af2's Top Stories From 2006

Published on January 2, 2007 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release

1.) Shocking ArenaCup7 winner

The Spokane Shock defeated the Green Bay Blizzard, 57-34, to become the first expansion team in af2 history to win the ArenaCup. af2 veteran QB Kyle Rowley was near flawless in the victory, throwing for six touchdowns and completing 29-of-36 passes for 264 yards (all game-highs). 2.) ArenaCup has island flavor

The 2006 ArenaCup, the championship game of arenafootball2, was the first-ever Arena Football game played in Puerto Rico. The Coliseo de Puerto Rico, located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, provided a beautiful backdrop for the league's season ending, showcase event. The Coliseo is one of the newest and most state-of-the arenas in the world. An enthusiastic crowd of 5,658 fans enjoyed the contest. This was also the first Arena Football championship game played outside of the United States.

3.) Bigger is better - nine expansion franchises approved for 2007

The upcoming af2 season looks to be even more exciting than 2006 thanks to the addition of nine new teams set to begin play in 2007. The League's current membership consists of 30 teams. In 2007, the af2 is proud to welcome in the Boise Burn, Cincinnati Jungle Kats, Corpus Christi Sharks, Fort Wayne Fusion, Laredo Lobos, Lubbock Renegades, Mahoning Valley Thunder, Texas Copperheads and Tri-Cities Fever. 4.) Rislov throws Arena Football record 106 touchdown passes

Rookie QB SCOTT RISLOV of Central Valley had an outstanding first season in the af2. In the Coyotes Week 18 road win at Stockton, Rislov threw for 341 yards (30-of-37 passing) and a season-high tying eight touchdowns without an interception. In the process, the standout signal caller from San Jose State set a new Arena Football record (AFL & af2) by finishing his first season with 106 touchdown passes. That mark well surpassed the old af2 record of 99 touchdown passes, set in 2005 by MATT SAUK. Rislov also bested Dallas Desperados veteran QB CLINT DOLEZEL's Arena Football League record of 105 touchdown passes. Dolezel made his mark just months earlier in the AFL's 20th season. Rislov's effort also pushed him past 4,400 passing yards (4,446) for the season to set a new Coyotes record. Rislov has signed an AFL contract to play for the San Jose Sabercats in 2007. Florida veteran signal caller CHRIS WALLACE finished second in the af2 in touchdown passes in 2006 with 100, becoming the second af2 player to reach the lofty 100-TD pass plateau. 5.) Strickland passes 20,000

Oklahoma City QB CRAIG STRICKLAND became the first af2 quarterback to ever throw for 20,000 yards in 2006. He eclipsed the mark in a 90-54 home win against Midwest Division and in-state rival Tulsa in Week 6. It was fitting to note that the record came against the same team where Strickland began his af2 career. Strickland led the Talons to the 2003 ArenaCup title. The af2 veteran signal caller finished the night 18-of-32 passing for 282 yards and an af2 season-high 10 touchdowns. He also tied his own team record for most touchdown passes in a game, a mark he hit in 2005 against Arkansas. Strickland decided to retire at the end of the season, but will still be a presence in the league in 2007 thanks to the Tulsa Talons, who hired him to be their offensive coordinator. 6.) Siegfried sets all-time win mark

Spokane Head Coach CHRIS SIEGFRIED had a lot to be proud of in 2006. Not only did he win his first ArenaCup title as an af2 head coach, but he also became the league's all-time leader in career coaching victories. Thanks to the Shock's 17-win season, Siegfried upped his all-time total to 57 career wins, five more than former leader KEVIN GUY, who has 52 career wins. Siegfried, who spent five seasons as an af2 head coach, has a 57-26 overall record. Due to his success, he earned a promotion to the AFL after the conclusion of the season. Siegfried will serve as an assistant coach/offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Brigade in 2007. 7.) New EA Sports Arena Football video game to include 2006 af2 teams

Christmas came a few days early for af2 fans as Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced that Arena Football™: Road to Glory, the second iteration of the Arena Football franchise, will be available on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and will be in stores on February 27, 2007. What's exciting for af2 fans is that this new version will contain af2 teams as well as AFL teams. In all, more than 40 teams will be made available in Arena Football: Road to Glory. af2 fans can use their favorite teams from 2006 and take the af2 circuit by storm by winning the ArenaCup, then export their players into the AFL and set their sights on an ArenaBowl championship. 8.) ESPN/AFL partnership

Another exciting development late in 2006 that will no doubt help increase the af2's exposure among sports fans is the news that ESPN and the Arena Football League have entered into a five-year agreement that includes extensive multimedia rights and a minimum of 26 televised games per season, beginning in 2007. ESPN also purchased a minority ownership stake in the AFL as part of the agreement that enhances ESPN's football programming lineup, the most comprehensive in sports television, with year-round football on Monday nights. ESPN will televise a minimum of 17 regular-season games and nine playoff games -- including a minimum of three Wild Card games, three Divisional Playoff games, both Conference Championships and the ArenaBowl -- on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. ESPN will also have an exclusive window for weekly Monday night primetime games on ESPN2 -- continuing to establish Monday night as the "football night" for fans year-round. 9.) Benton sets scoring, touchdown records

Florida veteran OS MAGIC BENTON jumped ahead of Arkansas WR/DB KEVIN WILLIAMS this season to become the af2's all-time scoring leader. The veteran completed the 2006 campaign with 840 career points. Benton also has the distinction of being the first af2 player to hit the 800-point plateau. Williams joined the 800-club in Week 17 and ranks second overall with 820 points. Benton also became the outright leader for all-time touchdowns scored in af2 history in 2006. The six-year league standout, who played collegiatelly at Miami, had a super season with a team-best 111 catches, 1,612 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns. Benton has 138 career scores. Tulsa Head Coach and former af2 standout player MITCH ALLNER entered 2006 as the af2 career leader with 126 touchdowns. 10.) Vena sets single season passing yards record

Veteran QB RYAN VENA of Albany broke MATT SAUK's league record for most passing yards in a season during the Conquest's Week 18 game at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He finished his 2006 campaign with 4,520 passing yards, besting Sauk's old af2 standard of 4,489 by 31 yards. Vena was in a tight race for the league lead in passing yards this season by Quad City's Tim Hicks, but pulled away in the final three weeks to claim the record. Hicks finished second overall with 4,496 passing yards. Vena recently signed with the AFL's Georgia Force while Hicks has signed with the Los Angeles Avengers.

arenafootball2 Stories from January 2, 2007

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• af2's Top Stories From 2006 - af2

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