This morning, the San Antonio Toros announced Ronnie Vinklarek as head coach. The 66-year-old Texas native brings more than 43 years of coaching experience to the Toros and the reintroduced Continental Football League. Vinklarek’s career includes stints in the NCAA, Canadian Football League, XFL and National Football League.
He has held notable roles in professional football with the Birmingham Barracudas (1995), Tennessee Titans (2000-2001), Buffalo Bills (2001-2003), Edmonton Eskimos (2007-2008), and New York Guardians (2020). His extensive resume brings an array of experience to the new professional developmental league.
Included in the Toros press release, coach Vinklarek shared his enthusiasm saying:
“I’m honored to join the San Antonio Toros of the Continental Football League, and bring my lifetime of football knowledge to this dynamic team. San Antonio has a rich football tradition, and I look forward to building a championship culture here”.
Per our request to the Toros, managing partner Josh Mair provided the following statement on the appointment of their head coach, “Coach Vinklarek is the perfect coach to help relaunch the revitalized San Antonio Toros. He has coached in the NFL and CFL, which gives him a unique perspective on this league’s rules, and he is also familiar with alternative football leagues such as the XFL, having coached with the Guardians. We are grateful he has chosen the San Antonio Toros as much as we have chosen him to lead us into the future.”
The Continental Football League plans to kick off their inaugural season this upcoming spring in May. As the San Antonio Toros continue to prepare for their return to the field in 2026, they will announce their offensive coordinator and general manager on Thursday, December 18th.
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 publicly 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 plans to launch in May 2026 with eight teams competing in two divisions (North and South).
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