Andre Dixon and Seven Others Signed by Colonials
May 10, 2011 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Hartford Colonials News Release
EAST HARTFORD, CT - May 10, 2011 - The Hartford Colonials announce the signing of eight players, including former University of Connecticut running back Andre Dixon, to contracts for the 2011 United Football League season. Terms of the deals are not disclosed.
The Colonials also signed defensive linemen Orien Harris and Chris Walker, wide receivers Kenny Moore and Roren Thomas, offensive lineman Jarrod Shaw, tight end Ronnie Ghent and kicker Sam Swank. Walker and Shaw were teammates at Tennessee the last four years.
Dixon, a native of New Brunswick, N.J., rushed for 241 yards for the Colonials as a UFL rookie in 2010. He was among 35 players on Hartford's Protected Player list, which reserves the UFL rights of a player to his 2010 team. Ghent and Swank were also on the list.
"I can't wait to get back out there. I'm going to go hard," said Dixon, a first-round pick by the Colonials in the 2010 UFL Draft. "I'm so happy the UFL bumped up the season a month. We're going to be out there playing football [in August]. There isn't going to be another show as big as our show."
The 2011 UFL schedule is expected to be announced shortly.
Ghent, who played in eight games with the New Orleans Saints in 2007, returns for a third season in the UFL. He has 25 receptions for 223 yards and one touchdown the last two years. Swank, who signed with Hartford in November, was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts and made all four PATs.
Harris was a fourth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006. He played in 20 NFL games with the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, registering 21 tackles. Harris has also been with the Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions.
Moore, a fifth-round pick by the Lions in 2008, played 12 games with the Carolina Panthers in 2009 and appeared in two games with the Indianapolis Colts last year.
Thomas spent part of last season with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was originally signed as a free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars following the 2010 NFL Draft and released in late August. The Colonials signed Thomas on Sept. 5 and released him the following week.
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