DETROIT FREE PRESS: Flag Football Xtreme In Shelby Twp.

By KRISTA LATHAM FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER Date: October 2, 2003; Page: 12

Francis Meram is just a normal guy.

By day, he works as a civil engineer for his own company, Meram Building, in Shelby Township. And once or twice a week, he enjoys knocking around other normal guys -- businessmen and firefighters and postal service workers. That's why six years ago he started the Detroit Xtreme Flag Football League, a full-contact, 8-on-8 league that is now the biggest of its kind in the country and centered in Shelby Township.

Some of the players in the DXFFL have played football professionally -- like former Lions safety Ron Rice -- or in college.

But career credentials aside, each player has something in common. They're all holding on to the sport they love the only way they know how.

"After college and after high school, this is the only place a guy can experience football," said Tyrone Callaway, a former Ferris State player who plays outside linebacker on a Detroit Firefighters team that plays in the league. "This is it."

Meram's family owns Shelby Soccer City and while he was working there one day, he decided to get some friends together to start the league. At first, there were two teams and the rules were a bit different -- tackling was the norm.

"Every week someone would get hurt," Meram said. "So we had to sit down and say, 'How can we play every week and not get hurt?' "

They devised a new form of indoor flag football. Tackling was out, but everything else was in -- blocking at the line and downfield is acceptable. There isn't usually much of a line anyway, every player is eligible to receive. Other than that, the only differences first-down lengths -- 20 yards -- and the time -- 24-minute halves.

But what makes a traditional football player good is what makes a flag player excel.

"It's all about speed, just like the NFL," Callaway said.

The hard-hitting, rough and tough format is what attracts so many guys to the league, Meram said. There are more than 70 teams in four divisions and nearly a thousand players.

Like Callaway, many players had bigger dreams for their football careers. Callaway was an outside linebacker for Ferris State and once thought he'd make the NFL. As the time to turn pro grew closer, he realized he probably wasn't good enough.

Still, he thought the Canadian Football League might take him. But before his CFL career could begin, he sprained his back. And that was the end of that dream.

"Yeah, I was a bit bummed," he said Sunday at Stoepel Field in Detroit as he watched a summer league DXFFL game.

But Callaway has found his niche in the DXFFL, which opens its main season -- the fall and winter leagues -- next week.

"This isn't as painful," he said. "I had the dream to play in the NFL like everyone else. But this is my only avenue now."

And that avenue is not exactly a cakewalk. Players take the DXFFL seriously and the passion shows on the field.

It's not uncommon for teams to practice during the week. Some even tape games for video sessions. Others designate offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators.

Michael Davis is the general manager of the Violators, a team he says "everyone in the league knows." They have coordinators, a lengthy playbook and video sessions. When they huddle up before a game, a player screams, "Come on Violators, let's make a statement right now! Fifty minutes of Violators football!"

"It's competitive, it's very competitive," said Davis, a former player at Northwood University. "You can tell who's in it and who's not."

And it's not always the guys with college or professional experience who are the best on the field.

"That's the funny part. They stand out, but they're not necessarily the best athlete on the field," Meram said of former college and professional players. "Ron Rice was a hitter in the NFL -- if you came across the middle he'd put a nice hit on you. But now he has to hold that back, and can use only his speed and talent."

Next, Meram wants to expand the league to include women and youth. The league is currently 16 and older. Maurice Cheetham, the commissioner of the DXFFL Detroit summer league, said youths could hone their football skills year-round, much like kids in highly recruited areas like Florida and Texas.

"They had work on their fundamentals like catching and passing and blocking," Cheetham said. "They can do all that, but it's still a fun atmosphere without the pressure of pads."

(SIDEBAR) GET IN THE GAME Anyone interested in joining the Detroit Xtreme Flag Football League fall league can still sign up until Oct. 12 at www.dxffl.com. Teams must put down a $300 deposit to secure a spot. Total team costs are $1,195. The cost is usually about $80-$100 a person. Players who don't have a team can also sign up as a free agent and the league will try to match them with a team.

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