BLITZ SIGN EIGHT PLAYERS

March 13, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


Roster taking shape as training camp draws near

BAKERSFIELD, CA (March 13, 2002) – Eight players have been assigned to the Bakersfield Blitz by the arenafootball2 league office, it was announced today. The signing brings the Blitz' current roster to sixteen players.

The assignee's are: WR/LB Eric Jennings, WR/DB J'Sharlon (Jay-shar-lon) Jones, Offensive specialist (OS) Gerrick Bivins, WR/DB Ryan Sloth, Defensive Specialist (DS) Jason Speights, DS Otis Griffin, OL/DL James Heimuli, and FB/LB Julian Yearwood.

"These are eight very good football players," said head coach James Fuller. "I'm really excited about getting these guys here and putting them out on the field. There's some real talent there."

Eric Jennings (6-3, 225-pounds) comes to the Blitz with arena football experience as well as experiencing football overseas. His professional experience consists of a season with the San Jose Sabercats of the AFL in 1995 and the Minnesota Pike of the AFL in 1996, playing WR/DB and as offensive specialist for both teams. In 1997, he played across the Atlantic Ocean in the First Division International league in Sweden. Jennings' college career began in 1991 as a receiver for Gavelin Junior College, where he played two seasons before moving to Cal-State Hayward for the '93 and '94 seasons. At Hayward, he was named All-Conference for both his junior and senior years, Most Valuable Offensive Player his senior season along with being named the Division II Receiver of the Year during the 1994 season.

J'Sharlon Jones (5-9, 183), a native Californian from Oakland, played four seasons (1996-99) at Colorado State University. After his college career he left the United States and played a season in the German Football League (GFL) as a receiver/cornerback for the Hansburg BlueDevils. He then returned home to the U.S. and was on the Oklahoma Wranglers (AFL) practice team before moving to arenafootball2 where he played in three games with the Tulsa Talons.

Offensive specialist Gerrick Bivins (6-0, 185) and WR/DB Ryan Sloth (5-10, 185) both come to the Blitz from Iowa State University and are joined by Jason Speights (5-10, 185) from Stephen F. Austin University, Otis Griffin (6-1, 200) from W. Texas A&M, James Heimuli (6-2, 295) from Texas A&M and Julian Yearwood (6-2, 268) from the University of Nevada-Reno.

These players, along with the rest of the team, start training camp on Monday, March 18th. The two-week camp will be held at the Friendship House Community Center on Cottonwood Road in Bakersfield.

The Bakersfield Blitz kicks off its season on April 6th at San Diego. The first home game is April 20th at the Centennial Garden against the Louisville Fire. Kickoff is set for 7 pm with the pre-game tailgate party starting at 5:30 in front of the Garden.

More than two million fans have attended arenafootball2 games in the league's two-year history. In 2000, af2 began its inaugural season with 15 teams. The league expanded to 28 teams in 2001, making it the fastest single-league expansion in the history of sports.

Season tickets are now on sale and available by calling (661) 634-9132 or 1-866-GOBLITZ.



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