Texas Loses an Indoor Football Team as the Bayou Bucks Head to Louisiana

(103.3 The GOAT) - One city's loss is another city's gain. The Amarillo Dusters are leaving the state of Texas and heading to the Bayou State. According to TheBullAmarillo.com, it was announced that the Amarillo Dusters were sold and being moved to Louisiana. As of now, where the team will land has yet to be announced. Having worked on the sidelines of the short-lived Lafayette Roughnecks, I can tell you that there's no shortage of excitement and scoring opportunities in arena football. It will be interesting to see where the team lands.

New State, New Team Name (With Louisiana History)

In the press release on Facebook, it also stated that the team name would be changing (for obvious reasons) to the Bayou Bucks. This name should be familiar to Southeast Louisiana, as Houma had a team in the NIFL called the Houma Bayou Bucks back in 2001. The team played 3 years from 2002-2004 at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center. Following a lawsuit by the parent company of the Bayou Bucks against the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, the franchise folded.

The Future of the Bayou Bucks

According to the new owner, Jacob Hector, the organization is actively in discussions with venues across Louisiana and determining which will hold the best future for the team. The plan for the Bucks is to be ready to play by 2027. Also in the announcement, he assured fans that the team would not solely rely on outside investors to operate, adding financial stability while still providing partnership options with community businesses and organizations. More recently, it was shared that Kaleb Melanson would be Vice President of the team.

When and Where the Bayou Bucks Could Play

In addition, it appears as he's looking for locations in South Louisiana, likely due to the fact that both Shreveport and Monroe currently have arena football teams with the Louisiana Rouxgaroux with National Arena League (NAL) affiliation, and a new, unnamed team in Monroe that will begin action in 2026 with The Arena League (TAL).

Read More: Super Bowl LX Players from Louisiana Colleges

The List of Louisiana Indoor Football Teams is Growing

With New Orleans (New Orleans VooDoo),  Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge Blaze, Louisiana Bayou Beast, Baton Rouge Bombers), Lake Charles (Louisiana Voodoo, Louisiana Swashbucklers) and Lafayette (Lafayette Roughnecks, Lafayette Wildcatters, Louisiana Swashbucklers) having hosted indoor football teams, along with the aforementioned Houma Bayou Bucks, we'll all be keeping an eye on any announcements regarding the destination city for the franchise. And you know the food at tailgating will be amazing.