Destroyers sign Barre, Dicken and Culp

Published on October 10, 2005 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Columbus Destroyers News Release


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Columbus Destroyers president David Paitson today announced the team has signed five-year Arena Football League veteran quarterback Billy Dicken and arenafootball2 standouts, wide receiver/defensive back B.J. Barre (pronounced BEAR-ee) and offensive/defensive lineman John Culp. Paitson also announced that wide receiver/linebacker Chris Curd and offensive/defensive lineman Brian Ray were waived.

Barre (6-2, 210, Ohio State) played in 11 games for the Buckeyes in 2000 where he recorded 10 tackles (7UT-3AT). Barre helped guide the Buckeyes to an 8-3 record and berth in the Outback Bowl. Barre took to the Arena game in 2004 with Destroyers offensive coordinator Ken Matous and the Tulsa Talons, where he made an immediate impact. In Week 4 of the season, Barre was named af2 Ironman of the Week. He caught four passes for 62 yards and three touchdowns on offense and snagged two interceptions and added two tackles on defense.

In the 2004 season, Barre caught 48 passes for 569 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for a score in 13 games for the Talons. On the defensive side, he had 31 tackles (23UT-16AT), four interceptions, 12 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery returned 49 yards for a touchdown. He also returned 15 kickoffs for 355 yards and a touchdown.

The next season, Barre joined the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (af2) and continued his success. He caught 48 passes for 617 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown. Barre even threw a 27-yard touchdown pass. He was second on the team in all-purpose yards with 1,167. On defense, he was fourth on the team in tackles with 35.5 (30AT-11UT). He also had 2.5 tackles for a loss and two fumble recoveries, while leading the team in interceptions (5) and pass breakups (13).

Dicken (6-2, 205, Purdue) joins the Destroyers roster to add depth to the quarterback position. Dicken, a five-year veteran of the Arena Football League, has passed for close to 10,000 yards and 200 touchdowns in his career. His five-year totals include completing 754-of-1,240 passes for 9,383 yards and 189 touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns.

In the inaugural arenafootball2 season in 2000 with Quad-City, Dicken guided the Steamwheelers to a professional football best 19-0 record and ArenaCup championship. In the title game, Dicken completed 14-of-18 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for two more. For the season, Dicken completed 272-of-408 passes for 3,444 yards and 73 touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 128.31 that season ranks second-best all-time in the af2.

As a Boilermaker, Dicken ranks in the Top 10 on Purdue's all-time passing list. From 1994-97, Dicken threw for 4,247 yards. In 1997, he led the Big Ten in passing and total offense when he threw for 3,136 yards and 21 touchdowns. That season's performance earned him First Team all-Big Ten honors. In the Alamo Bowl, he passed for 325 yards and was named the game's MVP.

Culp (6-5, 295, Kansas) joins the Destroyers after gaining his first year of Arena Football experience with the Steamwheelers last season. Culp played in 16 games this past season and recorded 20.5 tackles (16UT-9AT) as well as three tackles for a loss and three sacks. He led the Steamwheelers with 13 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He was among the league leaders in forced fumbles with four.

The Destroyers finished the 2005 season fourth in the AFL in attendance, averaging 15,229 fans per game in eight home contests at Nationwide Arena. In addition, the Destroyers became one of only two teams in the league to draw over 250,000 fans combined during the past two years (Philadelphia). For further information on the Destroyers, visit www.ColumbusDestroyers.com or call (614) 246-HITS.

The Arena Football League enters its 20th season with 18 teams competing for the coveted James F. Foster Cup awarded to the champion of ArenaBowl XX. Be sure to watch the AFL on NBC every Sunday beginning in January.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from October 10, 2005


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