Dallas ready for expansion draft
by AFL Press Release
December 1, 2001 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
AFL Press Release
AFL NEWS UPDATE
Expansion Draft - On Tuesday, December 4, the Arena Football League will conduct an expansion draft for the new Dallas Desperados. Each team can "protect" just 16 of 40 players on their off-season active lists.
16 Teams in Our 16th Season - The AFL's 2002 season will kickoff with 16 teams, including expansion Dallas and a team in Atlanta. With that move, 4 teams, the Bobcats, the ThunderBears, the Mustangs, and the Wranglers have contracted. Players on those team rosters will be included in a dispersal draft, scheduled for Dec. 10. New division alignments and the 2002 schedule should be announced within a couple of weeks.
AFL SIGNINGS
The Desperados signed lineman SHANTE CARVER, a first-round pick (23rd
overall) of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1994 NFL draft, who spent four seasons
with the Cowboys and owns a Super Bowl ring... following four seasons and
two ArenaBowl championships with Orlando, DS DAMON MASON has signed with New
Jersey, bringing an average 106.5 tackles per season with him... Buffalo has
added WR/DB THOMAS BAILEY to their roster; after 3 seasons and team MVP
accolades in Grand Rapids, the former All-SEC receiver played 10 games for
the Predators in 2001... Carolina brought arenafootball2's first-ever MVP on
board, QB AARON SPARROW, who spent the 2001 AFL season on the Destroyers'
injured reserve list.
IN THE NFL
In Miami's win at Buffalo, former AFL Rookie of the Year ORONDE GADSDEN had
8 catches for 118 yards for the Dolphins... former Firebird DAVID PATTEN had
3 receptions for 47 yards and recorded a 24-yard kickoff return for New
England in the Patriots' win against New Orleans... Raiders DB JOHNNIE
HARRIS, the AFL's best defender in 1998, had a pair of tackles on special
teams in Oakland's win over the Giants... Cincinnati DB and former AFL
defender KEVIN KAESVIHARN (Iowa) registered 3 tackles and a pass deflection
in the Bengals loss at Cleveland.... former Barnstormer QB KURT WARNER, who
threw for 291 yards and one TD in the Rams' loss to Tampa Bay.
In a recent ESPN Magazine online poll, which asked for the voters' take on the best offense in NFL history, Warner's Rams finished with nearly 27% of the ballots - second only to the 49ers offense led by JOE MONTANA and STEVE YOUNG.
Former Florida Bobcat WR/DB NICK WARD had a tryout with Green Bay yesterday, while former Predator OS MAC CODY, who spent last season with the Arizona Cardinals, worked out for New Orleans.
ARENA HEROES
ArenaBowl XV Champs Locked Up - As part of the Muscular Dystrophy
Association's Lock-Up event in Grand Rapids yesterday, Rampage WR/LB MICHAEL
BAKER was "jailed" at The B.O.B. for one-hour while he attempted to raise a
little "bail money" for MDA - he rounded up $250.
Speak Up -- Chicago lineman A.J. BLAZEK will speak to approximately 600 kids and their parents at the annual Grayslake Colts youth football awards banquet this Sunday, Dec. 2 at Grayslake High's Fieldhouse. He'll talk about his football career, life in the AFL with the Rush, and the importance of education and youth football leagues.
In the City of Angels -- ArenaBowl XV MVP TERRILL SHAW recently dedicated some of his time to promoting "National Adoption Day," a unique event that led to loving new homes for more than 400 Los Angeles children. Shaw and other professional athletes spent an afternoon with the excited children, taking photographs and signing autographs as new parents completed the adoption process.
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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from December 1, 2001
- Dallas ready for expansion draft - OSC Original by AFL Press Release
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