Class of 2004 unveiled
February 8, 2004 - National Football League Europa (NFLE) News Release
Former Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback CHAD HUTCHINSON will be aiming for a World Bowl ring in Europe this spring after being assigned to the Rhein Fire for the 2004 NFL Europe League season.
Meanwhile, ROHAN DAVEY, who has just won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the New England Patrioits, will be bidding for another championship with the Berlin Thunder.
Hutchinson, who started nine games for the Cowboys in 2002, and Davey, who was third-string behind New England's Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, are among the 225 current NFL players who have so far been allocated to the NFLEL this season.
They will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of quarterbacks Jake Delhomme (Carolina Panthers), Brad Johnson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Kurt Warner (St. Louis Rams), who have all gone on to start in the Super Bowl after developing their skills in Europe.
A total of 18 NFL quarterbacks, plus one free agent, have been assigned to NFLEL teams for 2004. Among players assigned in other positions is ex-Washington Redskins running back SKIP HICKS, who has been allocated by the Cincinnati Bengals to the Frankfurt Galaxy. A third-round NFL draft pick in 1998, Hicks has rushed for 1,109 yards on 285 carries in 38 games for the Redskins, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers.
NFL Senior Director of Football Operations NICK POLK said: "We are very pleased with the support that the NFL teams have demonstrated for NFL Europe by allocating some of their best young players. It is very exciting to have guys like Chad Hutchinson, Rohan Davey and others playing in our league. They are part of an excellent group of quarterbacks who the fans in Europe are going to have a lot of fun watching.
"But the quarterbacks are just part of the story. NFL Europe has proved a great training ground for players in all positions and that is why the quality of the allocated players continues to grow each year. The fact that we have a record total of 44 players who were previously selected in the NFL draft is another indicator of the increasing depth of talent in the pool of allocated players.
"It's an exciting time of the season as everyone wonders about which players will stand out in Europe and who will go on to have successful careers in the NFL. All we know right now is that the overall quality of players means that the battle for World Bowl this year is going to be extremely competitive."
Competing for the starting position at quarterback for the Amsterdam Admirals will be the Washington Redskins' GIBRAN HAMDAN, along with two NFLEL veterans, CLINT STOERNER, allocated by the Miami Dolphins, and DAVID PRIESTLEY, now with the Seattle Seahawks.
Hamdan spent four games as the Redskins' number two passer in 2003 behind former Berlin Thunder quarterback Tim Hasselbeck. Stoerner played for the Scottish Claymores in 2001, passing for 1,866 yards and 10 touchdowns, before going on to start for the Dallas Cowboys, while Priestley shone during limited playing time with the Admirals in 2003, passing for 326 yards and 4 touchdowns.
In Berlin, Davey, a fourth-round NFL draft pick in 2002, will be aiming to win the starting position after appearing in two NFL games. He is the only quarterback in Louisiana State history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season. Also playing for the Thunder will be free agent DAVID RIVERS, who made an impressive start to the 2003 NFLEL season with Amsterdam (224 yards, 2 touchdowns, 123.8 rating) before suffering a season-ending injury, and the Kansas City Chiefs' MARC DUNN.
Former Berlin Thunder quarterback TODD HUSAK will team up again with Cologne Centurions head coach Peter Vaas, with whom he won a World Bowl ring in 2002. Husak, allocated this year by the Cleveland Browns, completed an NFLEL single-season record 208 passes for 2,386 yards and 14 touchdowns in his earlier stint in Europe and passed for 2 touchdowns in Berlin's World Bowl X defeat of the Rhein Fire.
He will be joined at the Centurions by the New York Giants' RYAN VAN DYKE, a former starter at Michigan State, and the Carolina Panthers' ROB ADAMSON, who led Mount Union College to the NCAA Division III championship in 2001 and 2002 and posted a 25-0 record as a starter.
Joining the Frankfurt Galaxy is J.T. O'SULLIVAN, a sixth round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints in 2002. He will be competing with the Kansas City Chiefs' KIRK FARMER, who completed 13 of 24 passes for 190 yards, 1 touchdown and a 94.1 quarterback rating for the St. Louis Rams in the 2003 NFL preseason, and the Oakland Raiders' BRET ENGERMAN.
