2005 UIF All-Star Awards Announced
Published on August 4, 2005 under United Indoor Football Association (UIF) News Release
Omaha, NE - United Indoor Football is proud to announce the 2005 All-star awards for the inaugural season.
The 2005 Player-of-the-Year and League Most Valuable Player is Sioux City runningback/kick returner Fred Jackson. Jackson, a 6'1", 205-pound graduate of Coe College, ranks first in the UIF in rushing yards per game (91.4), yards per carry (5.2), total rushing yards (1,462), carries (281), all-purpose yards (3,192), all-purpose yards per game average (199.5), and touchdowns (50). He also ranks forth in the league with an average of 20.5 yards per kick return in his second season with the Bandits. Jackson and the Bandits host the Tennessee Valley Raptors in the semi-finals of the 2005 play-offs on Saturday.
The Co-Offensive Players-of-the-Year are Fred Jackson and Lexington quarterback Dusty Bonner. Bonner ranks first in the UIF in passing yards per game (170.2), total offensive yards (174.8), passing yards (2,724), and passing attempts (427). His 99.3 pass rating ranks second in the league. Bonner, a 6'1", 220-pound graduate of Valdosta State, has been with the Horsemen since the 2003 season. Bonner and the Horsemen entertain the Sioux Falls Storm in the semi-finals of the 2005 play-offs on Saturday.
Evansville defensive back Connie Brown is the Defensive Player-of-the-Year. He also earns the Defensive Rookie-of-the-Year award. The 6'3", 225-pound alum of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas leads the UIF with 114 tackles this season.
Special Teams Player-of-the-Year is Omaha kicker Ted Retzlaff. Retzlaff, a 5'11", 200-pound graduate of the University of Nebraska, led the UIF in field goals, hitting on 25 of 49 attempts for 51 percent. He also ranked third in the league in extra points, connecting on 60 of 71 attempts for 84.5 percent. Retzlaff completed his first season with the Beef in 2005.
Offensive Rookie-of-the-Year is Tennessee Valley wide receiver/kick returner Luke McArdle. The 6'0", 190-pound graduate of Georgetown University tops the league with 70 catches this season. McArdle ranks third in several categories, including an average of 50.7 receiving yards per game, 135.9 all-purpose yards per contest, and 21.1 yards per kick return. He also ranks forth in the league with an average of 4.38 catches per outing. McArdle leads the Raptors into the semi-finals of the 2005 play-offs in Sioux City on Saturday.
Fort Wayne quarterback Bryan White earns the 2005 Most Improved Player award. The 6'2", 225-pound Northern Michigan University graduate passed for 1,633 yards this season, an average of 125.6 yards per game, with 35 touchdowns. White completed 153 passes in 258 attempts in 13 games, leading the Freedom to their best regular season record in team history.
Coach of the Year is Fort Wayne Head Coach Matt Land. Land guided the team to a 14-3 record in his first season with the Freedom and a first place seed in the 2005 UIF play-offs. Land led his Freedom squad to a franchise best 14 wins in 2005 and narrowly defeated Sioux City Head Coach Jose Jefferson for Head Coach of the Year honors.
The First Team All-UIF starting squad includes Co-offensive Players of the Year Dusty Bonner at quarterback and Fred Jackson at runningback. All-Star wide receivers include Ohio Valley's Willie Austin, Fort Wayne's Jeremy Dutcher, and Lexington's Chad Spencer. The All-Star offensive line consists of Clint Harrison of Sioux City, Dan Potmesil of Omaha, and Doran Yilla of Evansville. Defensively, the All-Star line includes Ohio Valley's Eddie Bynes, Fort Wayne's Rachman Crable, and Omaha's Leif Murphy. Sioux Falls' Mark Blackburn is the All-Star linebacker. The first-team safeties are Shannon Poppinga of Sioux Falls and Anthony "Champ" Kelly of Lexington. The All-Star cornerbacks include Lexington's William Mulder and Sioux Falls' Andre Fields. The first-team kicker is Ted Retzlaff, while Sioux Falls' James Jones is the First All-UIF team's kick returner. Sioux City's Jon Paulson has been honored with the "Mr. Utility" award for his Special Teams versatility.
The Second-Team All-UIF squad includes quarterback Jarrod DeGeorgia of Sioux City and runningback Rocky Harvey of Fort Wayne. The Second-Team wide receiver is Peoria's Jonathan Schoonover. Second-Team offensive lineman is Sioux City's Erv Strohbeen, while the defensive lineman is Tennessee Valley's Fernandez Shaw. Peoria's Jason Vanloo is the Second-Team linebacker, and Black Hills' Shedrick Harris is the Second-Team cornerback. Omaha's Travis Kopf is the Second-Team safety. Second-Team All-UIF Special Teams honors go to Sioux Falls kicker Adam Hicks and Lexington kicker returner William Mulder.
The semi-finals for the 2005 play-offs are Saturday, August 6. In Sioux City, IA, the Bandits (14-2) host the Tennessee Valley Raptors (7-9) in the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena. In the other semi-final contest, the Lexington Horsemen (12-4) entertain the Sioux Falls Storm (9-8) in Rupp Arena. The first ever United Indoor Football Championship will be held the weekend of August 13. For all team rosters, statistics, scores, highlights and more log onto www.unitedindoorfootball.com.
United Indoor Football Association Stories from August 4, 2005
- 2005 UIF All-Star Awards Announced - UIF
- Storm Travel to Lexington for Semi-Finals of the UIF Playoffs - Sioux Falls Storm
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