74 players from 2003 make final AFL rosters
February 5, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO - With the Arena Football League's 18th season set to kickoff this weekend and final rosters set, 74 players who were on af2 rosters in 2003 have made AFL squads for the 2004 season, the af2 league office announced today.
In total, AFL final rosters for 2004 consist of 128 former af2 players, meaning one out of every four current AFL players was a one-time af2 player. The 74 players making the jump to the AFL from 2003 af2 season is the single largest graduating class in af2 history.
"Ever since af2 started, the number of players moving up to the AFL and other leagues keeps increasing," said af2 Executive Director Jay Marcus. "Without a doubt, af2 moves players to the next level. I'm happy for each guy and wish them all the best of luck in the 2004 season."
The complete roster of af2 players currently in the AFL is listed below. AFL's 18th season, and second on NBC, begins this weekend. Check local listings for games in your area.
In other news, af2's second annual International Player Draft was held Thursday afternoon for a pool of Japanese football players deemed eligible to participate in the 2004 af2 season. Of that pool of talent, 14 players were assigned to various af2 teams. The list of assignments is detailed below.
"We are excited to be able to continue our efforts to make Arena Football an international sport," said Jerry Kurz, AFL Vice President of International Development. "These players represent only a fraction of what we will see in the years to come as the interest in this game grows."
About af2 Entering its fifth anniversary season in late March, af2 serves as a grassroots, developmental arena football league for players, coaches and officials with 25 teams in small- to mid-size markets throughout the United States. af2 operates under the same Mission Statement and Fans' Bill of Rights as the AFL. Several former af2 coaches have joined AFL teams and more than 175 players have advanced to the AFL over the past four years.
Former af2 players on 2004 AFL final rosters:
PLAYER CURRENT AFL TEAM LAST af2 TEAM
Adams, Terrell* Philadelphia Memphis
Adrine, Bruce* Georgia Tennessee Valley
Alfred, Jermaine* New Orleans Macon
Allner, Mitch* Austin Tulsa
Anthony, Chris New York Quad City
Avery, Chris Grand Rapids Norfolk
Badon, Adesola Georgia Tallahassee
Bell, Herman Detroit Birmingham
Berger, Jason* New Orleans Macon
Bironas, Rob* Carolina Charleston
Boden, Chris* New York Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Bond, Carl Detroit Tallahassee
Bonner, Cornelius Las Vegas Carolina
Borchers, Bill* Columbus Memphis
Brown, Mike* Orlando Charleston
Browner, Brent Austin Quad City
Buich, Anthony* Grand Rapids Wichita
Bullard, Thaddeus* Las Vegas Florida
Burnett, Will* New York Albany
Burns, Travis* Grand Rapids Norfolk
Burt, E.J. Orlando Cape Fear
Canonico, Eddie* Dallas Cincinnati
Carpenter, Dwaine Columbus (SFF-N) Rochester
Carter, Frank Las Vegas Quad City
Carter, Kahlil* Orlando Arkansas
Certain, Ernest Tampa Bay Tallahassee
Clark, Aleric* Austin Tulsa
Coe, Cornelius Los Angeles Quad City
Cogell, Jeff* Indiana Mohegan
Cook, Charlie* Indiana Mohegan
Daniels, Brandon* Austin Tulsa
Demary, Silas Los Angeles Norfolk
Dematteo, Cosmo* New York Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Dennis, Dashane* Chicago Cape Fear
Dicken, Billy Detroit Quad City
Dodson, Tony* Austin Tulsa
Dupree, Lincoln New York Peoria