At the Rhein Fire, Hutchinson will hope to make his mark after losing the Cowboys' starting position following nine starts during the 2002 season. The former football and baseball star at Stanford, who has also played baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, has passed for 1,563 yards and 7 touchdowns in his two-year NFL career.
He will be up against Atlanta Falcons passer WESLEY PHILLIPS, the son of former Denver and Buffalo head coach Wade Phillips, and GREG ZOLMAN of the Buffalo Bills, who owns Vanderbilt school records with 7,981 yards and 41 touchdowns.
The Cleveland Browns' NATE HYBL is heading to the Scottish Claymores after posting a 19-3 record as a starter at Oklahoma. Joining him will be Detroit Lion CURT ANES, who won a Division II championship with Grand Valley State in 2002, and the Denver Broncos' TORY WOODBURY, who has been in the NFL for three seasons and played at wide receiver and on special teams for the New York Jets. TOM ARTH of the Indianapolis Colts completes the Claymores' quarterback roster.
A further 98 players were selected in the NFL Allocated Player Draft. First overall pick was defensive end COREY SMITH of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who was selected by the Berlin Thunder.
Among NFL-allocated players protected by their previous NFLEL teams, the Scottish Claymores will welcome back running back MAURICE HICKS, of the San Francisco 49ers. Hicks rushed for 546 yards for the Claymores last season, including the longest run in NFLEL history (93-yard touchdown versus Berlin in Week One).
Overall, 17 players have been allocated by the Kansas City Chiefs and 14 from the Cleveland Browns, the highest totals of any NFL teams. Other NFL allocated players may be added before training camp opens in Tampa Bay, Florida, at the end of the month.
Full list of NFL player assignments and details of NFL Allocated Player draft follow...
ASSIGNMENT OF NFL ALLOCATED PLAYERS
NFLEL team Name Pos NFL team College
Amsterdam Derek Combs CB Green Bay Ohio State
Amsterdam Willie Pile S Kansas City Virginia Tech
Amsterdam Clint Mitchell DE Denver Florida
Amsterdam Cliff Washburn DE Chicago Citadel
Amsterdam John Nix DT Cleveland Southern Mississippi
Amsterdam Alonzo Shuler DT Ny Jets Benedict (SC)
Amsterdam Steve Josue LB Green Bay Carson-Newman
Amsterdam Joey Hollenbeck G Seattle Washington State
Amsterdam Josh Burr T Pittsburgh South Dakota
Amsterdam Dave Volk T Dallas Nebraska
Amsterdam ** Brady Washburn T Tennessee Appalachian State
Amsterdam Gibran Hamdan QB Washington Indiana
Amsterdam David Priestley QB Seattle Pittsburgh
Amsterdam Clint Stoerner QB Miami Arkansas
Amsterdam Chris Downs RB Oakland Maryland
Amsterdam Travis Stephens RB Houston Tennessee
Amsterdam Antoine Burns WR Seattle Minnesota
Amsterdam Chris Horn WR Kansas City Rocky Mountain College
Amsterdam Corey Parchman WR Green Bay Ball State
Berlin Willie Ford CB Kansas City Syracuse Univ.
Berlin Keith Davis S Dallas Sam Houston State
Berlin James Cotton DE Atlanta Ohio State
Berlin Israel Idonije DE Chicago Manitoba
Berlin La Waylon Brown DT Seattle Oklahoma State
Berlin Montique Sharpe DT Kansas City Wake Forest
Berlin Shawn Price LB Carolina North Carolina State
Berlin Ben Claxton C Tampa Bay Mississippi
Berlin Jamil Soriano G New England Harvard
Berlin Dion Meredith T Ny Giants Morris Brown
Berlin Rohan Davey QB New England Louisians State
Berlin Marc Dunn QB Kansas City Kansas State
Berlin David Rivers QB Free Agent Western Carolina
Berlin Henri Childs RB Kansas City Colorado State
Berlin Ray Jackson RB Tennessee Cincinnati
Berlin Frank Murphy WR Tampa Bay Kansas State
Berlin Chas Gessner WR New England Brown
Berlin La Shaun Ward WR Kansas City California
Cologne Erwin Swiney CB Green Bay Nebraska
Cologne Steve Smith S Tennessee Oregon
Cologne Felipe Claybrooks DE Cleveland Georgia Tech
Cologne Cullen Jenkins DE Green Bay Central Michigan
Cologne Bobby Brooks LB Oakland Fresno State
Cologne Davern Williams DT Miami Troy State
Cologne Marcus Reese LB Chicago U.C.L.A.
