Philadelphia's Raudabaugh No. 6 in Top 25 Players
July 20, 2012 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
CHICAGO - Throughout the 2012 season, the Arena Football League has been counting down a number of "Top 25" lists to celebrate the League's Silver Anniversary. The lists have ranged from the "25 Greatest Uniforms in AFL History" to the "25 Greatest Players in AFL History". The majority of these lists have been voted on by the Silver Anniversary Committee, a group consisting of longtime AFL executives, media members and former players.
The League also wanted to include fans in select voting categories. Subscribers to AFL Field Pass, the official fan club of the Arena Football League, were tasked with deciding upon the Top 25 Players of the 2012 regular season. During Week 19 of the AFL season, the League office collected ballots from members and tallied the votes. The results will be divided into five segments, beginning with numbers 21-25 and ending with the announcement of the Top 5 Players of 2012 on Friday night. The list continues with numbers 6 through 10 below.
6. Philadelphia Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh
Dan Raudabaugh has led the Philadelphia Soul to a 14-3 record, an East Division championship and home field advantage in the postseason. He claimed Philadelphia's single-season passing records for touchdowns and yards, totaling 110 scores and 4,678 yards through 17 games. He ranks second in the League in yards per attempt (8.9) and third in passing touchdowns and yards per completion (13.3). Raudabaugh was named Russell Offensive Player of the Week twice in 2012 and earned National Guard MVP of the Week honors in Week 17 after passing for a franchise-record 11 touchdowns. Raudabaugh is a candidate for Russell Offensive Player of the Year and National Guard MVP of the Year.
7. San Jose SaberCats QB Mark Grieb
Grieb finished the 2012 regular season with a career-high 112 touchdown passes and an AFL-record 5,744 passing yards. He threw for 300 or more yards 11 times in 2012 and reached the 400-yard plateau in three games. He also became the just the third player in professional football history to reach 900 passing touchdowns in a career and the first player in AFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in seven consecutive seasons. Grieb is a candidate for Russell Offensive Player of the Year and National Guard MVP of the Year.
8. Cleveland Gladiators WR Dominick Goodman
"The Wizard" set the Cleveland franchise record for receptions with 163 through 16 games in 2012. John Dutton's favorite target recorded a touchdown reception in 15 straight games and led the AFL in receptions per game with an average of 10.2 this season. Goodman was named Russell Offensive Player of the Week after hauling in a single-game franchise record 17 receptions for 189 yards and three touchdowns against Jacksonville in Week 7.
9. Utah Blaze WR Aaron Lesue
Lesue emerged as Tommy Grady's top target early on in 2012 and never cooled off, setting a Blaze franchise record with 53 receiving scores this season. Lesue scored in all but one game this year, earning Russell Offensive Player of the Week honors for his 15-catch, four-touchdown performance in Week 3. Lesue was also named National Guard MVP and AFL Playmaker of the Week in Week 7 after totaling 11 receptions for 166 yards and four touchdowns against Iowa. In addition, he was awarded the Cutters Catch of the Week for an over-the-wall touchdown grab in the Week 7 matchup. Lesue is a candidate for Russell Offensive Player of the Year.
10. Arizona Rattlers WR Maurice Purify
The 2011 Rookie of the Year has had no sophomore slump in 2012. Purify has scored in all but one game this season and recorded triple-digit all-purpose yards in five consecutive games played. Rattlers quarterback Nick Davila has found Purify for 42 scores this season, just five shy of the single-season franchise record. Purify needs161 receiving yards in the team's regular season finale to reach the 2,000-yard mark on the season. Purify was named AFL Playmaker of Week 5 and earned Russell Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 11 after scoring seven touchdowns on 10 catches in the team's 86-70 victory over the Utah Blaze. Purify is a candidate for Russell Offensive Player of the Year.
Top 25 Players of 2012 (as voted on by AFL Field Pass subscribers)
6. Philadelphia Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh
7. San Jose SaberCats QB Mark Grieb
8. Cleveland Gladiators WR Dominick Goodman
9. Utah Blaze WR Aaron Lesue
10. Arizona Rattlers WR Maurice Purify
11. San Antonio Talons QB Aaron Garcia
12. Chicago Rush WR Reggie Gray
13. Utah Blaze WR Tysson Poots
14. Pittsburgh Power WR PJ Berry
15. Georgia Force WR Larry Shipp
16. New Orleans VooDoo JLB Alvin Ray Jackson
17. San Jose SaberCats DL Joe Sykes
18. Philadelphia Soul DB Kent Richardson
19. Spokane Shock DB Terrance Sanders
20. Chicago Rush WR Jared Perry
21. San Antonio Talons WR Jomo Wilson
22. Philadelphia Soul WR Donovan Morgan
23. Iowa Barnstormers QB J.J. Raterink
24. San Antonio Talons DB Fred Shaw
25. Chicago Rush JLB Kelvin Morris
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- Philadelphia's Raudabaugh No. 6 in Top 25 Players - Philadelphia Soul
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