Blizzard Sign Five
Published on October 31, 2011 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Green Bay Blizzard News Release
Green Bay, WI - The Green Bay Blizzard and Head Coach Robert Fuller are pleased to announce the signing of five new members of the 2012 Green Bay Blizzard. Donovan Porterie and Mario Russell highlight the group, as Porterie will be entering is second season as QB under Coach Fuller in the IFL, and Russell is looking to have a break out year and get back in an NFL camp.
Donovan Porterie - University of New Mexico - The 6'4 215 lb QB is from Port Arthur, TX. Through ten games as the signal caller for the Fairbanks Grizzlies, Porteire put up impressive numbers. He finished the regular season with 30 touchdown passes to only six interceptions. His 99.9 passer rating was good enough for 10th in the league among quarterbacks who had ten starts or more.
His efforts against the Seattle Timberwolves in week 16 earned him Vidswap.com player of the week honors. Porterie put on a show against the Timberwolves, throwing 14-19 for 245 yards and 7 touchdowns.
At the University of New Mexico, Porterie was a 4-year starter and 4-time team captain for the Lobos and earned the Lobo Club Award for Unselfish Devotion to Team at the conclusion of his senior year. Porterie is regarded as one of the most productive QB's in program history with 5 games over 300 yards passing and ranked among the top-10 all-time at UNM in passing yards (6,756 - 3rd), TD passes (33 - 5th), completions (614 - 3rd), efficiency rating (116.48 - T-10th) and left UNM as the most accurate passer in school history among the 5 QBs with 4,000+ career yards...officially 2nd with a 58%.
Mario Russell - Carson Newman College - The 6'2 205 pound Defensive Back signed as a rookie free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs this past August. Scouts Inc. assigned a rating of 30 to Russell and ranked him as the 72nd safety in this past season's draft. Russell was the star of the Carson-Newman defense during his final three seasons in Jefferson City. Last year in 11 games, Russell ranked second on the team in tackles with 83 and added seven passes defensed, two sacks, one interception.
Russell appeared in 45 games (35 starts) at Carson-Newman, producing 275 tackles (142 solo), six tackles for loss and four interceptions. He added 30 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He earned offensive and defensive MVP honors at Mifflin High School in Columbus, Ohio.
Tyron Hurst - Delaware State University - The 6'2 295 pound Dover, Delaware native was an anchor on the Fairbanks Grizzlies defensive line during the 2011 season. As a member of the division champion Grizzlies team, Hurst led the team with seven sacks. He recorded 26 tackles and forced a fumble in the 13 games he appeared in. Hurst is big, physical and is very athletic. He has the power and speed to play NG or DE and put his unique talent to work.
As a defensive lineman from Delaware State (I-AA), Hurst played as a true freshman and won the DSU Rookie of the Year award. Hurst was a four year starter, a team captain and helped the Hornets to the MEAC title in 2007.
Kyle Longsdorf - Defiance College - As a Senior DB, the 6'1 190 defensive leader for the Defiance College Yellow Jackets, Longsdorf recorded a team high 139 tackles (72 of which were solo) four interceptions (two for touchdowns) and 12 passes defensed. As a Junior, Longsdorf set a career high and led DC with 116 total tackles. He also set a new DC single-game record with 15 assisted tackles in 35-0 win over Bluffton on November 14. He was named as the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for that performance. He was named Second-Team All-HCAC, selected as OhioCollegeFootball.com Third-Team All-Ohio, as well as D3football.com Third-Team All-North Region during his sophomore year.
Kenny Viser - Idaho State University - Viser, a 6'1 200 pound DB joined the Fairbanks Grizzlies late in the 2011 season, appearing in the last two regular season games before helping the Grizzlies in their post season run. In those two games, Viser recorded eight total tackles and had two pass break-ups. Viser followed up with five tackles in the Grizzlies second round playoff loss to the Allen Wranglers.
The Green Bay Blizzard are proud members of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and was named the 2011 IFL Franchise of the Year. The reigning Great Lakes Division Champions play all their home games at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI. 2012 Season tickets are on SALE NOW, call 920-405-1264 to reserve your seat in the action! Make sure to follow the Blizzard on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news and updates on the team.
Indoor Football League Stories from October 31, 2011
- IFL Supports Team's Efforts to Sign NFL Veteran - IFL
- Blizzard Sign Five - Green Bay Blizzard
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