Rush Coach Bob McMillen Named Finalist for AFL Hall of Fame
June 24, 2013 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Chicago Rush News Release
Coach Bob McMillen is a finalist for the 2013 Arena Football League Hall of Fame, the Arena Football League announced Monday afternoon.
"It's a great accomplishment," McMillen said. "It's awesome to be in the company of some of those guys that are on there with Darryl Hammond and Omarr Smith. They're all great players. I'm honored, but the biggest thing I'm concerned about right now is going out there and trying to beat Philadelphia in two weeks. That's what I care about right now. If I make the Hall of Fame, great. If I don't, it doesn't make a difference. I had a great career. I enjoyed playing the game and I'll move on."
Despite his current success at the helm of the Rush, he holds a 32-20 overall record as their head coach, McMillen is being nominated as one of the greatest fullbacks to ever play the game. McMillen is currently ranked third all-time with 1,508 rushing yards and second all-time with 484 rushing attempts.
In 1999, McMillen led the entire Arena Football League with 180 rushing yards, the first of seven consecutive years in which he finished in the League's top ten in rushing yards.
McMillen was more than a great rusher, however. He was also an effective option in the passing game, racking up 810 receiving yards during his career. McMillen was a force on the defensive side of the ball as well, averaging 19.9 tackles per season from 1999 through 2006.
In 2004, McMillen had his finest statistical season, taking 79 carries for 285 yards and 22 touchdowns, all career highs. Yet, 2006 is the season that Chicago Rush fans will remember most as McMillen led the team to an ArenaBowl title with six rushing touchdowns and 14 tackles. He was named the Ironman of ArenaBowl XX with a fumble recovery and a half sack in Chicago's 69-61 victory over Orlando.
That was far from McMillen's only honor, however. McMillen was named to the All-Ironman Team in 2004. He was Second-Team All-Arena in 1999 and First-Team All-Arena in 2000 as a member of the Arizona Rattlers. His career was recognized by the League when he was named the League's 20th Greatest Player in 2006 and its 17th Greatest Player by the Silver Anniversary Committee in 2012. McMillen is joined by nine other candidates, including former Barnstormers head coach John Gregory, star quarterback Andy Kelly and ArenaBowl XVII MVP Lawrence Samuels.
The candidates were voted finalists by the Arena Football Hall of Fame Advisory Board, which consisted of former executives, journalists and media personnel with a long-time involvement in the game.
The next step belongs to current Hall of Fame members and Arena Football fans, who can vote online starting Monday, June 24, 2013 and continuing through Friday, July 26, 2013. The resulting 2013 Hall of Fame class will be announced during the 2013 Conference Championship weekend with inductions held during the 2014 Arena Football League regular season.
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Arena Football League Stories from June 24, 2013
- Steve Papin Leads Trio of Former SaberCats Named as 2013 HOF Finalists - San Jose SaberCats
- Former Barnstormers Coach John Gregory Nominated for AFL Hall of Fame - Iowa Barnstormers
- Rush Coach Bob McMillen Named Finalist for AFL Hall of Fame - Chicago Rush
- Despite Loss, Rattlers Still Atop AFL vPower Rankings - Tampa Bay Storm
- Storm's Lawrence Samuels Named AFL Hall of Fame Finalist - Tampa Bay Storm
- Former VooDoo QB Andy Kelly Nominated for AFL Hall of Fame - New Orleans VooDoo
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