved with his business, and this could be why we did not see him resurface as a professional coach until 2023 with the Battlehawks.
The UFL requires a lot less time on site in St. Louis than the NFL does, cutting the time obligations virtually in half. This will be an interesting situation to track. While Becht, Ted Ginn Jr., and Aj McCarron live in or near their respective markets to allow for more offseason marketing activities, meet and greets, autograph signings, etc. Mike Repole has made a point to emphasize local ties for the benefits marketing-wise, but will Proehl be able to do the same, given his other obligations?
Continuity on the Coaching Staff
With Proehl having served on the coaching staff of the Battlehawks in the past, he may be able to retain several of the coaches on the team. Donnie Abraham has been the defensive coordinator since 2023 and overlapped with Proehl. Another coach who could return is defensive line coach LaRoi Glover, who has his own ties to the St. Louis area, having played for the Rams from 2006 to 2008. Before returning in 2010 as the Director of Player Engagement, a position he held for 7 seasons. Chris Claiborne, the linebackers coach, has also been with the team since 2023 and spent one season playing for the Rams in St. Louis.
On offense, there could be some changes, with Marc Colombo having no obvious ties to Proehl. Phil McGeoghan has moved on, being named the Head Coach of the Berlin Thunder for the 2026 season. Kyle Caskey was also hired as the Offensive Coordinator for Southern University under new Head Coach Marshall Faulk. He is not the only former UFL coach on staff, with CJ Johnson also hired. Martin Bayless joined the Battlehawks in 2024, but he is a stalwart in spring football and should be expected to end up on one of these staffs, even if it is not St. Louis.
Grading this Hire
Looking across the league, there are two hires that I feel were can’t miss, and would warrant A ratings. That was the move to retain 2025 UFL Champion Head Coach Shannon Harris, and this move to hire Proehl. Some may question why Becht is not on that list, and that is directly related to the decision to move him out of the St. Louis market. He did a great job of engaging fans, and many were very disappointed seeing the change. Becht had been one of the few constants at Head Coach for the XFL teams that moved to the UFL.
Hines Ward left after year one, Wade Phillips moved to San Antonio, and Reggie Barlow left just before 2025. On top of that, Bob Stoops decided to retire in advance of 2026. Becht was the best shot at some semblance of continuity in the league. However, hiring Ricky Proehl was a home run hit. Not only does he have ties to the area, but he actually has many more years of coaching experience than Becht had when he was named Head Coach in 2023.
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