Indianapolis Capitols Name Mike Vanderjagt Head coach & General Manager

On Thursday, the Continental Football League’s (CoFL) Indianapolis Capitols
announced Mike Vanderjagt as their head coach and general manager.

The 56-year-old former All-Pro kicker played eight seasons for the Indianapolis Colts
and one season with the Dallas Cowboys. In addition to his National Football League
experience, Vanderjagt is a 2-Time Grey Cup Champion (Toronto Argonauts) and
ArenaBowl Champion (Tampa Bay Storm). He also had with stints with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Minnesota Fighting Pike. Since
the conclusion of his playing career, he entered the business world as an executive and
owner (Fathead, SlapItOn) and coaching. Vanderjagt has served as the Special Teams
Coordinator at Medina Central School Mustangs since 2022, as well as a private kicking
coach for high school and college athletes.

Included in the Press Release, Capitols Team President and Managing Partner Lauren
Boczek provided the following statement:

“Upon accepting the role of Team President,
my first call was to Mike. He is a fellow Mountaineer, and we have been friends for
some time. I wasn’t sure how he would want to be involved, if at all, so I was beyond
thrilled when he agreed to become the Head Coach and General Manager of the
Indianapolis Capitols. Mike’s football knowledge and business acumen are unmatched.
His competitive nature makes him a perfect leader both on and off the field. But he also
has a passion for helping players at all levels achieve their dreams.”

She further added “Most importantly Mike is a good man. He is a champion of women in sports and has
been my support system over the past month. I couldn’t ask for a better partner as we
both navigate this new adventure.”

Player 54 Podcast acquired a video from Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton
Manning, congratulating Vanderjagt on the hire. In the video, Manning playfully
mentioned the appointment of Canadian Olympic gold medal sprinter Donovan Bailey
as Speed Coach.

The Capitols are set to return to the field in the spring, when the CoFL kick off their
2027 season.

Indianapolis Capitols History:

Founded as the Indianapolis Warriors (CoFL 1961-1964), then relocated to Fort Wayne,
Indiana for the 1965 season. The organization relocated again to Quebec, Canada and
played as the Montreal Beavers for the 1966 and 1967 seasons. The team returned to
Indiana as the Indianapolis Capitols for the1968 and 1969 seasons, winning the 1969
the Continental Cup by defeating the San Antonio Toros. After the CoFL’s demise, the

organization joined the Atlantic Coast Football League (1970) and won two additional
championships in 1972 & 1973 as members of the Midwest Football League (1972-
1974 & 1977-1978) under various names: Indiana Caps, Hoosier Caps, Indy Caps, Indy
Superstars, and Indy Kaps.

The Capitols were led by CoFL MVP quarterback John Walton, the first African
American to lead a professional football team to title. Walton went on to play in the
World Football League (1974-1975), National Football League (1976-1979), and United
States Football League (1983-1984).

Continental Football League History

The CoFL originally played five seasons from 1965 to 1969, before teams departed for
other leagues, forcing it to cease operations after the conclusion of its 1969 season.
The league featured numerous National Football League alumni, as well as Pro Football
Hall of Fame inductees: Ken Stabler, Doak Walker, Bill Walsh and Steve Van Buren.
The league relaunched in September 2025 under the leadership of commissioner Mike
Kelly. The new COFL is community owned, and the fan focused league is positioning
itself as the lone “AA” professional football league. It returned to the field in May 2026
with teams competing in two divisions (North and South), with the San Antonio Toros
being crowned as league champions.