Cologne David Miller G Detroit Ball State
Cologne Lance Nimmo T Ny Jets West Virginia
Cologne Tony Pashos T Baltimore Illinois
Cologne Rob Adamson QB Carolina Mount Union College
Cologne Todd Husak QB Cleveland Stanford
Cologne Ryan Van Dyke QB Ny Giants Michigan State
Cologne Chad Brinker RB Ny Jets Ohio Univ.
Cologne Avon Cobourne RB Detroit West Virginia
Cologne Todd Devoe WR Baltimore Central Missouri
Cologne Albert Johnson WR Houston Southern Methodist Univ.
Cologne Reggie Newhouse WR Arizona Baylor
Frankfurt Ricky Sharpe CB Cleveland San Diego State
Frankfurt Chris Brown S Jacksonville Alabama-Birmingham
Frankfurt Corey Jackson DE Cleveland Nevada
Frankfurt Bobby Setzer DE Oakland Boise State
Frankfurt Clenton Ballard DT San Diego Southwest Texas State
Frankfurt Mason Unck LB Cleveland Arizona State
Frankfurt Ben Nowland C Washington Auburn
Frankfurt Konrad Dean G Jacksonville Akron
Frankfurt Chad Setterstrom G New Orleans Northern Iowa
Frankfurt Jason Jimenez T Green Bay Southern Mississippi
Frankfurt Bret Engemann QB Oakland Brigham Young
Frankfurt Kirk Farmer QB Kansas City Missouri
Frankfurt J.T. O'Sullivan QB New Orleans California -Davis
Frankfurt Leonard Henry RB Miami East Carolina
Frankfurt Skip Hicks RB Cincinnati U.C.L.A.
Frankfurt Derrick Lewis WR New Orleans San Diego State
Frankfurt Wilson Thomas WR Green Bay Nebraska
Frankfurt Jason Willis WR Seattle Oregon
Rhein Rober' Freeman CB Houston Clark Atlanta
Rhein Hakim Akbar S Jacksonville Washington
Rhein Chris Demaree DE San Francisco Kentucky
Rhein Cedric Killings DT Washington Carson-Newman
Rhein David Thompson DT St Louis Ohio State
Rhein Terrence Robinson LB Atlanta Oklahoma State
Rhein Steven Grace C Arizona Arizona
Rhein Kevin Breedlove G Tampa Bay Georgia
Rhein Pita Elisara T Washington Indiana
Rhein Chuck Klabo T Cleveland North Dakota State
Rhein Chad Hutchinson QB Dallas Stanford
Rhein Wesley Phillips QB Atlanta Texas-El Paso
Rhein Greg Zolman QB Buffalo Vanderbilt
Rhein Joffrey Reynolds RB Cleveland Houston
Rhein Walter Williams RB Green Bay Grambling State
Rhein Nate Jacksn WR Denver Menlo
Rhein Willie Quinnie WR Atlanta Alabama-Birmingham
Rhein Brian Robinson WR Pittsburgh Houston
Scotland Brad Franklin CB Seattle Louisiana-Lafayette
Scotland Alphonso Roundtree S Miami Tulane
Scotland Thomas Wright S Tennessee Michigan State
Scotland Nick Eason DT Denver Clemson
Scotland Alan Harper DT Ny Jets Fresno State
Scotland Cedric Scott DT Cleveland Southern Mississippi
Scotland Jimmy McClain LB Jacksonville Troy State Univ.
Scotland Jimond Pugh C Pittsburgh Memphis State
Scotland Chad Ward G San Diego Washington
Scotland Marques Ogden T Jacksonville Howard
Scotland Curt Anes QB Detroit Grand Valley State Col
Scotland Tom Arth QB Indianapolis John Carroll Univ.
