Shock will open on a Monday

Arena football: Spokane will open the 2012 Arena Football League season at home against Iowa on Monday, March 12.

The AFL released the schedule Thursday and it revealed a change in the roster of franchises. Dallas will not play this season, leaving the league with 17 teams, nine in the American Conference and eight in the National Conference.

Following the season opener, Spokane faces a quick turnaround before its first road game Saturday, March 17, versus San Antonio, which is the new home of the former Tulsa franchise.

Spokane’s byes come early, in Week 3 and Week 7. The Shock will play 13 straight weeks to close the regular season. Spokane faces two meetings with National Conference West Division rivals San Jose, Utah and Arizona, as well as home-and-home games against Iowa, Kansas City and Philadelphia. The latter three were a combined 17-37 last season.

Spokane, which captured the 2010 ArenaBowl, visits 2011 champion Jacksonville on Saturday, April 28. The Shock play every AFL team except Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Georgia and Orlando. Spokane’s lone appearance on the NFL Network is against visiting San Jose on Friday, March 30.

GNAC’s only commish resigns

Colleges: Richard Hannan, the only commissioner the Great Northwest Athletic Conference has known, announced his resignation.

A national search will be conducted for Hannan’s replacement.

Central Washington, and Western Washington are members of the GNAC.

Hannan is a native of Spokane and 1963 graduate of Eastern Washington University.

He coached basketball at Columbia Basin College and Lewis-Clark State. He served as athletic director at LCSC, Weber State and Southwest Texas State. Prior to coaching in college he taught and coached at North Central between 1963 and 1967.