The High Country Grizzlies were a professional indoor football team that began play in the 2017 season. Based in
Boone, North Carolina
Boone is a town in and the county seat of Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Boone is the home of Appalachian State University and the headquarters for the disaster a ...
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...
.
History
On April 14, 2016,
American Indoor Football
American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America.
The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...
(AIF) announced that it had granted an expansion franchise to the High Country region for the 2017 season. At an introductory press conference on July 14, the Grizzlies officially introduced themselves, their staff, head coach, name, logo, colors and venue. However, on July 18, the AIF ceased operations forcing the Grizzlies to find a new league. On July 21, the team announced it had joined the
Arena Developmental League
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. It consists of teams based on the East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, th ...
for the new league's inaugural season. In November 2016, the ADL then changed its name to
National Arena League
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. It consists of teams based on the East Coast of the United States.
Teams' typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, while players are paid $ ...
.
Prior to the 2017 season, the Grizzlies had recruited former
Appalachian State
Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...
and NFL wide receiver Dexter Jackson to be the marquee player and face of the team for marketing and ticket sales, agreeing to sales incentives and relocation reimbursement for Jackson and his family. Jackson initially requested his ticket sales incentives in February prior to the start of the season, but Jackson would leave the team over non-payment in May and the league suspended Jackson. In August, Jackson took the Grizzlies to arbitration with the league and the NAL ruled in Jackson's favor with the team owing Jackson US$9,500. Jackson filed another complaint with
Watauga County
Watauga County ( ) from the North Carolina Collection's website at the over continued non-payment by the team as of January 2018.
After one season in the NAL, the Grizzlies announced on September 20 that the organization had joined the newly formed
American Arena League
The American Arena League (AAL) is a professional indoor football minor league that began playing in 2018. The league was initiated by a merger between Arena Pro Football (APF) and the Can-Am Indoor Football League (Can-Am), although the AAL o ...
(AAL) for the 2018 season. Scoot Meserve was hired as head coach and the team finished the season with a 2–6 record, failing to make the AAL playoffs.
Prior to the 2019 season, the Grizzlies hired Jeff Hunt as head coach, but the team ceased operations in February 2019 a month before the season was to begin.