Florida Call of Duty franchise names Halo legend as General Manager

The professional Call of Duty team that will be based in Florida in the brand new franchised CDL has announced a legendary Halo player as its General Manager.

With Call of Duty esports transitioning to a franchised professional league starting next season, participating organization have already begun taking major steps to crystallizing their staff and structure ahead of the inaugural campaign.

Florida CoD made a huge splash on August 26, announcing that iconic Halo pro Tom ‘OGRE2’ Ryan would take the reigns as their first ever General Manager.

“Please welcome Tom ‘OGRE2’ Ryan as the General Manager of our Florida Call of Duty Franchise,” they tweeted. “Looking forward to building out our squad with you.”

Ben Spoont, co-founder and CEO of parent company Misfits Gaming, was very excited to have such a prominent esports figure within their organization’s ranks.

“I am ecstatic to introduce Tom “OGRE2″ Ryan as the General Manager of the Florida Call of Duty franchise,” he said. “Tom is a legend — widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.  With his deep history, connections and respect in the industry, we are thrilled that Tom will be responsible for building out our coaching staff and player roster for our Call of Duty team!”

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Sharing similar sentiments, OGRE2 expressed delight at the prospect of helping build something huge in South Beach.

“This is all a bit crazy but I’m SO excited to be here,” he admitted. “I look forward to taking my talents to South Beach to build a top squad here in Florida and becoming fully immersed in the Call of Duty world!”

When it comes to esports, there are few names as prestigious as OGRE2, who is the most successful pro player in competitive Halo history.

Throughout his illustrious career, he won 41 events, tournaments, and championships, a figure that still remains to this day the most ever in esports history. 

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He officially retired for the second and final time in 2016, taking up a coaching position with Evil Geniuses before moving on to Team Reciprocity, where he first coached and then was promoted to manager.

Florida is the most recent of eight confirmed host cities for the upcoming CDL, which will feature a home-and-away format starting from its very first season.

The other host sites are Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Paris, Toronto, Minnesota, and Los Angeles, which will house two organizations.

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Florida Call of Duty’s full announcement post regarding the hiring of OGRE2 can be read below:

BOCA RATON, FL, August 26 – Today we are excited to announce that Tom “OGRE2” Ryan will be leading the Florida Call of Duty franchise as General Manager. Tom will be responsible for building the Call of Duty team roster and the strategic development of the team. 

Tom is a former professional Halo player, considered to be the best Halo player of all time. As a 13-year veteran player along with his experience as a coach and player manager, Tom has a unique perspective and brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. 

“I am ecstatic to introduce Tom “OGRE2″ Ryan as the General Manager of the Florida Call of Duty franchise,” said Ben Spoont, co-founder and CEO of Misfits Gaming. “Tom is a legend — widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time.  With his deep history, connections and respect in the industry, we are thrilled that Tom will be responsible for building out our coaching staff and player roster for our Call of Duty team!”

“This is all a bit crazy but I’m SO excited to be here, said Tom Ryan. “I look forward to taking my talents to South Beach to build a top squad here in Florida and becoming fully immersed in the Call of Duty world!”

About Misfits Gaming

Misfits Gaming is a premier professional esports organization with teams in the most popular esports leagues, including Riot Games’ League of Legends European Championship, Epic Games’ Fortnite, the NBA’s 2K League through their affiliation with the NBA’s Miami Heat and a franchise in the upcoming Call of Duty League. The organization, through its brand Florida Mayhem, has a team franchise in Blizzard’s Overwatch League. To learn more about Misfits Gaming, visit https://misfitsgaming.gg/.