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"Hitman" Retires from Riptide

April 27, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
San Diego Riptide News Release


SAN DIEGO – The end of one journey is the beginning of another. After nearly 50 games and over three years the wall-to-wall Brawl, WR/LB Rico Curtis retires from af2 to become Community Outreach and Player Personnel Coordinator. Curtis' new role with the franchise will involve several different aspects from coaching to sponsorships to community events.

"I get the chance to help the franchise in a different way," said Curtis. "I will be as productive off the field as I was on the field by being out in the community and helping to continue to support the Riptide. I'll still be on the field helping out with the coaching, especially at the jack position."

Curtis is the most recognizable player to develop from the Riptide franchise and his on field presence will surely be missed by the fans, but most especially by his mother. From a young age his parents provided an ample amount of encouragement for young Curtis. Although his mother was somewhat skeptical of him playing football at first, once she saw him play, she became his biggest fan. His parents attended all of his games, and often traveled long distances to make it to his away games. During his junior and senior year of college they never missed a single game, home or away. Curtis feels it was gestures such as these that jumpstarted his career and pushed him to be where he is today.

"My mom has mixed emotions about my retirement. She's happy that she doesn't have to worry about me getting hurt, but she's sad that she won't get to see me play again. She always says that I'm better than everyone out on that field even at positions that I didn't play. She's really going to miss seeing me out on the field, but she understands."

Curtis always had a passion for a variety of sports, but at the young age of 4 he began playing football. It was at this point that he realized football was not only his passion, but something that he could potentially be great at. He continued on with his football career, playing on the defensive line at Serra High School. According to Curtis, one of the highlights of his high school career was playing against Ricky Williams at Patrick Henry, with 22 tackles on him.

Fresh out of high school, with a choice of 92 colleges and a world of opportunity, he chose to attend San Diego State University in an effort to be close to his family. It was with this choice that he was able to achieve his full potential with the Aztecs. One of his greatest learning experiences took place while practicing against his own teammates during his freshman year. "I was learning to play safety against George Jones, Will Blackwell and Az Hakim, three top notch players."

Being that Curtis is a man who holds family near and dear to his heart, it only seems fitting that he would choose to play football with the San Diego Riptide. In fact, one of the reasons Curtis said he likes playing for the Riptide so much is because it is in San Diego. Curtis feels that being with the team from the beginning instills a sense of pride in him. He said that as the team grows and gets better, the pride he feels for the team grows as well.

To honor Curtis' dedication to the Riptide franchise, the team will be retiring number 37 during halftime of Saturday's matchup against the Amarillo Dusters. And now, after three full seasons of play, Curtis will enter a new arena, the Front Office. Though his presence on the field will be sorely missed, he will continue to be the "Hitman" and Mr. San Diego Riptide.



arenafootball2 Stories from April 27, 2005


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.

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