Dorados Announce Final Assignments as Camp Opens
March 23, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Rio Grande Valley Dorados News Release
HIDALGO, TX: March 23, 2005 – The Rio Grande Valley Dorados of arenafootball2 opened training camp today with a pair of practices at the Verizon Wireless Sports Park in Mission but not before they were assigned linemen Curtis Bolden, Gathan McGinnis, Jason Morris, Kyle Rasmussen and wide receiver / linebacker Deorrick Henry by the af2 offices.
Bolden is a native of Houston and began this season with the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League, but did not see any playing time. He began his pro career last season playing a stint in the National Indoor Football League (NIFL) with the Wichita Falls Thunder before closing out the season in the Intense Football League (IFL) with the Odessa Roughnecks. The 6Â’3 315-pound lineman turned pro after playing his last two seasons of college football at Midwestern State University (Wichita Falls, TX), where he was a Second Team Lone Star Conference All-South Division member in 2002 and a First Team Lone Star Conference All-South Division member in 2003. Bolden, 23, attended Worthing High School in Houston and began his college career on the west coast, playing at Los Angeles Pierce College and Los Angeles Valley College.
McGinnis is a 23 year-old lineman from Waco, Texas that also spent his pro season last year in the Intense Football League (IFL), serving as a member of the Lubbock Lonestars. He was a familiar name to the Hub City community after spending his college career at Texas Tech University from 1999 - 2003. The 6Â’1 289-pound lineman walked onto the Red Raiders program and served as a scout team and reserve player until 2002, but injuries limited him to just two games that season. McGinnis broke out his senior season (2003) three games into the season after sacking Eli Manning in the fourth quarter to swing the Raiders to a 49-45 win over Ole Miss, and he finished the year appearing 11 games. He finished his Tech career with 22 tackles in 16 games.
Morris comes to the Dorados as a rookie out of NCAA Div. II Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The Walkersville, Maryland native redshirted in 1999 with the Rams and then went on to play in 40 games over the next four seasons (2000-2003). He earned All-WVIAC (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) honors in 2001 (Second Team) and in 2002 (First Team) while at Shepherd. The 6Â’3 255-pound 24 year-oldÂ’s final college numbers included 86 tackles (47 solo) in 40 games, 23 tackles for a loss and 9 sacks.
Rasmussen, the brother of Carolina Panthers defensive end Kemp Rasmussen, comes to the Rio Grande Valley after playing last season in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Calgary Stampeders. The 6Â’4 310-pound lineman was a top recruit out of Lapeer (MI) West High School, as he was listed by over five in-state (Michigan) publications as a top recruit and as an All-American by at least three national publications. He wound up going to Michigan State and played in 47 games from 2000-2003 after redshirting the 1999 season. The Hadley, MI native closed out his college career with 146 tackles (75 solo) in the combined four seasons. Rasmussen majored in engineering arts and was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient, two-time All-District IV Second Team member (Verizon 2002, CoSIDA 2003) and a two time Potsy Ross award winner for being the top scholar athlete.
Henry, a native Texan that grew up in Fort Worth and attended Southwest High School, joins the Dorados looking for his first season of af2. The 6Â’2 217-pound wide receiver/linebacker has most recently spent time playing semi-professional football in the North American Football League (NAFL) in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with the Texas Storm. He spent his college career playing at Angelo State University (San Angelo, Tx) from 1998-2002. The 24 year-old saw limited playing time until his senior season (2002) and then racked up 335 receiving yards on 26 catches and two touchdowns.
Training camp for the 2005 season opened today with a pair of work outs and will continue through April 3rd. The two-a-day practices will run from through Saturday with the first session lasting from 10 - 11:30 AM and the second session running from 5 - 6:30 PM (times may vary). The team will hit the Dodge Arena for the first time next Monday with single workouts from 10 - 11:30 AM through Friday. On Wednesday, March 30th, the Dorados will conduct their first Blue vs. Gold Intersquad Scrimmage during their 10 AM workout on Chase Field inside the Dodge Arena. The final training camp practice will be conducted on Saturday, April 2nd, at Hidalgo High School at 10 AM. The Dorados are allowed a roster maximum of 35 players during the beginning of training camp. It must be trimmed down to 30 by the end of Friday and then down to 21 by April 3rd (teams may carry over 21 players but additional players must be classified as “international players”). Media members seeking additional training camp information may contact Chris Due at 956-843-5656.
The Dorados kick-off their 2005 campaign April 9th at the Dodge Arena, as they host the Louisville Fire. Season ticket packages and advertising opportunities are available by contacting the Dorados offices at 956-843-7825. Additional info can also be found by visiting the Dorados online at www.doradosfootball.com.
• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...
arenafootball2 Stories from March 23, 2005
- Dorados Announce Final Assignments as Camp Opens - Rio Grande Valley Dorados
- Dodge, dive, duck and dodge at Blitz Opener - Bakersfield Blitz
- Wolves 2005 dance team to perform at Monarchs game Friday - Manchester Wolves
- Steamwheelers Practice Schedule Set - Quad City Steamwheelers
- Conquest to hold “Fan Experience” event - Albany Firebirds
- WALB-TV Teams up with the Wildcats as Opening Night Sponsor - South Georgia Wildcats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