Scotland Nate Hybl QB Cleveland Oklahoma
Scotland Tory Woodbury QB Denver Winston-Salem
Scotland Ahmaad Galloway RB Denver Alabama
Scotland Ian Smart RB Ny Jets C.W. Post
Scotland Ronald Ballamy WR Miami Michigan
Scotland Nick Davis WR Miami Wisconsin
Scotland Herb Haygood WR Kansas City Michigan State
** Additional assignment for which Amsterdam was charged an 8th round pick
in allocated draft
PROTECTED NFL-ALLOCATED PLAYERS
(Protected players count against 8th and 9th round picks in the allocated
draft)
Berlin Bryan Fletcher TE Indianapolis UCLA
Frankfurt David Pruce T New England Buffalo
Rhein Dwayne Blakley TE Tennessee Missouri
Rhein Tony Lukins CB Seattle New Mexico State
Scotland Maurice Hicks RB San Francisco North Carolina A & T
NFL-ALLOCATED KICKERS AND PUNTERS (to be assigned later)
Patrick Dunne K Indianapolis Lake Forest College
Carlos Martinez K Tampa Buena Vista
Jonathan Ruffin K Dallas Cincinnati
Mike Shafer K Buffalo Syracuse
Derek Schorejs K Cleveland Bowling Green
Brooks Barnard P Chicago Michigan
Mike Barr P Pittsburgh Rutgers
Derrick Frost P Cleveland Iowa
Mark Mariscal P NY Jets Colorado
Nick Murphy P Philadelphia Arizona State
Dallas Neill P NY Jets Montana
Nate Fiske P San Francisco UCLA
Kenny Zordani P Kansas City Central Missouri
NFL ALLOCATED PLAYER DRAFT 2004
Round NFLEL Team Name Pos NFL Team College
1 Berlin Corey Smith DE Tampa Bay North Carolina State
1 Amsterdam Ron Moore DT Oakland NW Oklahoma State
1 Cologne Eric Powell DE Green Bay Florida State
1 Scotland Howard Clarke LB Philadelphia Miami
1 Rhein David Nugent DT Oakland Purdue
1 Frankfurt Ahmad Brooks CB New Orleans Texas
2 Berlin Dave Kadela T Carolina Virgina Tech
2 Amsterdam Mario Branch T Tennessee Mississippi Valley State
2 Cologne Marcus Floyd CB Carolina Indiana
2 Scotland Morgan Pears T Pittsburgh Colorado State
2 Rhein David Newman TE Oakland Louisiana Tech
2 Frankfurt Johnathan Ingram C Kansas City San Diego State
3 Frankfurt Lynaris Elpheage CB Tampa Bay Tulane
3 Rhein Horace Willis CB Minnesota AUburn
3 Scotland Thomas Pitman DT Denver Florida
3 Cologne Mike Mabry C Cincinnati Central Florida
3 Amsterdam Jerry Schumacher LB Chicago Illinois
3 Berlin Mike Pinkard TE Kansas City Arizona State
4 Berlin Darrell Riddeaux CB Indianapolis Southern California
4 Amsterdam Jeff Sanchez CB Detroit Tulane
4 Cologne Ronald Smith DT Seattle Lane College
4 Scotland Justin Sands T Cincinnati Kansas
4 Rhein Charles Drake S Detroit Michigan
4 Frankfurt Leonard Stephens TE Washington Howard
5 Frankfurt Buck Rasmussen DE New England Nebraska
5 Rhein Adam Herzing WR San Francisco Cal Poly Obispo
5 Scotland Durrand Roundtree DE Indianapolis Maryland
5 Cologne Zach Wilson G Detroit Southern California
5 Amsterdam Tony Donald TE Green Bay Western State
5 Berlin Dante Ellington T Philadelphia Alabama
6 Berlin Jermaine Mays CB Minnesota Minnesota
6 Amsterdam Ben Mahdavi LB Indianapolis Washington
6 Cologne Jerton Evans S San Diego Virginia
6 Scotland Marcus Helfman TE San Francisco San Jose State
6 Rhein James Harrison LB Baltimore Kent State
6 Frankfurt De Andrew Rubin WR Indianapolis South Florida
7 Frankfurt Chris Kern S Detroit Mount Union College
