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UIF Sioux City Bandits

Bandits Announce Second Group of Player for 2005 Training Camp

February 9, 2005 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Sioux City Bandits News Release


Today, Head Coach Jose Jefferson of the Sioux City Bandits of United Indoor Football is pleased to announce the signing of our second group of players for the 2005 season, including five that have been invited back to attend training camp from the January combines. Training camp will begin on February 26.

Signing on to play with the Bandits from the try-outs is,

Jason Graham (Running Back, 6'0, 22lbs.) Graham has played indoor football in Sioux City dating back to the Attack in 2000. Jason attended Central Missouri State where he was named All-American and set a record for consecutive 100 yard rushing games. "Graham was a pleasant surprise at the tryout with his speed and conditioning, added Coach Jefferson. "He will be a good addition to our team." Jason lives in Sioux City.

Spetlar Tonga (Linebacker, 6'0, 230 lbs.) Tonga played last season with the Bandits as a defensive end/linebacker. Spetlar played college football at Morningside College where he earned several team honors. Tonga also works and lives in Sioux City.

Dave Nelson (Wide Receiver, 5'10, 180 lbs.) Nelson has indoor experience with the Bandits during the 2003 season and pro experience with the Northwest Iowa Bruisers of the NAFL. Dave attended Chadron State College in Nebraska, where he was named Special Teams MVP for 2 years. Dave works and lives in Newcastle, NE.

Keith Chapman (Defensive Back, 5'11, 197 lbs.) Chapman is a rookie to the indoor game; he played college football at Upper Iowa University. While in college he played both safety positions. Coach Jefferson stated, "Keith was impressive at the tryout with his positioning, he is a heady player." Keith lives in North Sioux City, SD.

Adam Lloyd (Defensive Back, 6'1, 200 lbs.) Lloyd is also a rookie to indoor football. Coach Jefferson added, "Adam was also a hard worker at our tryout in January. He caught on to some of the schemes quickly, that is why we are bringing him back for camp. He is a local guy having played at Morningside and lives in Moville. I want to get a local influence on this football team and Adam fits the bill that way."

Anthony Thomas (Defensive Line, 6'2, 330 lbs.) Thomas has never played indoor football, but did get pro experience with an invitation to the 2002 Washington Redskins Training Camp. Anthony attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 2001. While at Arizona he was named to the All-PAC 10 team in 2000 and 2001, and was a team captain in 2001. Thomas currently resides in Pasadena, CA.

Jarrod DeGeorgia (Quarterback, 6'1, 215 lbs.) DeGeorgia returns to the Bandits after taking the 2004 season off. He has played three season of indoor football in Sioux City, 2000 with the Attack, and 2002, 2003 with the Bandits. In 2003, Jarrod threw for over 2,500 yards and 35 touchdowns, which ranked in the top ten of the NIFL. In 2002, he set a number of team records; yards in a game with 307, completions with 26 and touchdown pass with five, all set against Tri-City on April 28. On the season, he passed for 2,400 yards, 30 touchdowns with a rating of 101.4 and 171 passing yard average per game, all of which ranked in the top five of the NIFL. DeGeorgia has experience with the Iowa Barnstormers, where he was a back up to Kurt Warner. Coach Jefferson commented, "When I talked to Jarrod in January it was obvious he wanted to take a final shot a Championship. He is familiar with the offense that I run and I am confident he can run it." He played college football at Wayne State College in Wayne, NE and is a native of Lompoc, CA.

Willie Simmons (Quarterback, 6'2, 220 lbs.) Simmons was signed from the Tallahassee tryout camp. Simmons comes to the Bandits after playing college football at Clemson University from 1999 to 2002. He was a back up to Woody Dantzler, who is now playing in the NFL. In 2002, Simmons threw for 1,500 yards in eight games, with his best game a 48-31 loss to Florida State, 17-27, passing for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns and 13 rushes for 50 yards. Willie has thrown a touchdown pass in Clemson's bowl game in 2001 and 2002 with out starting either game. In 2000, he came off the bench for Dantzler against North Carolina and threw four touchdown passes on 10-18 for 228 yards and a 38-24 Tiger win. Simmons was an outstanding student athlete at Clemson, graduating in May 2001 with two years of eligibility left, the earliest a Clemson football player has ever graduated. Simmons went to high school at Shanks in Quincy, FL. He threw for over 6,000 yards in high school and lettered four times each in football and baseball. He was rated as one of the top QB prospects in the nation by numerous publications and chose Clemson over Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Miami (FL) and Syracuse. Coach Jefferson commented, "Willie is an athlete, he gives a different dimension because of his ability to run the football. He was very impressive in Florida; I am excited that we got him signed. With his play making ability our fans will fall in love with him in a hurry."

The Bandits now have 17 players under contract for training camp that starts on February 25. Coach Jefferson will sign 18 more players before the start of camp.



United Indoor Football Association Stories from February 9, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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