Photo by Kim North Members of the Wheeling Miners professional indoor football team pose for a picture following a press conference on Thursday morning inside WesBanco Arena. From left are players Raushaun Nedd, and Isaiah Robinson, owner Chris Duffy, player Alex Coleman, head coach Chris McKinney, players Charles Westbrook and Daryll Clark and owner Dempsey Fields. The Miners make their 2026 America Arena League home debut on Saturday, May 2 against the defending league champion Jersey Bearcats.

WHEELING – The Wheeling Miners are back for their third season of professional indoor football. They will be here for at least another three years.

During a press conference Thursday morning inside WesBanco Arena, the Miners and the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority announced a three-year extension to their contract, meaning the Miners will play in downtown Wheeling until at least 2029.

“We are committed to Wheeling. I’ve bought commercial property here. I’ve bought houses here,” Wheeling Miners owner Chris Duffy said while putting to rest rumors that the franchise had folded. “I look forward to the next three- or four-years here, maybe more in bringing championships to Wheeling again.”

The Miners burst onto the scene locally in 2023 and went undefeated en route to a championship in the American Arena League 2, culminating in a dominant 61-14 victory over the Peach State Cats on July 6, 2024.

All Wheeling Miners home games are played at WesBanco Arena.

“I think this season is going to be more exciting than the previous two,” Duffy said.

Duffy has been associated with new head coach Chris McKinney in the past, and the two have been very successful together. They won an AAL championship in 2018 with the Atlanta Havoc.

“He fit every category that I was looking for in a head coach,” Duffy explained. “He has experience. He has won championships and has great relationships with his players.”

McKinney has an extensive coaching background that includes stops at nearly every level of professional indoor football. The N.C. State graduate has earned multiple championships, Coach of the Year honors, and has a reputation as a dynamic leader on both sides of the ball.

“I’m originally from North Carolina but currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia,” he said. I love coaching on the East Coast where I grew up, and I am extremely excited to be a part of the Miners family. I can’t wait to be able to call West Virginia home.

“We open up with the defending champs, but I kind of like that,” McKinney said. “For one, if we win it gives us confidence and, if we lose, I’ve got a lot of things to point towards. When you win, it covers up a lot of mistakes. It’s hard to tell a young man you did this wrong when you win by 24 points every night, but when you lose a game, it’s easy to teach and make those corrections.

“So, we’ll use that first game as a barometer of sorts to gauge where we are. I do believe that we will be a strong team and we are going to surprise some people.”

McKinney’s resume includes stops with the Philadelphia Soul (AFL) – 2013 (Special Teams & Wide Receivers Coach – Eastern Conference Champions – Arena Bowl Runner-Up); St. Louis Attack (X-League) – 2014-2015 (Head Coach – Regular Season Champions – X-League Coach of the Year – X-Bowl Runner-Up); Triangle Torch (SIF) – 2016-2018 (Offensive Coordinator & Head Coach – SIF Coach of the Year – Undefeated Regular Season – SIF Championship Runner-Up); Atlanta Havoc (AAL) – 2018 (AAL Champions); Cape Fear Heroes – 2019 (Head Coach); Jersey Flight (NAL) – 2021 (Offensive Coordinator); Albany Empire (NAL) – 2022 (Defensive Coordinator – NAL Champions); Columbus Lions (AIFA) – 2023 (Head Coach/Offensive & Defensive Coordinator – AIFA Champions); San Antonio Gunslingers (IFL) – 2024 (Defensive Coordinator); Nashville Kats (AF1) – 2025 (Offensive Coordinator) and Massachusetts Pirates (IFL) – (2025, Co-Defensive Coordinator).

McKinney said while the Miners have some players under contract, the roster won’t be finalized until after an intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday from 7-8 a.m. at The Highlands.

There were several players on hand for the press conference, including quarterback Darryl Clark; lineman Rashaun Nedd and receivers Isaiah Robinson and Alex Coleman, along with running back Charles Westbrook.

The 6-3, 232-pound Clark played four seasons at Penn State (2006-09). He was a starter the last two seasons, passing for more than 3,000 yards and two dozen touchdowns in his final campaign with the Nittany Lions. He finished his career 444 of 738 (60.2 percent) for 5,742 yards, 43 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Clark played his high school football at Ursuline in Youngstown.

Robinson and Westbrook both played collegiately at West Liberty, but not at the same time. Coleman played at Capital University and Nedd is from Florida. Robinson, a native of Washington, Pa., will be entering his third season with the Miners.