Al Hunt Among af2 Veterans Assigned to 2009 Yard Dawgz
October 16, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz News Release
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of arenafootball2 have been assigned their first athletes for the 2009 season - all of which are af2 veterans.
Al Hunt (5'11, 205, Northwestern Oklahoma) is a critical component of the Yard Dawgz offense and Head Coach Sparky McEwen's goal of winning the organization's first ever ArenaCup.
"Signing Al was our first order of business towards winning the 2009 ArenaCup," commented McEwen. "His involvement with our organization is vital to our success and he is a true leader on and off the field. In our minds, Hunt is the best player of in af2 history."
Hunt has been with the Yard Dawgz all five seasons (2004-2008) and was the teams leading receiver in 2008 with 94 receptions for 1,343 yards and 26 TDs. He added 31 rushes for 54 yards and 8 TDs and finished the season as the team's leading scorer with 226 total points. Defensively, he had a sack, a recovered fumble, a safety and added 16 total tackles.
"I'm excited to be back with the Yard Dawgz and Coach McEwen this season," said Hunt. "We will be a powerful team and strong contenders for ArenaCup 2009."
During his outstanding 2008 season, Hunt became the second man in af2 history to reach 1,000 total career points and is currently third in the af2 with most career touchdowns (175), second with most receiving touchdowns (150), second with most receiving yards (6,745) and fourth with most pass receptions (486). Hunt followed up his record breaking season by being named to the af2's 2008 All Ironman Team. This is the sixth consecutive year Hunt has received All-league honors, the most of any current player.
"His assignment is also important to Oklahoma City and his work with the Yard Dawgz community relations efforts cannot be overlooked," added McEwen. In fact, Hunt is one of the Yard Dawgz leaders off the field, having volunteered with the VA Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, and many other organizations.
While the signing of Hunt is significant, the addition of local athlete Fred Shaw (6'3, 215, Central Oklahoma), is also noteworthy due to the success he has had with the Yard Dawgz during the past three seasons. In 2008 he finished with 34 solo and 25 assisted tackles (46.5 total), 1.5 tackles for a loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble and 1 blocked kick. He also had 5 receptions for 62 yards and is best known for his game winning TD catch in the Yard Dawgz 58-57 win over Tulsa. The pass bounced off the net and into his hands and was the #9 play on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day. Shaw also received that weeks af2's Cutters Catch of the Week.
Keaton Graham (6'3, 205, Northwestern Oklahoma) played in 10 games for the Yard Dawgz last season and had 28 receptions for 395 yards and 6 TDs. During the Yard Dawgz win over the Iowa Barnstormers, Graham pulled in 6 receptions for 129 yards and 3 TDs, and was awarded the Cutters Catch of the Game.
OL Nigel Tharpe (6'4, 260, Iowa State) joined the Yard Dawgz mid-season and had 11 solo and 6 assisted tackles (14.0 total), 3 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, and 3 quarterback hurries. Before his involvement with arena football, Tharpe was signed to the NFL's Seattle Seahawks practice squad (2001) and spent the 2002 NFL Europe season with the Frankfurt Galaxy (Germany). He went on to play for the Arena Football League's Buffalo Destroyers in 2003 and the Grand Rapids Rampage in 2007.
During his 2008 rookie season, Abraham Holloway (6'4, 305, Memphis) played in 8 games for the Yard Dawgz and was an essential part of the Yard Dawgz line.
The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz will begin their sixth season in Spring 2009! Season tickets are now available and start at only $56 for all eight home games. Call 405-228-3294 or visit www.okcyarddawgz.com for more information.
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arenafootball2 Stories from October 16, 2008
- Coyotes Announce First Tryout for 2009 Team - Central Valley Coyotes
- Al Hunt Among af2 Veterans Assigned to 2009 Yard Dawgz - Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
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