Locos Station Exclusive: Adam Bergen Interview

On early Friday morning, I got a chance to meet up with Travis Cochran, the Grassroots Events Manager for the Locos, and Championship winning tight end Adam Bergen. We sat down, shared some coffee/tea, and had a little chat. Below, you can read the interview.





How did it feel when you guys won the championship in November, after having lost to the Florida Tuskers twice during the season - with them being the team to beat?

Obviously anytime you win a championship, it's a great feeling no matter if it's pee wee, high school, or college. But losing to them twice during the regular season and being able to come back and beat them in the championship game was a lot of redemption on our part. It was a great feeling. We felt confident going into the game. We were saying the whole week we were gonna beat them, and we felt that we would. And it came true, now we're the champs.

Was the team close with eachother? I know there wasn't a lot of time to prepare before the season, but did you guys mend pretty well?

Being out at Casa Grande like we were, everyone lived together. We were all in a hotel with a lot of guys from all over the place. No one really had cars so everyone was hanging out together the whole time. Which really helped us out. You know, everyone says their team is like a family but with the way things were and the UFL last year how it was the first year, a lot of guys were just helping each other out. So it really was like a family. A lot of guys got really close, and became really good friends and everything, and I think that also helped our team out because we were such a tight-knit unit. Everyone was playing for each other.

How do you think mini-camp went this year?

I think mini-camp went real well. We've got a lot of guys returning. But at the same time, we've got probably half of the team who are guys who are new to the team. So there was a little bit of a learning curve, but for the guys who were there last year, you could really see that we were building ourselves like we did in the previous season. Which is good to see, because anytime you go out there, you want to get better, you don't want to be taking a step back. I think this first mini-camp was a step in the right direction. I feel we looked good on offense, we had a good understanding. Obviously some guys need to get more reps to be more comfortable, but that's what training camp is for. So once we go into training camp, I think we'll be fine. And as long as Tim (Rattay) wants to keep throwing me the ball, I'm cool with that too.

Haha. How do you feel about the talent level in the league this year so far?

With all of the reports that have come out, you know, Daunte Culpepper, Dominic Rhodes, and Ahman Green, these are guys that have won championships, been all-pros in the NFL, and it just helps the league out a lot. I feel it almost gives the league instant credibility to the fans. Because there are players that people know. People own Daunte Culpepper jerseys, so there's going to be fans going to see the games to see him play. So I think the big name signings, all it's going to do is help the league out in the long run, on the field and off the field. So I think it's great with the people that have signed lately.

Speaking of fans, yourself and the league has been very fan friendly. Right now in Vegas, we're working on gaining fans. What you guys have done so far, can only be good for the team and league. I've never seen a league as fan friendly as the UFL. What do you think of the way the league has embraced their fans?

With us being an upstart league last year, it was like a soft opening, you know, the Premiere Season. Attendance wasn't exactly where we wanted it, but that was expected. You know, because there has been a lot of teams in Vegas that have come and gone. So of course the fans are going to be reluctant to show up. So it's good that we're out in the community, showing our faces, just showing the fans that we are here. This is going to be their team in their city. We're not something that's just going to come and leave the next day. But I think that's why people have been so accessible to the fans, and the league has been so accessible because they want to show that they care and that they want to be here, and that they are excited to be here.

I know you started a charity recently, 87 Plays, tell me a little bit about that.

The charity I started is 87 Plays, the website is http://www.87plays.org. Basically the goal of my charity is to help raise money for the youth sports in Las Vegas. As a lot of people know, because of the tough economic times, one of the first things that is being cut back is athletics at the high school level and the youth level. A lot of JV and Freshman sports have been taken away from schools. So we just want to try to raise money to help bring those programs back. To give kids a chance to play sports. I know growing up, that my whole life has been sports. From peewee football and little league to now playing professional football. You just don't want to see a kid who is interested in sports not get the opportunity because of tough economic times. So we're just trying to help out any way we can in the community and give back.

87 Plays has their first event coming up in November right?

Yep, correct. November 13th at the Red Rock Bowling Alley.

What's the event called?

Strikes For Sports. Our motto is "Saving sports one strike at a time."

All opportunities to be a part of the event can be found on 87plays.org?

Correct. All the information is on the website. There's a couple different tabs up at the top to click through to search through the site. And there's a place to donate if people can't make the event. There's plenty of donation links if anyone would like to help our cause.

Alright, just one last question for ya. What are you looking forward to this season?

I'm looking forward to winning another championship! I think that we've got a team that we can get back there and win it again. Hopefully the championship game is in Vegas, but that's yet to be determined. You can always hope. But I'm just excited to be playing in Vegas. Last year, we commuted a lot. Flying back and forth from Arizona for home games. It's just going to be good to be in the city of Las Vegas. We are Las Vegas' professional football team now. Last year we were, but we really weren't. We were just kind of here and there. So this year, living in the city and being back here is what I'm most looking forward to. And obviously starting up camp in a couple weeks to get everything underway. It'll be great.

Alright Adam, thanks a lot. Have a great season.

Appreciate it.


I'd just like to extend my thanks to Adam Bergen, Travis Cochran, and the Las Vegas Locos franchise. It's great for a player to take the time out of his busy schedule to be interviewed. Everyone should support Adam, 87 Plays, and the team.

Stay tuned to Locos Station for all upcoming Locos news, and analysis. More interviews will hopefully be coming soon.