7 Rhein Garry Johnson T Atlanta Arkansas State
7 Scotland Ryan Myers LB NY Jets Akron
7 Cologne Marcus McDonald LB New Orleans Texas Christian
7 Amsterdam Jason Perry S New England North Carolina State
7 Berlin Jason Jowers T Atlanta Wisconsin
8 Cologne Sean Dillard WR Washington Temple
9 Frankfurt Jason McWilliams LB St. Louis Western Illinois
9 Scotland Kahlil Carter CB Buffalo Southern Arkansas
9 Cologne Elliot Silvers T Houston Washington
9 Amsterdam Nashville Dyer CB Pittsburgh Kent State
9 Berlin Richard Alston WR Cleveland East Carolina
10 Berlin Tank Reese DT Indianapolis Kansas State
10 Amsterdam Thomas Barnett T Kansas City Kansas State
10 Cologne Ben Nelson WR Minnesota St. Cloud State
10 Scotland Todd Wike G Oakland Maryland
10 Rhein Wes Bautovich LB NY Jets Texas A & M
10 Frankfurt Davy Ford RB Dallas Florida State
11 Frankfurt Ralph Turner LB Green Bay Purdue
11 Rhein Sean Guthrie DE NY Giants Boston College
11 Scotland Terry Charles WR Houston Portland State
11 Cologne Mark Inkrott TE NY Giants Findlay College
11 Amsterdam Kenny Jackson LB Cincinnati Nevada-Reno
11 Berlin Aaron Boone WR Chicago Kentucky
12 Berlin Lawrence Flugence LB New England Texas Tech
12 Amsterdam Jermaine Lewis WR Houston Western Michigan
12 Cologne Michael Hall CB New England Illinois
12 Scotland Antwoine Sanders S Miami Utah
12 Rhein Dwain Goynes WR Washington Texas A & M
12 Frankfurt Jamal Wallace S Philadelphia Temple
13 Frankfurt Kevin De Ronde LB Houston Iowa State
13 Rhein Jon Olinger WR Carolina Cincinnati
13 Scotland Jake Sprague DE NY Giants Wisconsin
13 Cologne Hugh Smith WR Cleveland South Florida
13 Amsterdam Chris Taylor WR Houston Texas A & M
13 Berlin Scott Farley S New England Williams College
14 Berlin Brenden Givan DE Miami Stillman
14 Amsterdam Andre Forde WR Chicago Buffalo
14 Cologne Asa Francis LB Buffalo New Mexico Military Inst.
14 Scotland Aaron Golliday TE Kansas City Nebraska
14 Rhein Curtis Randall LB Jacksonville Louisiana Tech
14 Frankfurt Allan Amundson CB San Francisco Oregon
15 Frankfurt Donovan Morgan WR NY Jets Louisiana-Lafayette
15 Rhein Bosley Allen WR San Francisco North Carolina
15 Scotland Jasen Esposito C Buffalo Kutztown University
15 Cologne Lamar Hill TE Baltimore New Mexico State
15 Amsterdam Jason Anderson RB Houston South Dakota
15 Berlin Adam Ziesel WR Cincinnati Missouri Western State
16 Berlin Ed Ieremia-Stansbury RB Houston UCLA
16 Amsterdam Kris Briggs RB Green Bay Southern Methodist
16 Cologne Carl Morris WR Miami Harvard
16 Scotland Joe Gerda G Minnesota Memphis State
16 Rhein Rob Milanese WR NY Jets Pennsylvania
16 Frankfurt Kevin Watson DT New Orleans Occidental College
17 Frankfurt Robert Chapman LB Oakland Southern
17 Rhein Jeremy Allen RB Atlanta Iowa
17 Scotland J.P. Comella RB Arizona Boston College
17 Cologne Reggie Rhodes DT Kansas City Valdosta State
17 Amsterdam Kane Anderson TE Minnesota New Hampshire
17 Berlin Jason Kazar LB Kansas City Kansas State
18 Berlin Paul Lacoste LB Indianapolis Mississippi State
18 Amsterdam Gus Jacobs RB St. Louis Kentucky
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National Football League Europa Stories from February 8, 2004
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