Harbor Monsters Reflect on Unlikely Path to Inaugural Championship

"It wasn't anything that I truly expected"

DULUTH, Minn.- Two weeks after winning the first-ever ArenaMania Championship, Duluth Harbor Monsters General Manager Steve Walters thought back to his team’s title-winning performance.

“To be honest, it wasn’t anything that I truly expected,” Recalled Walters, who worked in sales and marketing before joining the upstart indoor football franchise. “When it came to the championship itself, it was an amazing game. In the beginning, (Iowa) had the lead. In the beginning, all I could think is, guys, we can’t leave this building unless we win. And they did such an amazing job.”

For Walters, Duluth winning ArenaMania was only a distant dream after the Harbor Monsters had only one win through four regular season games.

“(Head Coach) Tony (O’Neil) and his coaching staff and his scouts were given the okay from (owner) Brett (LaBrie) to do whatever it takes, win out or just win, period,” said Walters.

To make matters worse, the Harbro Monsters shorthanded leading up to a road game against the Lunkers.

“We only had 12 players…You’re supposed to have 15 dressing,” says Walters. “We picked up two players right before that game. Picked up one literally on the way down. We stopped in Minneapolis. He jumped on the bus, and we kept on driving down.”

But with their season on the ropes, Walters witnessed his players punching back. “So many players just fought to the death over and over again, and they were just running nonstop, running off the field, puking because they had just gone several plays, back to back to back to back. That was the turning point of our entire season. We were a dominant force from that point forward.”

With the ArenaMania trophy now sitting comfortably in the Harbor Monsters offices in Canal Park, Walters is pleased with how The Arena League has set up its teams for immediate success.

“I think a lot of people counted us out from the get-go, that we were never going to make it to the second game,” says Walters, who sold sponsorships for the team only on their name and logo.  “Not only did we make it through the whole entire season, not only did every team in the league make it through the entire season, the league helped build something that could sustain itself. We’re offering them something that’s way more fast-paced. You’ve got way more scores. You’ve got way more big hits. You get right in front of the fans’ faces. You’ve got players flying off into fans’ laps. They’re all catching balls left and right because you’re right there, right in it. It’s just so much fun the whole entire time.”

While the 2025 season is still nine months away, Walters isn’t wasting any time getting ready for opening kickoff. “(We’re hoping to) Build partnerships, build sponsors, do everything I can to make sure that next season is better than this season.”

Meanwhile, as the Harbor Monsters get ready to defend their title, they know their fans will continue to show their support.

“I think the fans were some of the best parts of this whole entire thing. I did not expect Duluth to love their team this much,” Walters admits. “I really want to thank Duluth and the whole area and all the fans that came out. You were such a big deal to this team, to all the players, to myself. You’re the reason why we did all of this, and it was such an amazing season, and we can’t wait for the next one.”

The Duluth Harbor Monsters, Iowa Woo, Ozarks Lunkers and Kansas City Goats are all set to return to The Arena League in 2025. They’ll be joined by two expansion teams: The Eau Claire Jammers and the Hot Springs Wiseguys. Walters says each team will play 10 games in the regular season, with a home and away game scheduled against each team in the league.