Enneking, Chris* Grand Rapids Wichita
Evans, Mario* New Orleans Macon
Fleshman, Lindsay Chicago Roanoke
Fontaine, Tacoma* Austin Tulsa
Franklin, Donvetis New York Carolina
Gauntt, Glen Dallas Augusta
Gispert, Keith Chicago Augusta
Gooch, Ira* New Orleans Quad City
Grove, Kyle* Los Angeles Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Hamilton, Sparky* Dallas Bossier City
Harrison, Michael* Philadelphia Florida
Hart, Clinton Tampa Bay (PHI-N) Tallahassee
Henderson, Bryan Arizona Wichita
Hill, David* Detroit Greensboro
Hines, Anthony* Indiana Cape Fear
Jackson, Jarrail Columbus Tulsa
Jackson, Kenny* Columbus Memphis
Jeter, Curtis* Detroit Tennessee Valley
Johnson, Chris* Dallas Tennessee Valley
Jones, J'Sharlon* Philadelphia Central Valley
Jones, Jermaine Dallas Florida
Kinsinger, Matt San Jose Augusta
Krause, Greg* Indiana Mohegan
Lancaster, Sacha* New Orleans Arkansas
Layton, Andrew* Dallas Greensboro
Lewis, Mark* Detroit Tennessee Valley
Locke, Tony* Columbus Cincinnati
Masters, Travis* Dallas Tulsa
Martin, Corky* Austin Tulsa
Mastrole, Ken* Dallas Florida
Mayes, William* Las Vegas Birmingham
McCleskey, Richard Columbus Tulsa
Mcgill, Tim New York Quad City
McLain, C.J. Philadelphia Arkansas
McNamara, Sean Los Angeles Quad City
Moniba, Clarence* New York (INTL) Cape Fear
Moore, Lamont New Orleans Augusta
Moye-Moore, Marlon* Orlando Charleston
Neal, Tremaine* New Orleans Macon
Nixon, Larry Arizona Bossier City
Norwood, Matt Detroit Tennessee Valley
Perry, Ron* Grand Rapids Albany
Perry, Wilmont* Columbus Cape Fear
Pesavento, Bobby Austin Cape Fear
Peterson, Charlie* Carolina Peoria
Pettigrew, Titcus Columbus Peoria
Pettis, Will Dallas Pensacola
Pointer, Chris New Orleans Norfolk
Powell, Sean* New Orleans Macon
Rayborn, John Columbus Macon
Richardson, Ramon* Austin Tulsa
Robinson, Dennison Las Vegas Columbus
Robinson, Rod* Las Vegas Memphis
Ross, Ernest* Carolina Tennessee Valley
Rumph, Jacques* New Orleans Macon
Scott, Antoinne* Arizona Charleston
Simpson, Teto Grand Rapids Cape Fear
Sippio, Bobby* Dallas Greensboro
Smalls, Denario* New Orleans Macon
Smith, Demont* Grand Rapids Louisville
Sloth, Ryan* Columbus Bakersfield
Stafford, Shane Tampa Bay Tallahassee
Stephens, Wes* Carolina Tennessee Valley
Strickland, Craig* Dallas Tulsa
Sullivan, Will* Grand Rapids Wichita
Sykes, Kelron* Columbus Greensboro
Takahashi, Mutsumi* New York (INTL) Cincinnati
Taplin, Justin* Arizona Green Bay
Taylor, Gladstone* Austin Tulsa
Taylor, Marvin Las Vegas Tallahassee
Thompson, Arkee* Georgia Louisville
Trentadue, Frank Arizona Quad City
Vena, Ryan* Columbus Albany
Walker, Jack* Carolina Peoria
Ward, Jamarr Austin Quad City
Waters, Jason Los Angeles Norfolk
Webb, Lamont* New York San Diego
White, Josh* New York Hawaii
Wilkinson, Jeremy Las Vegas Quad City
Zimmerman, Tony* Indiana Quad City
*played af2 in 2003
2004 International Draft Results:
PICK TEAM NAME POSITION
1 Louisville Yuichi Watanabe QB
2 Bakersfield Jun Nobuhara FB/LB
3 Bossier-Shreveport Takamasa Suzuki FB/LB
4 Memphis Takeshi Shinjo QB
5 Wichita Tsukasa Miyamoto FB/LB
6 Cape Fear Kenta Yagi QB
7 Florida Fuminori Sato WR/LB
8 Manchester Naoki Kosho WR/DB
9 Hawaii Teruhiro Ura WR/DB
10 Louisville Takuya Furutani WR/DB
11 Bakersfield Daisuke Ueki WR/DB
12 Bossier-Shreveport Hiroyuki Morimoto WR/DB
13 Memphis Toshihide Nakamura WR/DB
14 Wichita Sojiro Kido WR/DB
For more information, visit the official af2 website at www.af2.com
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