Ninja invasion begins in New Haven

by af2 Press Release
October 24, 2001 - arenafootball2 (af2)

af2 Press Release

Around the League

Ninja invasion begins in New Haven
Team officials in New Haven unveiled their arenafootball2 team name and logo this week. 'Ninjas' was the winner of the team's name-the-team contest that drew hundreds of suggestions including Cyclones, Gladiators, Hawkeyes and ShoreDawgs.

Xplorers promote assistant coach Danton Barto to top spot
A former three-time All-American at University of Memphis, Danton Barto will now stalk the dasherboards as head coach of the Memphis Xplorers. Barto was the defensive coordinator for the Xplorers, who went 3-13 under former head coach Collin Sanders. "This is a great opportunity for me and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have this chance," Barto said.

Former NFL All-Pro Will Wolford approved to operate Louisville Fire
In his 13-year career, offensive lineman Will Wolford went to three Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills and was named to three Pro Bowls while also playing with the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers. Now that his playing days are over, Wolford turned his attention to working in football from another point of view-as executive. " I can't wait for our first game of the 2002 season," Wolford said. "I doubt anyone will be more excited than myself. I may have to make a comeback and play."

Team tryouts

Listed below are the latest player tryout dates for af2 teams:

BIRMINGHAM STEELDOGS
Nov. 4, at Noon at Legion Field practice field. Registration is from 10:30 a.m-Noon and will cost $35. Players can pre-register by stopping by the Steeldogs office. For more information, call (205) 458-8648.

GREENSBORO PROWLERS
Oct. 27, 2001, at 9 a.m. at Guilford College. Registration will be from 8-9 a.m. The registration fee is $50 and only cash, checks and money orders will be accepted. The tryout will last until approximately 4 p.m. Call 336-218-5428 for more information.

LINCOLN LIGHTNING
Dec. 1, at 9 a.m. at the Abbott Sports Complex. Pre-registration fee will be $30 and will be taken up till November 28th. For anyone who registers the day of will have a $40 registration fee. All registered participates will receive a written personal evaluation at the end of tryouts. For more information and to pre-register call (402) 477-8888 to pre-register.

WICHITA STEALTH
Jan. 27, 2002, at 9 a.m. at the Kansas Coliseum. Registration has already begun at the Wichita office. The cost is $45 per person. Only cash or cashiers checks accepted. Call 316-755-3307 for more information.

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON PIONEERS
Oct. 28, 2001, at Wyoming Valley Sports Dome (131 Bear Creek Blvd., Wilkes-Barre, PA, 18702). Linemen/fullbacks/linebackers register at 7 a.m., tryout begins at 9 a.m. Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, defensive backs and kickers register at 11 a.m., tryout begins at 1 p.m. Pre-registration fee is $40, with checks accepted until Oct. 20, and credit cards until Oct. 26. Registration is $50 on Oct. 28, and only money orders or cash accepted that day (NOT credit cards). Call 570-970-4232 to pre-register.

af2 in the NFL

Since the inception of arenafootball2, 13 players from af2 have signed NFL contracts-including eight who played in the 2001 season.

The Week 5 statistics for the two who made the 53-man active roster are listed below. A third player-Justin Skaggs with the Washington Redskins-is on an NFL practice squad.

Reggie Swinton, Dallas Cowboys (Arkansas Twisters)
The Cowboys had a bye last week. Swinton is still questionable for Sunday's game against Arizona after straining his hamstring in warm-ups prior to the Cowboys' 9-7 win against Washington on Oct. 15.

Jim Tarle, Jacksonville Jaguars (Jacksonville Tomcats)
In the Jaguars' 13-10 loss to Buffalo on Monday Night Football, Tarle had kickoffs of 62, 54 and 63 yards. Tarle is still handling all kickoff duties for Jacksonville and battling for a chance to handle field goals as well.

2002 Expansion Update

The league office of arenafootball2 has had several announcements in recent weeks concerning the expansion of the league for the 2002 season. The af2 consisted of 15 teams in its inaugural season before beginning the 2001 season with 28 teams.

The af2 continues with its original five-year plan of being a nationwide league with as many as 70 teams by the 2004 season. Fans of the fastest-paced, most in-your-face football on the planet have been clamoring for the af2 to land in their community and many recent cities have responded.

Listed below are the cities that have been approved and have publicly announced their intention to play in the 2002 season:
CITY (Date of Announcement)
Bakersfield, Calif. (April 3, 2001)
Mobile, Ala. (June, 15, 2001)
Albany, N.Y. (June 20, 2001)
Manchester, N.H. (June 21, 2001)
New Haven, Conn. (June 25, 2001)
Uncasville, Conn. (July 19, 2001)
Wilkes-Barre, Penn. (July 24, 2001)
Fresno, Calif. (Aug. 1, 2001)
Honolulu, Hawaii (Aug. 6, 2001)
Fayetteville, N.C. (Oct. 17, 2001)

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